Prophylactic Effects of Ephedrine, Ondansetron and Ringer on Hemodynamic Changes during Cesarean Section under Spinal Anesthesia — a randomized clinical trial

Background: Hemodynamic change during spinal anaesthesia for cesarean section is prevalent. Objective: Comparing the prophylactic effects of ephedrine, ondansetron and ringer on hemodynamic changes in patients undergoing cesarean section with spinal anaesthesia. Material and methods: This randomized clinical trial was carried out on pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean sec­tion referred to teaching hospitals of Mashhad, Iran. Patients allocated to three groups of intravenous ondansetron (O) (4 mg, 5 min),intramuscular ephedrine (E) (25 mg, 25 min) and ringer (R) (500 ml, 20 min) prior to spinal anaesthesia. Anaesthesia inducted with 10–15 mg of bupivacaine. Vital signs were recorded every 3 minutes for 18 minutes including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse rate (PR), pulse oximetry (SpO2). Results: Ninety patients with a mean age of 29.4 ± 5.4 years were studied in three groups of O (n = 30), E (n = 30), R (n = 30). Results showed a statistically significant difference in the incidence rate of hypotension 12 minutes after spinal anaesthesia in the three groups, but no statistically significant difference was found in the rest of minutes among the three groups. Dur­ing follow-up minutes, bradycardia was observed in only one patient (1.1%) of Group O and no cases of this sign were observed in other minutes and other groups. Conclusion: Intramuscular administration of ephedrine 25 minutes prior to the spinal anaesthesia leads to better prevention of systolic blood pressure changes compared with intravenous ondansetron and ringer, while administration of ondansetron and ringer had the same effects on reducing hemodynamic changes

Association of depression with sexual function in women with history of recurrent pregnancy Loss:descriptive-correlational study in Tehran, Iran

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between depression and sexual function in women with recurrent pregnancy loss. Methods: In a cross-sectional correlational study, 130 consecutive patients with history of recurrent pregnancy loss were included who referred to Avicenna Fertility Center in Tehran, Iran during November 2018-February 2019. The outcomes were sexual dysfunction (Assessed with the Female Sexual Function Index) and depression (Evaluated with the Beck's Depression Inventory). The study data were analyzed by using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: The study findings revealed that 40.8% of the participants suffered from some degrees of depression. The data analysis revealed that depression had a significant inverse correlation with sexual function and its domains (r = - 0.392, p < 0.001, R2= 0.15). The spouse' education level and economic status demonstrated a significant relationship with women's sexual function (p = 0.01, p = 0.033). A significant relationship was also detected between women's depression and economic status (p = 0.028). Conclusions: The study findings showed that women with RPL who had severe depression indicated lower score of sexual function. Since psychological and sexual problems are not reported to health care providers due to giving priority to fertility issues or considering such issues as taboos, the assessment of sexual and mental health needs to be part of the consultation in women with history of RPL, whether the patient seeks help for depression and sexual dysfunction or not

In vitro comparison of the effects of microwave irradiation and chemical and mechanical methods on the disinfection of complete dentures contaminated with Candida albicans

Background: Dentures can be a source of infection or cross-contamination with microorganisms like Candida albicans. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the effects of microwave irradiation, chemical techniques, and a mechanical method (i.e., brushing) on the disinfection of complete dentures contaminated with C. albicans. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, sixty sterilized dentures were divided into six groups of 10 dentures each. The dentures in Groups 1 and 6 served as negative and positive controls, respectively. The dentures (Groups 2–5) were contaminated with C. albicans and subjected to four disinfection procedures: Corega tablets, 2% glutaraldehyde, brushing, and microwave irradiation. Replicate aliquots (25 mL) of the suspension were cultured in Sabouraud dextrose broth. The colonies were counted after 48 h of incubation at 37°C. To confirm long-term disinfection, the Trypticase soy broth (TSB) containers were stored at 37°C for 7 days, and turbidity was visually observed. Data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA and independent-samples t-test on SPSS the level of statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: The dentures disinfected with microwave irradiation (650 W, 3 min) and glutaraldehyde (2%, 10 min) exhibited no evidence of fungal growth after 48 h of incubation and also no turbidity in the TSB containers after 7 days of incubation. However, the dentures disinfected using the mechanical method and Corega tablets exhibited turbidity after 7 days and fungal growth after 48 h that was significantly more than that in the two other methods (P = 0.000) and less than that in the positive control group (P = 0.000). The differences between mechanical cleaning and cleansing tablet were not significant (P = 0.017). Conclusion: Base on the results of this study, microwave irradiation (650 W, 3 min) and 2% glutaraldehyde completely disinfected the dentures contaminated with C. albicans in the short term and long term

