Cytotoxicity properties of plant-mediated synthesized K-doped ZnO nanostructures.

In this study, potassium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (K-doped ZnO NPs) were green-synthesized using pine pollen extracts based on bioethics principles. The synthesized NPs were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The cytotoxicity of these nanoparticles (NPs) on normal macrophage cells and cancer cell lines was evaluated. In the same concentrations of K-doped ZnO and pure ZnO NPs, K-doped ZnO NPs demonstrated higher toxicity. The results confirmed that the doped potassium could increase cytotoxicity. The IC50 of K-doped ZnO NPs, pure ZnO NPs, and the examined control drug were 497 ± 15, 769 ± 12, and 606 ± 19 µg/mL, respectively. Considering the obtained IC50 of K-doped ZnO NPs, they were more toxic to the cancer cell lines and had less cytotoxicity on normal macrophage cells.

Social Trends Affecting the Future of Iran's Health System: A Qualitative Study Using Focus Group Discussion.

BACKGROUND: Social issues have short- or long-term as well as positive or negative effects on health systems. Identifying and analyzing events and trends help managers to make the vision and strategic planning. The purpose of this study is to identify the social trends and their impacts on the future of the Iranian health system. METHODS: Focus group discussion (FGD) was used to collect the data in 2017--18. The participants were selected through purposive sampling and the snowball method. The discussions were all written and recorded with the consent of the participants. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The participants believed that the most important social trends affecting future of health system in Iran are increase health literacy, demographic transition, nutritional pattern, migration and urbanization, marginal settlement, rising unemployment, and increased usage of personal cars. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in health problems, healthcare costs, and mortality because of social behaviors and trends are considered as threats to the health system. Therefore, policymakers should reduce their negative effects by taking into account and focusing on these trends and making appropriate plans.

Future Trends of the Primary Healthcare System in Iran: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Primary healthcare system in Iran has played an extensive role in promoting people health in the past decades. However, regarding universal developments in the different global aspects effective on health, the performance of this system has been influenced significantly. The aim of the present research is to identify the future trends of the primary health care in Iran. METHODS: The participants of this qualitative case study were experts in primary healthcare, which were selected and interviewed through purposive sampling method. The interview process was saturated after 25 interviews, so we stopped the process at this point. Framework analysis based on STEEP model used to analysis the interviews. RESULTS: The most important social/value, technological, economic, environmental, and political future trends of primary healthcare in Iran included demographic transition, epidemiological transition, social and cultural changes, emergence of modern and advanced technologies, internet and cyberspace, budgeting limitations, resource management, changing paradigm from volume to value in providing health services, environmental pollutions, natural disasters, health governance, intellectual paradigm of senior officials, regional security, international development, and other internal factors of the health system. CONCLUSIONS: The identified factors can be turned into opportunities for Iran primary healthcare system if health planners and policymakers have a deep and accurate look at these influential factors and manage them properly.

Evaluation of the primary healthcare program in Iran: a systematic review.

Evaluation of programs and determining its challenges to improve and implement reforms is essential in a healthcare system. A primary healthcare program was conducted since 1984 in Iran and faces various challenges after several decades of its life. The aim of this study is to evaluate Iran's primary healthcare program and determine its challenges and weaknesses. In the present systematic review study, the published articles related to Iran's primary healthcare were searched and collected from Iranian databases (SID, Magiran, Noormags and Irandoc) and international databases (Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge and Google Scholar). The Iranian grey literature was also explored. In total, from 336 papers identified, 25 papers were deemed relevant after the step-by-step review of articles and removal of non-related articles. The results of this study show that primary healthcare in Iran has different challenges and weaknesses. Most of these challenges and weaknesses relate to the structure and process of primary healthcare. The Iranian primary healthcare system has achieved many successes in community health promotion, but today, because of social, economic, political and environmental changes, it does not meet the needs of the people; therefore, this system requires structural reforms.

Investigating the Appropriateness of Admission and Hospitalization at a Teaching Hospital: A Case of a Developing Country.

