Circulating nesfatin-1 levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine disorder in females. Nesfatin-1 is a neuropeptide synthesized in the hypothalamus and other peripheral organs, and there are conflicting opinions about its correlation with PCOS. Objective: This study aims to investigate the correlation between nesfatin-1 and PCOS and evaluates the effectiveness of nesfatin-1 as a biomarker for the detection of PCOS in women. Materials and Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to identify pertinent articles from databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, EMBASE, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random effects model to compare group outcomes. Additionally, meta-regression and subgroup analysis were performed to elucidate sources of heterogeneity. Results: The meta-analysis involved 12 studies with 1222 participants, and the findings revealed a significant relationship between PCOS and nesfatin-1 levels. The pooled (SMD = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.00-1.07; p = 0.04) indicated a significant difference between the evaluated groups. Moreover, a subgroup analysis showed that there was a substantial difference in nesfatin-1 levels among women with PCOS and higher homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance ratio (SMD = 1.46; 95% CI: 0.92-2.00; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis indicates an association between high nesfatin-1 levels and PCOS. This suggests a potential role of nesfatin-1 in the development of PCOS and proposes it as a potential diagnostic biomarker for the disease. However, further research is necessary to validate these findings. Key words: Polycystic ovary syndrome, Insulin resistance, Body mass index, Meta-analysis

A Survey on the Frequency of Medication Errors Caused Due to Look-Alike Drugs in the Emergency Department of the Educational Hospitals of Shiraz, Iran, 2016

The words “look-alike” and “sound-alike” are used to express the confusion caused by drugs whose names or features are similar. Look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drugs are one of the most common causes of medication errors. The emergency department is the first place where mistakes related to LASA drugs occur. Medicinal errors increase health care costs by about two billion dollars annually. This study examines the frequency of errors resulting from LASA drugs in the emergency department and identifies the main causes of these errors. This sectional analytical study was conducted in 2016 in the Namazi and Faghihi hospitals of Shiraz. The questionnaire was developed by the researcher and its validity was confirmed by the experts. The stratified sampling method was used and the sample size was determined to be 106 people, based on the Cochran formula. The data were analyzed using the software SPSS 20 by the Pearson correlation coefficient, the independent t-test, and an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Seventy-seven nurses stated that during the past six months they had made at least one error resulting from look-alike medication and a total of 132 errors were reported. The most common errors in medication related to ampoules and vials. The rate of errors was statistically significant in terms of marital status (

Deoxyguanosine Factors and Protein Carbonyl Groups as Markers ofOxidative Stress in the Fasting Individuals in Tehran

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objectives: Oxidative stress represents an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage. Calorie restriction canreduce the damages caused by oxidative stress.Materials and Methods: The subjects, who were healthy males and females able to fast for a month, were randomly selectedfrom the staff of Hippocrates and Imam Khomeini hospitals. Samples of their serum and urine were collected three times, i.e. 4 days before fasting as control, on the 14th day of fasting, and on the 29th day of fasting. Plasma malondialdehyde levels were measured using HPLC technique, while the levels of protein carbonyl groups in plasma, and the levels of 8-iso prostaglandin F2α and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine in urine were measured by ELISA technique. The data were analyzed using SPSS, t test  paired samples, Independentttest the level of statistical significance was considered to be p <0.05.Results: Totally, 60 subjects participated in the study, where seven participants were male (11%) and 53 subjects (89%) were female. Mean and SD of the age of the participants were 37±10 years. Concentrations of plasmamalondialdehyde and 8-iso prostaglandin F2α in urine showed a significant decrease during fasting in Ramadan in all subjects compared with the control samples; moreover, their levels in the third sampling round were significantly lower than that in the second one (p < 0.01).Conclusion: Since plasma levels of MDA and urin levels of 8-isoPGF significantly were decreased during fasting in Ramadan.It seems that fasting a month decreased  oxidative stress.  we hope that with more study in future ,we can use  Ramadan fasting as a natural way to protect human against  different disease which  oxidative stress is involved.Keywords: Fasting, Malondialdehyde, 8-iso prostaglandin F2α, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, Protein carbonylFor downloading the full-text of this article please click here

Predicting the status of COVID-19 active cases using a neural network time series

