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@#Introduction: The household food insecurity (FI) is still one of global health issues, which is related to various health and developmental problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of the FI with type 2 diabetes and hypertension in a city in North-West of Iran. Methods: Study population was the Khoy city’s households which refer to the primary health-care centers. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) six-item Household Food Security Scale was used to determine food insecurity. Sample size for each case group (type 2 diabetic and hypertensive) was calculated to be 110 subjects and was doubled to be 220 subjects in the control group. Multi-stage random sampling method was applied. To control the confounding variables, the logistic regression was used. Results: In total, 210 subjects (47.7%) had food security and 52.3% were insecure. Seventeen percent of the study population had normal BMI (Body Mass Index) and 83% were obese or overweight (42.7% obese, 40.5% overweight). In multivariate analysis the age (p<0.001), BMI (p=0.002), and education (p=0.002) were significantly related to hypertension. However, food insecurity was not significantly related to diabetes and hypertension. Conclusion: High prevalence of FI, obesity and overweight in the population necessitate the educational interventions about healthy nutrition in families, especially from childhood. Financial and nutritional support is needed for the families with FI. Considering the indirect relationship between FI and hypertension shown in this study, it is recommended to implement interventions to reduce the FI as a risk factor of hypertension.
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Characteristics of differentiated osteoblasts from adipose derived stem cells [ADSCs] in compared with isolated osteoblasts from normal bone such as calvaria are unknown. The aim of this study was determination and comparison of phenotypic characterization between differentiated osteoblasts from stem cells and calvaria osteoblasts in vitro. In this study, mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from adipose tissue of human by enzymatic digestion and were differentiated into osteoblasts using osteogenic medium. Characteristics of these cells at first, second, third and fourth weeks were comprised with calvaria osteoblasts that were isolated from human calvaria by explanation culture method. To screen the characteristics of both calvaria and the differentiated osteoblasts, we used western blot to identify protein levels, von Kossa staining for mineral matrix detection and alkaline phosphatase [ALP] assay kit [Sigma] for ALP activity measurement. Difference between calvaria and differentiated osteoblast cells were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Alkaline phosphatase activity, collagen and mineral material production in differentiated osteoblasts at third week were more significantly than calvaria cells [P < 0.05]. Our results indicated that there was no significant different in osteocalcin [OC] production between differentiated osteoblast at first, second and third weeks and calvaria cells but declined at fourth week [P < 0.05]. Our survey showed that cellular traits of differentiated osteoblasts presented better than calvaria osteoblasts in vitro conditions. Therefore, we suggest that ADSCs could be used in next studies for bone tissue engineering
Subject(s)
Skull , Osteogenesis , Bone and Bones , Osteoblasts , Alkaline Phosphatase , Tissue EngineeringABSTRACT
<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Maternal mortality is a tragic death, and is perceived as a sensitive indicator of the socioeconomic status and healthcare services in a given country. In this study, the relationship between maternal deaths and factors such as socioeconomic development and the proportion of medical professionals in Iran was examined.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This was an ecological study, where three main groups of data based on different provinces were applied. Data included maternal mortality ratio, the proportion of medical professionals and socioeconomic variables, such as urban residency, unemployment and literacy. Data were obtained from various sources, including census returns, the Family Unit at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran and the Iran Medical Council. Data were analysed using univariate and multivariate methodologies.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Multivariate analysis showed a significant inverse relationship between maternal deaths and variables of male literacy (p < 0.001) and unemployment (p = 0.04). A marginally significant association was also found between maternal deaths and the proportion of midwives (p = 0.09).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our findings underscore the role of literacy, particularly male literacy, in the prevention of maternal deaths. Iran, as a male-dominated society, could benefit from targeting men for training programmes to enhance the health of their families, and ultimately, that of the society. As economic status does play a role in maternal deaths, there is a need to strengthen the financial situation of families. The number of skilled medical personnel available in a population also plays a key role in reducing maternal deaths.</p>