The comparison of the effects of nano-silymarin and silymarin on high-fat diet-induced fatty liver of adult male rats.

Objective: Considering the high prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its complications, this study aims to determine and compare the effect of nano-silymarin and silymarin on non-alcoholic fatty liver in rats. Materials and Methods: Rats were divided into 5 groups: Control, high-fat diet, high-fat diet and atorvastatin, high-fat diet and silymarin, and high-fat diet and nano-silymarin. After 12 weeks, blood samples were taken to measure cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, ALT and AST. The animals were killed and the liver tissue was removed to examine the histopathological changes. Results: Feeding with a high-fat diet caused a significant increase in cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL-C in serum of rats compared to the control. Nano-silymarin and silymarin could significantly reduce serum triglyceride compared to negative group but the reduction of cholesterol, LDL-C, AST and ALT by nano-silymarin was not significant as compared to silymarin. The liver histology evaluation mainly showed that in the group receiving nano-silymarin, a significant decrease in the percentage of fat vacuoles and degree of steatosis was observed compared to the negative group. In the positive group, the percentage of fat vacuoles and the degree of steatosis showed a significant decrease compared to the negative group. Group receiving atorvastatin showed a greater protective effect than silymarin and nano-silymarin. Conclusion: The use of nano-silymarin similar to silymarin in rats treated with a high-fat diet led to a decrease in the percentage of fat vacuoles and the degree of hepatic steatosis mainly and can be used to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Association metrological factors with Covid-19 mortality in Tehran, Iran (2020-2021).

The outbreak of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has raised questions about the potential role of climate and environmental factors in disease transmission. This study examined meteorological and demographic factors to determine their impact on mortality and hospitalization rates in Tehran, Iran from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022. Notably, hospitalization cases were positively associated with temperature (P-value: 0.001 in spring, P-value: 0.045 in winter) and pressure (P-value: 0.004 in spring), while being negatively associated with wind speed (P-value: 0.03 in spring, P-value: 0.01 in autumn) and humidity (P-value: 0.001 in autumn) during the spring and autumn seasons. Conversely, mortality was associated with wind speed (P-value: 0.01) and pressure (P-value: 0.02) during winter and spring, respectively. Moreover, temperature was associated with mortality in both spring (P-value: 0.00) and winter (P-value: 0.04). The findings suggest that identifying the environmental factors that contribute to the spread of COVID-19 can help prevent future waves of the pandemic in Tehran.

Educational needs assessment of medical and midwifery students about prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: a cross-sectional study.

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), is an important way of acquired immune deficiency virus (AIDS) transmission. Medical and midwifery students need to have sufficient knowledge in terms of MTCT. The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational needs of these students regarding MTCT of HIV. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 medical (extern and intern) and midwifery Bachelor (semester 4 and above) and Master students in Gonabad University of Medical Sciences in 2019. The real needs questionnaire on MTCT AIDS and the perceived needs questionnaire on MTCT were used for need assessment evaluation. Majority of the participants were female (77.5%) and single (65%). Study participants included 48.3% medical and 51.7% midwifery students. High real educational need was reported by 63.5% of medical and 36.5% of midwifery students. More than half of the participants (59.2%) felt a great need for education on MTCT of HIV. OF the areas of real educational needs, the highest and lowest scores were related to the areas of prevention and symptoms, respectively. Students in higher semesters had the highest percentage of real need compared to other students (p = 0.015). The real need for MTCT of HIV prevention was higher among medical students compared to midwifery students (p = 0.004). The observed high real and perceived needs of students, especially in the higher semesters and the field of medicine, necessitates the re-examination of their educational curricula.

Relationship Between Serum Vitamin D Level and Disease Severity in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background and Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes joint pain and reduces daily activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum of vitamin D and its relationship with the severity of the disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis referred to Allameh Hehlool hospital in Gonabad. Design and Methods: This cross-sectional-analytical study was performed on 92 patients referred to the rheumatology clinic of Allameh Behlool Gonabad Hospital in 2021. After obtaining the permission of the ethics committee, the samples were selected based on the desired criteria. Serum vitamin D levels in patients were measured, and data were collected using a patient information checklist and DAS28-CRP activity questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 and using statistically appropriate tests at a significance level less than 5%. Results: The mean age of the patients was 53.05 ± 12.33 years and most of them (58.7%) were women. Serum vitamin D level was sufficient in 65.2% of patients and the severity of the disease was in the remission in 48.9% of them. The results of chi-square test showed a significant relationship between serum vitamin D levels and disease severity in patients (P < .001). Conclusions: Serum vitamin D levels were inversely related to disease severity and in most patients with severe disease severity, serum vitamin D levels were inadequate. vitamin D supplementation is recommended in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Copper and zinc deficiency to the risk of preterm labor in pregnant women: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The present study explored the relationship between maternal copper and zinc levels and preterm labor. DESIGN: The design of the present study was a case-control. Two groups were matched in terms of early-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), pregnancy and childbirth rating, education level, income, and employment status. Blood samples were taken from mothers after meeting the inclusion criteria when admitted to the maternity ward to check copper and zinc serum levels. Demographic and midwifery data were also collected using a questionnaire and patient records. The data were analyzed in SPSS26 using independent-samples T-test, chi-square, Fisher exact test, and regression analysis, and the p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. SETTING: Bohloul Hospital in Gonabad, Iran. PARTICIPANTS: The subjects were 86 pregnant women visiting the hospital in two cases (preterm delivery) and control (term delivery) groups. RESULTS: The mean serum level of zinc in the case group (preterm delivery) (44.97 ± 13.06 µg/dl) was significantly lower than the control group (term) (52.63 ± 21.51 µg/dl), and the mean serum level of copper in the case group (149.82 ± 53.13 µg/dl) was significantly lower than the control group (183.97 ± 71.40 µg/dl). CONCLUSION: As the findings showed, copper and zinc serum levels in mothers with preterm delivery were significantly lower than mothers with term delivery, which shows the biological role of these elements in the pathogenesis of preterm delivery.

