Evaluation of Brain Natriuretic Peptide, Tumor Necrosis Factor and Interleukin-6 Plasma Levels in Infants and Children with Congenital Heart Disease

Background Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common cause of major congenital birth defect. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of CHD with serum levels of Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), Interleukin 6 (IL-6), and B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) in infant and children. Materials and Methods The present study was conducted in Heshmat heart hospital and 17 Shahrivar hospital Rasht city, Iran. In 50 children, 25 with CHD and 25 age and sex-matched healthy children (were selected from companions or patients without heart disease), 3 ml vein blood samples of right hand were taken by a trained nurse and samples were sent to a private laboratory. After separation, the plasma placed at temperature of -20 °c. ELISA kits used for measuring BNP and eBioscience Bender MedSystems GmbH kit for measuring IL-6 and TNF-α. The results were entered into SPSS software (version 20.0). Results Serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 and BNP in the healthy and patient groups were evaluated and by comparing results of the two groups there was no significant difference in serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6, but the serum levels of BNP has significant difference between two groups (80.7 ± 52.5 pg/ml vs. 455.4 ± 550.4 pg/ml, P=0.003). There was no significant relationship between BNP changes with changes in serum TNF-α, IL-6 levels. Conclusion Our study provided conclusive evidence BNP level is elevated in children with CHD; and significant relationship was observed between incidents of CHD respect to changes in serum BNP level

The Effect of Sound of the Quran on Hygiene, Mental Health, and Physiological Functions: A Systematic Review

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objective: Sounds or voices influence the soul and the body of all creatures from humans to flora and fauna. The harmonious song of the Holy Quran and its agreeable sound is a pleasant mystical music. Basically, the most magnificent miraculous dimension of the Quran is its harmony with sweet melodies and great songs. Furthermore, one of the aspects of the miracle of the Quran, which has been neglected, is hidden in the sound of the Quran. In this systematic review, we investigated the Quranic sound and its effects on hygiene, mental health and physiological functions.Method: Information databases that we searched included: SID, Magiran, Irandoc, Noormags, Iran Medex, Cochrane, Google scholar, Scopus. Keywords (English/Persian) used for search were: Sound, Voice, Quran, Holy book, Physiologic, Mental health, Hygiene and a combination of these were used with high degree of sensitivity. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the authors of the article have not reported any conflicts of interest.Results: In our quest, we found 471 articles. Following our inclusion and exclusion criteria, 40 articles made it to the final analysis of the study. Most of the articles were omitted due to lack of information about the miracle of sound of the Quran and the lack of overlap between the two categories of the sound of Quran and mental health and physiological functions.Conclusion: The results showed that the sound of the Quran can significantly play a role in reducing the amount of anxiety, mental health, pain intensity, improvement of patients' health, signs and physiological function of different tissues of the body, immune system, and patients' levels of satisfaction.For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Please cite this article as: YektaKooshali M.H, Moladoust M, Pourrajabi A. The Effect of Sound of the Quran on Hygiene, Mental Health, and Physiological Functions: A Systematic Review. J Res Relig Health. 2019; 5(1): 136- 47. doi: https://doi.org/10.22037/jrrh.v5i1.1928

Comparison of the prevalence of darkroom disease and related factors between radiotechnologists and nurses in selected hospitals of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in year 2016

