Protective Effects of Statins against Alzheimer Disease / 이화의대지

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by memory impairment, dementia, and diminished cognitive function. This disease affects more than 20 million people worldwide. Amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are important pathological markers of AD. Multiple studies have indicated a potential association between elevated cholesterol levels and increased risk of AD, suggesting that lowering the cholesterol level could be a viable strategy for AD treatment or prevention. Statins, potent inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis, are widely used in clinical practice to decrease the plasma levels of LDL cholesterol in patients with hyperlipidemia. Statins are known to play a neuroprotective role in limiting Aβ pathology through cholesterol-lowering therapies. In addition to Aβ plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the brains of AD patients exhibit signs of oxidative stress, neuroinflammatory responses, and synaptic disruption.Consequently, compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and/or neuroprotective properties could be beneficial components of AD treatment strategies. In addition to lowering LDL cholesterol, statins have demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in various forms, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. These properties of statins are potential mechanisms underlying their beneficial effects in treating neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, this review was conducted to provide an overview of the protective effects of statins against AD.

Knowledge, attitude, practice, and self-efficacy of women regarding cervical cancer screening

Objective@#Iran has a low incidence of cervical cancer (CC). The country is introducing an organized screening system, including human papillomavirus screening. Studies show a high dropout rate among eligible women in continuing testing. @*Methods@#This descriptive-analytic study was part of the first phase of a clinical trial conducted on a random sample of 400 women aged 18–49 in Andimeshk City, Khuzestan Province, in 2020. The data collection tool consisted of a man-made questionnaire that included domains of demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, practice, and self-efficacy in the Pap smear test. The data were analyzed with Stata-16 using linear and logistic regression models. @*Results@#The mean knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy scores were 6.80±2.33, 34.99±4.32, and 28.67±7.34, respectively. In the multiple models, every unit increase in the knowledge or attitude scores raised the mean self-efficacy score by 1.04 and 0.48, respectively (P<0.001). Every unit increase in the knowledge and self-efficacy scores increased the chance of performing Pap smear 1.61 and 1.41 times, respectively (P<0.001). @*Conclusion@#Given the association of women’s knowledge and self-efficacy with practice in performing the Pap smear, it seems that an effective program promoting women’s health behavior regarding CC screening would include applied education to raise community awareness and improve women’s attitudes, self-efficacy, and practice.

Knowledge, attitude, practice, and self-efficacy of women regarding cervical cancer screening

Objective@#Iran has a low incidence of cervical cancer (CC). The country is introducing an organized screening system, including human papillomavirus screening. Studies show a high dropout rate among eligible women in continuing testing. @*Methods@#This descriptive-analytic study was part of the first phase of a clinical trial conducted on a random sample of 400 women aged 18–49 in Andimeshk City, Khuzestan Province, in 2020. The data collection tool consisted of a man-made questionnaire that included domains of demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, practice, and self-efficacy in the Pap smear test. The data were analyzed with Stata-16 using linear and logistic regression models. @*Results@#The mean knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy scores were 6.80±2.33, 34.99±4.32, and 28.67±7.34, respectively. In the multiple models, every unit increase in the knowledge or attitude scores raised the mean self-efficacy score by 1.04 and 0.48, respectively (P<0.001). Every unit increase in the knowledge and self-efficacy scores increased the chance of performing Pap smear 1.61 and 1.41 times, respectively (P<0.001). @*Conclusion@#Given the association of women’s knowledge and self-efficacy with practice in performing the Pap smear, it seems that an effective program promoting women’s health behavior regarding CC screening would include applied education to raise community awareness and improve women’s attitudes, self-efficacy, and practice.

Is the process of media production and educational intervention in Iran standard?

Background: It is important to know media and educational intervention and also produce them according to standards. Thus, media and health educational interventions should evaluate to improve education quality

Methods: The study sample were whole produced media and interventions in all medical universities, deportments, offices, and centers affiliated to ministry of health in 2008 and in the first half of 2009. Sampling took a census. The evaluating tool was a checklist which made in four domains including pre-media, media and intervention specifications, production, and implementation, evaluation

Results: 7.1% percent of media and interventions achieved 50 percent score in pre-media. The other results were respectively in media specification 63.7% percent, implementation and production 15.7% percent, and also evaluation 2.9% percent.Intervention just evaluated in pre-media

Conclusion: The results of the evaluation in health education media indicate that the IEC cycle [Information, Education, Communication] in health care system is an incomplete process. Meanwhile regardless of prerequisite the scoped phase will implicate and lead to educational budget dissipation

Women opiate users' perception toward MMT; a qualitative study in Iran

Background: Methadone maintenance therapy [MMT] is an evidence-based approach for opiate addiction treatment. While its effectiveness in reducing opiate use has been evidently verified, unanswered questions with respect to the cultural scenarios for MMT programs remain unanswered. This study was conducted to explore understanding address MMT initiation among a women-recruited sample of persons who use Opiate

