Effects of physalis alkekengi, aerial parts extracts, on morphine withdrawal syndrome in mice

The effect of Physalis alkekengi aerial part extract on the withdrawal syndrome was determined in mice. After induction of dependency by morphine, mice were intraperitoneally administered different concentrations of Physalis alkekengi extract (dichloromethane, methanol and waterf). Morphine-withdrawal, induced by naloxone, was assessed by recording the incidence of escape jumps for 60 minutes. All the concentrations of the methanol extract produced statistically significant decrease in development of morphine dependence compared to the control group. Aqueous extract also induced jumping decrease in mice of test group at doses 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg. We can therefore suggest this plant using successfully in treatment of addiction

A review of the personal health records in selected countries and Iran

Personal Health Record (PHR) enables patients to access their health information and improves care quality by supporting self-care. The purpose of this study is to provide a comparative analysis of the concept of PHRs in selected countries and Iran in order to investigate the gaps between Iran and more advanced countries in terms of PHRs. The study was carried out in 2008-2009 using a descriptive-comparative method in Australia, the United States, England and Iran. Data was gathered from articles, books, journals and reputed websites in English and Persian published between 1995 and September 2009. After collecting the data, both advantages and disadvantages of each of concepts were analyzed. In the three countries considered in the present study the concepts of PHR, extracted from the literature, are that; a)patient/person be recognized as the owner of PHR; b)information be disclosed only to those authorized by the patient; c) and that PHR is created upon request and consent of the individual involved. Before PHRs can be profitably used in the health administration of a (developing) country, the necessary knowledge, infrastructures, and rules need to be developed. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010

Treatment and prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer. Five year multi-center study

Objective: To study the response rate for common chemotherapy regimens, and the progression free survival analysis in ovarian cancer in Tehran. Methods: Ninety-eight women with confirmed ovarian cancer who had surgery, followed by chemotherapy at the 3 hospitals in (Fayazbakhsh, Shohadayee Tajrish, and Imam-Hossein), Tehran, Iran, between 1997 and 2003 were enrolled in this retrospective descriptive study. Data regarding age, pathologic variations, surgical procedures, chemotherapy regimens, response rates, and time to progression of the disease were collected. Response rate was evaluated for 51 patients with epithelial cancer. Results: From a total of 98 patients, there were 81 (82.6) epithelial, 12 (12.2) germ cell, 4 (4.1) granulosa cell tumors, and one case of lymphoma. Staging with optimal residue was performed for 18 patients. Stage III was the most common stage (44.9). In 71.4 of patients, complete or partial response was seen, while the other patients showed stable, or progressive disease. The most important prognostic factors were the initial stage (p=0.034), and the extent of surgical procedure (p=0.045). Median disease-free survival was 52.6 months. Although, higher response rate was produced by taxane-based regimen in comparison with cisplatin-cyclophosphamide regimen (78.2 versus 71.4), but it was not statistically significant (p=0.275). Median age (49.6 years) of our patients is lower than expected. Besides, a large proportion of the patients are referred in advanced stages. Conclusion: New chemotherapy practically has made no significant higher response rate

Introducing a new measure for assessing self-efficacy in response to air pollution hazards for pregnant women

A self-efficacy instrument should be condition-specific. There are several instruments for measuring self-efficacy, but none are air pollution-specific. This study aimed to develop a self-efficacy measure for assessing pregnant women's responses to air pollution hazards. A random sample of pregnant women aged between 18 and 35 years attending three prenatal care centers were entered into the study. Prenatal care centers randomly selected from a list of centers located in different geographical regions of Tehran, Iran. After careful consideration and performing content and face validity, a 4-item measure was developed and participants completed the questionnaire. Reliability was estimated using internal consistency and validity was assessed by performing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and known group comparison. In all 200 eligible pregnant women were studied. The mean age of participants was 26.9 (SD = 4.8) years and it was 27.9 (SD = 9.1) weeks for gestational age. The findings showed almost perfect results for both content validity ratio (CVR = 1) and content validity index (CVI = 1). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit to the data, and known group comparison revealed satisfying results. Internal consistency as measured by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.74. In general, the findings suggest that this new generated scale is a reliable and valid specific measure of self-efficacy in response to air pollution hazards for pregnant women. However, further studies are needed to establish stronger psychometric properties for the questionnaire. © 2013 Araban et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Water quality zoning in babolrood river using national sanitation foundation water quality index and geographic information system

