Deficiencies of the microelements, folate and vitamin B12 in women of the child bearing ages in Gorgan, Northern Iran

Background: The deficiencies of folic acid, vitamin B12, and microelements during pregnancy may affect the health of newborns. Objectives: To assess the serum levels of folate, vitamin B12, iron, zinc and copper in healthy women of the childbearing ages in Gorgan, northern Iran. Methodology: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 women of childbearing ages in northern Iran during November 2007-March 2008. The serum levels of folate, vitamin B12, iron, copper and zinc were evaluated by laboratory tests. Results: Iron, copper, folate, vitamin B12 deficiencies and folate with vitamin B12 deficiency were detected in 13%, 32%, 13%, 32% and 11% women of the childbearing ages, respectively. According to the ethnicity, vitamin B12, folate and iron deficiencies in the Sistani group were observed in 38.3%, 12.9% and 12.9% of the women, respectively. In the native Fars group, the above mentioned deficiencies were found in 31.1%, 13.4% and 7.5% of the subjects. Folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies were observed in the urban habitant in 32.7% and 11.5% of the subjects as compared to those in the rural habitant (in 30.4% and 15.2%of the subjects respectively). The folate deficiencies in the under and above 18 years old subjects were 22.2% and 9.9%, respectively. Conclusions: This study showed that the deficiency of the micronutrients was considerable in women of the childbearing ages in Gorgan, northern Iran

Knowledge and practice of urban Iranian pregnant women towards folic acid intake for neural tube defect prevention.

To assess the knowledge and practice of urban Iranian pregnant women regarding periconceptional folic acid intake for neural tube defect (NTD) prevention. The population-based study was done on 676 primiparous women in an urban area in Golestan province in northern Iran from June to November, 2008. A questionnaire was completed by the subjects regarding their knowledge of folic acid. Questionnaires were administered to women who were seeking routine antenatal care at health centres, private gynaecological clinic and the Dezyani Gynaecologic and Obstetric Hospital. Questions covered knowledge and use of folic acid supplements and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Out of the 676 women surveyed, 96.2% reported that they heard of folate. Of these, only 27.6% knew that folate was something important in the prevention of neural tube defects. Overall, 20.12% of the total women took folic acid during periconceptional period. The most common information sources on folate were healthcare service (54.5%). Besides, 37.6% of the subjects who heard about folate were aware that green leafy vegetables were fortified with folic acid. In univariate analysis, knowledge and intake of folic acid was not associated with education and the age of women. A healthcare plan for intervention to increase the knowledge and intake of folic acid by pregnant women during the protective period is required

The knowledge and the attitude of youth couples on/towards consanguineous marriages in the north of Iran

Aim: Consanguinity is an important risk factor in genetic diseases and in congenital malformations. This study was done to assess the knowledge and the attitude of youth couples on/towards consanguineous marriages in the north of Iran. Material and Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was carried out on 250 young people (125 couples) in Northern Iran during the year 2008. The information was obtained by a direct interview and the questionnaire included four sections which comprised of 39 closed questions. The data was analyzed by using SPSS, version 11.5 and the Chi-Square test. Results: Consanguineous marriages were observed in 32.5% of the couples. Consanguineous marriages were determined in 20.87% and 11.63% of the rural and the urban residents respectively. The knowledge of the youth was poor (49.2% of the females and 40% of the males) on the genetic consequences of inbreeding. The results on the attitude of youths showed that 38.8% of the subjects had agreed and that 61.2% of them had disagreed on consanguineous marriages. There was a significant association between the knowledge of the youths and their attitudes towards consanguineous marriages with their ethnicity, education and residency (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study showed that the knowledge of the youth couples towards consanguineous marriages was poor. Health education programs are needed to improve the knowledge of the youth couples on consanguineous marriages; that they are a potential risk factor in congenital malformations and in genetic diseases in the offspring

Ethnical variations in the incidence of congenital heart defects in Gorgan, Northern Iran: A single-center study