The design of intelligent systems for analyzing information and predicting the epidemiological trends of the disease is rapidly expanding because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The COVID-19 datasets provided by Johns Hopkins University were included in the analysis. This dataset contains some missing data that is imputed using the multi-objective particle swarm optimization method. A time series model based on nonlinear autoregressive exogenou (NARX) neural network is proposed to predict the recovered and death COVID-19 cases. This model is trained and evaluated for two modes: predicting the situation of the affected areas for the next day and the next month. After training the model based on the data from January 22 to February 27, 2020, the performance of the proposed model was evaluated in predicting the situation of the areas in the coming two weeks. The error rate was less than 5%. The prediction of the proposed model for April 9, 2020, was compared with the actual data for that day. The absolute percentage error (AE) worldwide was 12%. The lowest mean absolute error (MAE) of the model was for South America and Australia with 3 and 3.3, respectively. In this paper, we have shown that geographical areas with mortality and recovery of COVID-19 cases can be predicted using a neural network-based model

A Survey on the Frequency of Medication Errors Caused Due to Look-Alike Drugs in the Emergency Department of the Educational Hospitals of Shiraz, Iran, 2016

The words “look-alike” and “sound-alike” are used to express the confusion caused by drugs whose names or features are similar. Look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drugs are one of the most common causes of medication errors. The emergency department is the first place where mistakes related to LASA drugs occur. Medicinal errors increase health care costs by about two billion dollars annually. This study examines the frequency of errors resulting from LASA drugs in the emergency department and identifies the main causes of these errors. This sectional analytical study was conducted in 2016 in the Namazi and Faghihi hospitals of Shiraz. The questionnaire was developed by the researcher and its validity was confirmed by the experts. The stratified sampling method was used and the sample size was determined to be 106 people, based on the Cochran formula. The data were analyzed using the software SPSS 20 by the Pearson correlation coefficient, the independent t-test, and an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Seventy-seven nurses stated that during the past six months they had made at least one error resulting from look-alike medication and a total of 132 errors were reported. The most common errors in medication related to ampoules and vials. The rate of errors was statistically significant in terms of marital status (

The Extraction of Affecting Processes on the Management of Health, Safety and Environment (Case Study Mapna Group MD 2 in 2016)

Nowadays, the change and dynamism of organizations are the basic principles; therefore, managers should modify the goals, plans and work procedures so that they can be compatible with the environment condition. The management of HSE is not excepted from this principle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the processes affecting HSE. This study was a cross-sectional and applied study using the review of relevant documentation, interviews and brainstorming with experts, and the reviews of Best Practice to identify the HSE's processes. After checking the HSE activities, the 5 processes of HSE training, managing the risks, events, emergencies and contractors and any changes in the other processes of the organization were also suggested. The results showed that a process approaching the form of an intervention programed can be provided in order to have a better interaction between the HSE activities and organizations processes and workplace health promotion for the HSE activities

Various indicators for the assessment of hospitals' performance status: Differences and similarities

Background: Hospitals are the most costly operational and really important units of health system because they consume about 50-89 of total health resources. Therefore efficient use of resources could help in saving and reallocating the financial and physical resources. Objectives: The aim of this study was to obtain an overview of hospitals' performance status by applying different techniques, to compare similarities and differences between these methods and suggest the most comprehensive and practical method of appraisal for managers and policy makers. Patients and Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted in all hospitals of Ahvaz (eight hospitals affiliated with Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences and eight non-affiliated hospitals) during 2007 to 2011. Two kinds of data were collected through separate special checklists. Excel 2007 and Windeap 2.1 software were applied for data analysis. Results: The present findings show that the average of bed occupancy rate (BOR) in the studied hospitals was about 65.91 ± 1.16. The maximum number of inefficient hospitals in the present study happened in the years 2007, 2008 and 2010 (four hospitals) but there were two hospitals in the third part of the present graph which had maximum level of efficiency and optimal level of productivity in the years 2007 and 2009. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) showed that the mean score of technical efficiency for the studied hospitals is 0.924 ± 0.105 with the minimum of 0.585 ± 0.905 for hospital number 1. Furthermore It shows that only five hospitals (31.25) reach complete technical efficiency (TE) scores across all five years of 2007-11 (TE = 1). Conclusions: Results of the present and similar studies should be considered for the future planning and resource allocation of Iranian public hospitals. At the same time it is very important to consider need assessment results for each region according to its potentials, population under the coverage and other geographical and cultural indices. Furthermore because of potential limitations of each of the above models it is highly recommended to apply different methods of performance evaluation to reach a complete and real status view of the hospitals for future planning. © 2014, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal; Published by Kowsar Corp

