Health Care Expenditure and GDP in Oil Exporting Countries: Evidence From OPEC Data, 1995-2012

BACKGROUND: There is a large body of literature examining income in relation to health expenditures. The share of expenditures in health sector from GDP in developed countries is often larger than in non-developed countries, suggesting that as the level of economic growth increases, health spending increase, too. OBJECTIVES: This paper estimates long-run relationships between health expenditures and GDP based on panel data of a sample of 12 countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), using data for the period 1995-2012. PATIENTS & METHODS: We use panel data unit root tests, cointegration analysis and ECM model to find long-run and short-run relation. This study examines whether health is a luxury or a necessity for OPEC countries within a unit root and cointegration framework. RESULTS: Panel data analysis indicates that health expenditures and GDP are co-integrated and have Engle and Granger causality. In addition, in oil countries that have oil export income, the share of government expenditures in the health sector is often greater than in private health expenditures similar developed countries. CONCLUSIONS: The findings verify that health care is not a luxury good and income has a robust relationship to health expenditures in OPEC countries

Changes of dissolved oxygen and transparency in shrimp culture ponds (Hormozgan Province - Tiab)

Dissolved oxygen and transparency are two main factors in management of shrimp culture. In this regard, three Indian white shrimp culture farms in Tiab region were selected and in each farm three ponds were studied randomly. Dissolved oxygen samples were collected two times per day (morning and evening) from surface and maximum depth of the ponds. The transparency of water was measured by secchi-disk daily, at 15:00 P.M. The Results showed that amount of dissolved oxygen in afternoon samples more than 3.5 mg/lit which is suitable for growth of shrimp but in morning time samples the level of Dissolved oxygen were unsuitable especially in ponds which were not equipped with any aerator. Also, the long-arm aerators showed higher and better efficiency than short-arm aerators. From point of transparency, the results showed that in the beginning of culture period, the transparency was high (more than 100 cm) and gradually decreased

Providing a conceptual model of metropolises waste management (Case study: Tehran, Iran)

Urbanization and excessive resources consumption including risk of improper waste management are global health and environmental challenge especially in metropolises. Purpose of this study was to provide a conceptual model of metropolises waste management in Tehran, capital of Iran, as a model. Data collection was done through a 25-items questionnaire to examine the people awareness and attitude as well as analyze current and desired situations of wastes management and recycling in 2013. Four hundred fifty residents of Tehran were selected randomly to participate in the study. . Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics methods by SPSS software and P < 0.05 was set as the significance level. The SWOT matrix was used to formulate waste management strategies considering all aspects of comprehensive waste management. Results showed that the awareness level of 90.4 of people was good and the attitude of 81.3 of them was supportive towards recycling. Moreover, more media coverage on this issue and using award and encouragement strategies are the most important factors increasing people participation in the waste management. Furthermore based on the quantitative strategic planning matrix, priorities of waste management strategies are sustainable, social, economic, and environmental development. © 2015, Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology. All rights reserved

Effect of nitric oxide modulation on the basic and rate-dependent electrophysiological properties of AV-node in the isolated heart of rabbit: The role of adrenergic and cholinergic receptors

Introduction: Recent studies showed that nitrergic system have specific modulatory effects on electrophysiological properties of atrioventricular (AV) node. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of nitric oxide (NO) on the electrophysiological properties of isolated rabbit AV node and to investigate the role of adrenergic and cholinergic receptors in the mechanism of its action. Methods: In our laboratory, an experimental model of isolated double-perfused AV-node of rabbits weighing 1.5-2 kg was used. Specific experimental protocols of recovery, Facilitation, Fatigue and Wenckbach were applied in both control and in the presence of the drug. A total number of 35 rabbits were divided randomly into the following groups (n=7): 1) L-Arg (NO donor) (250, 750 and 1000 μmol), 2) L- NAME, a NO synthesis inhibitor (25, 50 and 100 μmol), 3) L-Arg + L- NAME, 4) Nadolol (1 μmol), 5) Atropine (3 μmol). All data were shown as mean ± SE. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Our results revealed the depressant effect of L-Arg on the basic and rate-dependent electrophysiological properties of AV-node. L- NAME did not deteriorate the effects of L-Arg on the basic and rate-dependent properties, nevertheless, at high concentration (100 μmol) it had a direct inhibitory effect on the AV-node. Nadolol and atropine could prevent the effects of NO on the basic nodal characteristics and the fatigue phenomenon, respectively. Conclusion: Nitergic system can affect basic and rate-dependent electrophysiological properties of the AV-node through adrenergic and cholinergic receptors

