The Efficacy of Methadone Maintenance Therapy on the Quality of Life and Marital Satisfaction among Substance Users

Introduction: the present study has been conducted with the aim of examining the quality of life (QoL) and marital satisfaction before and after three months of methadone maintenance in the patients enrolled in methadone therapy center in city of Kashan.Method: In this study, a quasi-experimental with pre and post assessments was conducted. Forty-five substance users receiving methadonetherapy were selected and investigated for three months. General assessment of patients (including demographic variables) was recorded and patients completed the QoL and martial satisfaction questionnaires.Results:Paired T-test revealed that the effect of methadone on QoL and martial satisfaction was significant (p<0.001). Scores of QoL and marital satisfaction have significant difference just in job variable among the other demographic variables. Pairwise comparison confirmed that two aspects (including physical and environmental) of QoL increased at post-test relative to pre-test.Conclusion: results of this study showed that methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) can lead to a significant improvement of QoL and martial satisfaction in substance users

Assessment of psychological distress and related factors in type 2 diabetic patients in diabetes center of Shahroud University of medical sciences in 2014.

Background and aims: Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Due to the chronic nature and its complications, the disease can lead to emotional distress and depression. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate emotional distress and related factors in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: In this descriptive analytical study, all eligible patients with diabetes referred to diabetes center of Shahroud University of Medical Sciences recruited from February 2013 for a year. Data were collected by demographic and PAID questionnaire. Statistical analysis of data was performed by the T-Test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient tests. Results: The average overall score for PAID was 22.28±1.60 that showed low emotional distress (cut- off point≥ 33). In comparison areas with each other, treatment barriers had higher distress for diabetic patients. At the 0.05 level of significance, patient’s age was associated with total score (P=0.041) and the “Depression- Related Problems” area (P=0.035). Also, a significant relationship was found between having hypoglycemia history (P=0.033) and hospitalization due to diabetes (P=0.011) with “psychological distress in relationship to diabetes management” area. Moreover, statistically significant relationships were found among adherence to the diet with the total score (P=0.016) and “Psychological distress in relation to diabetes management” (P=0.032), “Depression- Related Problems”(P=0.021) and “Treatment Barriers”(P=0.003). Daily exercise program had a significant relationship with the total score (P=0.029) and “Treatment Barriers” area (P=0.001). Conclusion: Regarding to the importance of coping with the emotional distress in diabetic patients, it is recommended considering the emotional distress during treatment and care of these patients

Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Sleep Quality Among Patients Under Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Background: Patients under Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) are susceptible to several problems, including sleep disturbances and risk of relapse. The present study aimed to assess the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on sleep quality of addicts under MMT.Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 27 male patients who underwent maintenance methadone therapy in MMT clinics of Mashhad City, Iran. They were divided into the experimental and sham groups. The experimental group received seven 20-min sessions of tDCS every other day. In the sham group, the electrical current was delivered for a few seconds, but the electrodes were remained to the end of the session. Sleep quality was measured at baseline, during, and after the intervention by Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The obtained data were analyzed by descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics, such as t test, Chi-square, Mann Whitney, and Fischer exact test in SPSS v. 25.Results: The difference between the two groups after tDCS in sleep duration was significant (P=0.04). In the experimental group, the total score of sleep had a reducing trend (P<0.000), while in the sham group, the overall score in 3 phases of evaluation had no significant change (P=0.19). However, the rate of inappropriate sleep quality was not significant between the two groups after the intervention (P=0.12).Conclusion: This trial demonstrated the positive effect of tDCS on sleep quality in patients under MMT programs. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings

An evaluation of the effect of pulsed wave low-level laser therapy on the biomechanical properties of the vertebral body in two experimental osteoporosis rat models.

Osteoporosis (OP) increases vertebral fragility as a result of the biomechanical effects of diminished bone structure and composition. This study has aimed to assess the effects of pulsed wave low-level laser therapy (PW LLLT) on cancellous bone strength of an ovariectomized (OVX-d) experimental rat model and a glucocorticoid-induced OP (GIOP) experimental rat model. There were four OVX-d groups and four dexamethasone-treated groups. A group of healthy rats was used for baseline evaluations. The OVX-d rats were further subdivided into the following groups: control rats with OP, OVX-d rats that received alendronate, OVX-d rats treated with PW LLLT, and OVX-d rats treated with alendronate and PW LLLT. The remaining rats received dexamethasone and were divided into four groups: control, alendronate-treated rats, laser-treated rats, and laser-treated rats with concomitant administration of alendronate. PW LLLT (890 nm, 80 Hz, 0.972 J/cm(2)) was performed on the spinal processes of the T12, L1, L2, and L3 vertebras. We extracted the L1 vertebrae and submitted them to a mechanical compression test. Biomechanical test findings showed positive effects of the PW LLLT and alendronate administration on increasing bending stiffness and maximum force of the osteoporotic bones compared to the healthy group. However, laser treatment of OVA-d rats significantly increased stress high load compared to OVA-d control rats. PW LLLT preserved the cancellous (trabecular) bone of vertebra against the detrimental effects of OV-induced OP on bone strength in rats compared to control OV rats

