Investigating the relationship between liver enzymes and incidence of hypertension: A population-based cohort study in Kharameh, a city in the South of Iran.

Background and Aims: Hypertension and abnormal liver enzymes are common health issues that frequently coexist, and recent research has suggested a possible association between them, warranting further investigation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the relationship between liver enzymes and hypertension. Methods: This prospective cohort study utilized data from the Kharameh cohort study, which is a branch of the Prospective Epidemiological Studies in Iran (PERSIAN) database. The study included 7710 participants aged between 40 and 70 years. Hypertension was defined in accordance with the European guidelines for hypertension management, and the association between liver enzymes and hypertension was modeled and predicted using Firth logistic regression. Results: This study investigated the association between liver enzymes and hypertension risk in a cohort of 7710 individuals aged 40-70 years. The results showed that higher levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were associated with an increased risk of hypertension, and this relationship remained significant even after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Additionally, separate analyses within age subgroups revealed a significant association between ALP concentration and high blood pressure in certain age ranges. Conclusion: The study demonstrated a significant association between high levels of ALT, GGT, and ALP and an increased risk of hypertension, regardless of other risk factors. These results suggest that monitoring liver enzymes, specifically ALT, GGT, and ALP, could serve as a useful tool to predict hypertension risk and identify individuals who could benefit from early intervention. Overall, these findings underscore the importance of monitoring liver function in preventing and managing hypertension.

Trend of Mortality Rate and Years of Life Lost due to Cerebrovascular Diseases in Fars Province, Iran (2004-2019).

BACKGROUND: According to the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD), cerebrovascular diseases are the second leading cause of death in the world. This is a cross-sectional study on deaths due to cerebrovascular diseases in southern Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, data on all deaths caused by cerebrovascular diseases in the Fars province between 2004 and 2019 was extracted from the Electronic Death Registry System (EDRS). To eliminate or minimize the influence of age composition, standardized mortality rate was used based on the 2013 Segi standard populations of low- and middle-income countries. In order to measure the years of life lost (YLL) from cerebrovascular diseases, the standardized life table was considered. The Joinpoint Regression method was used to examine the trend of the crude and standardized mortality rate and the YLL rate. RESULTS: Over the study period, 24,051 deaths occurred due to cerebrovascular diseases in Fars with 12,586 cases in men (52.3%). The trend of standardized mortality rate in males and females was decreasing (P value=0.001 and<0.001 for males and females, respectively). All YLL due to premature mortality from cerebrovascular disease during the 16-year study period were 119,436 (3.8 per 1000 persons) in men, and 111,172 (3.6 per 1000 persons) in women. Based on the joinpoint regression, the 16-year trend of YLL rate due to premature death was decreasing: annual percent change (APC) was -1.6% (95% CI -3.4 to 0.3, P=0.098) for males, and -2.0% (95% CI -3.6 to -0.4, P=0.017) for females. CONCLUSION: The trend of mortality rate and YLL caused by cerebrovascular diseases has decreased in our study. Necessary measures, mainly primary and secondary prevention, should be taken to continue the diminishing trend of cerebrovascular diseases.

Game-based vs. Case-based Training for Increasing Knowledge and Behavioral Fluency of Nurse Students Regarding Crisis and Disaster Management; a Quasi-Experimental Study.

Introduction: Nurses play an active role in disaster response, and the ability of nurses to appropriately apply management principles during large-scale disasters or mass casualty incidents is of critical importance. This study aimed to compare the effect of game-based Training (GBT) and case-based training (CBT) on nursing students' knowledge and behavioral fluency regarding Crisis and Disaster Management. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. Convenience sampling was used to select third-year nursing students who had completed their clinical clerkship at the time of the study (n=60). In the intervention group, disaster-themed games were used, while in the control group, CBT was used. The emergency and crisis management course consisted of this study's theoretical and clinical training phases. After completion of the theoretical phase (five weeks), the practical part (four weeks) is completed as an internship. The data was collected from the disaster Nurses' Knowledge Questionnaire, demographic survey, and measurement checklists for disasters and crises at five stations. Results: GBT students achieved significantly higher knowledge scores than CBT students after training (p< 0.001). CBT and GBT groups had no significant differences in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)1 pretest scores. Posttest1-OSCE2 and posttest2-OSCE3 scores showed significant differences after one week (P < 0.001) and one month (P < 0.001). The mean pretest and posttest1 scores were statistically significant in both groups. A comparison of posttest scores between one month after GBT training (69.03 ± 6.09) and one week after it (69.23 ± 6.14) revealed no statistical significance (p = 0.056). Conclusion: Nursing students' knowledge and behavioral fluency regarding crisis management were more effectively improved by using the disaster and crisis game than by using a case-based method.

The prevalence and predictors of cardiovascular diseases in Kherameh cohort study: a population-based study on 10,663 people in southern Iran.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is rapidly increasing in the world. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and Predictors factors of CVD based on the data of Kherameh cohort study. METHODS: The present cross-sectional, analytical study was done based on the data of Kherameh cohort study, as a branch of the Prospective Epidemiological Studies in Iran (PERSIAN). The participants consisted of 10,663 people aged 40-70 years. CVD was defined as suffering from ischemic heart diseases including heart failure, angina, and myocardial infarction. Logistic regression was used to model and predict the factors related to CVD. Additionally, the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) of CVD was determined using the standard Asian population. RESULTS: The ASPR of CVD was 10.39% in males (95% CI 10.2-10.6%) and 10.21% in females (95% CI 9.9-10.4%). The prevalence of CVD was higher among the individuals with high blood pressure (58.3%, p < 0.001) as well as among those who smoked (28.3%, p = 0.018), used opium (18.2%, p = 0.039), had high triglyceride levels (31.6%, p = 0.011), were overweight and obese (66.2%, p < 0.001), were unmarried (83.9%, p < 0.001), were illiterate (64.2%, p < 0.001), were unemployed (60.9%, p < 0.001), and suffered from diabetes mellitus (28.1%, p < 0.001). The results of multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of having CVD was 2.25 times higher among the individuals aged 50-60 years compared to those aged 40-50 years, 1.66 folds higher in opium users than in non-opium users, 1.37 times higher in smokers compared to non-smokers, 2.03 folds higher in regular users of sleeping pills than in non-consumers, and 4.02 times higher in hypertensive individuals than in normotensive ones. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of CVD was found to be relatively higher in Kherameh (southern Iran) compared to other places. Moreover, old age, obesity, taking sleeping pills, hypertension, drug use, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease had the highest odds ratios of CVD.