BACKGROUND: Reduction of inappropriate use of health services can decrease health care costs without harming the quality of services. This study aimed to investigate inappropriate admission and hospitalization at Afzalipour Hospital of Kerman, Iran. METHODS: Inappropriate admission and hospitalization were assessed via a cross-sectional study on 400 patients in Kerman Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman, Iran in 2015. The Iranian version of the Appropriateness Assessment Protocol was used for data collection. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The rate of inappropriate admissions and hospitalization were 7.6% and 9% respectively. There was no significant relationship between inappropriate admissions and any of the studied variables; however, there was a significant relationship between inappropriate hospitalization and age, length of stay and hospital departments. CONCLUSION: If standard measures of admission and hospitalization execute correctly, unnecessary hospitalization rate can be reduced, so more patients can be treated and cost and workload of hospital personnel can be moderated.

Toward a Better Nutritional Aiding in Disasters: Relying on Lessons Learned during the Bam Earthquake.

Introduction Examining various problems in the aftermath of disasters is very important to the disaster victims. Managing and coordinating food supply and its distribution among the victims is one of the most important problems after an earthquake. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to recognize problems and experiences in the field of nutritional aiding during an earthquake. METHODS: This qualitative study was of phenomenological type. Using the purposive sampling method, 10 people who had experienced nutritional aiding during the Bam Earthquake (Iran; 2003) were interviewed. Colaizzi's method of analysis was used to analyze interview data. RESULTS: The findings of this study identified four main categories and 19 sub-categories concerning challenges in the nutritional aiding during the Bam Earthquake. The main topics included managerial, aiding, infrastructural, and administrative problems. CONCLUSIONS: The major problems in nutritional aiding include lack of prediction and development of a specific program of suitable nutritional pattern and nutritional assessment of the victims in critical conditions. Forming specialized teams, educating team members about nutrition, and making use of experts' knowledge are the most important steps to resolve these problems in the critical conditions; these measures are the duties of the relevant authorities. Nekouie Moghadam M , Amiresmaieli M , Hassibi M , Doostan F , Khosravi S . Toward a better nutritional aiding in disasters: relying on lessons learned during the Bam Earthquake. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(4):382-386.

Reallocation of Shafa Hospital Beds in Kerman Using Goal Programming Model.

INTRODUCTION: In order to improve health, hospital sources such as beds and staffing should be properly allocated and used. The aim of this study is reallocation of Shafa hospital beds in Kerman using a goal-programming model. METHODS: This study was an applied cross-sectional study, which used the goal programming model and software WinQSB to optimize bed allocation. By review of the literature and interviews with experts, the constraints in beds allocation were identified, and using the collected data the desired model was designed. RESULTS: Hospital beds were redistributed based on the constraints of the goal-programming model and objectives. The results showed that there was a shortage of beds in departments such as burns, GICU, HICU, cardiac surgery, emergency, and orthopedics, and excess of beds in the ear, nose, and throat (ENT), ophthalmology, and neurology departments. CONCLUSION: It is anticipated that the optimal allocation of hospital beds, regarding hospital activity indicators, can lead to greater justice in the provision of services and a better distribution of resources.

Factors Affecting Leave out of General Practitioners from Rural Family Physician Program: A Case of Kerman, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Rural family physician program as the new reform in the Iranian health system has been implemented since 2005. Its success depends much on physicians' retention. The present study aimed to identify influential factors on physicians' willingness to leave out this program in Kerman province. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was performed in Kerman province in 2011. All family physicians working in this program (n = 271) were studied using a questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics and logistic regression through SPSS version 18.0. RESULTS: Twenty-six percent (70) of the physicians had left out the program in the past. In addition, 77.3% (208) intended to leave out in the near future. Opportunity for continuing education, inappropriate and long working hours, unsuitable requirements of salary, irregular payments, lack of job security and high working responsibility were regarded as the most important reasons for leaving out the program in the past and intention to leave out in future orderly. According to univariate logistic regression, younger physicians (odds ratio [OR] =2.479; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.261-4.872) and physicians who had older children (OR = 4.743; 95% CI: 1.441-15.607) were more willing to leave out the plan in the near future, however it was not significant in multivariate logistic regression. CONCLUSIONS: Physician retention in family physician program is faced with serious doubts due to different reasons. The success of the program is endangered because of the pivotal role of human resources. Hence, the revision of human resources policies of the program seems necessary in order to reduce physicians leave out and improving its effectiveness.