[Identifying factors associated with length of hospital stay using decision tree]

Introduction: one of the main factors of hospital costs resulting in hospital resources constraints is Length of Stay [LOS]. Recognizing factors associated with this index can result in optimized utilization of resources and reducing LOS. The present study has been conducted with the aim of investigating LOS-related factors using decision tree applied on hospital admission data

Methods: in this descriptive-retrospective study, 188068 patient data were extracted from computerized patient records including 16 variables in all wards in Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, during 2009-2014. After data cleaning, in order to determine the factors associated with LOS, statistical procedures including univariate analysis, chi-Square statistical test, one-way ANOVA, and CHAID algorithm were applied on our data using SPSS Statistical Software version 19

Results: the mean and median of LOS in Ghaem hospital were 6. 5 and 4 days, respectively. Out of 15 independent variables entered the model, 11 variables including the ward, the patient's age, the admission reason, the doctor, the referral status, the patient's job, the marital status, the status of the residential place, the caregiver[s], admission day of the week, and the insurance type were associated with LOS

Conclusion: the results of data mining techniques can be different based on the input data. Therefore, to identify the factors related to LOS, it is necessary to enter the related data of individual hospitals into the model and to use the obtained results at the same hospital

Lallemantia iberica leaves promote wound healing in mice

In folk medicine leaves of Lallemantia iberica have been claimed to promote wound healing. This study was designed to examine this claim. Wounds [10 10 mm] were made on the back of 24 mice. 12 mice were treated daily for 6 days or 9 days with Lallemantia iberica leaves incorporated in a vasaline base [1:4]. Another 12 mice were treated with vasaline alone for the same period. Results show that the wound size decreased significantly after 6 and 9 days of treatment compared to the control group. This results substantiates the folk medicine claims and supports more research into this medicinal plant to extract a useful drug to promote wound healing

Protective effect of nifedipine against alcohol induced gastric mucosal injury in rats.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of oral calcium channel blocker [nifedipine] on chemically[ethanol] induced gastric lesions in rats. The results indicate that rats pretreated with nifedipine were protected against ethanol induced gastric lesions as demonstrated by the gross and histopathological evaluation. Nifedipine pretreatment resulted in a significant decline both in number and size of the lesions in the glandular mucosa of the stomach together with a significant reduction in the mast cell degranulation in the mucosa, submucosa and muscle layer. These results offer an evidence that oral calcium channel blockers may play an important role in the protection against chemically induced gastric injury and therefore offer insight into the mechanism of gastric ulcer formation. This knowledge may prove important in the development of new and improved therapies for the treatment and prevention of gastric ulcer in man

effects of proglumide and cimetidine on ulcer production and serum calcium level of reserpinized rats

In rats, dose response studies for reserpine were carried out to obtain a 100% rate of gastric ulcer induction. Reserpine 200mg/kg i.p. induced within 20hrs. a 100% gastric ulceration accompanied by a significant rise in serum calcium level above normal. The subcutaneous administration of two antiulcer agents namely proglumide and cimetidine to two groups of reserpinized rats resulted in a significant fall in serum calcium level and the extent of ulceration in the proglumide treated reserpinized rats. These parameters were not changed in the cimetidine treated group.It is therefore concluded that proglumide significantly reduced the extent of [UI] in reserpine induced gastric ulcers in rats, and the association between [SCL] and peptic ulceration has to be further investigated