Methods: Qualitative in-depth interviews were used in purposeful and maximum variation sampling. All participants recruited for interview in 60-90 minutes were 17 women with opiate addiction experience from three MMT clinics in Sari capital city of Mazandaran, Iran. We applied a content analysis with a conventional approach for analyzing and finding addicted women perception towards MMT

Results: To answer the main concern of the research team about how Iranian Opiate- addicted women perceived the MMT. The results were categorized into six main themes including Service Providers' Support, Stigma in Society, Fear of Rejection, Long waiting time, Family Support, and Methadone' Side Effects

Conclusion: The results revealed that there are several perceived reasons beyond personal and psychological factors. The contextual experience acts as important cues that might encourage or deter drug users toward MMT

Acute and chronic respiratory effects of chromium mists

Background: Despite wide application of chromium in electroplating industry, the pulmonary effects of chronic exposure to this chemical have not been extensively studied and are subject of debate and controversy. This study was, therefore, undertaken to further address this issue

Methods: The study population consisted of a group of 15 workers with a history of past and present occupational exposure to chromium mists and 15 unexposed healthy subjects [referent]. Subjects were interviewed, respiratory symptom questionnaires were filled out for them, and their parameters of pulmonary function [PFT] were measured during the shift and a few days after exposure ceased

Results: Both groups were similar as to the number of smokers, their length of smoking, and demographic factors such as age, weight and height. Although the unexposed group, on average, were slightly older than their exposed counterparts, statistical analysis of the data revealed that symptoms such as productive cough, phlegm, wheezing and shortness of breath were significantly [P<0.05] more prevalent among the exposed workers. Furthermore, the parameters of pulmonary function [PFT] of the exposed workers, while at work, were significantly lower than those of referent individuals. Interestingly, PFT of the exposed subjects generally showed some improvement a few days after their exposure ceased. However, despite this relative recovery, the differences of PFT values between the exposed and referent groups, from statistical point of view, remained significant

Conclusion: Our data support the proposition that exposure to chromium mists induces abnormal respiratory symptoms as well as both acute, partially reversible and chronic irreversible lung functional impairments

Effect of exogenous testosterone, finasteride, and castration on serum level of thyroxin

The secretion of thyroxin [T4] as the main hormone of thyroid gland is regulated by androgens. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of testosterone and finasteride administration and castration on serum levels of T4 and to show the effect of this regulation on total body weight, weight of testis, and the weight of prostate. Male adult rats [n = 32] were divided into 4 groups [n = 8]: Group 1 [control], Group 2 [castration], Group 3 [finasteride: 20 mg/kg/day] and Group 4 [testosterone: 5 mg/kg/day]. At the end of the study [35 days], serum level of thyroxin, body weight, weight of testis, and prostate were determined. The data showed that the body weight increased in castrated [P = 0.04] and decreased in testosterone [P = 0.00] groups but did not differ in finasteride [P>0.05] group. There were not any differences in the weight of testis among control, finasteride, and testosterone groups but the weight of prostate increased in testosterone group [P = 0.00] and decreased in castrated [P = 0.03] and finasteride groups [P = 0.04]. In addition, the serum level of T4 [nmo/ml] decreased in the three groups: finasteride [P = 0.03], testosterone [P = 0.04], and castrated [P = 0.00]. Testosterone in both high and low levels decreased the amount of T4 with a time-dependent manner

Exogenous testosterone, finasteride and castration effects on testosterone, Insulin, zinc and chromium in adult male rats

Background: although effects of trace elements on secretion of sex steroids and insulin have been studied, the effects of these hormones on serum level of trace elements have been rarely investigated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of testosterone and finasteride administration and castration on serum levels of testosterone, insulin, zinc and chromium

Methods: male adult rats [n = 32] were divided into 4 groups [n = 8]. Group 1, control; Group 2, castration, castration was done at the first day of the study; Group 3, finasteride [20 mg/kg/day, dissolved in drinking water] and Group 4, testosterone [5 mg/kg/day, i.p.]. At the end of the period of the study [35 days], serum testosterone, insulin, zinc and chromium levels were determined in the blood samples collected directly from the right atrium of the heart of the animals

Results: the data indicated that the serum levels of testosterone, insulin and zinc were significantly increased [P<0.01] in testosterone-administrated and finasteride groups, but the level of chromium was decreased in both groups [P<0.01]. Castrated group had the lowest serum levels of testosterone, insulin and zinc [P<0.05]. Also, the levels of serum chromium in this group were increased

Conclusion: the study demonstrates that testosterone and finasteride increases insulin and zinc levels and decreases chromium levels in the serum of male adult rats. According to these data, it seems that testosterone may affect glucose cycle through effect on serum insulin levels and trace elements such as zinc and chromium. Iran. Biomed. J. 17 [1]: 49-53, 2013