BACKGROUND: Radiotechnologists are always in contact with chemicals during the process of confirmation and appearance of radiographs. This study evaluated the prevalence of darkroom disease among the radiotechnologists and nurses working in radiology centers of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.METHODS: This case-control study was conducted between two groups of radiotechnologists and nurses from selected hospitals of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, in year 2016, including 323 radiotechnologists (exposure group = 140 people) and nurses (control group = 183 people) working in educational therapy centers. The participants were selected through convenience sampling method. Total information on darkroom disease was collected using the standard Damases questionnaire, and analyzed using SPSS software at the significance level of P < 0.050.RESULTS: The mean age of radiotechnologists was 34.01 ± 7.9, and the mean age of nurses was 32.33 ± 7.90 years. Symptoms of nausea (P = 0.001), runny nose (P = 0.001), oral ulcer (P = 0.020), burning mouth (P = 0.001), skin rash (P = 0.001), blurred vision (P = 0.002) night sweats (P = 0.001), chemical taste (P = 0.001), and dysuria (P = 0.001) were significantly more common in the radiotechnologists group. Regarding gender and symptoms of darkroom disease in each occupational group, nausea (P = 0.024) and runny nose (P = 0.001) among the radiotechnologists and chemical taste (P = 0.001) among the nurses, had significant relationship with being woman. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of darkroom disease was high among the radiotechnologists in Guilan Province, Iran. Therefore, it is recommended to improve the quality of services provided, as well as to promote the health and safety of radiology personnel through preparing and implementing modern digital equipment in radiology departments

Evaluation of left ventricular systolic and diastolic regional function after enhanced external counter pulsation therapy using strain rate imaging

Aims Enhanced external counter pulsation (EECP) is a non-invasive and non-pharmacological therapy for patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). There are, however, insufficient data to support the effectiveness of EECP in improving the myocardial mechanical properties of patients with refractory stable angina. We aimed to assess the effects of EECP on myocardial mechanical properties and cardiac functions in CAD patients not eligible for surgical or percutaneous revascularization procedures. Methods and results Twenty patients in New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional Class III and IV angina were evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 63+9 years, and 65% were male. A comprehensive echocardiographic study including an evaluation of the tissue Doppler-based parameters of systolic and diastolic functions was performed before and after the termination of the protocol. EECP was carried out 1 h per day, 5 days per week, for 7 weeks. EECP resulted in a significant increase in peak late diastolic transmitral inflow velocity (0.75+0.14 vs. 0.83+0.20 m/s, P , 0.05), propagation velocity (42.35+6.25 vs. 46.00+5.68 cm/s, P , 0.05), peak early diastolic velocity of mitral annulus (5.35+1.79 vs. 5.95+1.10 cm/s, P , 0.05), peak systolic velocity (2.51+0.28 vs. 2.67+ 0.26, P , 0.05), and early diastolic velocity (3.24+0.18 vs. 3.52+0.26 cm/s, P , 0.01) of all middle segments, peak late diastolic velocity of all basal (4.48+0.58 vs. 4.75+0.70 cm/s, P , 0.05) and middle segments (2.82+0.66 vs. 3.25+0.46 cm/s, P , 0.01), peak systolic strain rate of all basal (0.76+0.07 vs. 0.99+0.08 1/s, P ¼ 0.001) and middle segments (0.75+0.09 vs. 0.94+0.09 1/s, P , 0.001), peak systolic strain of basal (11.64+1.51 vs. 13.97+1.52%, P , 0.01) and middle segments (11.81+1.15 vs.13.73+1.57%, P , 0.001), and left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (40.25+ 12.72 vs. 46.25+12.97%, P , 0.001).There was also a significant decrease in the ratios of transmitral E/A (0.92+ 0.41 vs. 1.08+ 0.46, P , 0.05) and E/Ea (12.61+4.22 vs. 15.44+6.96, P , 0.05) after EECP therapy. A significant reduction in NYHA angina class ( 1 angina class) was seen in the patients, who completed treatment. Conclusion EECP therapy seemed to improve both regional and global LV systolic and diastolic functions in patients with chronic angina pectoris

