Concentrations of serum zinc, hemoglobin and ferritin among pregnant women and their effects on birth outcomes in Kashan, Iran

Zinc and Iron are essential micronutrients in fetus growth and development. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of maternal serum Zinc, Hemoglobin and Ferritin levels with their newborns weight, height and head circumference. This cross sectional-analytical study carried out among pregnant women referred to Naghavi Polyclinic, Kashan, Iran from November 2009 to October 2010. One hundred and twenty-nine pregnant women in the third trimester were selected and anthropometric factors of their newborns [weight, height and head circumference] and their relation to serum Zn, Hemoglobin and Ferritin concentrations were assessed. Serum Hemoglobin deficiency [<11g/dl], serum Ferritin deficiency [<12 microg/L] and serum Zn deficiency [<66 microg/dl] were present in 11 [85%], 9 [7%] and 9 [7%] women, respectively. The proportion of newborns with birth weight of 2500-2999 g was greater among mothers with lower Hemoglobin [<11 g/dl] compared to mothers with normal Hemoglobin [>/= 11 g/dl;p-0.04] Multiple regression analysis showed that among biochemical characteristics of pregnant women, serum Hemoglobin levels were positively correlated with low birth weight [beta=0.26; p=0.04]. But serum Zn and Ferritin levels were not significantly associated with weight, height and head circumference. Low maternal serum hemoglobin levels are associated with low birth weight and does not have any association with birth height or head circumference; but there was no significant association between maternal serum zinc and Ferritin levels with weight, height and head circumference

Pattern of self-medication with analgesics among Iranian University students in central Iran

Self-medication is defined as the use of drugs for the treatment of self-diagnosed disorders. It is influenced by factors such as education, family, society, law, availability of drugs and exposure to advertisements. This study was performed to evaluate self-medication with analgesics and its pattern among different groups of Iranian University Students. A randomized, cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted from December 2009 to February 2010. The target population of this study was 564 students out of 10,000 students attending four medical and non-medical science universities in Qom state. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16, and analysis was conducted with descriptive analysis procedures. 76.6% of the students had used analgesics in self-medication in the previous 3 months. The frequency of analgesic use in the study period was once in 19.2% of the participants, twice in 22.2%, three times in 16.3% and more than three times in 35.5% of the participants, although 6.8% of them were not sure when they were used. Of all the respondents, 49.8% reported headache as the problem. This was the most common problem, after which came Dysmenorrhea, headache and stomach ache. Bone and joint pains were other problems that led to the use of analgesics. The most commonly used source of information for self-medication with analgesics was advice from friends and family [54.7%], previously prescribed medications [30.1%], their medical knowledge [13.3%] and recommendation of a pharmacist [1.9%]. Self-medication with analgesics is very high among Iranian students in Qom city. This could be an index for other parts of the Iranian community. Because the source of information about analgesics is inappropriate, we would recommend education courses about analgesics and self-medication on the radio and television for the entire population