Spatial distribution and temporal trend of drug-related deaths in the Islamic Republic of Iran during 2014–2017

Background: Research suggests that there is an increasing trend in drug-related deaths worldwide: an estimated 69 000 individuals lose their lives due to substance abuse annually. Aims: To determine the geographical pathology of drug-related deaths in the Islamic Republic of Iran and to evaluate incidence trends, with a focus on identifying high- and low-risk regions. Methods: For this ecological study, we collected data from the 2 main sources (the Legal Medicine Organization and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education) responsible for registering substance-related deaths during 2014–2017. Data analysis was conducted using Joinpoint regression analysis, Global Moran’s I and Anselin Local Moran’s I. Results: Of the 12 386 drug-related deaths in 2014–2017, most occurred during the summer months; 7162 of these were among middle-aged individuals. The mean age of children and adolescents who died of substance abuse was 5.2 [standard deviation (SD) 4.6] years. In the young adult group, mean age at death was 20.7 (SD 2.5) years; it was 34.2 (SD 5.4) years for adults and 55.6 (SD 9.8) years for older adults. Changes in mortality rate peaked in 2017 (annual percentage change = 0.52); in the last months of the study period there was a nonsignificant decrease (annual percentage change = –6.99) in the incidence (average annual percentage change = –0.5; 95% confidence interval: –3.2, 2.3). Conclusion: Deaths due to substance abuse will remain a huge public health problem unless policy- and decision-makers determine why this problem continues to increase despite the extensive efforts on regulation and find ways to mitigate it.

Motivations for alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic in Islamic Republic of Iran

Background: High alcohol consumption is an important public health problem, and understanding factors associated with such consumption is essential. Aims: This study aimed to assess individual and social factors associated with alcohol consumption during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods: In this qualitative study, purposive sampling was used to select study participants by sharing the survey link on the Telegram application channels with an Iranian audience during COVID-19. The study was conducted from March to June 2020 and reached all Iranian provinces. We used qualitative content analysis to investigate specific concepts in the responses. Results: Of the 116 participants who responded to the survey, 34 (29.3%) were females, and 82 (70.7%) were male. The mean age of the participants was 34.8 years (standard deviation 9.9; range 17–71 years). Most of the participants (75.9%) reported having consumed alcohol, and 56.9% reported having self-medicated for an illness without a doctor’s prescription before the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common reason given for alcohol consumption was to relieve stress during home quarantining (32.3%). Based on analysis of the responses, two themes emerged: coping motivations and coping skills, with five subthemes and 14 basic codes. Coping motivations were more powerful than coping skills in relation to high alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Poor coping skills and strong motivations, combined with misinformation on social media and the internet, appear to have led to new or higher alcohol consumption among survey respondents.

Effect of Aromatherapy on the Treatment of Psychological Symptoms in Postmenopausal and Elderly Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: To critically assess the effect of aromatherapy on the psychological symptoms as noted in the postmenopausal and elderly women. METHODS: Three following databases were systematically searched: MEDLINE, Scopus and Cochrane Library (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) from inception to January 2018. The search keywords included ‘menopause’ AND (aromatherapy), without language restrictions. RESULTS: In this study, 4 trials were included which fit into our systematic review. The findings demonstrated that the aromatherapy massage have significantly improved psychological symptoms in menopausal and elderly women as compared to the control group (standardized mean difference [SMD] = −1.24; 95% confidence interval, −0.188 to −0.606; P < 0.001 random effect model; 3 trials, moderate to high heterogeneity, I2 = 0.76; P = 0.028). According to 1 of the trials, the aromatherapy oil massage was no more effective than the untreated group regarding their experience of symptoms such as nervousness. CONCLUSIONS: The aromatherapy may be beneficial in attenuating the psychological symptoms that these women may experience, such as anxiety and depression, but it is not considered as an effective treatment to manage nervousness symptom among menopausal women. This finding should be observed in light of study limitations.

The Effect of Short-term Treatment with Fennel on Lipid Profile in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES: The present trial aimed to assess the effects of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) on lipid profiles. METHODS: In this double blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial, sixty eligible postmenopausal women were randomly assigned into the fennel and placebo groups. Total blood cholesterol, cholesterol fractions, and triglycerides were tested at the baseline, and after three-month follow-up. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in triglyceride (P = 0.679), total cholesterol (P = 0.103), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; P = 0.146) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; P = 0.266) levels between the two groups. In addition, in both groups, a paired t.test showed no significant difference in all mentioned parameters, except for HDL-C, indicating significant borderline improvement (P = 0.052) in the fennel group. CONCLUSIONS: The fennel group revealed a very slight positive change in LDL-C, triglyceride and HDL-C. Further studies with longer durations, higher doses, and larger sample sizes are recommended to validate the results.

The Effect of Short-term Treatment with Fennel on Bone Density in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study is to assess the effect of fennel on bone density. METHODS: This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, which studied sixty eligible postmenopausal women, who were randomly assigned to fennel and placebo groups. Then, the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was utilized to measure bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of the spine, femoral neck, intertrochanter, and trochanter at the baseline and after three-month follow-up. RESULTS: The mean BMD and BMC at lumbar spine (P = 0.14, P = 0.504), total hip femoral (P = 0.427, P = 0.471), trochanter (P = 0.075, P = 0.07), intertrochanter, (P = 0.864, P = 0.932) and femoral neck (P = 0.439, P = 0.641) was not significantly different between the fennel and placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study did not approve the effect of fennel on bone density in post-menopausal women. However, to gain deeper insights, further studies with longer durations and larger sample sizes are recommended.

The Effect of Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) on Body Composition in Postmenopausal Women with Excess Weight: A Double-blind Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of fennel on body composition. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Fifty-four out of 60 patients were able to successfully complete the original study. Seven out of 54 patients were excluded because they were not overweight and obese. Thus, 47 women were included in this secondary analysis. Of these 47 women, 22 were in the fennel group and 25 were in placebo group. Body weight, body mass index (BMI) as well as fat distribution was measured at the baseline and after a three-month follow-up. RESULTS: Comparison of fennel and placebo groups did not reveal any significant effect in terms of body weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences and fat distribution. Also, the results of paired t-test did not variation of these parameters across groups before and after 12-week treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Menopausal women in fennel group experienced a slight increase in body weight and fat distribution, which was not significant. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to validate the results of this study.