Nail involvements as an indicator of skin severity in psoriatic patients

Psoriasis is a recurrent chronic inflammatory skin disease with various mild to severe clinical manifestations. The relationship between severity of the skin lesions and nail involvement has always been underestimated.Aim of the study was to evaluate the severity of skin involvement in psoriatic patients with and without nail manifestations.In this analytic cross-sectional study, patients with psoriasis referred to Razi University Hospital of Rasht from November 2015 to March 2016 were enrolled. Demographical features (i.e. age, gender) were obtained. Psoriasis severity and nail involvement criteria were assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI), respectively. All the gathered data were analyzed by SPSS software.In this study, 71 psoriatic patients with a mean age of 39.23±17.9 years (mean ± Standard Deviation; range: 4 to 77 years old) were studied. 22 patients (31%) had nail involvements. PASI scores were 11.7±5.7 and 5.7±4.5 in the two groups with and without nail involvements, respectively (P&lt;0.001). There were no significant differences between age, age of onset, and duration of the disease between the two groups (P&gt;0.05).The correlation coefficient between PASI and NAPSI was 0.367, which was statistically significant (P&lt;0.001).Based on the findings of our study, nail involvement is an important criterion in determining the severity of skin manifestations in psoriatic patients. Additionally, a high percentage of such patients probably manifest both skin and nail manifestations. Therefore it is highly recommended to consider nail involvement when evaluating psoriasis. </p

Nail involvements as an indicator of skin severity in psoriatic patients

Psoriasis is a recurrent chronic inflammatory skin disease with various mild to severe clinical manifestations. The relationship between severity of the skin lesions and nail involvement has always been underestimated.Aim of the study was to evaluate the severity of skin involvement in psoriatic patients with and without nail manifestations.In this analytic cross-sectional study, patients with psoriasis referred to Razi University Hospital of Rasht from November 2015 to March 2016 were enrolled. Demographical features (i.e. age, gender) were obtained. Psoriasis severity and nail involvement criteria were assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI), respectively. All the gathered data were analyzed by SPSS software.In this study, 71 psoriatic patients with a mean age of 39.23±17.9 years (mean ± Standard Deviation; range: 4 to 77 years old) were studied. 22 patients (31%) had nail involvements. PASI scores were 11.7±5.7 and 5.7±4.5 in the two groups with and without nail involvements, respectively (P&lt;0.001). There were no significant differences between age, age of onset, and duration of the disease between the two groups (P&gt;0.05).The correlation coefficient between PASI and NAPSI was 0.367, which was statistically significant (P&lt;0.001).Based on the findings of our study, nail involvement is an important criterion in determining the severity of skin manifestations in psoriatic patients. Additionally, a high percentage of such patients probably manifest both skin and nail manifestations. Therefore it is highly recommended to consider nail involvement when evaluating psoriasis. </p

Hyperglycemia-Induced T-Wave Oversensing as a Cause of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) Failure

T-wave oversensing occurs when the counter starts giving dual beeps for every cardiac cycle instead of one. This usually happens when the monitoring lead displays a tall T wave, which is also sharp. R wave sensing algorithms of the devices do not sense T wave because the slow rate of the T wave is much less than that of the R wave. But the slow rate of T waves may change with time and also because of parameters like potassium levels and hyperglycemia. We present a 67-year-old female who underwent the implantation of cardiac resynchronization therapy (cardiac resynchronization and implantable cardioverter defibrilator [CRT-D]) because of severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction and ventricular dyssynchrony experienced recurrent inappropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks and CRT failure. Device analysis showed that the CRT failure was in consequence of T-wave oversensing due to hyperglycemia. Elimination of the T-wave oversensing after hyperglycemia control conferred good biventricular pacing and good response to CRT during a 6-month follow-up period

A Case of Double Right Coronary Artery with Separate Ostium

Coronary artery anomalies are rare, with their incidence varying from 1 to 5%. Angiography is a commonly used modality for the assessment of coronary artery anomalies. Based on previous reports, a majority of coronary artery anomalies are of origin or distribution, with separate ostia of the left anterior descending artery and left circumflex artery. Coronary artery anomalies may cause myocardial ischemia secondary to atherosclerosis in the same artery. We present a rare case of duplicated right coronary artery with a separate ostium, which caused myocardial ischemia. Our patient was a 51-year-old diabetic woman with typical chest pain and dyspnea on exertion. Electrocardiography showed left axis deviation, poor R progression, and biphasic T wave in the precordial leads. Echocardiography revealed left ventricular ejection fraction of 30- 35% and global hypokinesia. Coronary angiography demonstrated three-vessel disease and a double ostial right coronary artery. We recommended coronary artery bypass graft surgery, but the patient refused it and we continued her treatment with anti-ischemic drugs

