Acylated ghrelin, growth hormone and IGF-1 levels in the cord blood of small for gestational age newborns

Background: Ghrelin is a pleiotropic hormone that regulates feeding and energy balance and stimulates growth hormone release. Ghrelin also exerts developmental and organizational effects during prenatal life. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine ghrelin levels in cord blood of small for gestational age (SGA) infants and its association with GH (growth hormone) and IGF-1 levels (insulin-like growth factor-1). Methods: Cord blood sample was obtained from 31 SGA and 25 appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants. Acylated ghrelin, GH, and IGF-1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: No significant differences were observed in ghrelin and GH concentrations between SGA and AGA infants. However, IGF-1 levels were significantly lower in SGA infants. Cord blood ghrelin was negatively correlated with the infants' birth weight (r = -0.33, P = 0.013); on the other hand, IGF-1 level was positively correlated with birth weight (r = 0.43, P = 0.002). Conclusions: IGF-1 has the most significant effect on intrauterine growth. Acylated ghrelin is detectable in cord blood and correlated with birth weight, suggesting a role in intrauterine development, but its level is not affected by intrauterine growth retardation. © 2016, Iranian Society of Pediatrics

Outcomes of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention from the RAIAN (RAjaie - Iran) registry

Objective: While most of the evidence in CTO interventions emerge from Western and Japanese studies, few data have been published up today from the Middle East. Objective of this study was to evaluate technical success rates and clinical outcomes of an Iranian population undergoing CTO PCI in a tertiary referral hospital. Moreover, we sought to evaluate the efficacy of our CTO teaching program. Methods: This is a retrospective single-center cohort study including 790 patients who underwent CTO PCI performed by operators with different volumes of CTOs PCI performed per year. According to PCI result, all patients have been divided into successful (n = 555, 70.3 %) and unsuccessful (n = 235, 29.7 %) groups. Study endpoints were Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events and Health Status Improvement evaluated using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire at one year. Results: A global success rate of 70 % for antegrade and 80 % for retrograde approach was shown despite the lack of some CTO-dedicated devices. During the enrollment period, the success rate increased significantly among operators with a lower number of CTO procedures per year. One-year MACE rate was similar in both successful and unsuccessful groups (13.5 % in successful and 10.6 % in unsuccessful group, p = 0.173). One year patients' health status improved significantly only in successful group. Conclusions: No significant differences of in-hospital and one-year MACE were found between the successful and unsuccessful groups. Angina symptoms and quality of life significantly improved after successful CTO PCI. The RAIAN registry confirmed the importance of operator expertise for CTO PCI success

Investigating types and causes of domestic violence against women and identifying strategies to deal with it from the perspective of victims

Domestic violence is a global plague that destroys families and societies and threatens people’s health. The present study was conducted in the city of Rasht to investigate types and causes of domestic violence along with coping strategies to deal with it from the perspective of its victims. The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 110 women referring to family courts in Rasht during the year 2014. The samples were selected using convenience sampling method. The data were collected via a questionnaire covering demographic characteristics of the subjects and the World Health Organization Violence against Women Instrument. Using the SPSS-18 software, the collected data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA (p<0.05). The average age of the participants was 33.94±6.92 years and the most prevalent type of domestic violence was psychological violence (44.13), including shouting and swearing as the most common forms (n=34; 61.8). From the perspective of women victims of domestic violence, the main causes of domestic violence were economic problems (47.3) and drug/alcohol abuse (43.6). A majority of the examined women (68.09) believed that logical talk is a good strategy to reduce domestic violence. Considering the high rate of domestic violence against Iranian women, preventive measures must be included in mental health policies and resources must be dedicated to reduce the rate of violence against women. It is also important to identify the causes of violence and strategies to deal with it. © RJPT All right reserved