A survey on the consumption, knowledge and attitude of pregnant women toward the efects of folic acid on pregnancy outcome in Tabriz

ObjectiveWhile the effects of folic acid are well established in prevention of Neural Tube Defects (NTDs), these diseases have a high prevalence in Iran. In order to encourage folic acid supplement use in pregnancy, it is important to promote the awareness of women of childbearing age regarding folic acid importance in preventing NTDs. The aim of the present study was to study the knowledge and attitude of pregnant women on the effect of folic acid on pregnancy outcome and its use during pregnancy.Materials and MethodsA questionnaire was completed by 400 women from postnatal and prenatal wards/clinics using random sampling. The questionnaire included questions regarding demographic information, folic acid consumption in pregnancy and the attitude and knowledge of the participants on folic acid  supplementation and the source of information on folic acid supplementation.The questions were aimed at subjects' knowledge of folic acid effects on fetal growth and development and prevention of NTDs and not prevention of anemia. Data was analyzed by SPSS software (ver. 13.5).ResultsAbout 89.9% used folic acid supplements at some point of the pregnancy and 53.7% knew it was beneficial for the fetus. Approximately, 25% and 34.8% of those who used folic acid believed that it was most useful when taken preconception and during the first trimester, respectively. Only 15.4% knew itcould prevent NTDs. The most common information sources for folic acid use were physicians.ConclusionAwareness and use of folic acid were most prevalent among Iranian women, especially among educated ones. The results showed areas in which further work could be helpful to improve awareness regarding the benefits of folic acid.Key words: Folic acid;pregnancy; knowledge; neural tube defects (NTD

Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among bacteria isolated from intensive care units of the largest teaching hospital at the northwest of Iran

This study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among common pathogens in the intensive care units (ICUs) of a university hospital in northwestern Iran. A retrospective study was done on laboratory records of patients with nosocomial infection who were admitted to five ICUs of Imam Reza Hospital during a 21-month period from March 2010 to January, 2012. A total number of 556 isolates from 328 patients were evaluated. The most common sites of infections included respiratory (51.7%), urinary (24.8%), and blood (10.4%). The most frequently isolated microorganisms were Enterobacter aerogenes (50.6%) followed by Escherichia coli (16.7%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.5%). Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent pathogen among gram-positives (39.7%). The rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was 87.5%. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria were documented in 25.8% of Acinetobacter, 20% of Klebsiella, and 16.6% of Pseudomonas. The most active antimicrobials were vancomycin (93.5%) followed by amikacin (71.5%) and gentamicin (46%). The overall antibiotic susceptibility was as follows: 36% ciprofloxacin, 19% imipenem, 20% trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, 20.5% ceftazidime, and 12% ceftriaxone. Due to the high rate of antimicrobial resistance in the ICU setting, more surveillance and control of the use of antimicrobials is needed to combat infections

Utilization Evaluation of Antimicrobial Agents in Neutropenic Cancer Patients in a Teaching hospital: Urgent of Drug Utilization Evaluation Studies

Background: More than 80% of patients with hematologic  malignancies will develop fever during more than one chemotherapy cycle combined with neutropenia. We aim to evaluate empiric antibiotic strategies in Febrile Neutropenic (FN) cancer patients. Methods: This is a concurrent study performed in the “Shahid Ghazi” teaching hospital, hematology-oncology center of Tabriz, Iran during the period of December 2011 to September2012. During this period, patients with FN were evaluated in view of antibiotics utilization based on Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) instructions. Results: Seventy patients had a total of 91 episodes of FN in the duration of this study. Among them 63 (90%) patients were the cases of acute leukemia. For 88 (96.7 %) patients, imipenem was used as the initial empirical antibiotic regimen. It was changed to piperacillin/tazobactam in 8 (8.8%) of them without indication. Cultures didn’t obtain before the initiation of empirical therapy in 19 (20.9%) episodes. Empiric vancomycin didn’t discontinue after 3 days even if it was not warranted in 23 episodes. In 16 cases vancomycin was switched to teicoplanin. The fluconazole dosages generally given to patients were all suboptimal. Adjusting the dosages of vancomycin or imipenem was not done correctly in 13 (14.29%) episodes. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that choosing antimicrobial agents and their dosing for prophylaxis and treatment of FN patients and discharge antimicrobial planning of FN patients do not follow the evaluated guidelines. Drug Usage Evaluation studies need to be done regularly in such a center

Education alone is not enough in ventilator associated pneumonia care bundle compliance

