Comparison of total antioxidant capacity of saliva in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and non-diabetic pregnant women

Pregnancy is considered a stressful event, results in higher levels of oxidative stress and considerable changes in physiological and metabolic functions such as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Due to the cumulative effect of antioxidants and considering the controversies in this area, this study was undertaken to investigate the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of saliva in pregnant women whit gestational diabetes in comparison to non-diabetic pregnant women. In this cross-sectional study (2015-16), a total of 31 women with a diagnosis of GDM and 59 non-diabetic pregnant women were included in the diabetic and control groups, respectively. Salivary samples were collected by spitting method. When all samples were collected, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was measured with the use of a commercial kit following the manufacturer?s instructions. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney test using SPSS 18. Average TAC level in the saliva of women with gestational diabetes was 0.10 ± 0.14, with 0.04 ± 0.11 in non-diabetic pregnant women. Nonparametric Mann-Whitney test showed that this difference was statistically significant (P=0.024). Under the limitations of the present study it can be concluded that there is an increase in oxidative stresses during pregnancy, followed by an increase in the total levels of salivary antioxidants to counteract such stresses. Therefore, it is expected that determining the salivary antioxidant levels during pregnancy can be an alternative technique for the early diagnosis of diabetes

The Relationship between Learning Styles and Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy among Medicine and Dentistry Students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences

Background and Objectives. The career decision-making self-efficacy (CDSE) in medical, pharmacy, and dental students is more important than other disciplines due to professional sensitivity, direct involvement in decision-making for the treatment process, and the significant clinical involvement. It is also expected that learning styles can have a significant impact on the academic success, and the CDSE also affects the quality of clinical care. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the learning styles and the career decision-making self-efficacy among medicine and dentistry students. Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 235 medical interns and fifth- and sixth-year dental students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The data were collected using Kolb Learning Style Inventory and Betz and Luzzo career decision-making self-efficacy questionnaire. Statistical tests such as Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Spearman correlation coefficient, Chi-square, one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. Results. The mean age of participants was 25.9 ± 1.30; a majority of them were dental students (134 persons, 59.3%), and 92 were medical students (40.7%). The predominant learning styles in dental and medical students were assimilating (40.3%) and converging (47.8%), respectively. There was no significant relationship between students’ learning styles and career decision-making self-efficacy and none of its subscales (P>0.05). The Chi-square test results showed that a significant difference was observed between the field of study and learning styles of the participants (P=0.024). Conclusion. This study showed that there was no significant relationship between learning style and career decision-making self-efficacy of the participants