Effect of Rosemary Cream on Episiotomy Wound Healing in Primiparous Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Delay in episiotomy wound healing can lead to infection. The application of natural antimicrobial agents isolated from herbal essences can be a good strategy to prevent the growth of bacteria and promote the wound healing process. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of rosemary cream on episiotomy wound healing in primiparous women. METHODS: This triple-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 80 primiparous pregnant women who were referred to the maternity ward of Shahid Motahari Hospital in Marvdasht, Iran, from September 2019 to March 2020. These women were randomly assigned into two groups of intervention (rosemary cream) and control (placebo), using variable quadruple blocks. Both groups applied the prescribed cream (in a dose of 2 cm) uniformly on the sutured area to cover it with the cream. The cream was applied twice a day for 10 consecutive days postpartum, and the rate of wound healing was evaluated by the researcher in the first 12 h and at days 4 and 10 postpartum using the REEDA scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (Version 19) through the Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, student's t-test, and Fisher's test. A p-value less than 0.05 (P < 0.05) was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean ± SD REEDA score on the fourth day postpartum was obtained at 3.82 ± 0.93 and 4.25 ± 1.29 in the groups of rosemary cream and placebo, respectively (P = 0.17). However, the mean ± SD REEDA scores on the 10th day postpartum were determined at 0.75 ± 0.74 and 3.32 ± 2.54 in the rosemary cream and placebo groups, respectively, indicating a higher rate of episiotomy wound healing in the group of rosemary cream compared to placebo (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Based on the obtained results, it seems that rosemary cream can be effective in healing episiotomy wounds in primiparous women. However, further studies are suggested to confirm the findings of this study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials in 24/08/2019 with the IRCT ID: IRCT20190308042971N1. The first participant enrolled in this trial in September 2019. URL of registry: https://en.irct.ir/trial/40092 .

Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus and its Related Factors in Patients with Tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Considering the high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) in developing countries and the fact that comorbidity with diabetes mellitus (DM) imposes a higher burden on the society, this study was carried out to assess the prevalence of diabetes and its related factors in patients with TB in Mashhad, Iran. METHODS: In this study, we enrolled 405 patients over the age of 18 who had been diagnosed with TB between the years 2015 and 2016 according to the documents of the ministry of health. The participants were selected randomly from five health center domains based on the stratified sampling method. The patients were screened for diabetes according to HbA1c over 6.5% or a fasting blood sugar (FBS) level over 126 mg/dL at different time points and the patient's self-report of having DM. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 51.14±20.52 (19-92 years). The prevalence of DM in patients with TB was 21.2%, of whom 3.5% were newly diagnosed. Among potential factors, age with OR=3.786 (1.183, 12.113), body mass index with OR=9.149 (3.182, 26.302), nationality with OR=2.149 (1.122, 4.117) and TB type with 3.328 (1.44, 7.689) were associated with DM in patients with TB. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of DM in our study was higher than that observed in other countries. Our study showed associated factors like age, body mass index, and TB type to be very important. Also, the prevalence of DM was different in patients with different nationality.

Nutritional knowledge, attitude and behaviours regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 among residents of Gonabad, Iran.

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease and a major global health-related issue. Knowledge, attitude and behaviours associated with this disease are being developed. Infected animals and consumption of contaminated foods are probably the main sources of this viral infection. Adhering to a healthy diet is effective in preventing patient affliction and recovery. Thus, the present research aims to determine the nutritional knowledge, attitude and behaviours associated with COVID-19 among Residents of Gonabad, Iran. DESIGN: The present online cross-sectional survey was conducted in March 2020 on 389 people selected through convenient sampling method. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire developed by the present researchers comprising four sections: demographic information, knowledge, attitude and nutritional behaviour. The collected data were analysed statistically in SPSS. SETTING: Gonabad city in Khorasan Razavi in the Northeast of Iran. PARTICIPANTS: All people at or above 18 years of age. RESULTS: The present results revealed that the mean age of the participants was 37·3 ± 11·3 years. The mean scores for knowledge, attitude and nutritional behaviour were, respectively, 9·7 ± 1·4, 14·3 ± 3·5 and 29·6 ± 4·2. The mean scores for nutritional knowledge and attitude showed no statistically significant correlation with age, education, occupation, marital status and economic status. However, the mean nutritional behaviour score was significantly higher among women than men (P = 0·004). CONCLUSIONS: Participants' nutritional attitude and behaviour regarding COVID-19, at its early stage in Iran, were average and above average. The public education provided with this regard can have affected this result.