تأثیر آوای قرآن کریم بر بهداشت، سلامت روان و عملکرد فیزیولوژیک: مرور نظام‌مند

خلفية البحث وأهدافه: ان الأصوات أو النغمات تؤثر على نفوس وعقول واجسام جميع المخلوقات بما في ذلك الانسان والحيوانات والنباتات. الموسيقى المتناسقة للقرآن الكريم ونغمته اللطيفة نوع من انواع الموسيقى العرفانية المبهجة. البعد الأكثر روعة من الاعجاز البياني للقرآن الكريم هو الانسجام مع الألحان الممتعه والموسيقى الصوتية الرائعة. أو بالأحرى يمكن القول ان الجانب الاعجازي للقرآن الكريم الذي أُغفل عنه الى حد كبير، يكمن في نغمته. في هذه الدراسة وبهدف المراجعة المنهجية، تمت دراسة البحوث التي اجريت في مجال الاصوات القرآنية وآثارها على الصحة والسلامة العقلية والوظائف الفسيولوجية للجسم. منهجية البحث: ان قواعد البيانات التي تم البحث من خلالها كانت على النحو التالي:SID Magiran, Irandoc, Noormags, Cochrane, Iran Medex, Google scholar, Scopus. وفي سبيل اجراء الدراسة تم استخدام الكلمات المفتاحية التالية في الانجليزية:Sound Voice ,Quran ,Holy book ,Physiologic ,Health ,Hygiene ومعادلها في الفارسية وكذلك تركيب من هذه الكلمات ايضا قد استخدمت بدرجة حساسية عالية. ولم يلحظ مؤلفو المقالة أي تقرير عن تعارض للمنافع فيما يرتبط بهذا التحقيق. الكشوفات: وبعد البحث في قواعد البيانات المذكورة اعلاه تم الحصول على 471 بحث وبعد تطبيق البحوث على اساس معايير الدخول والخروج تم قبول 40 بحث نهائي للدخول في القائمة المرجعية المصممة. تم حذف معظم البحوث بسبب نقص المعلومات المتعلقة بالإعجاز الصوتي في القرآن الكريم وكذلك لغياب التداخل بين فئتي الصوت القرآني والصحة العقلية والوظيفة الفيسيولوجيكية للجسم. الاستنتاج: اظهرت النتائج ان لصوت القرآن الكريم أثراً ملحوظاً في خفض مستوى القلق وشدة الألم وتحسن سلامة المرضى والصحة العقلية والاعراض والوظائف الفيسيولوجيكية لأنسجة الجسم المختلفة وجهاز المناعة ومستوى رضا المرضى. &nbsp; يتم استناد المقالة على الترتيب التالي: YektaKooshali MH, Moladoust M, Pourrajabi A. The Effect of Sound of the Quran on Hygiene, Mental Health, and Physiological Functions: A Systematic Review. Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va salāmat. 2019;5(1):136-47. https://doi.org/10.22037/jrrh.v5i1.19289Background and Objective: Sounds or voices influence the soul and the body of all creatures from humans to flora and fauna. The harmonious song of the Holy Quran and its agreeable sound is a pleasant mystical music. Basically, the most magnificent miraculous dimension of the Quran is its harmony with sweet melodies and great songs. Furthermore, one of the aspects of the miracle of the Quran, which has been neglected, is hidden in the sound of the Quran. In this systematic review, we investigated the Quranic sound and its effects on hygiene, mental health and physiological functions. Methods: Information databases that we searched included: SID, Magiran, Irandoc, Noormags, Iran Medex, Cochrane, Google scholar, Scopus. Keywords (English/Persian) used for search were: Sound, Voice, Quran, Holy book, Physiologic, Mental health, Hygiene and a combination of these were used with high degree of sensitivity. The