Relationship between personal characteristics of specialist physicians and choice of practice location in Iran

Introduction: Uneven geographic distribution of physicians is a major healthcare issue in Iran. This study aimed to explore the relationship between personal characteristics of the recently graduated specialist physicians in Iran and their choice of practice location. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to extract information with regard to 3825 recently graduated specialist physicians from all medical schools across Iran between 2009 and 2012. The relationship between physicians' personal attributes and their desire to practise in underdeveloped areas was analyzed using �2 test and logistic regression analysis. Results: Birthplace, sex, exposure to rural practice before residency program, place of residence, and year of graduation were associated with physicians' desire to practise in an underdeveloped area. The logistic regression showed that female physicians were less likely to choose underdeveloped areas to practise as compared with their male counterparts (OR=0.659, 95CI, 0.557-0.781, p�0.001). Physicians who lived in underdeveloped areas were nine times more likely to choose underdeveloped areas to practise as compared with those living in other areas (OR=8.966, 95CI, 4.717-17.041, p�0.001). Physicians who did not have previous exposure to rural practice were 28 less likely to choose to serve in the underdeveloped areas as compared to those who had such exposure (OR=0.780, 95CI, 0.661-0.922, p=0.004). Neither physicians' marital status nor their success in the board certification exam was associated with their choice of practice location. Conclusions: It seems that increasing the enrollment of physicians with a rural background in residency programs may solve the problem of uneven distribution of specialist physicians in Iran. Because female physicians are less willing to work in the underdeveloped areas than male physicians, increasing the number of male student admissions to residency programs, particularly in certain specialties that are more in demand in the underdeveloped areas, could alleviate the problem of uneven distribution of physicians in the short run. Further, programs that support raising the admissions of female students with a rural background into local medical universities along with providing incentives to encourage them to live and work in rural areas should be put on the policy agenda. © James Cook University 2016

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in dermatology outpatients

Introduction. Epidemiological findings have suggested that a large number of obsessional patients refer initially to dermatologists for their problems and their obsessions go undiagnosed. The goal of the present study is to investigate the frequency of OCD in a group of dermatology outpatients. Method. A total of 144 outpatients of a dermatology clinic in a general hospital who agreed to participate in the study were selected. The patients were screened for DSM-IV OCD using item H of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Those who were OCD-positives on the interview were then screened and rated for severity on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). Results. A total of 20 patients (14) qualified for a diagnosis of OCD. Somatic obsessions and washing compulsions were the most reported symptoms. The majority of OCD-positive patients suffered from acne. Conclusion. The frequency of OCD in the dermatology population may be 4-5 times higher than in the general population. Identification and referral for psychiatric consultation may aid in better management of both disorders. © 2007 Taylor & Francis

Comparison of knowledge, attitude and practice of Urban and rural households toward iron deficiency anemia in three provinces of Iran

Background: Lack of nutritional knowledge is one of the most important reasons of nutritional problems and consequently improper practice, which can lead to several complications. This study has been designed in order to compare knowledge, attitude and practices of the urban and rural households regarding iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in Boushehr, Golestan and Sistan & Balouchestan provinces in 2004. Methods: The sampling method at household's level in each province was the single-stage cluster sampling with equal size clusters. The necessary data were gathered with a structured questionnaire and via the interviews between the questioners and the eligible people in each household. Comparison of frequency of variables between urban and rural areas were tested by chi square test. Results: A total of 2306 households were selected as overall sample size. In urban areas, people recognized iron food sources better than rural areas. Knowledge level of respondents about vulnerable group for IDA and the favorite attitude of households toward IDA were better in urban areas of Sistan & Blouchestan and Golestan provinces. In Sistan & Balouchestan and Golestan, rural households who drank tea immediately before or after meal was more than urban ones. The majority of pregnant and lactating mothers (except for rural areas of Bushehr) did not take iron supplement regularly. Less than 60 percent of children used iron drop regularly. Conclusion: Knowledge, attitude, and practice levels of households toward IDA were not acceptable. One of the best ways of improving nutritional practice is nutritional education with focus on applying available food resources