Background and purpose: Quality of surface waters is important for different uses and identification of contaminated sites and pollutants leads to appropriate use of water. So, the aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of water Babolrood. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, sampling was conducted in ten stations during summer 2013. Data was analyzed using National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSFWQI) and SPSS, and then the river�s path was zoned by Geographic Information System (GIS). Results: Based on NSFWQI, the best status was found in second station (79, good) and the worst was observed in station 10 (52, moderate). Conclusion: Based on NSFWQI, the quality of river was good in upstream and moderate in downstream, indicating human as the main responsible for low quality of water. © 2016, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All right reserved

Evaluation of parametric models by the prediction error in colorectal cancer survival analysis

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the factors influencing predicted survival time for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) using parametric models and select the best model by predicting error's technique. Background: Survival models are statistical techniques to estimate or predict the overall time up to specific events. Prediction is important in medical science and the accuracy of prediction is determined by a measurement, generally based on loss functions, called prediction error. Patients and methods: A total of 600 colorectal cancer patients who admitted to the Cancer Registry Center of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Research Center, Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, were followed at least for 5 years and have completed selected information for this study. Body Mass Index (BMI), Sex, family history of CRC, tumor site, stage of disease and histology of tumor included in the analysis. The survival time was compared by the Log-rank test and multivariate analysis was carried out using parametric models including Log normal, Weibull and Log logistic regression. For selecting the best model, the prediction error by apparent loss was used. Results: Log rank test showed a better survival for females, BMI more than 25, patients with early stage at diagnosis and patients with colon tumor site. Prediction error by apparent loss was estimated and indicated that Weibull model was the best one for multivariate analysis. BMI and Stage were independent prognostic factors, according to Weibull model. Conclusion: In this study, according to prediction error Weibull regression showed a better fit. Prediction error would be a criterion to select the best model with the ability to make predictions of prognostic factors in survival analysis. © 2015 RIGLD, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases

Effects of apple consumption on lipid profile of hyperlipidemic and overweight men

Objectives: Fruits and vegetables may be beneficial on lipid profile of hyperlipidemic subjects. The present study was aimed to verify the effect of golden delicious apple on Lipid Profile in hyperlipidemic and overweight men. Methods: Forty six hyperlipidemic and overweight men were randomly divided into two groups. Intervention group received 300g golden delicious apple per day for 8 weeks. Control group had the regular dietary regimen for the same period of time. Blood samples were analyzed for serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL), apolipoprotein B (Apo B), lipoprotein a (Lp a) and LDL/HDL ratio at baseline and after intervention. Results: Total polyphenols and fibers were 485 mg/kg and 4.03 g/100g in fresh apple respectively. After 8 weeks, significant statistical differences were observed considering the TG and VLDL levels between two groups, but no significant differences were observed regarding TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, Apo (B), Lp (a) and LDL/HDL ratio. Conclusions: Consumption of Golden delicious apple may be increased serum TG and VLDL in hyperlipidemic and overweight men. We need more studies to assay the effect of apple consumption on serum TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, Apo (B), Lp (a) and LDL/HDL ratio

Attitude of Inpatients about Information Technologies

Background and Aim: Information Technologies (ITs) has become a significant resource for dissemination of information and resulted to an increase of health knowledge in communities. With attention to patient - centered approach this study was done to determine knowledge of inpatients about ITs.Materials and Methods: A descriptive - cross-sectional study was done on 461 inpatient in Kashan University of Medical Sciences hospital's with a reliable (spearman Brown, r =0.83) and valid (face and content) questionnaire in two section, demographic information and study objects. Data gathering was done with interview then analyzed by SPSS and descriptive analysis.Results: %42.1 and %26.7 of participants had knowledge about computer and the Internet relatively. %41.9 of them had the Internet access. 86.3% and 88.3% relatively would be interested to access and get medical records and their information. They intended to get test (%85.7), refill her/his prescription (79%), get appointment (%76.4), consult with physicians (%80), and get information about diets (80%) through ITs.Discussion and Conclusion: It seems ITs attitude in inpatients is relatively good. Providing their information needs especially about prescription order and diets from CD or the Internet by hospital sites and introducing good medical sites to patient were recommended