The correlation between age, gender and education with obesity in urban population of Golestan province

Introduction: Obesity is an undesirable outcome of changes in life style and behavior. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of obesity and its associated factors in population in Urban of Golestan province Iran to facilitate control of obesity related diseases. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 2500 males and 2500 females residents of 17 different cities were selected, using cluster random sampling techniques. Anthropometric measures (height, weight) were obtained with standard methods and the data on social, demographics exercise, smoking and blood group were collected during interviews, using a specifically designed questionnaire. In assessment of obesity, a standard recommended WHO method, based on BMI distribution was used. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 11.5, and the logistic regression model was used to estimate the age adjusted odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval, P-value <0.05 being considered significant. Results: Overall prevalences of obesity and overweight were 25.5% and 38.6% respectively (20.3%, 42.3% for men and 30.7% and 35% for women). Mean BMI in, female and male subjects was 27.05±5.05, 27.63±5.54, and 26.48±4.44 respectively. In addition, WHR of all subjects was (0.92±0.1), (females) (0.91±0.9), males(0.93%±0.11). The pattern of obesity differed significantly with age in both genders. The results of logistic regression model showed that the odds ratio of obesity was greater, roughly 1.7 times in women, compared with men. The adjusted odds ratio decreased with increasing the levels of education and non smoking (P<0.0001). The adjusted odds ratio showed no significant difference with occupation, race, blood group and or physical activity duration. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate an increased rate of obesity and overweight in an urban population, obesity in women being 10% higher than in men: Findings, showed that low levels of physical activity and education, gender, and smoking and aging were responsible for obesity

Effects of omeprazole consumption on serum levels of trace elements

Project: Omeprazole is one of the most frequently prescribed drugs in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It increases the gastric pH and this in turn may change the intestinal absorption of trace elements. This study was conducted to assess the effects of omeprazole consumption on the serum level of trace elements. Procedures: The studied subjects were selected from the list of patients referred to the gastroenterology department of 5 Azar hospital in Golestan province of Iran for whom omeprazole was prescribed by a gastroenterologist. Blood samples were obtained before (phase I) and after an eight-week period (phase II) of omeprazole consumption. Serum levels of trace elements were assessed by the photometric method. Results: Sixty seven patients were recruited of whom, 35.82% were males. There was no significant difference in serum levels of Fe, P, Ca and Cu between phases I and II. Serum concentration of Zn was significantly lower in phase II than I (P= 0.02). The proportion of male patients with low Zn levels was significantly higher in phase II (50%) than I (16.7%) (P= 0.01). We found no significant difference in the proportion of female patients with low Zn levels between phase I (37.2%) and phase II (27.9%). Conclusions: We found no significant reduction in serum levels of Fe, P, Ca and Cu in phase II. However, our results showed that serum level of Zn was significantly lower after omeprazole consumption in males. So, nutritional supplement of Zn should be considered in male patients treated with omeprazole. © 2012 Elsevier GmbH

Ultrasound-Guided Out-of-Plane vs. In-Plane Interscalene Catheters: A Randomized, Prospective Study

BACKGROUND: Continuous interscalene blocks provide excellent analgesia after shoulder surgery. Although the safety of the ultrasound-guided in-plane approach has been touted, technical and patient factors can limit this approach. We developed a caudad-to-cephalad out-of-plane approach and hypothesized that it would decrease pain ratings due to better catheter alignment with the brachial plexus compared to the in-plane technique in a randomized, controlled study. OBJECTIVES: To compare an out-of-plane interscalene catheter technique to the in-plane technique in a randomized clinical trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-four patients undergoing open shoulder surgery were randomized to either the in-plane or out-of-plane ultrasound-guided continuous interscalene technique. The primary outcome was VAS pain rating at 24 hours. Secondary outcomes included pain ratings in the recovery room and at 48 hours, morphine consumption, the incidence of catheter dislodgments, procedure time, and block difficulty. Procedural data and all pain ratings were collected by blinded observers. RESULTS: There were no differences in the primary outcome of median VAS pain rating at 24 hours between the out-of-plane and in-plane groups (1.50; IQR, [0 - 4.38] vs. 1.25; IQR, [0 - 3.75]; P = 0.57). There were also no differences, respectively, between out-of-plane and in-plane median PACU pain ratings (1.0; IQR, [0 - 3.5] vs. 0.25; IQR, [0 - 2.5]; P = 0.08) and median 48-hour pain ratings (1.25; IQR, [1.25 - 2.63] vs. 0.50; IQR, [0 - 1.88]; P = 0.30). There were no differences in any other secondary endpoint. CONCLUSIONS: Our out-of-plane technique did not provide superior analgesia to the in-plane technique. It did not increase the number of complications. Our technique is an acceptable alternative in situations where the in-plane technique is difficult to perform