The Effect of Social Marketing on Customer Satisfaction with Regard to the Moderating Role of Environmental Approach

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting customer satisfaction through social marketing features with regard to the moderating role of environmental approach in Organization of Transportation and Traffic of Mashhad Municipality. For this purpose, aspects and parameters related to the research variables were identified by referring to conducted studies and based on these variables, a questionnaire was designed based on of 28 questions whose reliability was confirmed by the elite in the field of management. The study population are all contacts of the organization of transportation and traffic of Mashhad Municipality; the sample size of which is 220 people by using Cochran formula. Also, to test the hypotheses of this research, Pearson correlation coefficient test and multiple regression are used and the results suggest that the environment moderates the correlation between social marketing and customer satisfaction in the Organization of Transportation and Traffic of Mashhad Municipality

Evaluating the effect of an Iranian traditional medicine-based herbal candy on body composition and appetite in overweight and obese adults: A preliminary study

Objective: Obesity is an important public health concern in the world. Considering the limited medications and their side effects and lack of a known effective way to reduce appetite, traditional herbs have been considered a complementary treatment for obesity. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM)-based herbal candy on body composition and appetite in obese and overweight adults.Materials and Methods: In this preliminary study that conducted in nutrition clinic of Ghaem Hospital of Mashhad, participants were selected from overweight and obese people and randomly assigned to either groups. Participants in the intervention group received herbal candy which contained a combination of Portulaca oleracea, Plantago psyllium, and peanut oil, while participants in the control group received placebo candy for 8 weeks. The primary (appetite response, and weight changes) and secondary (body mass index (BMI), anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, and laboratory variables) outcomes were collected at baseline and during the intervention.Results: Fifty participants between the age of 18 and 65 years old were included in this study. Herbal candy resulted in a greater reduction in mean weight and BMI compared to placebo (p<0.001). Mean of hunger, satiety, and eating capacity indicators decreased more significantly at all three intervals (30 min after herbal candy, 1 hour after meal and 2 hours after meal) at lunch and dinner meal in the intervention group compared to the control group (p<0.05).Conclusion: A combination of produced herbal candy at a dose of 4 g (2 pcs), given half an hour before each meal for 8 weeks, can be effective in reducing weight and appetite in obese and overweight people

Socioeconomic inequalities in prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension: evidence from the PERSIAN cohort study

Background Elevated blood pressure is associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease. In this study, we examined the socioeconomic inequality and its related factors in prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control (ATC) of hypertension (HTN) in Iran. Method The study used data from the recruitment phase of The Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN). A sample of 162,842 adults aged > = 35 years was analyzed. HTN was defined according to the Joint National Committee)JNC-7(. socioeconomic inequality was measured using concentration index (Cn) and curve. Results The mean age of participants was 49.38(SD = +/- 9.14) years and 44.74% of the them were men. The prevalence of HTN in the total population was 22.3%(95% CI: 20.6%; 24.1%), and 18.8%(95% CI: 16.8%; 20.9%) and 25.2%(95% CI: 24.2%; 27.7%) in men and women, respectively. The percentage of awareness treatment and control among individuals with HTN were 77.5%(95% CI: 73.3%; 81.8%), 82.2%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%) and 75.9%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%), respectively. The Cn for prevalence of HTN was -0.084. Two factors, age (58.46%) and wealth (32.40%), contributed most to the socioeconomic inequality in the prevalence of HTN. Conclusion The prevalence of HTN was higher among low-SES individuals, who also showed higher levels of awareness. However, treatment and control of HTN were more concentrated among those who had higher levels of SES, indicating that people at a higher risk of adverse event related to HTN (the low SES individuals) are not benefiting from the advantage of treatment and control of HTN. Such a gap between diagnosis (prevalence) and control (treatment and control) of HTN needs to be addressed by public health policymakers

Global variations in diabetes mellitus based on fasting glucose and haemogloblin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but may identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening had elevated FPG, HbA1c, or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardised proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed, and detected in survey screening, ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the agestandardised proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29-39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global gap in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance.peer-reviewe

Is It Possible to Quench Thirst Using Barley Enriched Licorice Bread during Islamic Fasting?

Introduction: Thirst is one of the main complaints during Islamic fasting. As bread is the staple food among most Muslims, evaluating its impact on thirst is important. In this study, we investigated the effect of licorice-enriched barley bread compared to barley bread and white wheat bread. Methods: This clinical trial was performed on three consecutive days during Itikaf ceremony. Data were garnered by using a checklist including items on demographic data, weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, and pulse rate. Blood pressure and pulse rate measurements were repeated at the end of the study. The participants were divided into three groups receiving functional barley bread enriched with licorice, barley bread, and white wheat bread. The thirst sensation was assessed by Fan visual analogue scale. Also, 24-hour dietary recall was obtained on all the three days. Results: Overall, 273 people participated in this study. Thirst sensation in the functional barley bread was lower than that in the wheat bread and barley bread groups, but there were no significant differences between wheat and barley bread groups in this regard. During the fasting period, the greatest increase in thirst was observed during the first five hours of fasting in all the three groups, which was significantly lower in the functional barley bread group than the wheat and barley bread groups; however, there was no significant difference between wheat and barley bread groups in this respect. Finally, similar results were attained following fluid intake adjustment.Conclusion: This study showed that licorice enrichment of barley bread might alleviate thirst sensation among fasting individuals

Clinical perspective: Antibody-drug conjugates for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a promising class of cancer biopharmaceuticals that exploit the specificity of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to selectively deliver highly cytotoxic small molecules to targeted cancer cells, leading to an enhanced therapeutic index through increased antitumor activity and decreased off-target toxicity. ADCs hold great promise for the treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer after the approval and tremendous success of trastuzumab emtansine and trastuzumab deruxtecan, representing a turning point in both HER2-positive breast cancer treatment and ADC technology. Additionally and importantly, a total of 29 ADC candidates are now being investigated in different stages of clinical development for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. The purpose of this review is to provide an insight into the ADC field in cancer treatment and present a comprehensive overview of ADCs approved or under clinical investigation for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer