Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Tehran province: a population-based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine the prevalence and characteristics of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among Iranian patients with diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Design: population-based cross-sectional study.</p> <p>Participants: patients with diabetes aged 25 to 64 years in Tehran province, Iran. This survey was conducted from April to October 2007. The study sample was derived from the first national survey of risk factors for non-communicable disease. Diabetes mellitus was defined as a fasting plasma glucose of ≥ 7.0 mmol/l (126 mg/dl) or more, use of diabetic medications, or a physician's diagnosis of diabetes. All patients known to have diabetes underwent an eye examination by bio-microscope and indirect ophthalmoscope to check for any signs of DR through dilated pupils by + 78 lens. Participants were also interviewed and examined to determine their demographic characteristics, medical conditions and the regularity of their eye visits.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 7989 screened patients, 759 (9.5%) had diabetes. Of them, 639 patients (84.2%) underwent eye examination. Five patients (0.7%) with media opacity were excluded. Of 634 examined patients with diabetes, 240 had some degree of diabetic retinopathy, and the overall standardized prevalence of any retinopathy was 37.0% (95% CI: 33.2-40.8), including 27.3% (95% CI: 23.7-30.8) (n = 175) with non-proliferative and 9.6% (95% CI: 7.3-11.9) (n = 65) with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Clinically significant macular edema and vision-threatening retinopathy were detected in 5.8% (95% CI: 4.0-7.7) (n = 38) and 14.0% (95% CI: 11.3-16.7) (n = 95) of patients, respectively. Only 143 patients (22.6%) with diabetes had a history of regular eye examination.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrated a high prevalence and poor control of DR in Tehran province. This suggests the need for adequate prevention and treatment in patients with diabetes.</p

Effect of home-based exercise on functional ability of hemodialysis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: hemodialysis patients suffer from impaired functional ability. Several pilot studies have been conducted concerning the effect of home-based exercise on functional ability of hemodialysis patients; however, there have been observed some contradictions between the results of these studies. The aim of this study was, therefore, to determine the effects of home-based exercise on functional ability of hemodialysis patients using meta-analysis. Methods: In this review study, for the purpose of finding studies published electronically form 2000 to 2016, the papers published in journals indexed in the databases of &ldquo;PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar Cochrane&rdquo; were used. Also, to analyze the full text of these articles, Stata Software Version 11 was used. Heterogeneity index between the studies was determined using Cochran (Q) c and I2 tests. Since heterogeneity was observed between the studies, a random effect model was used to estimate the mean score of the standardized difference of a 6-minute walk test in order to measure the functional ability of hemodialysis patients in two experimental and comparison groups. Results: Four articles were finally selected in this meta-analysis. 68 patients were in the experimental group and 65 were in the control group. After the intervention, the mean score of the standardized difference of a 6-minute walk test in the experimental group with a confidence interval of 95% was 0.21 (-0.15, 0.57) units more than before the intervention, which was statistically not significant. Conclusion: The results of the meta-analysis showed that home-based exercise increased the functional ability of hemodialysis patients although this effect was not significant

Effect of home-based exercise on functional ability of hemodialysis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: hemodialysis patients suffer from impaired functional ability. Several pilot studies have been conducted concerning the effect of home-based exercise on functional ability of hemodialysis patients; however, there have been observed some contradictions between the results of these studies. The aim of this study was, therefore, to determine the effects of home-based exercise on functional ability of hemodialysis patients using meta-analysis. Methods: In this review study, for the purpose of finding studies published electronically form 2000 to 2016, the papers published in journals indexed in the databases of &ldquo;PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar Cochrane&rdquo; were used. Also, to analyze the full text of these articles, Stata Software Version 11 was used. Heterogeneity index between the studies was determined using Cochran (Q) c and I2 tests. Since heterogeneity was observed between the studies, a random effect model was used to estimate the mean score of the standardized difference of a 6-minute walk test in order to measure the functional ability of hemodialysis patients in two experimental and comparison groups. Results: Four articles were finally selected in this meta-analysis. 68 patients were in the experimental group and 65 were in the control group. After the intervention, the mean score of the standardized difference of a 6-minute walk test in the experimental group with a confidence interval of 95% was 0.21 (-0.15, 0.57) units more than before the intervention, which was statistically not significant. Conclusion: The results of the meta-analysis showed that home-based exercise increased the functional ability of hemodialysis patients although this effect was not significant

The psychometric assessment of the chronic disease self-efficacy scale in iranian patients with chronic diseases

Background: To provide better health care to chronic patients, the use of valid and reliable tools is necessary. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Chronic Disease Self-Efficacy Scale (CDSES). Methods: In the objective of the present methodological study 401 patients with chronic disease including renal and cardiac disease, diabetes and hypertension were selected by convenience sampling from three hospitals in Mazandaran province in Iran and filled out the CDSES. The 33-item CDSES has three dimensions. The face, content, construct, convergent and discriminant validities of the scale were assessed. Reliability was determined by internal consistency and construct reliability. Results: Based on exploratory factor analysis, a five-factor solution was selected, explaining 55.03% of the total variance. By confirmatory factor analysis, the five-factor solution and the second-order latent factor model were supported. The convergent and discriminant validities of all the factors were acceptable. The reliability of CDSES exceeded α>0.7. Conclusion: The present study results showed that the five-factor construct of CDSES had a suitable validity and reliability; thus, the Persian version of this scale can be used in assessing self-efficacy in chronic patient

Transdifferentiation of Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Dopaminergic Neurons in a Three-Dimensional Culture

Introduction: The induction of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) toward dopaminergic neurons is a major challenge in tissue engineering and experimental and clinical treatments of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson disease. This study aims to differentiate HUC-MSCs into dopaminergic neuron-like cells. Methods: Following the isolation and characterization of HUC-MSCs, they were transferred to Matrigel-coated plates and incubated with a cocktail of dopaminergic neuronal differentiation factors. The capacity of differentiation into dopaminergic neuron-like cells in 2-dimensional culture and on Matrigel was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry, and high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: Our results showed that dopaminergic neuronal markers’ transcript and protein levels were significantly increased on the Matrigel differentiated cells compared to 2D culture plates. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study suggest that HUC-MSCs can successfully differentiate toward dopaminergic neuron-like cells on Matrigel, having great potential for the treatment of dopaminergic neuron-related diseases