Exposure to pistachio pesticides and stillbirth: a case-control study / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES: Stillbirth is an undesirable outcome of pregnancy. In light of the increasing use of pesticides and growing concerns about the possible health effects of agricultural pesticides, we investigated the effect of exposure to pistachio pesticides on stillbirth in pregnant mothers. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted in Rafsanjan, Iran from 2011 to 2012. A total of 125 females who had a recent stillbirth were included as the case group, and 250 controls were selected from females who had a recent live birth. For each case, two controls with the nearest propensity score to the case were selected. Data were collected using a protocol developed by the researcher that involved interviewing respondents and reviewing their medical records. Conditional multivariate and univariate logistic regression analysis were performed and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: The ORs of stillbirth in mothers living in pistachio gardens and those who were exposed to sprayed pesticides, in comparison to the controls, were 14.1 (95% CI, 3.3 to 63.4) and 5.0 (95% CI, 1.2 to 28.6), respectively. No significant differences were found in stillbirth rates according to the distance between the mother's residence and a pistachio garden or involvement in agricultural activities. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study showed that exposure to pistachio pesticides during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of stillbirth in mothers.

Disadvantages of publishing biomedical research articles in English for non-native speakers of English / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES: English has become the most frequently used language for scientific communication in the biomedical field. Therefore, scholars from all over the world try to publish their findings in English. This trend has a number of advantages, along with several disadvantages. METHODS: In the current article, the most important disadvantages of publishing biomedical research articles in English for non-native speakers of English are reviewed. RESULTS: The most important disadvantages of publishing biomedical research articles in English for non-native speakers may include: Overlooking, either unintentionally or even deliberately, the most important local health problems; failure to carry out groundbreaking research due to limited medical research budgets; violating generally accepted codes of publication ethics and committing research misconduct and publications in open-access scam/predatory journals rather than prestigious journals. CONCLUSIONS: The above mentioned disadvantages could eventually result in academic establishments becoming irresponsible or, even worse, corrupt. In order to avoid this, scientists, scientific organizations, academic institutions, and scientific associations all over the world should design and implement a wider range of collaborative and comprehensive plans.

trend of indexed papers in pubmed covering different aspects of self-immolation

Self-immolation is a fatal and devastating method of committing suicide used around the world. The chief aim of the present article is to look at the trend of indexed papers in PubMed covering different aspects of self-immolation. PubMed search engine [http:/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov] was searched by using six keywords i.e. "self-immolation", "self-inflicted burn", "self-burning", "self-incineration", "suicidal burns" and "suicide by burning". These keywords should appear either in the title or the abstract of the articles. The time frame was set as to retrieve papers expanding from early indexing time up to end of the year 2011. Based on the search strategy 132 papers were retrieved from these total numbers; 12 [9%] were categorized as review papers; 24 [18%] as case reports and the rest 96 [73%] were original studies. It seems that the number of papers increased during the years of investigations and the highest indexed papers i.e. 14 [10.6%] belonged to the year 2011. While most journals, published only one article the highest indexed papers i.e. 35 [26.5%] belonged to Burns. There was an increasing trend in the number of self-immolation articles indexed in PubMed since 1965. Three journals i.e. Burns, Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation and Journal of Forensic Sciences hosted for more than 37% of all those indexed articles. However, given the increasing trend of self-immolation still more studies are needed to shed light on the diverse aspects of this appalling human behavior

Drug therapy in obese adolescents

The behavior and dietary treatments are not so successful for extremely obese adolescents. Therefore, using drugs to treat extremely obese children and adolescents are among the modern approaches. This research aims to study the pharmaceutical interventions performed for treatment of obese children. The strategy of research was using of key words 'obesity', 'adolescence', 'treatment' and 'anti-obesity drugs' were searched in websites of PubMed, Iranian Medical Digital Library, SID, Iran Medex, Magiran. This study reviewed all the available published papers in English and Farsi languages during 2000-2010. The Criteria for exclusion was The papers that had been published on interventions and treatment of eating disorders, type II diabetes or the obesity caused by the secondary syndromes. Twelve papers were found as short-term clinical trials and/or long-term follow-ups. In these studies, the positive effects of 'sibutramine' in some studies are shown; although some other side effects are reported as well. A significant weight-loss had been reported on 'orlistat' medicine, but digestive complications had been observed as well. None of the studies had followed up patients for more than one year. Apparently, 'Metformin' requires further studies. The FDA has only approved 'sibutramine' and 'orlistat' drugs. But side effects of long-term these drugs have already been unknown. However, it seems that 'orlistat' is applied for >/=12-year-old children and 'sibutramine' for >/= 16-year-old children