Changes in menstrual cycles among Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Background: Some women experienced alterations in their menstrual cycles during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the changes in menstrual cycles among Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1500 women of childbearing age referred to healthcare centers in Tehran, Iran from April-November 2022. Participants were selected using the stratified sampling method. Data were collected via a questionnaire covering information on menstrual cycle, COVID- 19 infection, and COVID-19 vaccination status. The study’s outcomes focused on menstrual changes by evaluating cycle regularity, duration, and symptoms based on participant-reported observations. Results: The findings revealed that the pattern of menstrual change during the pandemic occurred in the form of a shorter interval in 8.6%, and longer interval in 8.9%, shorter duration in 10.4%, longer duration in 9.4%, heavier bleeding in 12.3%, lighter bleeding in 14.7%. The chance of menstrual changes in women who were infected with COVID-19 was 54% higher than that of women who were not infected, and the chance of menstrual changes in women who received 3 doses of COVID-19 vaccine was 1.5 times higher than women who had not been vaccinated. Conclusion: Our research revealed a high incidence of menstrual changes among Iranian women of childbearing age during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare providers should be knowledgeable about the menstrual changes associated with COVID-19 infection and vaccination to provide information and support to affected women. Key words: Menstrual cycle, Menstrual irregularities, COVID-19, Vaccine

Evaluation of P53 protein expression in gingival tissues of patients with chronic periodontitis by immunohistochemistry methods

Abstract Objective Periodontitis is one of the most important periodontal diseases that can be affected by many factors. Although the mechanism of periodontitis development is not yet fully understood, previous studies suggest that apoptosis may be one of the pathological factors that can affect the process of the disease by destroying old and damaged cells. Low expression of P53 protein is one of the reasons for delaying cell death that allows damaged cells to survive longer and gives more time for the chance of mutations and pathogenesis. Because of the important role of P53 in gingival cells of patients with chronic periodontitis, the objective of our study is to evaluate the P53 protein expression in gingival tissues of patients with chronic periodontitis by immunohistochemistry methods. Materials and Methods In this cross‐sectional study, 35 patients with severe to moderate chronic periodontitis (loss of attachment ≥3 mm, probing depth ≥5 mm) with no treatment and 25 people who were healthy for periodontal problems were examined. Gingival biopsies from marginal and attached gingiva were obtained, prepared, and mounted on slides. Then, the expression of P53 on each slide was evaluated by optic microscopy after using P53 antibodies and staining with hematoxylin‐eosin (immunohistochemistry method). Data were analyzed using independent t‐test, Mann–Whitney U‐test, and Spearman correlation test using SPSS Statistics version 18.0. Results The mean ages of participants in the case and control groups were 37.58 and 32.09, respectively. Our results showed that the expression of P53 was not significant in periodontitis compared to the control group (p > .05). Also, gender could not affect the expression of P53 in both groups (p > .05), and there was no significant relationship between age and P53 gene incidence. Conclusion Chronic periodontitis has no significant effect on P53 expression, so changes in apoptosis due to P53 expression in periodontitis are not significant

Psychometric properties of persian version of the cardiff fertility knowledge scale (CFKS–P)

Background: The level of fertility knowledge of reproductive-age people is low to moderate, and the inadequate knowledge of infertility-related factors may cause some people to unconsciously engage in activities that reduce their fertility. Given the significance of fertility knowledge, and the lack of standard instruments to evaluate it in Iran, the present study aimed at determining psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Cardiff Fertility Knowledge Scale (CFKS–P) in Iranian population. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 280 participants (comprising 140 couples) attending mandatory pre-marriage educational sessions at two public health centers in Tehran were consecutively sampled from July to September 2021. The study examined the face, content, and structural validity (through confirmatory factor analysis) of the questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using measures of internal consistency. Results: The structural validity of CFKS-P was approved with 13 items and two factors (basic knowledge of fertility and misconception about fertility) based on confirmatory factor analysis (RMSEA = 0.023, 90 % CI = 0.053–0.082, TLI = 0.916 and CFI = 0.972, χ 2 = 148.345). Kuder–Richardson coefficient of the scale was calculated to be 0.85. The overall percentage of correct answers for fertility knowledge was 50.76 %. Conclusion: The CFKS-P is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the fertility knowledge in Iranian men and women. This scale can help the health care providers to assess the fertility knowledge of their clients or the quality of health education provided

Disease Prevention, Genetic Selection, and Vaccination Based on BoLA-DRB3.2 Polymorphism: A Model for Immunogenetic Studies

Unearthing the immune defects associated genes and genetic variations may lead to locating novel targetable elements and introducing the underlying mechanisms and pathways of the desired condition. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are essential for protein antigens presentation and inducing immune response as well as are associated with production and phenotypic traits. The MHC class II genes of cattle and buffaloes, Bovine Leukocyte Antigen (BoLA) or Buffalo Leukocyte Antigen (BuLA), are located on the short arm of chromosome 23. It has been demonstrated that the second exon of BoLA-DRB3 (BoLA-DRB3.2) is highly polymorphic, having more than one hundred identified alleles, that each of them can form special binding pockets for corresponding antigenic peptides. Concerning the populations of cows, unique native and hybrid, and buffaloes are distinctly divided into different regions of Iran, analysis and interpretation of the polymorphisms’ expression status of this locus can be implemented to find better breeding strategies like selecting highly resistant animals to infection diseases, in herds. It also can help to develop effective and novel vaccines regarding allele frequencies in populations; different allelic variants of MHC class II binding to different peptides. Immunogenic evaluation of animals’ genome/genes characteristics has always been used as a model for the study of similar genes in humans

Knowledge and beliefs about oocyte cryopreservation for medical and social reasons in female students: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract Background With the increasing number of young women surviving cancer and a growing trend among highly educated women to postpone childbearing for educational or professional pursuits, there is a rising demand for egg freezing services to ensure a successful pregnancy. This study aims to assess the knowledge and beliefs surrounding oocyte cryopreservation, both for medical and social reasons, among female students in Tehran, Iran. Methods An online cross-sectional survey was carried out from March to August of 2022, involving a total of 1279 childless students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees at universities in Tehran. The participants were between the ages of 18 and 38. Knowledge and beliefs about medical and social oocyte cryopreservation were assessed through Fertility Preservation Survey (FPS) instrument. Results The mean age of the participants was 26.38 ± 4.9. The majority of students expected to be “30–34 years” when they become pregnant with their first child (41.1%, M: 30.3 ± 4.13 years) and “35–39 years” when they give birth to their last child (46.7%, M: 35.28 ± 4.18 years). The students agreed with preserving fertility with medical (93.3%) and social (86.9%) indications and believed the medical (95.1%) and social (87.4%) costs of cryopreservation should be covered by the healthcare system. Among the participants, 75.6% considered cost to be a definite or probable factor in their decision to pursue fertility preservation. The oncology team’s recommendation was identified as the most important factor in deciding on medical egg freezing (92.6%, M: 3.46 ± 0.71). The overall correct response rate for the knowledge questions was 57.7%. The majority of participants (95.5%) agreed that physicians should routinely provide information about egg freezing to women of childbearing age during their regular healthcare visits. Conclusions The research results revealed that female students in Tehran universities have a positive attitude towards medical and social egg freezing, but lack sufficient knowledge about the ideal timing of childbearing. Health professionals could provide detailed information about fertility preservation and age-related infertility as part of routine healthcare visits or reproductive health planning. Additionally, expanding supportive policies and incentives for childbearing established by the government to cover the costs of fertility preservation would be beneficial