ABSTRACT
The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of low-frequency ultrasound on transdermal delivery of insulin as an ointment. This was conducted in the proceeding of a previously published paper by the authors. Forty-two Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 groups including one control and six experimental groups with six rats in each group. An ointment of insulin was prepared and applied (alone and with low-frequency ultrasound) on the skin of animals. In all the groups, blood samples were collected from the tail vein of the animals every 15 minutes of the whole 90-minute experimental period. The changes of blood glucose levels with time were assessed in the groups. The results of this study showed that the exposure of the insulin ointment to low-frequency ultrasound for a period of 60 minutes significantly decreased its potency in lowering the blood glucose levels. We conclude that eucerin impedes transdermal insulin delivery by sonophoresis in rats. We suggest that the lowering effect of ultrasound on the penetration ability of insulin is probably due to its effect on the specific molecular structure formed between the insulin and the ointment base after its preparation. However, further studies are needed in order to more precisely identify the involving mechanisms.
ABSTRACT
Background: Following the implementation of family physician program in 2004 in Iranian healthcare system, the understanding in changes in physicians’ practice has become important. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the level of family physicians’ job satisfaction and its relationship with their performance level. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among all 367 family physicians of East Azerbaijan province in during December 2009 to May 2011 using a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire for job satisfaction. The performance scores of primary care physicians were obtained from health deputy of Tabriz Medical University. Results: In this study, overall response rate was 64.5%. The average score of job satisfaction was 42.10 (±18.46), and performance score was 87.52 (±5.74) out of 100. There was signifi cant relationships between working history and job satisfaction (P = 0.014), marital status (P = 0.014), and sex (P = 0.018) with performance among different personal and organizational variables. However, there was no signifi cant relationship between job satisfaction and performance, but satisfi ed people had about three times better performance than their counterparts (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: The low scores of family physicians in performance and job satisfaction are obvious indications for more extensive research in identifying causes and fi nding mechanisms to improve the situation, especially in payment methods and work condition, in existing health system.