Chemokines: small molecules participate in diabetes

Chemokines are small protein molecules involved in cell signaling processes. They play a crucial role in many physiological and pathological processes. Chemokines are functionally classified into two categories; inflammatory/inducible and constitutive. Their biologic functional differences are the result of their receptors structural differences. Recently some studies were performed about the chemokines changes in diabetes. Inflammatory mechanisms have an important role in diabetes. Inthisreviewarticle we searched the keywordschemokines, diabetes, diabetes pathogenesis, and type1 and 2diabetes in Persianresources, PubMed andfamousEnglish-language websitesthrough advanced searchenginesand found the newest studies about the roleof chemokinesin thepathogenesisof diabetes. The results of the studies showed that diabetes and its disorders enhance the activation of immune cells and the expression of cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, SDF-1, INF-gamma, TGF-beta, MCP-1, IP-10, TNF-alpha, and RANTES; most of them have impact on the pathogenesis of diabetes. Comparison and analysis of the results obtained from our research and the results of performed studies in the world and Iran shows that chemokines, like other protein molecules involved in the pathogenesis and etiology of diabetes, play a role in this process

[Authorship in the medical journals]

One of the most important questions that arise whenever a paper is writing is who is/are the author[s] of the paper? In this article, we have been tried to answer the above question citing the most valid documents. Within the text of the article, first, authorship is defined. Then, the authorship dispute and the ways to overcome it are referred to. At the end, some other important issues such as the number and the order of the authors are discussed. One of the fundamental ways to overcome the authorship dispute is to encourage the authorship ethics. Furthermore, there are comprehensive guidelines which might facilitate to resolve any kinds of authorship disputes whenever they occur

[ survey on the contribution of Iran to the biomedical researches of the world: an analysis of PubMed papers during 1997 to 2006]

Different studies were so far carried out on the scientific productions of Iran within the biomedical field. None of these studies were investigated this issue in a long term period and therefore, the present study was carried out in order to determine the contribution of Iran to the biomedical researches of the world based on the analysis of PubMed papers during 1997 to 2006. In this survey, the PubMed search engine was investigated through the years 1997-2006. By adopting a two-stage search strategy, all the articles divided into two categories i.e. those articles which their first or corresponding author was/was not from Iran. In the next step, the populations of Iran and world in three periods i.e. 1995, 2000 and 2005 were determined using the United Nations website. All data were entered into Excel software and the number of articles in each year was separately divided by the number of articles in baseline [1997]. Similarly, the number of populations in two mentioned periods was separately divided by the number of populations in baseline [1995]. Although the growth percentage of both Iran and world publications were continuously increased compared to baseline year, the growth was much higher for Iranian publications [1.65% for the world vs. 19.38% for Iran in 2006 compared with 1997]. Similarly, the growth percentage of both Iran and world populations were also continuously increased compared to baseline year; however, the growth was higher for world populations [1.14% for the world vs. 1.12% for Iran in 2005 compared with 1995]. The growing trend of Iranian publications in comparison with world publications within the recent decade is an important issue seems that does not relate to the growing trend of Iranian populations. Nevertheless, the comparison between the qualities of Iranian scientists' publications with world scientists' publications is another important issue that needs to be studied further

[How to write a case report]

Researches within health domain apply different methods of investigations to study various aspects of the individuals and communities' health. For example, in the bedside, clinicians might face with rare cases side-effects of a disease, a drug or a medical device. Under such circumstances, writing, publication and dissemination of the given case might extent the knowledge of the other clinical experts. The aim of the present article is to provide a definite and standard guideline for writing such case reports in order to help Iranian clinicians to prepare publishable case reports for Persian journals

