Arrhythmogenic Risk Assessment Following Four-Week Pretreatment With Nicotine and Black Tea in Rat

Background: There is the controversy concerning the main component of tobacco, which is responsible for its arrhythmogenesis. In addition, there is the lack of adequate information about the influence of combination of black tea and nicotine on heart rhythm. Objectives: This study aimed to examine whether pretreatment with black tea and nicotine could modulate the susceptibility to lethal ventricular arrhythmias. Materials and Methods: Animals were randomized to control, black tea, nicotine, and black tea plus nicotine groups. Test groups were treated with black tea brewed (orally) and nicotine (2 mg/kg, subcutaneous), alone and in combination for four weeks. On day 29, aconitine was infused intravenously for induction of cardiac arrhythmia. Results: In comparison with the control group, each of tea and nicotine significantly decreased the duration of the ventricular tachycardia (VT) plus ventricular fibrillation (VF) and the score of arrhythmia severity (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively,). The latency for the first VT event was significantly longer in the all test groups, but VF latency was significant only in tea and nicotine groups compared with control group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively).Threshold dose of aconitine for inducing VT and VF increased in all test groups, but only VT showed a significant difference in comparison to the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings suggest that sub-chronic consumption of nicotine or black tea alone with appropriate doses could potentially be antiarrhythmic and its combination regimen does not increase the risk of fatal ventricular arrhythmias during four-week consumption period in rats. Keywords: Ventricular Arrhythmia, Black Tea, Nicotin

Blood ordering and utilization in hospitals of Bushehr province

Cross over ordering of blood much in excess of actual or anticipated needs led to rising costs and transfusion associated morbidity. In order to reveal blood utilization, we evaluated blood ordering and transfusion practices in 437 cases in general surgery, obstetrics & gynecology , orthopedics, neurology and urology wards of different hospitals in Bushehr province using cross-match to transfusion ratio ( C/T ratio) and transfusion index ( TI ). The maximum (8.9) and minimum (1.2) ratios for C/T index were in obstetrics and gynecology and orthopedics wards, respectively. The maximum (1.85) and minimum (0.70) TI index were in orthopedics and obstetrics & gynecology wards, respectively. TI indices for general surgery and urology wards were 0.59 and 0.70, respectively. Therefore, blood ordering and transfusion practices in some wards of Bushehr hospitals, especially obstetrics and gynecology ward, should be reevaluated

Comparing Home-based Pulmonary Rehabilitation Nursing on Fatigue and quality of life in Patients with COPD

  Background & Objective:The aim of the present study is to&nbsp;compare the effects of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation nursing care on Fatigue and QOL in patients with COPD. Materials & Methods:&nbsp;This study was a semi experimental research. The samples were consisted of 36 patients who were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria into control and experimental groups through random block sampling. For each of the experimental group 3 sessions of 1 hour raining over three consecutive days were done individually and it continuous up to 7 days after the patients discharged from the hospital. However, the control group was under the regular manner. Fatigue and quality of life in both groups before the intervention and 7 weeks after discharge using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and quality of life questionnaire SF-12 were compared. The data were analyzed through inferential and descriptive statistic (Independent and paired t-test, chi-square and covariance analysis). Results: Eta squared values ​​obtained in this experiment also showed that the effect of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program on fatigue (89%) is greater than the quality of life (50%), respectively. Conclusion: As the findings indicate, the effect of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation nursing care, which has the decreasing factor on fatigue is more than the quality of life in patients with COPD.&nbsp

Risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in Bushehr Port on the basis of The WHO MONICA Project The Persian Gulf Healthy Heart Project

The majority of all deaths attributable to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are in developing countries. There is now a pressing need for developing countries to define and implement preventive interventions for CVDs. We used WHO MONICA Project protocols to measure trends in coronary risk factors in Bushehr Port in the Persian Gulf Healthy Heart Project. Coronary risk factors of 2092 , aged >= 25 years men and women were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Of the studied population, 97.7% had at least one coronary risk factor, 44.3% of men and 69% of women had at least two coronary risk factors. The high prevalence rates of diabetes mellitus (8.6%), central obesity (59.4%), obesity (26.8%), hypertension (24.5%), smoking (15.7%), physical inactivity (71.1%), hypercholesterolemia (24%) and low HDL-cholesterol (61.5%) showed that coronary risk factors prevail in Bushehr Port. Therefore, preventive strategies should be implemented immediately to avoid cardiovascular epidemic in the near future