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital anomaly in newborns. This study was performed to determine the live birth incidence of CHD by ethnicity and sex in Gorgan, Northern Iran. Methods: In this longitudinal, hospital-based study, 18162 live births in Dezyani Hospital in Gorgan, North of Iran, were screened for CHD, from 2007 through 2009. Clinical examination, echocardiography, color Doppler, and cardio catheterization were used as diagnostic tools. Sex, ethnicity, and type of CHD for each case were recorded in a pre-designed questionnaire. Results: The incidence rates of CHD in the native Fars, Sistani, and Turkmen subjects were 5.73 (95%CI: 4.53-7.15), 12.27 (95%CI: 8.74-16.73), and 15.93 (95%CI: 10.00-24.02) per 1000 live births, respectively. The Turkmen to native Fars and Sistani to native Fars relative risk for congenital CHD malformations was 2.77 (95%CI: 1.73-4.44; p value < 0.001) and 1.29 (95%CI: 0.77-2.18; p value < 0.323), respectively. While atrial septal defect was the most common lesion in the native Fars subjects (2.14 per 1000 [95%CI: 1.42-3.06]) and in the Sistani subjects (2.84 per 1000 [95%CI: 1.29-5.36]), in the Turkmen subjects, ventricular septal defect (4.36 per 1000 [95%CI: 1.59-9.43]), followed by atrial septal defect, was the most frequent lesion. Conclusion: This study showed that the incidence and pattern of CHD among live births in Gorgan, North of Iran, varied according to ethnicity. The risk of CHD was higher in the Turkmen and Sistani groups than in the Fars population

Prevalence and pattern of congenital heart disease among neonates in Gorgan, Northern Iran (2007-2008)

Objective: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital anomaly newborns. The aim of this longitudinal, hospital-based study was to evaluate the prevalence and pattern of CHD among Iranian newborns in Gorgan, Northern Iran. Methods: 11739 live births in Dezyani hospital in Gorgan were screened for CHD, 2007 through 2008. Clinical examination, echocardiography, color Doppler and cardio catheterization were used as diagnostic tools. Clinical and demographic factors, namely sex, type of CHD and associated anomalies of diagnosed cases were recorded in a pre-designed questionnaire for analysis. Findings: The overall prevalence rate of CHD was 8.6 per 1000 live births. This was 9.96 per 1000 male births and 7.34 per 1000 female births. It was 4.5 and 13.19 per 1000 in 2007 and 2008, respectively. ASD was the commonest lesion (2.64 per 1000), followed by VSD+ASD (1.28 per 1000) and PDA (1.28 per 1000). The rate of ASD in male and female was 3.02 and 2.26 per 1000 respectively. Parents of 40 (39.6%) babies were related. 39 (38.6%) couples were first cousins. Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence of CHD among live births in Gorgan is lower than reported in the studies for Middle East and European countries. © 2011 by Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, All rights reserved

Artificial Neural Network to Modeling Zero-inflated Count Data: Application to Predicting Number of Return to Blood Donation.

BACKGROUND Traditional statistical models often are based on certain presuppositions and limitations that may not presence in actual data and lead to turbulence in estimation or prediction. In these situations, artificial neural networks (ANNs) could be suitable alternative rather than classical statistical methods. STUDY DESIGN  A prospective cohort study. METHODS The study was conducted in Shahrekord Blood Transfusion Center, Shahrekord, central Iran, on blood donors from 2008-2009. The accuracy of the proposed model to prediction of number of return to blood donations was compared with classical statistical models. A number of 864 donors who had a first-time successful donation were followed for five years. Number of return for blood donation was considered as response variable. Poisson regression (PR), negative binomial regression (NBR), zero-inflated Poisson regression (ZIPR) and zero-inflated negative binomial regression (ZINBR) as well as ANN model were fitted to data. MSE criterion was used to compare models. To fitting the models, STATISTICA 10 and, R 3.2.2 was used RESULTS: The MSE of PR, NBR, ZIPR, ZINBR and ANN models was obtained 2.71, 1.01, 1.54, 0.094 and 0.056 for the training and 4.05, 9.89, 3.99, 2.53 and 0.27 for the test data, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The ANN model had the least MSE in both training, and test data set and has a better performance than classic models. ANN could be a suitable alternative for modeling such data because of fewer restrictions

