Does health-related college major have an effect on health-promoting behaviors? Evidence from Iranian's staff.

Background: Health-promoting behaviors and lifestyle changes can reduce the cost of health services, stress, and disease complications. This study examined the status of health-promoting behaviors and its influencing factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 171 staff members of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2023. The Persian version of the health-promoting lifestyle profile II questionnaire was used. Analyzes were performed in R 4.3.2 software. Results: Mean ± SD age was 37.67 ± 7.58 years. 83 % had the low levels of health-promoting behaviors, while 17.0 % had moderate levels. The physical activity and interpersonal relation had the lowest and highest scores. The most significant strong and weekly correlations was between health responsibility and physical activity with total score of health-promoting behavior scores (r = 0.81, r = 0.66). Staff with health-related college major performed better in the areas of nutrition, stress management, spiritual growth. Conclusion: Health-related college major is the most important factor affecting health-promoting behaviors. Also, health responsibility is most related to these behaviors. Educational interventions should be done at the community level, regardless of people's field of study, to increase people's knowledge and awareness about risk factors and improve the level of health.

Geographic pattern of the prevalence of intimate partner violence against women in Zanjan (Iran).

Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a serious public health issue and refers to physically, sexually and psychologically harmful behaviors as well as emotionally controlling behaviors and financial abuse that occur in the form of marriage or cohabitation. Knowing the current situation of the IPV prevalence against women and high-risk areas in the Zanjan city, Iran, can help policymakers to establish better health programs for risk reduction. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study consisted of married women aged 18-55 years living in Zanjan city in 2021. 760 married women covered by 19 urban comprehensive health service centers (UCHSCs) were selected by the stratified systematic random sampling method. The prevalence of IPV against women was measured in four types: psychological, physical, sexual, and economic. Results: Mean (SD) age of the women was 35.49 (8.76) years. 606 women (79.7%) experienced one type of IPV. The highest and lowest IPV prevalence against women were psychological (76.6%) and economic (12%), respectively. The highest and lowest prevalence of psychological violence were observed in CUHSCs 2 and 17, physical violence in CUHSCs 1 and 14, sexual violence in CUHSCs 2 and 17, and economic violence in CUHSCs 2 and 8, respectively. The severity of violence was higher among self-employment or workers husbands, with low monthly household income, and among younger women. Discussion: The IPV rate in the target population is high, and the highest rate is related to psychological violence. These results highlight the need to intervention in the society and high-risk women for policymakers of the health system.

Compressive strength and fluoride release profile of a glass ionomer cement reinforced with silver-hydroxyapatite-silica hybrid nanoparticles: An in vitro study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to prepare a glass ionomer (GI) cement reinforced with silver-hydroxyapatite-silica (Ag/HA/Si) hybrid nanoparticles and assess its compressive strength and fluoride release profile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this in vitro, experimental study, 60 cylindrical specimens were fabricated with 4mm diameter and 6mm height in 6 groups (n=10) using BracePaste composite, GC Fuji II LC pure RMGI, and RMGI reinforced with 0.1wt%, 0.5wt%, 1wt%, and 2wt% Ag/HA/Si hybrid nanoparticles. The specimens were subjected to compressive force in a universal testing machine to measure their compressive strength (MPa). To assess their fluoride release profile, discs with 3mm diameter and 2mm thickness were fabricated from Fuji II LC pure resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI), and RMGI with 0.1wt%, 0.5wt%, 1wt%, and 2wt% hybrid nanoparticles, and the concentration of released fluoride was measured by a digital ion-selective electrode. Data were analysed by ANOVA and Scheffe test (alpha=0.05). RESULTS: The compressive strength was 114.14MPa for BracePaste composite, and 97.14, 97.84, 100.65, 109.5, and 89.33MPa for GI groups with 0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1% and 2% hybrid nanoparticles, respectively, with no significant difference among them (P=0.665). Addition of 1% (0.21±0.07µg/mL, P=0.029) and 2% (0.45±0.22µg/mL, P=0.000) hybrid nanoparticles to RMGI significantly increased the amount of released fluoride, compared with the control group (0.09±0.03µg/mL). CONCLUSIONS: Addition of Ag/HA/Si hybrid nanoparticles to RMGI in the tested concentrations had no significant effect on its compressive strength but addition of 1wt% and 2wt% concentrations of Ag/HA/Si hybrid nanoparticles increased its fluoride release potential.

Health literacy and nutrition literacy among mother with preschool children: What factors are effective?

Children's obesity behaviors are associated with parents' low health literacy. Nutrition Literacy (NL) is an essential component to enhancing nutrition quality, as well as health and well-being. The study's objective was to determine health literacy (HL) and NL among mothers with children preschool children (under 7 years old in Zanjan city, Iran). Participants in this cross-sectional were 162 mothers with preschool children referred to Ayatollah Mousavi Hospital's pediatric clinic in Zanjan, Iran, during July and August 2022. The sample technique was convenient. In IBM SPSS 20 software, a two-step cluster analysis, the Chi-square\ Fisher exact, and Man-Whitney tests were used. HL and NL had a mean ± SD of 71.26 ± 15.84 and 71.78 ± 11.86, respectively. The two-step cluster analysis identified two clusters, with mothers in cluster 1 (n = 141) having sufficient HL and NL and mothers in cluster 2 (n = 21) having insufficient HL and NL. Cluster 1 mothers were older, had a college degree, lived in a city, were employed, and had a better financial situation. They obtained health and nutrition information from the Internet, either alone or in conjunction with other sources. Based on clustering analysis, it was observed that the low level of education, living in the village and being a housewife of the mothers, is related to the low level of HL and NL. By increasing the level of education of mothers, it is possible to help protect children from malnutrition or overfeeding in the future. Also, providing suitable job opportunities for mothers can help in this matter.