Parasitic Helminths in Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) in Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran

Background: Wild boars (Sus scrofa) are distributed worldwide and found in many parts of Iran. Although S. scrofa is reservoirs for many parasites, there is little data on helminthic prevalence in them. We aimed to survey the status of helminthic infections in S. scrofa in the Mazandaran Province of northern Iran. Methods: Twenty-one wild boars were captured and examined for helminth infection during Dec 2012-Mar 2014. Adult worms such as Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus were identified by helminth size and shape, and the arrangement of the proboscis hooks. The sedimentation and flotation techniques were used to detect parasite eggs and larvae in faecal samples. Muscle samples were also surveyed for Trichinella larvae by artificial digestion method. Results: Of the 21 samples, 13 (61.9%) were infected with one or more helminth species. Seven helminth types were identified in the alimentary track, comprising 5 nematodes, 1 trematode, and 1 acanthocephalan, with prevalence rates of Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus (57.14%), Globocephalus spp. (33.33%), Trichuris suis (19.04), Gongylonema pulchrum (14.28%), Fasciola hepatica (14.28%), Dioctophyma renale (4.76%), and Ascaris suum (4.76%). Conclusion: Wild boars might be involved in transmitting zoonotic parasites to humans. The abundance of these animals near human habitation creates favorable conditions for infection. So the risk of parasitic helminth diseases increases in other animals and humans

Carnivores as Important Reservoirs of Intestinal Helminthic Infections in Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran

Background: Intestinal parasites are the most common causes of gastrointestinal disease in canine. Stray dogs and wild candies can represent potential reservoirs of enteropathogens to other hosts. Therefore, present study determined the prevalence of intestinal parasites in canine in Mazandaran Province, northern, Iran. Methods: Overall, 58 small intestinal samples of animals (42 stray dogs and 16 jackals) were collected from Oct 2012 to Dec 2013. The intestine contents were studied to detect and identify helminth infections. Then, the helminths were collected and their morphological traits were identified. Results: Overall among infected stray dogs and jackals, 11 species were found. Three species of nematodes, seven species of cestodes and one trematode were observed. The prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths of stray dogs and jackals were 59.5% and 50%, respectively. Among registered zoonotic helminths A. caninum was the predominant parasite both stray dogs and jackals. Interestingly, Spirometra spp. was reported in these animals. Moreover, A. caninum showed a higher percentage rate in center region of province. Conclusion: There are the clear risks of zoonotic helminths parasites infection in this region. Therefore, understanding the epidemiology of zoonotic parasite infection is useful for health care access both domestic animals and humans health

Modification and Evaluation of Avidity IgG Testing for Differentiating of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Early Stage of Pregnancy

Objective: Toxoplasma gondii infection, an intracellular parasite, is often asymptomatic or is caused by different clinical diseases without being detected. Evaluation of IgG, IgA, and IgM in order to diagnose the pending Toxoplasmosis may confront some problems. Several researches has showned that Toxo IgG avidity can be useful in the recent active Toxoplasmosis. In current study, modification and importance of improved Toxoplasma Avidity IgG testing has been evlauated for differentiating Toxoplasma gondii infection in early stage of pregnancy.Materials and Methods: This experimental study included 300 pregnant women with risk of Toxoplasmosis in their initial months of pregnancy. We randomly divided 300 serum samples into A group (n=60) with high avidity and B group (n=40) with borderline avidity. The samples with Toxo IgG levels were classified to four subgroups. IgG avidity was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.Results: The mean absorbance of 100 samples in two groups was calculated, and then, two dilutaion curves with plotted absorbance against dilution were drawn for each serum sample. The results of this study showed that in groups with different concentrations of toxo IgG, appropriate dilution of serum is suitable for testing of Avidity. Our findings revealed the subgroups of 1, 2, 3, and 4 with serum dilutios of 1/3 , 1/6, 1/9, and 1/18 respectively, had real and good avidity.Conclusion: One of the issues affectig the results of avidity is high concenteration of Toxo IgG in serum sample. As shown in this study, the best points of dilution for well avidity in both high and borderline avidities are marked with arrows in figures 1-8. This study confirmed that improved methods of measuring Toxo Avidity IgG are very important