The prevalence of stuttering, voice disorder and speech sound disorders in preschoolers in Shahrkord, Iran

Abstract: The inability to communicate easily and clearly can have far-reaching debilitating effects, not only in childhood, but throughout a lifetime. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of stuttering, voice disorder, and speech sound disorders in Persian preschoolers in Shahrekord, Iran. Information about 1,387 children ages 5 to 6 was obtained via face-to-face screening and assessment. The total prevalence of speech disorders was 17.1%. The prevalence of stuttering was 1.5%, while 13.4% had a speech sound disorder, and 2.2% had voice disorder. The prevalence of stuttering was higher in males (2.2%) than females (0.7%); of speech sound disorders was higher in males (17.4%) than females (9.1%); and of voice disorder was higher in males (2.6%) than females (1.6%). The prevalence of stuttering and speech sound disorder was significantly different according to gender and positive family history. The prevalence figures revealed that a considerable number of preschoolers with speech disorders were missed in parents’ and teachers’ reports. Those children required more intensive communication support than they were receiving. Therefore, classroom teachers should work with speech and language pathologists to identify and assess preschoolers with communication disorders, and to develop intervention strategies

Investigation of heavy metals in edible mushrooms consumed in Shahrekord

زمینه و هدف: آلودگی به فلزات سنگین یکی از نگرانی های مهم بهداشت مواد غذایی است. وجود عناصر سمی در بستر قارچ ها ممکن است منجر به جذب آن ها شود که در این صورت مصرف قارچ با اشکال مواجه خواهد شد. این تحقیق با هدف تعیین غلظت عناصر سنگین منگنز، کروم، آهن، سرب، روی و مس در قارچ خوراکی موجود در شهرکرد صورت گرفته است. روش بررسی: این مطالعه به روش مقطعی- توصیفی انجام گرفت. 6 نمونه از قارچ های خوراکی پرورشی موجود در بازار شهرکرد و 2 نمونه از قارچ خوراکی وحشی انتخاب گردید. نمونه برداری به روش سرشماری با 3 بار تکرار به فاصله ی زمانی یک ماهه در فصل بهار انجام شد. از هر نوع قارچ 3 نمونه و در مجموع تعداد 24 نمونه گرفته شد. نمونه ها با استفاده از روش هضم اسیدی هضم شدند، سپس توسط دستگاه اسپکترو متری جذب اتمی غلظت عناصر تعیین گردید. یافته ها: میانگین مقادیر سنجش شده روی (94/14&plusmn;29/61)، (11/29&plusmn;48/58)، آهن (69/8&plusmn;29/26)، (93/11&plusmn;30/28)، سرب (56/0&plusmn;05/2)، (35/0&plusmn;07/2)، کروم (41/0&plusmn;46/1)، (91/0&plusmn;1/1)، مس (68/5&plusmn;99/22)، (67/6&plusmn;83/25) و منگنز (72/0&plusmn;8/3)، (99/0&plusmn;25/6) میلی گرم در کیلوگرم به ترتیب در قارچ های پرورشی و وحشی به دست آمد. یافته های این تحقیق نشان می دهد که میانگین غلظت روی در هر 2 نوع قارچ (وحشی- پرورشی) در حد مجاز استاندارد (CODEX/FAO/WHO) کروم، سرب، آهن بیش تر از حد مجاز استاندارد و منگنز، مس کم تر از حد مجاز استاندارد به دست آمد. نتیجه گیری: با توجه به اینکه برخی نمونه ها حاوی فلز سنگین کروم، سرب، آهن با مقادیر بالاتر از حد مجاز می باشند و با توجه به مصرف روز افزون قارچ های خوراکی پرورشی در ایران دقت بیش تری در مورد شرایط و محیط پرورشی قارچ ها لازم می باشد