[Comparison of efficacy between herbal capsule of anise and mefenamic acid on after-pain]

Background: postpartum after pain relief is effective in convenience of the mother and improve her interaction with the newborn. One of the ways of pain relief is using herbal medicines

Objective: this study was conducted to compare the effect of mefenamic acid [the common pain reliever] and anise capsule on postpartum after-pain

Methods: in this clinical trial, a randomized, double-blind study was conducted. The sample included 96 Mothers in the state of two hours after their vaginal delivery. Their intensity of the pain was between moderate and savior. Women were entered into two groups of mefenamic acid and anise capsule. The capsules were used 4 times a day [each 6 hours one capsule]. The pain intensity was evaluated before intervention and one hour after each intervention by the visual analogue scale [VAS]. Data was analyzed by the Statistical Package for Social Scientists [SPSS version 17]

Results: the two groups were matched in the number of parity and intensity of the pain before intervention. Results revealed that the Reduction of the pain was significantly higher in the anise capsule group [P<0.05]. Reduction of the pain had no relation with the number of parity [P>0.05] and both mefenamic acid and anise capsule consume the same time to effect

Conclusion: the anise capsule is effective in order to relief postpartum after-pain

[Prevalence of overweight and obesity in school children in Tebessa [eastern Algeria] between 1995 and 2007]

This study assessed the prevalence of overweight and obesity among public-school children aged 4 to 13 years in Tebessa, eastern Algeria over 10/12 years. Weight and height measurements of 21 618 schoolchildren were obtained from their health cards for 1995 to 2007 [49.4% girls and 50.6% boys]. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2005/2007 was 8.49%, down from 17.39% in 1995/1998. Overweight decreased from 12.55% to 6.38% [P= 0.0001] and obesity from 4.48% to 1.80% [P= 0.0001] over the same time period. Children aged 10 to 13 years were the only ones who showed changes during this period. More girls were obese than boys [3.20% versus 2.82%, P= 0.033], while more boys were overweight [8.73% versus 7.94%, P= 0.034]. While the rates of overweight and obesity have decreased over 10/12 years, the rates still suggest the need for epidemiological surveillance and the development of a health-oriented strategy for prevention of childhood obesity

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren in Tebessa [Algeria] between 1998 and 2005

We studied the prevalence of obesity and overweight in schoolchildren aged 5-8 years in Tebessa, Algeria between 1998 and 2005. All schoolchildren in 5 primary schools [n = 3396] were included. Age, sex, height and weight were recorded. For classification of obesity and overweight the International Obesity Task Force definitions was used. The prevalence of obesity and overweight for the total sample was 6.36% and fell from 7.44% in 1998 to 5.81% in 2005. The prevalence of obesity was higher in girls than boys [1.58% vs 1.26%] [P =0.430] while the prevalence of overweight was higher in boys than girls [5.60% vs 4.18%] [P = 0.057]

[Evaluation of the effect of patient position on sonographic renal length measurement in children under 18 years old]

Renal length as measured on sonography is fundamental in diagnosis and follow up of renal diseases, and there's increasing use of this kind of examination nowadays. Some radiologists believe in the effect of position on renal measurements. Regarding the above mentioned facts and in order to compare effect of patient position on sonographic measurement of renal length, this study was performed on children [under 18 years old] referred to Taleghani and Shohadaie Tajrish hospitals from October 2001 through October 2002. In this clinical trial ,one hundred children were sequentially selected. All of them [or their parents] announced their agreement for sonographic examination. The observer measured the largest longitudinal renal diameter in three positions; Supine, Coronal and Prone. Two measurements were obtained in each position and the larger one was recorded. If it wasn't possible to get the desirable measurement in one position, it was also taken into consideration. The results were judged with Anova tests. Of the 100 patients investigated, 52 were boys and 48 were girls. In sagittal view, the left kidney was not measurable in 33.3% of girls and 38.5% of boys. The maximum difference in renal measurements in the three procedures and accordingly, right and left kidneys as well as boys and girls was 3.7%, which was not statistically significant. Patient's position has no effect on renal length. It may not be possible to measure the renal diameter in the supine position of all patients. It seems that coronal position is more suitable than the others