Thyroid function in mothers who gave birth to neonates with transient congenital hypothyroidism

To determine the thyroid status of mothers of newborns with primary congenital hypothyroidism. Thyroid function tests were carried out on 80 mothers of hypothyroid newborns and 80 mothers of non-hypothyroid newborns as control. The mean difference of the tests revealed that mothers of congenitally hypothyroid infants had a lower triiodothyronine resin uptake [T3RU] concentrations compared with the control population. The higher value of free thyroxin index [FTI] in case group showed a tendency to significance. The proportional frequency distribution showed; T3RU and triiodothyronine [T3] had a significant difference, and FTI showed a tendency to significance. There were no significant differences between; thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH], thyroxine [T4] and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies [anti-TPO] in two groups. These results indicated that at least some cases of primary congenital hypothyroidism were attributable to the maternal thyroid disease. Therefore, we recommend that each pregnant woman should be assessed for thyroid function in region with a high prevalence of thyroid disease

Comparison of the salivary immunoglobulin concentration levels between children with early childhood caries and caries-free children

Early Childhood Caries [ECC] is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases. In spite of the global decrease in dental caries in the past decades, ECC has become a significant problem in many developing countries and also in a few industrialized nations. Saliva as a host factor can play an important role in the process of dental caries. The aim of this study was to compare sIgA and IgG as saliva components between ECC and caries-free groups. In this cross-sectional study, samples of unstimulated saliva of 90 children [45 in ECC group and 45 in caries-free group] were taken with Scully method. Then the concentration levels of sIgA and IgG were measured with Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Single Radial Immunodiffusion methods. Mean concentration levels of salivary sIgA and IgG were significantly higher among children with ECC [p<0.05]. There was also a weak inverse correlation between sIgA level and DMFT index in ECC group but it was not statistically significant [p=0.056]. The high concentration of salivary immunoglobulin in children with ECC may be associated with an increased antigenic load, leading to high production of antibodies

[Evaluation of relation between IL-4 and IFN-gamma polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes]

Although Type 2 diabetes is the most frequent among different types of diabetes, the cause of it is yet to be clarified. Several environmental and genetic factors are said to be involved in diabetes and it has been established that cytokines play key roles in pathogenesis of diabetes. Expression of cytokins is different from person and in different societies. Studies showed that polymorphisms of +874 of IFN-gamma and -590 of IL-4 regions are related to the expression of these genes. In this study, we aimed to find polymorphisms of these regions in Type 2 diabetes patients. In this study peripheral blood samples were collected from 51 type 2 diabetes patients and 50 healthy controls. DNA was isolated by salting out method, using ARMS-PCR, RFLP-PCR polymorphisms of = 874 of IFN-gamma and -590 of IL-4, were analyzed, respectively. Our findings showed that TT genotype of IFN- gamma was increased in type 2 diabetic patients as comford with control group but difference was not significant. Our results also have not shown any significant difference between IL-4 genotype in diabetic and healthy controls. Our results suggested that TT genotype of IFN- gamma can be related to diabetes. This relation can be described by this known Todgment judyunt that over expression of IFN- gamma shifted immune system to Th1, therefore, pancreas cells were miscarried by immune cells

[ most important maps used in health related researches]

Geographical epidemiology can be defined as description of spatial patterns of disease incidence and mortality. It forms part of the descriptive epidemiology which is generally more concerned with producing hypothesis for the etiology of diseases, injuries or mortalities. Among the different fields of geographical epidemiology, the field of disease mapping has developed rapidly during the recent decades. As the researchers apply different kinds of maps in visualizing the health data, it is of prime necessity for health care specialists to get familiar with all those different maps and also their pros and cons. This article therefore, reviews the most important ways of mapping health data, how to design and where to apply them

Detection of toxoplasma gondii antigens in sera from experimentally infected mice