authors reported no conflict of interests. Results: In our quest, we found 471 articles. Following our inclusion and exclusion criteria, 40 articles made it to the final analysis of the study. Most of the articles were omitted due to lack of information about the miracle of sound of the Quran and the lack of overlap between the two categories of the sound of Quran and mental health and physiological functions. Conclusion: The results showed that the sound of the Quran can significantly play a role in reducing the amount of anxiety, mental health, pain intensity, improvement of patients' health, signs and physiological function of different tissues of the body, immune system, and patients' levels of satisfaction. &nbsp; Please cite this article as: YektaKooshali MH, Moladoust M, Pourrajabi A. The Effect of Sound of the Quran on Hygiene, Mental Health, and Physiological Functions: A Systematic Review. Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va salāmat. 2019;5(1):136-47. https://doi.org/10.22037/jrrh.v5i1.19289سابقه و هدف: صداها یا آواها بر روح و روان و جسم همه‌ی مخلوقات از انسان‌ها گرفته تا حيوانات و گياهان تأثیر می‌گذارند. آهنگ موزون قرآن کریم و آوای دل‌نشین آن نوعی موسیقی عرفانی دلپذیر است. باشکوه‌ترین بُعد اعجاز بیانی قرآن، همسازی با نغمه‌های دل‌نشین و آهنگ‌های وزین صوتی است. به ­عبارت دیگر، يكي از جنبه‌هاي اعجاز قرآن كه کمتر به آن توجه شده، در آواي آن نهفته است. در مطالعه‌ی حاضر، با هدف مرور نظام‌مند به بررسی پژوهش‌های انجام‌شده با مضمون آوای قرآنی و تأثیر آن بر بهداشت، سلامت روان و عملکرد فیزیولوژیک بدن پرداخته شده­ است. روش کار: پایگاه‌های اطلاعاتی مورد جستجو شامل پایگاه‌های اس.آی.دی، مگیران، ایران داک، نورمگز، ایران مدکس، کاکرین، گوگل اسکولار و اسکوپوس بود. برای اجرای پژوهش از کلیدواژه‌های فارسی آوا، صوت، قرآن، فیزیولوژیک، سلامت روان و بهداشت؛ و کلیدواژه‌های انگلیسیSound ,Voice ,Quran ,Holy book ,Physiologic ,Health ,Hygiene &nbsp;و همچنین ترکیبی از آنها با درجه‌ی حساسیت بالا استفاده شد. در این پژوهش همه‌ی مسائل اخلاقی رعایت شده است و نویسندگان مقاله هیچ‌گونه تضاد منافعی گزارش نکرده‌اند. یافته‌ها: با جستجو در پایگاه‌های یادشده، 471 عنوان مقاله حاصل شد که بر اساس معیارهای ورود و خروج 40 مقاله‌ی نهایی برای ورود به چک‌لیست طراحی‌شده، پذیرفته شد. بیشتر مقالات به دلیل نداشتن اطلاعات مربوط به اعجاز آوای قرآنی و همچنین نداشتن همپوشانی دو مقوله‌ی آوای قرآن و بهداشت روان و عملکرد فیزیولوژیک بدن حذف شدند. نتیجه‌گیری: نتایج حاصل از بررسی حاضر نشان داد که آوای قرآن در کاهش میزان اضطراب، بهداشت روان، شدت درد، بهبود سلامت بیماران، علائم و عملکرد فیزیولوژی بافت‌های مختلف بدن، سیستم ایمنی و سطح رضایتمندی بیماران به طور محسوسی مؤثر بود. &nbsp; استناد مقاله به این صورت است: YektaKooshali MH, Moladoust M, Pourrajabi A. The Effect of Sound of the Quran on Hygiene, Mental Health, and Physiological Functions: A Systematic Review. Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va salāmat. 2019;5(1):136-47. https://doi.org/10.22037/jrrh.v5i1.1928