The comparison of hearing loss among diabetic and non-diabetic patients

Introduction: The prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus is steadily increasing. This is a multi- systemic abnormality, causing side- effects which are mainly irreversible. Hearing loss is one of the common symptoms, and there are many studies, with contradictory results. Aim of this study was to compare the hearing loss among diabetic with non- diabetic patients. Material and Methods: In this study 50 diabetic patients were chosen randomly from those overt diabetic patients referred to the Diabetes clinic in Gorgan hospital northern Iran, 50 other patients who referred to the 5th Azar hospital, with any other ENT complaint were also randomly chosen as control group. The case and control groups were matched. Demographic questionnaires were filled for each subjects in case and control groups, and those with intervening factors were omitted from this study. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: In this study 66% and 34% of participants were men and women respectively. The age distribution of the patient were 15-75 years. The hearing loss among diabetic patients and non- diabetic subjects were 16% and 5% respectively, which showed that the diabetic patient has3.2 times more possibility to acquire hearing problem. It was also shown, that there was a direct correlation between increasingage and hearing loss. More women are at risk, of getting hearingloss than men. The hearing loss also has a correlation with the duration of disease onset and the consumption of Glibanclamid. Conclusion The careful periodical assessment of hearing loss, and the application of hearing facilities to improve the qualityof diabetic patients life is recommended due to chronic and irreversible Symptom of the disease

Effect of peppermint oil on serum lipid peroxidation and hepatic enzymes after immobility stress in mice

This study was undertaken to determine the influences of various doses of peppermint oil on the hepatic enzymes, alanine transaminase, apartate tranaminase, alkaline phosphotase and gamma glutamyl transferase and the level of malondialdehyde in the serum of mice with and without immobility stress. The mice exposed to drink water, 0.9, 27 and 60 mg/kg peppermint oil from the days 1 to 5 for a period of 4 h before and after immobility stress. Serum MDA increased in treatment group II, III and IV after immobility stress. There was a significant decrease in ALT in treatment group III and IV after immobility stress. There were also significant decreases in ALP and GGT in treatment group IV after immobility stress. This result may suggest that, MDA level is higher in immobilization stress group than in the un-immobilized animals in serum and this results show that enzyme activities decreased after immobilization stress. © Marjani et al

Serum copper concentration in newborns with neural tube defects in northern Iran; A case control study

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the eventual association between copper deficiency in newborns with neural tube defects (NTD) in Northern Iran. A high prevalence of neural tube defects has been reported from this region. Methods: This hospital based case control study was carried out on 13 newborns having neural tube defects and 35 healthy controls in Northern Iran during 2005-2006. Serum copper was measured by spectrophotometery. Findings: Serum copper level in newborns with NTD and healthy normal newborns was 16.5 (±7.2) μmol/l and 16.7 (±6.6) μmol/ l, respectively. In case group 38.5% of newborns and in control group 28.6% had copper deficiency. Logistic regression analysis showed no association between the presence of NTD and copper deficiency (OR:1.6, 95% CI=0.3-7.1, P=0.5). Conclusion: This study showed no association between NTD and copper deficiency in newborns. © 2009 by Center of Excellence for Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, All rights reserved

Determinants of childhood obesity in representative sample of children in north east of iran

Childhood obesity has become, a global public health problem, and epidemiological studies are important to identify its determinants in different populations. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with obesity in a representative sample of children in Neishabour, Iran. This study was conducted among 1500 randomly selected 6-12-year-old students from urban areas of Neishabour, northeast of Iran. Then, through a case-control study, 114 obese (BMI � 95 th percentile of Iranian reference) children were selected as the case group and were compared with 102 controls (15 th � BMI 85 th percentile). Factors suggested to be associated with weight status were investigated, for example, parental obesity, child physical activity levels, socio-economic status (SES), and so forth. The analysis was conducted using univariate and multivariate logistic regression (MLR) in SPSS version 16. In univariate logistic regression model, birth weight, birth order, family extension, TV watching, sleep duration, physical activity, parents job, parents education, parental obesity history, and SES were significantly associated with childrens obesity. After MLR analysis, physical activity and parental obesity history remained statistically significant in the model. Our findings showed that physical activity and parental obesity history are the most important determinants for childhood obesity in our population. This finding should be considered in implementation of preventive interventions. Copyright © 2012 Fereshteh Baygi et al

