Effect of calcium on premenstrual syndrome: A double-blind randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects millions of women and is known as the most important disorder among them. The very aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of low dose calcium on severity of PMS. METHODS: This study can be considered as a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Female students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences diagnosed with PMS in 2014 participated in the present study. Sixty-six female students diagnosed with PMS were involved in the experimental and control groups. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups to receive 500 mg of calcium daily or placebo for two months. Severity of PMS was detected by Daily Record of Severity of Problems, which was used to measure symptoms during one menstrual cycle before and two menstrual cycles after the intervention. RESULTS: No signifcant differences were observed in the mean scores of PMS symptoms between calcium and placebo groups before the treatment (P=0.74). However, signifcant differences were noticed between the two intervention groups in the first (P=0.01) and second menstrual cycles (P=0.001) after the intervention. The differences were significant in subgroups of anxiety, depression, emotional changes, water retention, and somatic changes in calcium group compared with placebo group in the menstrual cycle before the intervention and two menstrual cycles after the intervention and among menstrual cycles (0, cycle 1, cycle 2) in calcium group (P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Overall, the results of the present study suggest that treatment with calcium supplements is an effective method for reducing mood disorders during PMS.

Situation analysis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic area, south of Iran

OBJECTIVE@#To update current situation of the cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Kazerun County, southwest of Iran and to analyse the epidemiological aspects of the disease during 2005-2015.@*METHODS@#Data on CL were obtained from the Health Center of Kazerun County, and then were analysed and mapped using SPSS and Arc GIS 10.3.@*RESULTS@#A total of 700 cases of CL were recorded during the study period with an overall decreasing trend from 2005 to 2015. More than 60% of the patients were inhabitants of rural areas and males were infected more than females. Although there was not a significant difference between gender, job categories, residence and CL infection (P > 0.05), age groups were significantly different (P  0.05). Most of the acute lesions were found to be present on the hand, leg and face, respectively. The average CL incidence in the study area was calculated as 24.9/100000 population. A hot spot for the disease was found in southern part of the area (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#This study revealed that CL is present in Kazerun country. Thus, effective monitoring and sustained surveillance system is crucial in counteracting the disease, and if possible, to eliminate it.

Situation analysis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic area, south of Iran

Objective To update current situation of the cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Kazerun County, southwest of Iran and to analyse the epidemiological aspects of the disease during 2005–2015. Methods Data on CL were obtained from the Health Center of Kazerun County, and then were analysed and mapped using SPSS and Arc GIS 10.3. Results A total of 700 cases of CL were recorded during the study period with an overall decreasing trend from 2005 to 2015. More than 60% of the patients were inhabitants of rural areas and males were infected more than females. Although there was not a significant difference between gender, job categories, residence and CL infection (P > 0.05), age groups were significantly different (P  0.05). Most of the acute lesions were found to be present on the hand, leg and face, respectively. The average CL incidence in the study area was calculated as 24.9/100 000 population. A hot spot for the disease was found in southern part of the area (P < 0.05). Conclusions This study revealed that CL is present in Kazerun country. Thus, effective monitoring and sustained surveillance system is crucial in counteracting the disease, and if possible, to eliminate it.

Pediculosis capitis among primary and middle school children in Asadabad, Iran: An epidemiological study

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of head lice in primary and middle school children in Asadabad, Iran. Methods: This study is an analytical descriptive cross-sectional one conducted among primary and middle school children in Asadabad during the academic year of 2013-2014. Data were collected at baseline via questionnaire, checklist and head examination. Results: A total of 600 students were examined (412 girls and 188 boys), and 14 students showed pediculosis. And the total prevalence rate was 2.3% (3.2% girls and 0.5% boys). The infestation was equal in public and private schools. The rate of pediculosis was higher in students of primary schools (4.0%) than those in middle schools (0.7%). The age of the students ranged from 6 to 14 years. The total number of infected group was 14 with mean age of 8.93 ± 2.43 years, and it was 586 with mean age of 10.98 ± 2.82 years for the uninfected group who were enrolled in the study (P 0.05). Conclusions: It is necessary to find the risk factors of the infection in order to understand how to control or decrease infection in students, considering the important role of health education in reduction of head lice infections.

Cyclical mastalgia: Prevalence and associated determinants in Hamadan City, Iran

Objective: To assess prevalence of cyclical mastalgia and its main determinants in women who attended in health centers of Hamadan City, Iran. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 400 women (case: cyclical mastalgia, n = 240; control: without cyclical mastalgia, n = 160) who attended family planning clinic for routine follow-up in health centers. The cluster sampling was used. Information was collected by interviewing and using a standardized validated questionnaire. Severity of mastalgia was assessed through using visual analog scaling. Data processing and statistical analysis were performed by using SPSS 19.0. Results: The results revealed that majority of women (60.0%) experienced cyclical mastalgia. Out of these, 22.5% and 37.5% were mild and moderate-to-severe mastalgia, respectively. No association was revealed in experience of depression and anxiety in mastalgia group. In a multivariable logistic regression model, the increasing age, age of marriage, history of abortion and history of premenstrual syndrome were main determinants of mastalgia, while use of oral contraceptive and regular exercise was associated with lower incidence of mastalgia. Conclusions: Most of women with breast discomfort suffered cyclical mastalgia which severity can be determined by advanced age, age of marriage, history of abortion and history of premenstrual syndrome, but inversely by oral contraceptive use and exercise activity.

Entomological studies of Phlebotomus papatasi and P. sergenti (Diptera: Psychodidae) as vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Shiraz, Iran.

Leishmaniasis is considered endemic in 82 countries, including Iran. In order to control the vectors of leishmaniasis, entomological studies, such as fauna, seasonal abundance, nocturnal activity, sex ratio, resting site, etc, are necessary. In this investigation, the species composition of sandflies. and the seasonality and nocturnal activity, sex ratio, and resting site, of Phlebotomus papatasi and P. sergenti, for implementation of future control measures, were surveyed in northeast Shiraz City, southern Iran. Two thousand, five hundred (2,500) adult sandflies were collected from internal and external fixed places by sticky trap. SPSS version 1.3 software was used to analyze the data. Meteorological data were obtained from the meteorological organization in Shiraz. In this investigation, a total of 4 species were recorded: P. papatasi, P. sergenti, Sergentonmyia sintoni, and Ser. dentata. Peak abundance of both P. papatasi and P. sergenti occurred in September, and declined by December. Between sunset and sunrise, the maximum and minimum abundance were found to be at 20 00 hour, and 05 00 or 06 00 hour, respectively. The sex ratio (F/M) of the P. papatasi varied from a high ratio of 10.9: 1 in October, to a low ratio of 1.2: 1 in June. The abundance of sandflies in the external regions was significantly more (p<0.05) than the internal regions in all months except May and June. Using the results of this investigation, health workers in this area can better manage the control and prevention of cutaneous leishmaniasis.