The survey of diversity, distribution and abundance of phytoplankton in the southern part of Caspian Sea

Since phytoplankton are the base of life and productivity of aquatic ecosystems, sustainable ecological study of the Caspian Sea, particularly the distribution and identification of species composition, density and biomass, seasonal and regional variations in phytoplankton before each study seems necessary. Due to various circumstances physical and chemical rivers leading to the sea, seabed topography in different situation appears to be of primary production in the eastern and western between the Caspian Sea in the season, may be altered.Identifying species and determining the distribution and biomass of the changes and how they are affected by environmental changes and we are environmentally conscious. We also compare the current situation with previous studies, we find that the number and types of plankton biomass have been what it is. During 1389 in spring, summer, autumn and winter, in a study of 8 transects of 40 stations. In each transect from Astara to the Turkmen. 5 stations at depths of 5. 10. 20. 50. 100 m were selected for sampling. The total number of 182 species from seven branches Bacillariophyta, Pyrrophyta, Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta, Xantophyta and Chrysophyta phytoplankton were identified. Including 81 species of Bacillariophyta, 33 Cyanophyta, 25 Pyrrophyta, 31Chlorophyta, 9 Euglenophyta, 1 Xantophyta and Chrysophyta had 1 specie. Studies have shown that density and biomass of Bacillariophyta were 228 (± 471) per cubic meter × 106) and 6157 (± 290) mg per cubic meter) respectivity and Pyrrophyta were 28/17( ± 27/14) cubic meter × 106in cubic meters) and 3349 ( ± 336) mg per cubic meter) and Cyanophyta 120/40 (± 123/87 ) per cubic meter × 106 per cubic meter), biomass (55 ± 57mg per cubic meter) were the branches of the dominant phytoplankton. Abundance and biomass in different seasons have been significant differences (p <0.05). Most of Bacillariophyta (61 species) was in Autumn and then in winter (48 species). Dominant species of Bacillariophyta were Pseudonitzschia seriata, Rhizosolenia fragilissima, Stephanodiscos sp. , Melosira varians, Nitzschia acicularis and Cyclotella menenghiniana Pyrrophyta was greatest diversity of branches in summer, autumn and winter (19 species), which includes Exuviaella cordata, Exuviaella marina, Prorocentrum praximum and Prorocentrum scutllum. In the autumn density of Cyanophyta was 285.7(±137.1) cubic meters × 106 and biomass was 95(±54) mg per cubic meter) and 18 species were observed. The dominant species in this category were Oscillatoria sp., Nodularia spumigena and Oscillatoria agardhii. Most species of Chlorophyta branche in autumn and winter and summer median region with the highest density at the density of 26.2% and most of it is Binuclearia lauterbornii. Identified as the branches Euglenophyta were Trachelomonas, Euglena and Phacus that were observed in all seasons. In winter, the highest mean biomass was 9(±0.818) mg per cubic meter and the highest density of in summer was 0.5 (±0.5) in cubic meters ×10^6. In winter the depth of 10 meters and surface of Babolsar, Amir Abad and Anzali, a kind of Chrysophyta and in surface of Tonekabon and Anzali a species of Xantophyta were observed that had negligible density and biomass

A comparative study of plankton and pelagic fishes in the southeast Caspian Sea (Mazanderan-Goharbaran)

Region South East of the Caspian Sea (area Goharbaran) having valuable resources biological flora and fauna, the diversity of commercial fishes, especially reserves the exclusive sturgeon as well as reserves abiotic such as oil and gas resources and transit of goods through Bandar Amirabad to Central Asia , the ecological conditions for the implementation of the project is very necessary. The aim of this study was to determine species composition, spatial and temporal distribution of plankton and fish of this region. Plankton sampled from different depths (5, 10 and 15 m) were carried out. Sampling of phytoplankton did by Ruttner and sampling of zooplankton did by net with mesh size 100 microns. The fish were sampled monthly from December 2013 to July 2014 and within months was carried out. From livestock gill Monofilament.. In this study, a total of 130 species of phytoplankton of 7 filums Bacillariophyta (60 species), Pyrrophyta (23 species), Cyanophyta (22 species), Chlorophyta (14 species), Euglnophyta (9 species), Haptophyta (1 species) and Chrysophyta (1 species )and 24 species of zooplankton branch of Copepoda (5 species), Rotatoria (7 species), porotozoa (3 species), Cladocera (9 species), and Meroplankton (2 species) of larvae of Cypris Balanus and bivalves Lamellibranchiate larvae and 256 fish Acipenser persicus at 5, Alosa braschnikowi 71 number, Alosa caspia 40 number, Benthophilius lipidus 1 number, Cluponella cultriventris 72 number, Cyprinus carpio 1 number, Liza saliens 15 number, Neogobius bathybius 1 number, Neogobius caspia 5 pcs, Neogobius flauviatilis 19 number, Neogobius gorlab 6 number, Rutilus kutum 14 number, Rutilus rutilus 2 pcs, vimba vimba 4 number was observed.Different ecological conditions appointment dietary needs and relationships of organisms and their adaptations to the environment, the density and distribution of different species of phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish specifies.Also the Caspian Sea due to the type of biological species and number of endemic species (42%) in addition to comb jelly invasion, were force of the effects some species like Gloeotrichia Echinulata and as a result, now or in the future, more species will be observed and recognized will be of most interest. Also Psedonitzschia seriata ability to produce Domick acid that can be hazardous to aquatic animals and even human, was in Goharbaran area. This was considered for fishes of the southern Caspian Sea and ecological distribution of most species depends on the region. The abundance of two species of whitefish and pelagic fish in Ghahrebaran region is more than the whole Caspian Sea. On the other hand, the dominant phytoplankton of this region is Bacillariophyta and dominant zooplankton is Copepoda, which shows the goodness of these plankton branches, and by changing the various factors as the different terms of receiving solar energy and resulting in temperature and water currents can cause seasonal differences in the density of the Bacillariophyta branch and also the Copepoda, therefore one of the most important factors is season, and in the winter, when the aquatic rotation of this ecosystem increases, it increases the nutrients and moves it from the floor to the water column, and as a result, increasing the amount of silica in various levels of water can affect the nutrition of fish

Global, regional, and national incidence of six major immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: findings from the global burden of disease study 2019

BACKGROUND: The causes for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are diverse and the incidence trends of IMIDs from specific causes are rarely studied. The study aims to investigate the pattern and trend of IMIDs from 1990 to 2019. METHODS: We collected detailed information on six major causes of IMIDs, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis, between 1990 and 2019, derived from the Global Burden of Disease study in 2019. The average annual percent change (AAPC) in number of incidents and age standardized incidence rate (ASR) on IMIDs, by sex, age, region, and causes, were calculated to quantify the temporal trends. FINDINGS: In 2019, rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease accounted 1.59%, 36.17%, 54.71%, 0.09%, 6.84%, 0.60% of overall new IMIDs cases, respectively. The ASR of IMIDs showed substantial regional and global variation with the highest in High SDI region, High-income North America, and United States of America. Throughout human lifespan, the age distribution of incident cases from six IMIDs was quite different. Globally, incident cases of IMIDs increased with an AAPC of 0.68 and the ASR decreased with an AAPC of −0.34 from 1990 to 2019. The incident cases increased across six IMIDs, the ASR of rheumatoid arthritis increased (0.21, 95% CI 0.18, 0.25), while the ASR of asthma (AAPC = −0.41), inflammatory bowel disease (AAPC = −0.72), multiple sclerosis (AAPC = −0.26), psoriasis (AAPC = −0.77), and atopic dermatitis (AAPC = −0.15) decreased. The ASR of overall and six individual IMID increased with SDI at regional and global level. Countries with higher ASR in 1990 experienced a more rapid decrease in ASR. INTERPRETATION: The incidence patterns of IMIDs varied considerably across the world. Innovative prevention and integrative management strategy are urgently needed to mitigate the increasing ASR of rheumatoid arthritis and upsurging new cases of other five IMIDs, respectively. FUNDING: The Global Burden of Disease Study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project funded by Scientific Research Fund of Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital (2022QN38)

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations

Mapping disparities in education across low- and middle-income countries

Analyses of the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017 reveal inequalities across countries as well as within populations. Educational attainment is an important social determinant of maternal, newborn, and child health(1-3). As a tool for promoting gender equity, it has gained increasing traction in popular media, international aid strategies, and global agenda-setting(4-6). The global health agenda is increasingly focused on evidence of precision public health, which illustrates the subnational distribution of disease and illness(7,8); however, an agenda focused on future equity must integrate comparable evidence on the distribution of social determinants of health(9-11). Here we expand on the available precision SDG evidence by estimating the subnational distribution of educational attainment, including the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling, across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017. Previous analyses have focused on geographical disparities in average attainment across Africa or for specific countries, but-to our knowledge-no analysis has examined the subnational proportions of individuals who completed specific levels of education across all low- and middle-income countries(12-14). By geolocating subnational data for more than 184 million person-years across 528 data sources, we precisely identify inequalities across geography as well as within populations.Peer reviewe

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic