Effectiveness of interventions in the prevention of home injuries among children under 5 years of age: A systematic review

Background: Injuries caused by home injuries in children under 5 years of age is one of the main causes of death in this group and also constitutes a significant public health burden. This review aimed at summarizing the literature on the effectiveness of interventions to prevent home injuries in children under 5 years of age. Methods: Magiran, Iran Medex, and SID in Persian Scientific databases and BioMed Central, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus were systematically searched for articles published up to June 2016. Then, two researchers reviewed the papers independently and finally, 14 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results: The results showed the effectiveness of intervention measures including training sessions at home, home visit, group discussions, and interviews as the educational tools. The educational approach was used as the intervention in 11 studies; legislative/incentive approach and engineering/technology approaches had not been used in papers; and three studies had used the educational intervention and engineering/technological approaches. Conclusions: Most of the effective inventions included studies that used the combination of effective methods to reduce the risk of injuries. Since the accidents are preventable, the appropriate intervention strategies, especially active intervention or a combination of interventional measures are effective to reduce the risk of home accidents and injuries in children

Shanghai Declaration: promoting health in the 2030 program of the Sustainable Development

This article is Letter to the Editor and doesn't have abstract

Assessment of the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) in Pregnant Women Referring to the Health Centers in Arak, Iran

Objectives: The periodontal disease during pregnancy is considered to be significant because not only does it affect the tissues supporting the teeth, but also it is connected with systemic conditions such as adverse pregnancy outcomes. The present study aimed at assessing periodontal disease in pregnant women and other relevant demographic factors. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study that was conducted among 275 pregnant women visiting the health centers in Arak, Iran, in 2021. Cluster random sampling method was used to select the samples. The demographic information was gathered and periodontal statues was examined using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). The data were analyzed by SPSS18 software, using logistic regression. Results: According to the results, 55.4% of the pregnant women had periodontal disease (CPI>0). Bleeding on probing (BOP), dental calculus, and periodontal pocket depth (PPD) between 4 and 5 mm were observed of 17.5%, 36.4%, 5.1% of women, respectively. No periodontal pocket deeper than 6mm was observed. Brushing frequency was the main predictor for gingival health, and the women with under diploma education (OR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.14-4.48) and having one or more children were (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.02-1.94) more likely to have periodontal disease than women with academic education or having no children. Conclusion: According to the findings, pregnant women were not in good health condition in terms of periodontal disease. Considering the demographic and behavioral differences, designing the health promotion programs during pregnancy is recommended

The Effect of a Web-based Educational Program on Perevention of Hookah Smoking among Adolescent Girls: Application of Theory of Planned Behavior

Background: The prevalence of hookah is increasing worldwide and in all age groups, especially among women. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of web-based educational program in the prevention of hookah smoking among girls in Kermanshah, Iran, using theory of planned behavior (TPB).Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial performed on 110 adolescent girls in Kermanshah City in 2020. Multistage random sampling was used in this study. The data collection tool included a researcher made questionnaire. Designed intervention was implemented for the intervention group in 5 educational sessions according to analysis of pre-test results. Data were collected 3 months after the end of the training intervention. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS software.Findings: The presented interventions significantly improved the structures of attitude (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001), and intention (P < 0.001) in the intervention group compared with the control group. However, the difference between perceived behavioral control score in the two groups was not significant (P = 0.131). There was also a significant difference in reducing the behavior of hookah smoking between the intervention and control groups after the educational intervention.Conclusion: Using web-based interventions is a good educational strategy for prevention of hookah smoking in adolescent girls

The effect of verapamil on in vitro susceptibility of promastigote and amastigote stages of Leishmania tropica to meglumine antimoniate

Pentavalent antimonials are the standard treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) with low efficacy and resistance is emerging. CL is increased significantly in respect to incidence rate and expanding to new foci. In the present study, the effect of verapamil on in vitro susceptibility of promastigote and amastigote stages of Leishmania tropica to meglumine antimoniate (MA, Glucantime) was evaluated using colorimetric assay (MTT) and in a macrophage model, respectively. Verapamil, as a calcium channel blocker, affects drug uptake by preventing of drug efflux from the cells. In promastigote form, several concentrations of MA with or without verapamil showed significant decrease (P<0.05) in optical density. The overall mean IC50 value with combination of MA plus verapamil (IC50=116.03 μg/ml) was significantly less than MA (IC50=225.14 μg/ml) alone (P<0.05) for promastigote stage. Similarly, the amastigote stage was more susceptible to treatment with MA plus verapamil to that of MA alone (P<0.05). Analysis of overall effect of different concentrations of MA alone, compared with combination of MA plus verapamil by mean infection rate of amastigotes in each macrophage showed a significant difference (P<0.05).These findings indicated some degree of synergistic effects between MA and verapamil on in vitro susceptibility of L. tropica to MA. Further works are required to evaluate this synergistic effect on animal model or volunteer human subjects

Early detection of oral bacteria causing gum infections and dental caries in children