Detection of Toxoplasma antigen in serum of mice by Immunoblotting. Serum samples isolated from Balb/C mice experimentally infected with T. gondii, RH strain. IgG isolated from rabbits that were immunized with T. gondii Immunoblotting was performed to detect T. gondii antigens in sera of mice. School of Public Health. Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Serum samples from mice experimentally infected with T. gondii RH strain. The value of Immunoblotting in diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in acute stage of infection. The antigen bands detected in serum sample of mice were experimentally infected with T. gondii tachyzoite in immunoblotting. Six bands demonstrated on seventh post infection day six bands were identified. Similarly on sixth day four bands, on day five three bands and on fourth post infection day two bands were identified. No band was detected in control group sera. Immunoblotting is a sensitive method for diagnosis of acute stage of toxoplasmosis

Prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in a sample of urban adult population within south east of Iran

Obesity is now considered as a major health challenges in the both developed and developing countries. The prevalence of this phenomenon has been reported up to 36.7% in some of the urban regions of Iran. Since, there has been no previous study regarding prevalence of obesity in the adult population within South East of Iran, this study was carried out in the year 2002 to estimate the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in adults 30 years and older in Rafsanjan. This survey was a cross sectional study in which a random sample of adults [n=756, age>30] were selected. For each individual a questionnaire was completed, in which height, weight, waist circumference and demographic characteristics were recorded. The overweight and obesity were defined by BMI=25-29.9 and BMI >30, respectively. The abdominal obesity was defined for women and men by waist circumference >88cm and >102cm,respectively. The prevalence of obesity [type 1 and 2] and overweight were 11.6% and 38.2%, respectively. In addition 164 [37.5%] of women and 118 [36.9%] of men were overweight. Seventy eight [18.2%] of women and 15 [4.7%] of men were obese, 248 [56.9%] of women and 52 [16.6%] of men suffered from abdominal obesity. The results of this study showed that the obesity and abdominal obesity are among the most important health problems within South East of Iran. Therefore, it can be suggested that an interventional approach is needed in order to change people's lifestyle, which by itself may also have an important effect in reducing morbidity and mortality from other chronic diseases

Epidemiological approaches to disasters and emergencies within the middle east region

Countries within the Middle East region are more likely to suffer from disasters. Since epidemiological methods are able to provide a strong basis for gathering the necessary information to deal with the different consequences of a disaster, this review will focus on the epidemiological approaches to disasters within the Middle East region

[Critical appraisal of the submitted theses by medical students of Rafsanjan medical school during 1993- 2003]

Submitting thesis is one of the most important tasks of medical students. Moreover medical theses can be considered as a basic source for improving the health statues of the society. The aim of this study was critical appraisal of the submitted theses by medical students of Rafsanjan Medical School during 1993- 2003.In the present cross- sectional study, 332 Medical theses were evaluated by using a questionnaire. Data analysis was done by using simple descriptive methods and Chi- square test.According to the results, 258 theses [77.7%] have been well written. Theses submitted during the recent years had better quality comparing to others [92.4% versus 73.9%]. Theses supervised by more than one leader were better in comparison to those with only one leader [91.5% versus 73.9%, P= 0.002]. Moreover theses with at least one advisor had a better quality than those conducted without any advisor [88.4% versus 39.7%, P= 0.0001].Better quality of theses submitted during the recent years can show the beneficial effect of participation of both medical students and their supervisors in Research Methodology Workshops held in the recent years. This fact has also been reported in other studiesSubmitting thesis is one of the most important tasks of medical students. Moreover medical theses can be considered as a basic source for improving the health statues of the society. The aim of this study was critical appraisal of the submitted theses by medical students of Rafsanjan Medical School during 1993- 2003.In the present cross- sectional study, 332 Medical theses were evaluated by using a questionnaire. Data analysis was done by using simple descriptive methods and Chi- square test.According to the results, 258 theses [77.7%] have been well written. Theses submitted during the recent years had better quality comparing to others [92.4% versus 73.9%]. Theses supervised by more than one leader were better in comparison to those with only one leader [91.5% versus 73.9%, P= 0.002]. Moreover theses with at least one advisor had a better quality than those conducted without any advisor [88.4% versus 39.7%, P= 0.0001].Better quality of theses submitted during the recent years can show the beneficial effect of participation of both medical students and their supervisors in Research Methodology Workshops held in the recent years. This fact has also been reported in other studies