Main determinants of catastrophic health expenditures: a Bayesian logit approach on Iranian household survey data (2010)

BACKGROUND: During recent decades, increase in both health care expenditures and improvement of the awareness as well as health expectations have created some problems with regard to finance healthcare expenditures so that the issue of health financing by households has been determined as a major challenge in health sector. According to the definition by the World Health Organization, catastrophic health expenditure is considered if financial contribution for health service is more than 40 of income remaining after subsistence needs have been met. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of our study was determination of Main factors on catastrophic health expenditures in Iranian households. PATIENTS & METHODS: In this study, using an econometrics Bayesian logit model, determinants of the appearance of catastrophic health expenditure based on household budget data collected in 2010 were evaluated. RESULTS: Among Iranian households, the following groups were more likely to encounter with unsustainable health expenditures: rural households, households with the numbers of the elderly more than 65 years, illiterate householders, unemployed householders, households with some unemployed persons, households in upper rank and households with larger equivalent household size were higher than the average of community could significantly predict catastrophic health expenditures. CONCLUSIONS: About 2.1 of households were faced with catastrophic health expenditures in 2010. Thus, the implemented policies could not make considerable and significant change in improving justice in financing in health systems

Feasibility study of white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, culture in earthen ponds using brackish water of the Caspian Sea

Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) post-larvae 12 were obtained from Bushehr province and reared at the Caspian Sea Ecological Research Institute (Mazandaran, Iran) in summer 2012 using brackish water of the Caspian Sea. Prior to start of the experiment, post-larvae were gradually adapted to brackish water. The shrimp was stocked in a 1000 m2 earthen pond with a stocking density of 31 individual/m2. The earthen pond was in quarantine without discharge valve. During the rearing period, there was no water exchange. The shrimp was reared for 85 days. The average daily growth, final mean weight, feed conversion ratio and final yield were 0.31±0.04 g, 21.11±0.71 g, 0.79 and 531 kg, respectively. The results showed that L. vannamei can growth well in brackish water of Caspian Sea (salinity of 11.1±0.7 ppt and temperature of 28.67±0.72 °C) in Mazandaran province from July to September

Association between (GT)n repeats in heme oxygenase-1 gene promoter and 3-year survival of patients with acute leukemia: A controlled, cross-sectional study

Background: Acute leukemia is a common pediatric cancer. Novel strategies for treatment of acute leukemia have been developed, but treatment resistance is remained as the most problematic issue. It is hypothesized that the HO-1 gene up-regulation is responsible for tumor resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy-induced apoptosis. HO-1 expression levels are related to (GT)n microsatellite polymorphisms in the location of its promoter.This study designed to compare allelic frequencies of (GT)n microsatellite polymorphisms in HO-1 gene between acute leukemia patients and healthy controls. Indeed, 3-year disease-free survival was also evaluated. Materials and Methods: Sixty-three patients with acute leukemia and 70 healthy infants were included in this study. We used patient�s medical records to collect data about survival after chemotherapy. The number of GT repeats in HO-1 promoter was determined by an ABI 3100 sequencer. Results: The HO-1 GT repeats ranged from 14 to 34 with peaks at 27 repeats in both cases and controls. Children with longer alleles ((GT)n � 27) had enhanced 3-year survival rate after treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy (P&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Although no significant differences were observed between leukemia patients and controls regarding allelic frequency, we found elevated frequency of �LL� genotype in leukemia patients with good prognosis and 3-year surveillance. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy might elevate the expression levels of HO-1 with subsequent increased resistance of leukemia patients to therapy. © 2018, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All rights reserved