Effect of incorporating silica-hydroxyapatite-silver hybrid nanoparticles into the resin-modified glass ionomer on the adhesive remnant index score and shear bond strength of orthodontic metal brackets: An in vitro study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the effect of addition of silica-hydroxyapatite-silver (Si-HA-Ag) hybrid nanoparticles to light-cure glass ionomer (GI) on shear bond strength (SBS) of metal brackets bonded with this adhesive and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) score. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this in vitro experimental study, 50 sound extracted premolars were assigned to 5 groups (n=10) for orthodontic metal bracket bonding with BracePaste® composite, Fuji ORTHO™ pure resin modified GI (RMGI), and RMGI reinforced with 2wt%, 5wt% and 10wt% Si-HA-Ag nanoparticles. The SBS of brackets was measured by a universal testing machine. Debonded specimens were inspected under a stereomicroscope at×10 magnification to determine the ARI score. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, Scheffe test, Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test (alpha=0.05). RESULTS: The maximum mean SBS was recorded in BracePaste® composite followed by 2% RMGI, 0% RMGI, 5% RMGI and 10% RMGI. Only the difference between the BracePaste® composite and 10% RMGI was significant in this regard (P=0.006). The groups were not significantly different regarding the ARI scores (P=0.665). All the SBS values were within the clinically acceptable range. CONCLUSION: Addition of 2wt% and 5wt% Si-HA-Ag hybrid nanoparticles to RMGI as orthodontic adhesive caused no significant change in SBS of orthodontic metal brackets while addition of 10wt% hybrid nanoparticles significantly decreased the SBS. Nonetheless, all the SBS values were within the clinically acceptable range. Addition of hybrid nanoparticles had no significant effect on the ARI score.

Difference Between Various Countries in Mortality and Incidence Rate of the Atrial Fibrillation Based on Human Development Index in Worldwide: Data From Global Burden of Disease 2010-2019.

The most common cardiac arrhythmia is Atrial Fibrillation. The prevalence of AF has doubled in the last 30 years and has become a 21st century epidemic. Various studies have found that the overall burden of AF is larger in developed communities as well as higher-income nations. Data on AF were collected from the GBD database from 2010 to 2019, while HDI data was derived from the UNDP website. Men had a higher incidence than women, although women had a higher mortality. South America, West Europe, and South Africa had higher MIR (Mortality-to-Incidence Rate) than other countries. In the last study years, MIR significantly was higher in more developed countries. According to differences between genders and various countries, by expansion of the infrastructures and diagnostic methods such as electrocardiography and continuous training of doctors for early diagnosis, we can help in better management of AF and controlling this silent pandemic.

Clustering trends of melanoma incidence and mortality: A worldwide assessment from 1995 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is a skin cancer that has higher mortality among cutaneous malignant tumours. Tumour incidence in most world regions is rising. Here, we intend to highlight these trends in the world. METHODS: We used the global burden of disease dataset to assess the incidence and mortality of melanoma from 1995 to 2019 in 204 countries/territories. To identify country/territory groups with similar trends of melanoma incidence and mortality, a model-based clustering with a mixture of multivariate t-distributions was used. RESULTS: Australia and New Zealand had the largest incidence and mortality rates. Men in Egypt and women in Sri Lanka and Guam had the lowest incidence and mortality rates. The clustering analysis revealed 4 classes of incidence in both gender and 3 and 2 classes of mortality in male and female, respectively. All groups had a growing incidence rate in both gender, similar to the worldwide trend. In 10% of the countries/territories, central and Western Europe, the incidence increase rate was greater than in the countries/territories with the greatest incidence. The total mortality rate for men was steadily growing, although it was decreasing in Asian and African countries/territories. Overall, the mortality rate for women remained relatively steady over time. CONCLUSION: Due to the increasing trend of melanoma in the world, primary and secondary prevention of this disease, especially in areas with higher incidence and mortality, is essential. Raising awareness about the disease is helpful in prevention and early detection of melanoma.

EVALUATION OF 5-FLUOROURACIL-INDUCED CARDIOTOXICITY: ROLE OF CARDIAC BIOMARKERS.

BACKGROUND: Side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients need to be investigated in more detail. AIM: To determine the incidence of cardiotoxicity in patients treated with different chemotherapy regimens containing 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in Zanjan, Iran. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective cohort study, patients with different types of solid gastrointestinal tumors who were candidates for 5-FU based chemotherapy regimens were enrolled. The study population consisted of 100 patients (48 females and 52 males) with a mean age of 63.99 ± 12.40 years. We measured serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels before and during each chemotherapy cycle and determined the occurrence of cardiotoxicity in patients based on the levels of cTnI, clinical signs and symptoms as well as electrocardiogram findings. In addition, we assessed a history of diabetes, hypertension, smoking, dyslipidemia and previous chest radiation as potential risk factors for cardiotoxicity. RESULTS: The incidence of cardiotoxicity was 8%, of which 5 patients were diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome, 2 patients with arrhythmias and one with hypotension. In addition, there was no significant association between studied risk factors and 5-FU induced cardiotoxicity. CONCLUSION: The incidence of cardiotoxicity in patients receiving 5-FU infusion regimens was notable. Thus, paying more attention to the 5-FU-induced cardiotoxicity is necessary in order to improve the prognosis of patients with cancer.