Background and Objectives: Periodontal diseases are resulted from gum infections and dental plaques, which are mainly caused by the bacterial agents. Since dental monitoring includes important prognostic roles, the aim of this study was to detect the most common periodontal pathogenic bacteria in children. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 clinical samples were collected from dental plaques and gingival grooves. Target-specific primers were designed for hbpA in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, fimA in Porphyromonas gingivalis and 16S rRNA in Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola. Then, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction method was optimized for the highlighted bacterial agents. Results: In general, the highest and the lowest bacterial prevalence rates belonged to Tannerella forsythia (88%) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (13%), respectively. Furthermore, prevalence rates of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia and Treponema denticola were 25, 21 and 45% in samples, respectively. Conclusion: There were significant associations between dental/oral health and microbial community. Metabolism of the oral bacteria, including biofilm formation, can affect gums and develop dental plaques and hence dental caries, especially in children. Early diagnosis of dental caries in children via rapid, accurate molecular methods can increase the diagnostic capacity in clinical cases and therefore prevent periodontal infections in adulthood

Investigating the relationship between domestic violence with substance abuse and suicide resilience in mothers with disabled children

IntroductionMothers with disabled children are among the most critical groups exposed to domestic violence. Although domestic violence strongly affects these mothers’ physical and mental health, it subsequently affects their drug addiction and resilience to suicide. Based on this, it is crucial to investigate domestic violence, drug addiction, and resilience against suicide in mothers with disabled children. This study investigated the relationship between domestic violence, substance dependence, and resilience against suicide in mothers with disabled children in Iranian society.MethodsFrom January to April 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted in central and western Iran with the participation of 267 mothers with disabled children. The mothers of disabled children were selected through convenience and snowball sampling. Then they completed questionnaires included domestic violence, substance dependence and resilience against suicide. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 with descriptive statistics, such as prevalence, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, and expository measurements, including ANOVA, independent t, and regression tests.ResultsThe study revealed that there was a strong direct correlation between domestic violence and substance abuse (r = 0.89, p &lt; 0.001), as well as a strong indirect correlation between domestic violence and suicide resilience (r = −0.90, p &lt; 0.001). Additionally, substance abuse and suicide resilience were negatively correlated (r = −0.93, p &lt; 0.001). Other variables, such as the severity of children’s disability, education, financial status, and the fathers’ involvement, were predictors of domestic violence, accounting for 73.28% of the variance.ConclusionMothers with disabled children reported moderate levels of domestic violence, which strongly impacts their physical and mental well-being, leading to drug dependency and suicide. So, it is essential to implement comprehensive planning and provide extensive support to reduce domestic violence against them. By doing so, we can enhance their physical and mental health and ultimately improve their overall quality of life

Factors Associated with The Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease in The Mashad: A Cohort Study

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, and specifically in Iran. Accurate assessments of Coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence is very necessary for public health. In current study we aimed to investigate the incidence of CHD and importance of several classical, modifiable and un-modifiable risk factors for CHD among an urban population in eastern Iran after 6 years of follow-up. Methods The population of MASHAD cohort study were followed up for 6 years, every 3 years in two step by phone and who reported symptoms of CVD were asked to attend for a cardiac examination, to estimate the incidence of CHD with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) as well multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association of several baseline characteristics with incidence of CHD event. Evaluation of goodness-of-fit was done using ROC analysis. CHD cases divided into four different classes which include: stable angina, unstable angina pectoris, myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. Results In the six years\u27 follow-up of Mashhad study, the incidence rate of all CHD event in men and women in 100,000 people-years with 95% confidence intervals were 1920 (810-3030) and 1160 (730-1590), respectively. The areas under ROC curve (AUC), based on multivariate predictors of CHD outcome, was 0.7825. Conclusion Our findings indicated that the incidence rate of coronary heart diseases in MASHAD cohort study increases with age as well as our final model designed, was able to predict approximately 78% of CHD events in Iranian population

The Antioxidant And Anti-inflammatory Properties Of Chamomile And Its Constituents

Introduction: Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.), as widely used as a medicinal herb and is brewed beverages, and has been used for the treatment of several conditions. The evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies suggests that chamomile and its many flavonoid components have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This review aimed to provide an overview of the chemical constituents of chamomile and the effectiveness of the chamomile preparations and several of its constituents for the treatment of several medical conditions. Methods: The present comprehensive review study was conducted by searching electronic databases including Scopus, Web of Sciences, Embase, and PubMed, using relevant keywords. Results: Both animal and human studies indicate the positive effects of chamomile on the antioxidant enzyme activity. However, the mechanisms involved in the action of chamomile against the production of ROS remain still unknown. When it comes to its anti-inflammatory properties, a number of in vitro, in vivo, and clinical investigations have been reported regarding to the selective inhibition of COX-2, suppression of NO production, prevention of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα-induced NO levels, reduction of iNOS mRNA and protein expression, impediment of leukocyte adhesion and adhesion protein up-regulation in human endothelial cells, and blockage of IL-1 α-induced prostaglandin production, TNF-α-induced IL-6 and IL-8 release. Conclusions: Current studies suggest that chamomile and its flavonoid components have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. On the basis of the existing evidences, chamomile appears to ameliorate several diseases caused by oxidative stress as well as inflammatory reactions