What are differences between non-injecting and injecting drug addicts?

This study aims to identify the differences between Injecting Drug Users [IDUs] and non?IDUs, with regard to some potential factors. This could be useful to design effective interventions for harm reduction, which is one of the priority areas in reducing the burden of addiction. Sixty cases and 60 controls participated in this pair-matched case-control study, which was conducted in Tehran. The cases were IDUs who were asked to introduce two friends; one IDU and the other non-IDU as the paired control. In addition to demographic variables, onset age of cigarette smoking, dropping out of school, imprisonment, history of being sexually abused for money, and family history of using illegal drugs were obtained from the cases and controls via an interview. Pair Odds Ratio [OR] was estimated through McNemar and conditional multivariable logistic regression analysis. Eighty-three% of the IDUs and 92% the controls were male. The mean for onset age of cigarette smoking was 16 in the cases and 20 in the controls, which was significantly different between cases and controls [P<0.001]. In the multivariate analysis, dropping out from school was significantly different between cases and controls [OR=4.22 95% CI: 2.23 - 14.0]. Imprisonment was more frequent in IDUs compared to non-IDUs [OR=3.70 95% CI: 1.09 - 11.08]. The cases had more sexual relationship for earning money compared to the controls [OR=3.14 95% CI: 1.24 - 13.70]. Onset age of cigarette smoking was significantly [P<0.001] sooner in the IDUs compared to the non-IDUs [15.9 and 20.1 years, respectively]. IDUs reported 5.5 times more that non-IDUs of having an addict in their family [P value=0.04]. The finding of this study can be useful in identifying the persons who are at risk of IDU. Therefore, people who involve with risk factors recognized in this study should be triggered for harm reduction prevention strategies

[Sleep quality and related factors in interns and externs of Tehran Islamic Azad university medical students]

Sleep sufficiency and quality affects medical students' academic learning and understanding. So, this study was conducted to assess sleep quality and its associated factors among medical students. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 407 medical students [269 interns and 138 externs] were chosen by a multi-stage random sampling method from five hospitals in Tehran, Iran and questioned using Sleep and Day-Time Habits Questionnaire [S and DHQ]. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistic methods and Spearman correlation coefficient test. 407 medical students with mean [ +/- SD] age of 25 +/- 1.67 were studied. 257 [63.1%] and 150 [36.9] were female and male, respectively. 9.1% of students reported their sleep quality as excellent, 36.1% good, 39.3% satisfactory, 13.5% unsatisfactory and 2% poor. There was statistically significant relationship between students' sleep quality and awakening due to environmental noises, day time napping duration, uncommon bed entry time, early morning awakenings, and day time fatigue and drowsiness in class rooms [P<0.001]. This study showed that sleep disorders are prevalent among medical students, intern and extern

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of adults to the protective actions against sun in northwest Tehran, Iran

Wrong beliefs about risky actions such as sunbathing and tanning are common due to media advertisements or general lack of knowledge. This work has focused on the knowledge and attitude of a group of citizens in Tehran, Iran and the protective actions they take regarding undesirable effects of the sun. a descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study has been conducted on 400 randomly selected individuals from the citizens of Shahrak-E-Gharb, an area in northwest Tehran. A questionnaire comprising 24 questions including demographic information, individuals' knowledge about sun exposure, and their opinions and behaviors on protective actions towards solar radiation were used to assess study objectives. Crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for socio-demographic factors were calculated through univariate and multivariable logistic regression. The majority of participants had good knowledge about sun protective behaviors. Knowledge about sun exposure duration and tanning was higher among women and those with higher education. As for attitude, only 15% were concerned about skin cancer and 61.8% thought skin cancer can be prevented by sun protection. Higher education was associated with a more positive attitude towards tanning. Among respondents, 41% had suitable clothing to protect themselves against sun burn and only 32% used sunscreen most of the time. University graduates had significantly better practice towards using sunscreen cream compared to high school graduates. Although our study sample possessed good knowledge towards sun protection, their attitude and practices were unsatisfactory. Thereby, they need to be informed and educated as how to be safely protected against excessive sun exposure

Effects of Qigong exercises on 3 different parameters of human saliva / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the effects of a Qigong program on various parameters of unstimulated saliva, including volume, pH and secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) level.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twice a day from the beginning of Fall 2005, twenty-three healthy volunteers aged 22-24 did special Qigong exercises and massage of acupuncture points which stimulated the energy cycle and increased body water energy. The unstimulated saliva volume and pH were recorded every week in Spring (April, May, June) 2005 before the volunteers started to learn and exercise Qigong, and after Qigong intervention in Spring (April, May, June) 2006. During the period of study, saliva was collected in the same location and on similar dates at the Dental Faculty of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The S-IgA levels of the last samples of the last week of Spring 2005 and 2006 were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The unstimulated saliva volume after Qigong exercises (2.94 + or - 0.20 mL/5min) was significantly higher as compared to the pre-Qigong phase (1.65 + or -0.102 mL/5min, P<0.05). The S-IgA level was 105.45 + or - 9.41 mg/mL before doing Qigong exercises, and 156.23 + or - 88.56 mg/mL after doing Qigong exercises, and a statistically significant difference was seen between the two measurements (P=0.005). The change in pH was not statistically significant.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The application of Qigong is beneficial for increasing salivary volume and other parameters. Moreover, the results suggest that Qigong may be a useful medication for patients with salivary hyposecretion. Further research is recommended in examining the long-term effects of Qigong on improving salivary volume and other parameters in individuals with salivary hyposecretion.</p>