Objective: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) described as a secondary and preventable consequence in mechanically ventilated patients, emerges 48 h or more after patients intubation. Considering the high morbidity and mortality rate of VAP and the fact that VAP is preventable, it seemed necessary to evaluate care bundle compliance rate and effect of education on its improvement. Methods: This observational study was conducted on 10 Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of four university affiliated hospitals in three steps. In the first step, VAP care bundle compliance including head of bed (HOB) elevation, endotracheal cuff pressure (ETCP), mouthwash time, utilizing close suction systems, subglottic secretion drainage, type of suction package, and hand wash before suctioning was evaluated. In the second and third steps, ICU staffs were trained and its effect on VAP care bundle compliance was investigated. Finally, an inquiry from nurses was conducted to evaluate the obtained results. Findings: A total of 552 checklists consisting of 294 observations in the pre-education group and 258 observations in the posteducation group were filled. Mean VAP care bundle compliance in pre-education and posteducation stages was 36.5% and 41.2%, respectively (P > 0.05). Except for patients′ mouth washing, there were no improvement in HOB elevation (>30΀), hand washing and ETCP after education. Based on the results of questionnaire received from nurses at the end of study, more than 90% of nurses believed that lack of rigid monitoring of VAP care bundle is a main reason of low adherence for VAP care bundle compliance. Conclusion: The adherence to VAP care bundle was inappropriate. Education seems to be ineffective on improving VAP care bundle compliance. Frequent recall of the necessity of the VAP care bundle and the continuous supervision of ICU staffs is highly recommended

Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among bacteria isolated from intensive care units of the largest teaching hospital at the northwest of Iran

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among common pathogens in the intensive care units (ICUs) of a university hospital in northwestern Iran. A retrospective study was done on laboratory records of patients with nosocomial infection who were admitted to five ICUs of Imam Reza Hospital during a 21-month period from March 2010 to January, 2012. A total number of 556 isolates from 328 patients were evaluated. The most common sites of infections included respiratory (51.7%), urinary (24.8%), and blood (10.4%). The most frequently isolated microorganisms were Enterobacter aerogenes (50.6%) followed by Escherichia coli (16.7%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.5%). Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent pathogen among gram-positives (39.7%). The rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was 87.5%. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria were documented in 25.8% of Acinetobacter, 20% of Klebsiella, and 16.6% of Pseudomonas. The most active antimicrobials were vancomycin (93.5%) followed by amikacin (71.5%) and gentamicin (46%). The overall antibiotic susceptibility was as follows: 36% ciprofloxacin, 19% imipenem, 20% trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, 20.5% ceftazidime, and 12% ceftriaxone. Due to the high rate of antimicrobial resistance in the ICU setting, more surveillance and control of the use of antimicrobials is needed to combat infections

Antenatal Micronutrient Supplementation Relationship with Children's Weight and Height from Birth up to the Age of 18 Months

Background: Maternal nutritional is the most important environmental factor influencing pregnancy outcome. While studies showed association between maternal iron-micronutrient deficiencies with pregnancy outcome, data examining impact of micronutrient supplementation on growth rate beyond birth are sparse. Present study examined the relationship between iron and multivitamins supplementation on growth rate of babies up to age of 18 month.Methods: This study was a statistical analysis on data recorded through a routine procedure in health houses from 1994 to 2007. Subjects were selected by a two-stage randomization method and required data extracted from the records. Analyses were performed using STATA 10 software.Results: Data was collected for 3835 pairs of mother-baby. Mothers received 61.7±5.4 and 115.6±53.8 multivitamins and iron tablets, respectively. Analyses showed significant relationship between children’s weight and height at birth with iron supplementation and children’s height at 6, 12 and 18 month with multivitamins supplementation.Conclusions: Mechanisms of these effects are unclear but it is safe to suggest supplementation during pregnancy is necessary

The pattern and risk factors associated with adverse drug reactions induced by Reteplase in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction: The first report from Iranian population

Objective: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the main leading causes of mortality and morbidity. Reteplase is a fibrin-specific thrombolytic which is used in the treatment of AMI. There is a limited number of studies reporting the postmarketing adverse drug reactions (ADRs) induced by reteplase. This study was aimed to examine the reteplase pattern of ADR and its associated risk factors in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Methods: A cross-sectional, prospective study in an 8-month period was done at the University affiliated referral cardiovascular center. The Naranjo probability scale and World Health Organization criteria for severity of ADRs were used for assessing the ADRs. The linear regression and logistic regression tests were used to evaluate the correlation between ADRs and risk factors. Findings: The all 20 patients who received reteplase during the study period were entered. The majority of patients (n = 17) experienced at least one ADR. The results showed that the incidence of ADRs was mainly associated with gender and age, and the number of ADRs was associated with the history of diabetes and taking anti-diabetic agents. The gender was the main predictor in the occurrence of ADRs (odds ratio: 32, 95% confidence interval: 1.38–737.45; P = 0.030). Conclusion: The results showed that gender, age, diabetes mellitus, and using of anti-diabetes medications are the risk factors associated with the incidence of ADRs by reteplase