“You’re Not the Police. You’re Providing a Library Service”: Reflections on Maintenance and Repair in/of Public Libraries During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper explores how services gaps between public libraries, governmental authorities, and other institutions were addressed during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the labor of filling these gaps reveals the repair and maintenance work in and on the public good of the library. The site for this exploration is the project Australian Public Libraries During the COVID-19 Crisis: Implications for Future Policy and Practice, which used mixed-methods questionnaires and interviews to understand the library and information science (LIS) profession’s response to the pandemic. During the pandemic, public institutions labored to maintain services and repair any gaps arising from disrupted services. The extraordinary labor instigated by the pandemic can be used to theorize the ordinary labor of maintaining public institutions such as libraries and how notions of the public good are reaffirmed through individual and institutional acts of care. The maintenance and repair of public libraries as institutions with community service obligations reveals assumptions about essential services, which communities are disadvantaged, and the policing role of libraries. Understanding the repair role of libraries helps researchers and practitioners to theorize and conceptualize their work and service to the community in new ways

Association of dietary patterns with continuous metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents; A nationwide propensity score-matched analysis: The CASPIAN-V study

Objective: This study aims to determine the association of dietary patterns with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in children and adolescents. Methods: This nationwide study was conducted in 2015 among 4200 students aged 7-18 years, who lived in 30 provinces in Iran. The analysis was conducted based on the propensity score using a matched case-control study design. Three dietary patterns were obtained conducting a principal component analysis with a varimax rotation on 16 dietary groups. Continuous MetS score was computed by standardizing the residuals (z-scores) of MetS components by regressing them according to age and sex. The gold standard diagnosis of MetS was considered based on the International Diabetes Federation criteria. Moreover, for the purpose of data analysis, matched logistics analysis was used. Results: The study participants consisted of 3843 children and adolescents (response rate 91.5) with mean (SD) age of 12.45 (3.04) years. Totally 49.4 of students were girls and 71.4 lived in urban areas. Three dietary patterns were obtained: Healthy, Western, and Sweet. Prevalence of MetS was 5 (boy 5.5 and girl 4.5). Results of multivariate analysis show that students with Sweet dietary patterns were at higher risk for abdominal obesity (OR 1.29; 95 CI 1.01-1.66), elevated blood pressure (OR 1.35; 95 CI 1.01-1.81) and MetS (OR 1.33; 95 CI 1.02-1.74). The two other dietary patterns were not associated with MetS and its components. Conclusion: Sweet dietary pattern increase the risk of MetS and some its components in Iranian children and adolescents. This finding provides valuable information for effective preventive strategies of MetS based on diet rather than medication to maintain healthy lifestyle habits. © 2018 The Author(s)

A Toxicogenomics Approach to Identify New Plausible Epigenetic Mechanisms of Ochratoxin A Carcinogenicity in Rat

