A Study of Acute Poisoning Cases Admitted to the University Hospital Emergency Department in Tabriz, Iran.

Chemical substances have an important threat due to extensive use in medicine, agriculture, industry and environment. In this retrospective study, etiological and demographic characteristics of acute poisoning cases admitted to a hospital in Iran were investigated. We compared these data with those reported from other parts of the country and the international experiences to evaluate any difference if exists. 7 052 poisoned cases admitted to the hospital from April 2006 to March 2013, by data collected from the medical record in poison center section. According to our results there is a predominance of male patients and the majority of the poisoned patients were between 20-30 years old. Drug poisoning was the most common cause of poisonings. The most frequently involved drugs were benzodiazepines and antidepressants. The seasonal distribution of our study showed a peak in summer. To prevent acute poisonings, the social education about the risk assessment of central nervous system-acting drugs and reduction of the exposure period of people to pesticides are recommended. This study suggested a proper educational program for the public and primary care units. Our results provide useful information for preventive strategies.

Pattern and associated factors of anti-hepatitis C virus treatment-induced adverse reactions.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the pattern and possible risk factors of conventional and/or pegylated interferon alpha (IFN-α) plus ribavirin therapy for causing adverse reactions in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus. Patients attending a referral center in Iran were assessed. METHODS: During an 18 month period all adult individuals diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C virus who planned to receive anti-hepatitis C virus treatment were prospectively screened regarding all related subjective and objective adverse drug reactions. RESULTS: The number of adverse drug reactions were significantly associated with the number of concomitant medications (p < 0.001), female gender (p = 0.027), increased age (p = 0.001), pegylated IFN-α (p = 0.015) and hepatitis C virus genotype 1 (p = 0.002). History of a prior anti-hepatitis C virus treatment course (OR = 3.081, 95% CI = 1.174 - 6.085; p = 0.022) and the number of co-administered medications (OR = 1.165, 95% CI = 1.034 - 1.314; p = 0.012) were identified as the only statistically significant risk factors for developing anti-hepatitis C virus medication-related psychiatric and dermatologic adverse reactions, respectively. CONCLUSION: These data could be exploited by health-care professionals and policy makers as a guide for developing optimal educational and preventive strategies in the setting of anti-hepatitis C virus medication safety.

Risks to health professionals from hazardous drugs in Iran: a pilot study of understanding of healthcare team to occupational exposure to cytotoxics.

Ongoing concerns exist regarding the dangers inherent when handling cytotoxics, particularly drugs which are in parenteral formulations. On occasions, nurses and medical doctors have been preparing and administrating these drugs in the open spaces of wards in the absence of suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety cabinets. To explore further into the severity of occupational hazards, we conducted our research in order to evaluate the healthcare's understanding of occupational exposure to cytotoxics and occurrence of any side effects. A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was distributed amongst oncology nurses in nine specialized cancer centers in Tehran. The questionnaire was based on most reputable international guidelines, aiming to evaluate the attitude, knowledge and safe practices of nurses' handling cytotoxic drugs. The gathered data and reported side effects were compared between "oncology/hematology" and "non-oncology" participants. The majority of nurses from oncology wards were aware of the potential hazards associated with handling of chemotherapy and reported high levels of compliance with the use of PPE during reconstitution of antineoplastic agents. Almost all nurses reported the use of a safety cabinet during preparation, however only 55 % reported that they have annual medical checkups and 45 % reported having received specialized training. This work was also to evaluate the experimental procedures as well as cleaning solutions used to reduce the level exposure. While the level of knowledge about antineoplastic agents is high among nurses, along with the level of PPE use, medical surveillance and employee training seems to be lagging behind.

Adherence to chronic hepatitis C treatment regimen: first report from a referral center in iran.

BACKGROUND: Various aspects of adherence to HCV treatment such as frequency, risk factors as well as causes of non-adherence, and its real role in clinical and virological outcome of the infected patients have remained largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to evaluate patients' adherence to anti-HCV medications in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From October 2010 to March 2011, socio-demographic characteristics, features of HCV infection, clinical properties, and habitual history of 190 patients were collected. Adherence of each patient to anti-HCV medications was determined at months 1, 3, and 6 of treatment by self-reporting and pill or empty ampoule counting. Adherence to anti-HCV treatment regimen was determined based on the 80/80/80 rule. RESULTS: Adherence rate to interferon, ribavirin, or a combination of them over the first 6 months of therapy in Iranian HCV patients measured by both methods of self-reporting and pill counting were 35.4-65.8%, 46.3-56.8%, and 28.4-51.1%, respectively. Delay in receiving new prescription, financial issues, and adverse drug reactions were the most common causes of non-adherence in the patients. Adherence to ribavirin was identified as an independent predictor of achieving the end of treatment response, or sustained virological response. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of adherence to interferon and ribavirin varied significantly according to the method of calculation. Over the treatment course, adherence to interferon alpha and ribavirin, each or their combination, diminished significantly.