Shiraz Emedical Journal
Volume:23 Issue: 2, Feb 2022

 Persia has been the cradle of science across human history. Many of today’s concepts in science, such as the finite speed of light and alcohol distillation, were first proposed by Persian scientists. Mohammad ibn Zakariya Razi (Rhazes) is undoubtedly one of the greatest Persian scientists over human history.

 In this paper, in addition to a brief review of the history of pharmacy and chemistry sciences in Persia, Rhazes’ valuable books in the fields of pharmacy and chemistry, along with a brief description of them, were introduced. Data were extracted from different historical and bibliography books and also the citation databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar.

Rhazes’ books and treatises in the fields of pharmacy and chemistry have been classified into three categories: 1) the books and treatises containing some sections on pharmacy like Al-Hawi fi al-Tibb (Liber Continens) and Al-Mansouri fi al-Tibb, 2) those written merely on pharmacy, like Qarabadin (pharmacopeia), and 3) the books focusing on alchemy (kimia), like Sirr al-Asrar (Secret of secrets) and Al Asrar (Liber Secretorum). Three volumes of Al Hawi fi al-Tibb were applied as a reference in pharmacology in Western universities for many years. Sirr al-Asrar is his most important book on alchemy, describing raw materials used in alchemy, experimental apparatus necessary for alchemical investigations, and detailed procedures for the chemical manipulation of arsenic and sulfur.

These valuable manuscripts demonstrate the ancient heritage of Persians and the great roles and contributions of Persian scientists in the history of science.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is one of the most important topics in neuroscience. It refers to a long-lasting increase in synaptic efficacy and is considered as a molecular and cellular mechanism of learning and memory. Neurotrophins play essential roles in different processes in the central nervous system (CNS), such as synaptogenesis, survival of specific populations of neurons, and neuroplasticity. Some evidence suggests that neurotrophins also participate in the synaptic plasticity related to learning and memory formation. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an important neurotrophic factor that is extensively expressed in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, where it promotes neuroprotection, increases synaptogenesis and neurotransmission, and mediates synapse formation and synaptic plasticity. In this review, we first focused on the research investigating the effects of BDNF on synaptic plasticity and LTP induction and then reviewed the neuronal signaling molecules employed by BDNF to promote its effects on these processes.

Health information systems have major impacts on improving the decision-making process during pandemics.

The qualitative study explored health information systems (HISs) challenges based on HIS’s manager viewpoint during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the study, data were collected in two phases: First, in response to an official letter, all participants reported their challenges with HISs. Second, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the same participants.

The semantic units were extracted, collected, and coded. Eighteen HIS managers from 18 hospitals reported the challenges of HISs. The 46 HIS challenges and 24 solutions were classified into three categories: technology, organization, and human. The technology category included three sub-categories: multiple non-interoperable HISs, inconsistencies between reports of HISs, and lack of suitable hardware equipment. The organizational category encompassed three sub-categories: data quality, environment and equipment contamination by COVID-19 virus, and lack of sufficient preparedness to respond to the pandemic condition in hospitals. The human category had four subsets: multiple resources of stress, instability in business conditions, and shortage of human resources, and increased workload.

It seems that reconstruction of health information systems, revision of medical record documentation processes, holding training courses, and planning to deal with pandemics, human resource support programs are very necessary.

This study aimed to assess the effect of adding propolis to glass-ionomer cements (GICs) on their antimicrobial and physical properties.

For the evaluation of the antimicrobial properties of conventional (Fuji II) and high-viscous (Fuji IX) GICs containing propolis, 120 glass-ionomer disks with the dimensions of 10 × 2 mm were prepared in three groups of control, 25% propolis, and 50% propolis. Then, these GICs were placed in the Streptococcus mutans culture media. After 24 h of incubation, the inhibition zone diameters of the disks were recorded. For the evaluation of flexural strength, 30 samples (six groups of 5) with the dimensions of 2 × 2 × 25 mm were prepared and measured by a universal testing machine. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and SPSS software (version 21.0) were used for statistical analysis and ensuring normal data distribution. One-way analysis of variance was used for comparing the mean values of the groups, and Tukey’s HSD test was used for pairwise comparison of the groups. The duration of the study setup was 9 months.

An inhibition zone was not observed in any of the study groups. There was no significant difference between the flexural strength values of the three groups of the Fuji IX (P = 0.905) and also between the three groups of the Fuji II (P = 0.096). However, the Fuji IX samples had higher flexural strength values than the Fuji II glass-ionomer specimens (P < 0.001).

The addition of different concentrations of propolis aqueous extract to conventional and high-viscous GICs did not have a significant effect on their antimicrobial properties and flexural strength.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has placed heavy direct and indirect economic burden on the people and the health system.

The present study aimed to estimate the economic burden of COVID-19 in Qom Province, using the step-down cost accounting (SDCA) method.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study included all COVID-19 patients in Qom Province from February 19, 2020, to June 19, 2020. The patients’ data were collected in the form of major cost groups with integrated health system (IHS), health information system (HIS), and a financial software called Roozamad. The governmental, out-of-pocket, and opportunity costs paid by patients and hospitals were calculated and evaluated using SDCA in Microsoft Excel software.

The incidence of COVID-19 infection was 518 per 100,000 populations in Qom Province in the aforementioned period. The total government costs for the treatment of the patients were calculated to be 2,229,216,930,370 Rials (8,916,867 $). Among the major governmental cost groups, personnel costs accounted for the highest total expenditures. In addition, out-of-pocket costs of patients and their families equaled 30,038,013,060 Rials (120,152 $). The costs of final service departments accounted for more than half of the total costs. The opportunity costs were calculated as 420 billion Rials (15.68% of total costs).

According to the findings, the direct and indirect costs associated with the treatment of COVID-19 patients can impose a heavy economic burden on the households and health care system. Therefore, disease prevention strategies such as observing health protocols are recommended to reduce the burden of the disease.

Understanding the factors influencing nurses’ compliance with infection prevention strategies can assist in reducing occupational infections.

We surveyed nurses and auxiliary nurses in Shiraz, Iran, to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) towards isolation precautions (IP).

A cross-sectional study was conducted in a teaching hospital in Shiraz, Iran, in 2019. A five-part self-administered questionnaire was used, addressing demographics and infection prevention knowledge; nine items on KAP towards standard precautions, five items on droplet precautions, six items about airborne precautions, and eight items about contact precautions. The independent sample t-test and Pearson correlation were performed.

The mean score of practice was lower than that of knowledge and attitude in all IP domains. Droplet precautions acquired lower KAP scores than other domains. There were significant positive correlations between KAP scores in all IP domains in nurses (P < 0.001) and auxiliary nurses, except for the correlation between knowledge and practice in terms of standard precautions (P = 0.099). In nurses, age significantly correlated with knowledge towards airborne precautions (P < 0.001) and with attitude regarding droplet precautions (P = 0.003). Nurses had significantly higher scores regarding knowledge (P = 0.037) and attitude (P = 0.009) towards standard precautions than auxiliary nurses. The persons who had previous training sessions presented a higher score of the practice dimension for droplet (P = 0.001), airborne (P = 0.011), and contact (P = 0.004) precautions.

This study revealed a gap in Nemazee hospital nurses’ KAP towards IPs. Those responsible for infection prevention and control programs in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences must address this poor practice of nurses towards patient safety.

Delay in early detecting of hearing loss (HL) and aural interposition in children have intense impacts on their speech and language expansion, academic progress, social skills, and psychological status.

The purpose of the current study was to assess the age of hesitancy, recognition, reinforcement, and interposition in children with bilateral severe to deep hearing loss.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on children who were candidates for cochlear implant surgery at Khuzestan Cochlear Implantation Center, Ahvaz, Iran. The rehabilitative histories and children’s medical were utilized to record ages of hesitancy, recognition, reinforcement, and interposition for both groups of “high-risk” and “not-high-risk” children. Paired sample t-test was used to evaluate the middle ages of children between the “high-risk” and “not-high risk” groups.

A total of 389 children (205 boys and 184 girls) were included. The mean ages of hearing loss hesitancy, hearing loss recognition, fitting the hearing reinforcement devices, and interposition were 10.7 ± 7.1, 15.75 ± 9.4, 21.81 ± 8.1, and 26.32 ± 9.2 months, respectively. The average delays between the ages of hesitancy and recognition: 3.74 (P < 0.0001); recognition and reinforcement: 5.05 (P < 0.0001); reinforcement and interposition: 2.83 months (P < 0.0001) were obtained. There were no significant statistical differences in terms of four studied ages among the high-risk (n = 129) and not-high risk (n = 260) children (P > 0.05).

The outcomes showed that there is a significant improvement in the average ages of hearing loss hesitancy, recognition, reinforcement, and interposition in Iran. However, there is still an obvious difference between these ages and those recommended by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.

Aging is considered a critical period of life, and paying attention to the needs of this stage is a social necessity.

This study aimed to investigate the association between communication skills and mental health of elderly patients who were hospitalized in the south of Iran hospitals in 2020.

The present study is a descriptive-analytical study conducted on 386 elderly patients. The data of the present study were collected through a three-section questionnaire consists of demographic information, interpersonal communication skills, and mental health. The data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods, Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression tests in SPSS software version 23 and at a significance level of α = 0.05.

Elderly patients’ communication skills were assessed at a low level (67.01 ± 7.36). The mean score of total mental health among elderly patients indicated mild symptoms of mental disorders among them (177.84 ± 9.21). A significant association was also found between communication skills and mental health disorders among elderly patients (P < 0.001, r = -0.631). The results of multiple linear regression revealed that the components of understanding the message (P < 0.001), emotional control (P = 0.001), listening (P = 0.001), assertiveness (P = 0.005), and insight (P = 0.006) had a positive and significant impact on the mental health of elderly patients.

Owing to the correlation between communication skills and mental health, it is recommended to develop and use supportive programs in the form of elderly health programs in medical centers to improve the mental health status of elderly patients.

Most primary small cells carcinoma develop from the lung, and extra-pulmonary small cell carcinoma accounts for less than 5% of all small cell carcinoma cases. In the head and neck region, the most common sites are the larynx and salivary glands; however primary involvement of the palate is extremely rare. The extra-pulmonary small cell carcinoma is similar to its pulmonary counterpart regarding morphology, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy features and derives from pluripotential stem cells that develop neuroendocrine features. There is growing evidence regarding the ability of extra-pulmonary small cell carcinoma to arise from pluripotent basilar cells capable of divergent differentiation with the consequence of arising neuroendocrine phenotype as a trans-differentiation phenomenon in the progression of an organ-specific carcinoma. The differentiation between primary and metastatic extra-pulmonary small cell carcinoma is challenging. There is also no standard guideline for treatment as it is a rare occasion, and there is no consensus between radiation oncologists and cancer surgeons about the best treatment strategy. In this study, a very rare case of hard palate small cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine pathology features is presented. To our best of knowledge, this is the third case report of extra-pulmonary small cell carcinoma involving the palate in the literature review. Knowing the clinical presentation and pathology characteristics of such rare tumor in addition to follow-up outcome can be highly useful to establish a reliable guideline for hard palate small cell carcinoma management.