Chronic Diseases Journal
Volume:9 Issue: 3, Summer 2021

The prevalence of the cardio-metabolic risk factors is rapidly increasing amongst the children and adolescents and is a topic of concern due to their induced risk of development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in adulthood. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of the cardio-metabolic risk factors associated with sociodemographic variables amongst the teenagers of rural population in India.

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 405 teenagers (13-19 years old) in a rural population of central India. The data on the socio-demographic variables and cardio metabolic risk factors were collected using a predesigned proforma. The blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) of the subjects were also recorded. Blood samples were collected for lipid profile and blood sugar. Data was analyzed with the Epi Info software version 6.04.

A total of 405 subjects were studied, of whom 182 were male and 223 were female.  The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was found to be 9.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.3-13.1]. The prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, including low level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG), were found to be 58.3% (95% CI: 53.4-63.0) and 13.8% (95% CI: 10.7-17.5), respectively. 2.2% of the teenagers had a waist circumference (WC) more than the cut off (> 90th</sup> percentile), while high blood pressure was found in 24.40% (95% CI: 18.6-26.7), i.e. ></span> 90th</sup> percentile for age, sex, and height. Similarly, risk factors such as obesity and overweight were found significant (P < 0. 05) in teenagers with family history of obesity.

Cardiometabolic risk factors is slowly extending to rural areas. Therefore, early detection of these risk factors can be an attempt to prevent or delay the metabolic syndromes, DM, and CVDs. 

Thalassemia is a common hereditary disorder of hemoglobin synthesis. In this study, the polymorphism of the site of Ssp1 intron II of β-globin gene was investigated in patients with thalassemia minor who referred to laboratory centers in Sanandaj and Marivan townships in Iran.

This was an analytical cross-sectional study. Initially, the questionnaires were completed to obtain the data. Based on complete blood count (CBC) and hemoglobin electrophoresis, carriers were diagnosed. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction was performed by the salting out method from all blood samples. The polymorphism of the Ssp1 loci of intron II beta globin gene was evaluated using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method with the effect of Ssp1 restriction enzyme on all DNA samples.

The results showed that of the 200 individuals or 400 chromosomes examined, 166 individuals (78 and 88% in cases and controls, respectively) were positive for SspI position and 34 individuals (22 and 12% in cases and controls, respectively) were negative. Additionally, statistical analysis suggested no significant relationship between these two groups in SspI position (OR = 0.483, P = 0.189).

The polymorphism of SspI locus in this case study is informative of Kurdish population. 

Upper extremity trauma is the most common anatomical site of injuries with long-term effects. This epidemiological study aims to evaluate patients with upper extremity injuries who referred to the Emergency Department of Besat Hospital in Hamadan, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was performed retrospectively from the beginning of March 2019 to the end of September 2019 at the Besat Educational Center in Hamadan. The convenience sampling method was used in which all patients with upper extremity trauma entered into the study. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Quantitative data were expressed as mean and standard deviation (SD) and qualitative data were expressed as frequency and percentage. The chi-square test was used to analyze the data with a significance level of 0.05.

In this study, 467 patients with a mean age of 33.44 ± 24.15 years were studied, of whom 298 (63.8%) were men and 169 (36.2%) were women. The majority of people under study were in the age group of 1-9 years  (21.6%), married (51.4%), self-employed (27.8%), living in the city (58.5%), and illiterate (43.5%).

The most common cause of upper limb injury was related to falls from different levels and accidents. Therefore, observing the principles of safety at work, improving the safety of roads, personal vehicles, and public transport, addressing issues related to the prevention of accidents such as the forced use of safety equipment at work, and compliance with traffic rules and driving can play an important role in reducing trauma. 

Communities have been involved in adverse health factors at any point in time and have sought to improve community health and quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study is to investigate the condition of physical and mental health and the relation between the two variables with each other in the operating room of hospitals in Shiraz, Iran.

This was a cross-sectional study performed on 192 staff of operating rooms of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The data for the study were collected through the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the General Lifestyle Questionnaire (GLQ).

Analyzing the results, the mean total scores of lifestyle and mental health were 333.93 ± 42.91 and 39.24 ± 12.59, respectively. In addition, the correlation coefficient between the total lifestyle and mental health scores was -0.411.

Since the operating room is the most sensitive part of any hospital and the so-called heart of the hospital, special attention should be paid to staff working in this department, as any disruption to the operating room staff is not only harmful to them. Rather, it has many detrimental effects on patients and the health system. Therefore, given the stressful environment of the operating room, managers should promote operating room programs focused on reducing stress and by conducting classes and training sessions, improve the mental and physical health of the operating room personnel.

There is no general consensus about the effect of L-carnitine (LC) on anemic factors in hemodialysis patients. In this clinical trial, the effect of LC on anemia was investigated in these patients.

In a double-blinded clinical trial, hemodialysis patients admitted to the dialysis department of Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj, Iran, in 2017, were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n = 40) and placebo (n = 40). Individuals in the intervention group received a dose of 1 g/day of LC, and the other group received placebo tablets of the same form for 12 weeks. Anemia factors were evaluated in both groups before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed using t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

The LC supplementation increased hemoglobin (Hb) in hemodialysis patients (P = 0.043). Moreover, the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) level was decreased under the effect of LC (P < 0.001). The mean ± standard deviation (SD) scores of ferritin serum level before and after the intervention were 528.43 ± 466.96 and 737.70 ± 468.38 μg/l, respectively. This indicates a significant difference from that of the placebo group (P < 0.001). The results showed that LC supplementation did not affect red cell distribution width (RDW), platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), iron (Fe), and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) levels (P > 0.050).</div>

The effect of LC supplement on Hb, serum ferritin, and MCV levels in hemodialysis patients was significant. Therefore, LC can be used to treat anemia in this group of patients.

During the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, patients with chronic diseases faced many challenges like greater risk of Covid-19 and delay in treatment which increase the possibility of psychological problems in these individuals. In this regard, the present study was conducted to investigate the psychological consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic in this group of patients.

In this systematic review study, published articles on the psychological consequences of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 were reviewed. Keywords including Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), Psychological Implications, Epidemic, Mental Health, and Chronic diseases were searched in the title and abstract of articles published in reputable international scientific databases and all related English articles were listed and 30 qualified articles were reviewed.

According to the collected data, loneliness increased stress and anxiety, and decreased sleep quality. Moreover, post-traumatic stress, panic attacks, and depressive and anxiety symptoms were the most important psychological consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic for people with chronic diseases. Female gender, old age, longer history of chronic disease, and lack of social support were associated with increased psychological problems. Increased fear and anxiety in caregivers and related health personnel were other results of the study.

Many people with chronic illnesses have suffered from psychological problems during the outbreak of COVID-19. Furthermore, the extent of these problems depends on the characteristics of the chronic disease, and individuals’ demographic and ecological characteristics, which emphasizes the need for designing individualized programs. 

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a non-progressive brain lesion that causes impaired muscle coordination. Diplegia is a type of limb paralysis that usually involves the symmetry organs, with the involvement of lower organs being more than the upper organs. Patients with diplegia have a type of secondary muscle tension dysphonia due to speech-breathing disorders and speech problems including stuttering. This study is conducted aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of the mind simulation method on improving stuttering in a patient with spastic diplegia.

CASE REPORT: 

The patient was an 11-year-old boy diagnosed with spastic diplegia with stuttering disorder and had long been treated with chlorsospasm and was selected by purposive sampling method. After 21 days of assessment in the baseline stage (A), he was treated with mind simulation (B) for 10 weeks. Evaluations were carried out every 10 days and totally, 7 evaluations were carried out. Data were analyzed in a reversal design through visual method, chart slope analysis, and comparison of subjects' mean performance at baseline and intervention stages using SPSS software.

The primary outcomes showed that the simulation method was associated with decreased stuttering in the patient (P < 0.01). The secondary outcomes showed decreasing scores of frequency indices, delay, movements of hand, head, face, body, mouth, and psychological factors in Stuttering Severity Instrument (SSI) (P < 0.01). The findings of this study indicated that the use of the mind simulation method as a complementary intervention could be associated with a decrease in stuttering symptoms in patients with spastic diplegia.

Falls are among the most common accidents in psychiatric hospitals. One of the possible causes of falls is vitamin B12 deficiency, which is especially prevalent among older adults. However, it was not ignored in previous studies.

This clinical trial was conducted on older patients with chronic psychiatric diseases admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Based on the data obtained from the multi-factorial fall risk assessment tool (MAHC-10) developed by the Missouri Alliance for Home Care (MAHC) and Tinetti Balance Assessment Tool, the patients at risk of falls were identified and their serum vitamin B12 levels were measured. The patients with vitamin B12 deficiency were selected to be studies in a 3-month trial. At the end of the trial, the patients took the Tinetti test once again. Pre- and post-intervention variables were compared with each other using the dependent t-test. P values of ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

After screening, 10 patients showed vitamin B12 deficiency and were included in the intervention. The mean age and length of stay of the patients were 66.30 ± 10.17 years and 24.55 ± 18.39 months, respectively. The mean scores for the “balance-gait” variable before and after the intervention were 13.40 ± 4.30 and 23.70 ± 4.15, respectively. These figures revealed a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.001). 

This study showed that vitamin B12 deficiency may be an often-overlooked cause of gait disorders in older patients with psychiatric problems. Treatment with vitamin B12 supplements can reduce the risk of falls in such patients.