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin occurring naturally in a wide range of food commodities. In animals, it has been shown to cause a variety of adverse effects, nephrocarcinogenicity being the most prominent. Because of its high toxic potency and the continuous exposure of the human population, OTA has raised public health concerns. There is significant debate on how to use the rat carcinogenicity data to assess the potential risk to humans. In this context, the question of the mechanism of action of OTA appears of key importance and was studied through the application of a toxicogenomics approach. Male Fischer rats were fed OTA for up to 2 years. Renal tumors were discovered during the last 6 months of the study. The total tumor incidence reached 25% at the end of the study. Gene expression profile was analyzed in groups of animals taken in intervals from 7 days to 12 months. Tissue-specific responses were observed in kidney versus liver. For selected genes, microarray data were confirmed at both mRNA and protein levels. In kidney, several genes known as markers of kidney injury and cell regeneration were significantly modulated by OTA. The expression of genes known to be involved in DNA synthesis and repair, or genes induced as a result of DNA damage, was only marginally modulated. Very little or no effect was found amongst genes associated with apoptosis. Alterations of gene expression indicating effects on calcium homeostasis and a disruption of pathways regulated by the transcription factors hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α) and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) were observed in the kidney but not in the liver. Previous data have suggested that a reduction in HNF4α may be associated with nephrocarcinogenicity. Many Nrf2-regulated genes are involved in chemical detoxication and antioxidant defense. The depletion of these genes is likely to impair the defense potential of the cells, resulting in chronic elevation of oxidative stress in the kidney. The inhibition of defense mechanism appears as a highly plausible new mechanism, which could contribute to OTA carcinogenicit

Come to the dark side! The role of functional traits in shaping dark diversity patterns of south-eastern European hoverflies

1. Dark diversity represents the set of species that can potentially inhabit a given area under particular ecological conditions, but are currently 'missing' from a site. This concept allows characterisation of the mechanisms determining why species are sometimes absent from an area that seems ecologically suitable for them. 2. The aim of this study was to determine the dark diversity of hoverflies in south-eastern Europe and to discuss the role of different functional traits that might increase the likelihood of species contributing to dark diversity. Based on expert opinion, the Syrph the Net database and known occurrences of species, the study estimated species pools, and observed and dark diversities within each of 11 defined vegetation types for 564 hoverfly species registered in south-eastern Europe. To detect the most important functional traits contributing to species being in dark diversity across different vegetation types, a random forest algorithm and respective statistics for variable importance were used. 3. The highest dark diversity was found for southwest Balkan sub-Mediterranean mixed oak forest type, whereas the lowest was in Mediterranean mixed forest type. Three larval feeding modes (saproxylic, and phytophagous on bulbs or roots) were found to be most important for determining the probability of a species contributing to hoverfly dark diversity, based on univariate correlations and random forest analysis. 4. This study shows that studying dark diversity might provide important insights into what drives community assembly in south-eastern European hoverflies, especially its missing components, and contributes to more precise conservation prioritisation of both hoverfly species and their habitats.Peer reviewe

Self-rated health and life satisfaction in iranian children and adolescents at the national and provincial level: The CASPIAN-IV study

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) and life satisfaction (LS) are of increasing interest to medical researchers, because of their close relationship with different aspects of health. Objectives: This paper describes the patterns of LS and SRH among Iranian children and adolescents, analyzed by sex and residence area, at the national and provincial levels. Methods: In this nationwide study 14880 students, aged 6-18 years, were selected by multistage random cluster sampling from urban and rural areas of 30 provinces in Iran, as part of the fourth survey of a national surveillance program conducted in 2011-2012. LS and SRH were assessed through a questionnaire following the World Health Organization-Global School-based Student Health Survey (WHO-GSHS) protocols. Results: 13486 out of 14880 invited students completed the study (participation rate: 90.6). Their average age was 12.47 ± 3.36 years. The prevalence of good SRH at national level was 80.13 (95 CI: 79.25, 80.99); the prevalence of LS among Iranian students at the national level was 80.17 (95 CI: 79.18, 81.13). At the provincial level, the highest and the lowest LS scores were 85.42 (80.01, 89.55) and 74.78 (68.74, 79.99), respectively. Likewise, the highest and the lowest prevalence of good SRH was 88.36 (83.99, 91.66) and 74.22 (69.06, 78.78), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings show that, at provincial levels, a complex set of known/unknown influencing factors affect individuals� assessments of their own health quality. Understanding these patterns of SRH and LS could be useful for better health policy and more targeted studies in this field. © 2016, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal