Comparison of 2 Methods of Light Reduction on Preterm Infants" Sleep Pattern in NICU: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: Growth and development of preterm infants may be negatively affected by constant bright light in neonatal intensive care units ( NICUs ). It may also contribute to sleep pattern disorders commonly seen in in this group of infants. Reducing exposure to light by covering the incubators is recommended by guidelines of the Neonatal Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP). Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was performed on 60 preterm infants with gestational age of 28-32 weeks admitted at NICU of Al-Zahra Teaching Hospital of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2014. Preterm infants were divided randomly in 2 groups: In the first group (intervention), incubators were covered with a thick cover and the face was covered with a cloth (face cover). In the second group (observation), incubators were covered with a thick cover but the face was not covered. We darkened the environment of NICU by closing the curtain and turning off additional florescent lights from 19:30 pm till 7:30 am in both groups, then we compared sleep pattern in 2 groups of infants by using sleep diagram. Results: In the intervention group (face cover), the mean frequency of sleep during the 6 days increased by 2.96 times/observations and the mean amount of sleep increased by 59 minutes. Conclusion: This study showed that light reduction with incubator covers and eye shield, increases the frequency and sleep duration in premature infants

The prophylactic effect of hydroxychloroquine on the severity of COVID-19 infection in an asymptomatic population: A randomized clinical trial

Background: Laboratory and observational data suggest that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has biological activity against SARS-CoV-2, potentially permitting its use for disease prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the hydroxychloroquine effect as prophylaxis for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: In this double-blind randomized controlled trial,  1000  healthy people without any signs and symptoms of COVID-19 were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 800 mg hydroxychloroquine or placebo (four 200 mg tablets in two divided doses on day 1 of the first week, followed by 200 mg (in a single dose) weekly for the next 6 weeks). Results: Among 871 participants who remained and followed within 10 weeks 97(11.1%) became SARS-CoV-2 positive. there were statistically significant differences between infected or non-infected in the hydroxychloroquine (36 of 97 [37.1%]) and placebo (61 of 97 [62.9 %]) groups with a risk ratio of 2.1 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 - 3.21; p = 0.005). The incidence of severe forms of COVID-19 ( hospitalized in the coronavirus ward or the ICU) was 2 of 97 (0.02 %) in participants who received a placebo compared to hydroxychloroquine. The proportion of non-infected people who received hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis was nearly twice higher than that of placebo users (1.87, 95% CI: 1.19 - 2.84, p = 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding side effects (1.1% vs. 0.9%), and no severe adverse reactions were observed. Conclusion: Pre-exposure therapy with hydroxychloroquine appears to prevent moderate and severe illness caused by COVID-19 in asymptomatic persons

Effect the pre-exposure prophylactic of hydroxychloroquine on severe COVID-19 disease: a randomized controlled trial

Background. In vitro studies have shown some effects for Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) against SARS-CoV-2 virus. Despite effective vaccination program, relatively large proportion of population remains unvaccinated. So, there still remains a need for other prophylactic measures. The present study aims to evaluate whether HCQ can prevent severe COVID-19 outcomes among health-care workers. Materials and methods. In this randomized, double blind placebo-controlled clinical trial 334 healthcare workers aged 18–65 years old were included of whom 278 individuals completed the study. Participants were randomly assigned to the HCQ group (800 mg at day one, followed by 400 mg weekly for the next 7 weeks); or the placebo group. Participants were followed three weeks after the last dose of drug or placebo (10 weeks from the first dose of drug or placebo). The primary outcome was hospitalization or death from COVID-19. Results. Of 148 people who received HCQ, none were hospitalized or died from COIVD-19, while of 130 people who received the placebo, 2 (1.5%) were hospitalized for COIVD-19 (p-value: 0.26). And, 22 (14.9%) people in the HCQ group and 15 (11.6%) people in the placebo group contracted COVID-19 (p-value: 0.99). Adverse reactions were reported by 5 (3.4%) of participants in the HCQ group and 5 (3.9%) of participants in the placebo group (p-value: 0.99). Conclusion. We found that HCQ has no significant prevention effect on the incidence of mild COVID-19. However, the low rate of hospitalization (the primary outcome) in this trial like most of the other clinical trials with HCQ would have required increasing the sample size considerably to be able to comment on the effectiveness of HCQ in prevention of severe forms including death rate. This justifies systematic reviews to include similar studies to further investigate the issue

The Effect of Bank Leverage on Profitability: Focus on Strengthening the Credit System in the Iranian Banking System

One of the key indicators in the banking sector is bank leverage. Bank leverage refers to how resources are used in the balance sheet to finance the assets. The quality of banking assets has a significant impact on lending in banks. The proper use of bank leverage can lead to getting appropriate profit and reducing many of the bank's problems when managing the risks. Besides the internal factors, the creation of bank leverage is also influenced by the economic factors in each country. During the recent financial crisis, much attention was paid to the balance sheet balance of the banks. How to use bank leverage is one of the most important and challenging issues every bank faces. Considering the role and importance of bank leverage as the most important channel for passing on economic blockages, bank's profitability influenced by this factor has a prominent role in investment decisions. Leverage allows a financial institution to increase its potential profits and decrease its losses on a specific financial position.     For data analysis, a panel regression model based on generalized method of moments has been used by employing data during the years 2006-2016. The results show a positive and significant linear relationship between the bank leverage and the profitability. The results also demonstrate that the higher bank leverage, the more profit banks can obtain. Moreover, more analysis to determine the relationship between liquidity variables, deposits, bank size, facility ratios and inflation has been expanded. Hence, by increasing the profitability of banks, it is possible to strengthen the credibility of banks, and by increasing the credit to the economy, effective steps can be taken on employment and production in the economy

A new complication after receiving the MRNA12-73 (Moderna) vaccine for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Iran: A case report

Introduction: The recent pandemic of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has significantly increased the mortality and disability burden in many people worldwide. Several effective vaccines have been introduced since the outbreak of the coronavirus. These vaccines work through several different immunization pathways to create effective immunity. In this respect, there have been no reports of patients with symptoms of lumbar radiculopathy and puffiness of the hands after receiving corona vaccines. This article presents a clinical case report of these symptoms after receiving the MRNA12-73 (Moderna) vaccine. Overall, finding effective, low-complication, and safe solutions against this virus can have a beneficial effect in reducing the side effects of the Corona vaccine and maintaining the health and lives of people. Case history: A 73-year-old male patient developed lumbar radiculopathy and puffy hands after receiving the corona (COVID-19) vaccine. He was infected with COVID-19 about 60 days after receiving the MRNA12-73 (Moderna) vaccine. Conclusion: Attention to the occurrence of any side effects after injecting corona vaccines requires additional studies. It is also important to follow up on any clinical signs of suspected coronary involvement, even after the vaccination.&nbsp

The Effects of Computer-assisted L1 and L2 Textual and Audio Glosses on Vocabulary Learning and Reading Comprehension across Different Learning Styles

TARAMAWOSWOS:000672398800015TARAMASCOPUSThe current study investigated the effects of computer-assisted L1 and L2 textual and audio glosses on vocabulary learning and reading comprehension across various learning styles. Based on the PET test, 30 homogeneous Iranian EFL learners took the VARK questionnaire and were divided into five learning style groups. Twenty-eight words were selected to be glossed in four reading passages. The selected passages, which were glossed in the four different forms of L1 and L2 audio and L1 and L2 textual by creating hyperlinks on the target words, were presented to the participants through a computer screen. All groups underwent all the treatment conditions and then took posttests.Three-way ANOVAs were run to investigate the effects of learning styles, modes, and language, and their two-way and three-way interactions on the performance of EFL learners on the vocabulary and reading comprehension posttests. While no significant differences between language and mode of glosses on the reading comprehension posttest scores were observed, it was revealed that L1 glosses were more beneficial than L2 glosses for vocabulary learning. The study also showed that the textual glosses were more effective than audio glosses for vocabulary learning. The results further displayed significant differences between learning styles on the vocabulary learning and reading comprehension posttest scores

A new complication after receiving the MRNA12-73 (Moderna) vaccine for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Iran: A case report

Introduction: The recent pandemic of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has significantly increased the mortality and disability burden in many people worldwide. Several effective vaccines have been introduced since the outbreak of the coronavirus. These vaccines work through several different immunization pathways to create effective immunity. In this respect, there have been no reports of patients with symptoms of lumbar radiculopathy and puffiness of the hands after receiving corona vaccines. This article presents a clinical case report of these symptoms after receiving the MRNA12-73 (Moderna) vaccine. Overall, finding effective, low-complication, and safe solutions against this virus can have a beneficial effect in reducing the side effects of the Corona vaccine and maintaining the health and lives of people. Case history: A 73-year-old male patient developed lumbar radiculopathy and puffy hands after receiving the corona (COVID-19) vaccine. He was infected with COVID-19 about 60 days after receiving the MRNA12-73 (Moderna) vaccine. Conclusion: Attention to the occurrence of any side effects after injecting corona vaccines requires additional studies

Evaluation of foot self-care status and foot screening problems in patients with diabetes in Iran: a national multicenter study

Abstract Background and purpose The lack of timely foot care among individuals with diabetics often lead to ulceration followed by infection and amputation. This study aimed to evaluate the foot self-care status and foot screening practices among patients with type 2 diabetes in various cities across Iran. Methods The cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on patients with type 2 diabetes in 10 main cities of Iran. The information about demographic and lifestyle factors, diabetes history, and diabetic foot self-care (DFSQ) was assessed. Additionally, the neurological and vascular condition of the foot were screened by Inlow’s 60-Second Screen. Results The study included 1094 diabetic patients with, with a majority being female (64.8%) and married (92.5%). The average age of the participants was 57.6 ± 10.21 (mean ± SD), and the mean duration of diabetes was 11.56 ± 7.41 years. Based on Inlow’s 60-Second Screen criteria, 58% of the patients should undergo yearly foot ulcer screening, 47% exhibited peripheral neuropathy, and 37% were found to have inappropriate footwear. Conclusion The high prevalence of peripheral neuropathy observed in approximately half of the participants across different regions of Iran underscores the importance of continuous patient education regarding foot care and appropriate footwear. Furthermore, regular foot ulcer screenings, following the recommended intervals outlined in Inlow’s screening protocol, should be implemented to effectively manage diabetic foot complications