effect of intravenous fentanyl on pain and duration of the active phase of first stage labor

Opioids are most widely used for pain relief during childbirth. An alternative opioid, fentanyl, has been shown to be a good option for pain management and has fewer side-effects on both mother and fetus. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effect of fentanyl on pain as well as the duration of the active phase of labor. This clinical trial was conducted on 70 multiparous parturients having labor from May to July 2006 at Tamin Ejtemai Hospital. They were selected by convenience sampling at the beginning of the active phase of labor. The samples were then randomly divided into the case and control groups. The case group received fentany l 50 micrograms in two doses, one hour apart after being diluted [0 and 60 mins]. Vital signs were recorded pre-administration and 5, 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes post-administration. Pain intensity was estimated by visual pain scale [0-10] four times [before and 1, 2, 3 hours after the intervention]. Data analysis was done using the student t-test, repeated measure ANOVA and chi-square tests via SPSS 11.5 software. The results showed a significant reduction in pain [p=0.002] and HR [p=0.001] in the case group. The mean pain score also decreased from 8 +/- 1 to 5 +/- 1. There was a significant difference in terms of the duration of the active phase between the two groups [p=0.001]. However, there were no significant differences in terms of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure between the two groups. Fentanyl provides good analgesic effect for pain management during labor by considerably reducing the duration of the active phase, and can therefore be used as an acceptable analgesic agent during labor.

Evaluating the relationship between body size and body shape with the risk of breast cancer

This study aims to determine the relationship between body size and body shape with the risk of breast cancer. In this case control study, 480 women participated [240 women with breast cancer in case group and 240 healthy women in control group]. After completing the interview form, the weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference and breast size, were measured. The data were analyzed using statistical test by SPSS11.5. The present study showed that the mean of hip circumference were significantly different in both groups [p=0.036]. The size of the breast was statistically significant between the two groups. Thyroid type, one of the body shapes, was more seen in the case group than control group [p<0.001]. This study revealed that the risk of breast cancer increases with increased hip circumference. In addition, the results indicate that body shape may be a useful predictor in determining the risk of breast cancer. More studies should be designed to address this subject.