mohsen arabi

In December 2019, a series of pneumonia cases of unknown origin were reported in Wuhan, China, named by the World Health Organization as COVID-19. The risk factors for developing the disease of COVID-19 are still not well known, but evidence shows that some factors, including respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis, are important risk factors in the disease of COVID-19. It should be noted that tuberculosis, like SARS-COV-2, is mainly transmitted through breathing and affects the lungs. Also, some studies show that infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes more rapid and severe pneumonia symptoms in COVID-19 and is the main cause of death due to severe disease. Considering that the disease of COVID-19 is a newly emerging pandemic and the risk factors related to its incidence and severity are still being investigated and considering that tuberculosis is a curable infectious disease that can affect other respiratory diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the probable and definite frequency of COVID-19 (COVID-19) in the first and second peaks of the coronavirus pandemic among patients with a history of tuberculosis.

This study was descriptive-cross-sectional and the study population included patients with a history of tuberculosis whose diagnosis date was between 2015 and 2020. The number of these samples was equal to 1532. The sampling method was census. The time of investigation in terms of contracting COVID-19 was after the first peak and during and after the second peak of Corona (from the second half of May 2019 to November 2019). The data collection tool included a checklist containing demographic variables and clinical symptoms related to COVID-19. The method of collecting information was in the form of telephone interviews and document review. Data collection was done by trained interviewers. For this purpose, the questioners were first given the necessary training on how to complete the checklist. Data entry was done in Excel software and transferred to SPSS V.16 software for analysis. The description of the variables is presented in terms of number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and median. A chi-square test was conducted to compare the grouped variables.

In this study, the prevalence of probable and definite cases of COVID-19 among patients with a history of tuberculosis was reported as 5.5% (85 people), and suspected, probable and definite cases were reported as 15.6% (239 people). Also, there was no correlation between age groups, gender, place of residence, type of tuberculosis, marriage, diabetes, kidney disease dialysis, immunodeficiency,, and liver disease with the prevalence of COVID-19 among patients with a history of tuberculosis. It should be noted that in this group of patients, heart disease, lung disease, cancer, chemotherapy, high blood pressure, and brain and nerve diseases were related to the spread of COVID-19. Also, the highest frequency of suspected, probable, and definite COVID among patients with a history of tuberculosis was diagnosed respectively in 2019 with 38.5% (25 out of 65 cases with a history of tuberculosis), in 2014 with 26.7% (63 out of 236 cases with a history of tuberculosis) and 20.8% (58 people out of 279 cases with a history of tuberculosis) in 2018.

Due to the significant difference in the prevalence of Covid 19 in patients who have not received the flu vaccine, it is necessary to inject the flu vaccine in these patients. Advice to quit smoking in these patients should be a priority. Because no independent study on Covid disease was observed in patients with tuberculosis, further studies in this field are necessary.

The concept of the Physiome Project was presented to provide a quantitative description of the physiological dynamics and functional behavior of the intact organism as a whole. The human body is a complex system, and this complexity is present in all components from genes to environment, lifestyle, and aging. The definitive goal of the Physiome Project is to create a "virtual physiological human" by assembling reliable and advanced computational models so that it can be studied and evaluated with a holistic perspective through system's theory in the laboratory and therapeutic settings. This process is started through the creation of modeling at molecular and cellular levels, and by connecting its components with the help of virtual reality, it will be considered as a connected whole to form a virtual physiological human. To achieve this goal in the Physiome Project, other branches of knowledge along with medical sciences are used as interdisciplinary collaborations. Although this project has had various ups and downs, but in general, it has made acceptable progress in applying different sciences together, and therefore, it seems that the process of the Physiome Project can be used to create a suitable model in the formation of interdisciplinary studies.

</strong> The purpose of the medical curriculum is to train up-to-date physician who can safely and effectively diagnose diseases and increase the health of society.

</strong> We designed a visual system anatomy educational course to investigate the effect of the “extending the teaching of the basic science throughout the curriculum” strategy, on the level of satisfaction and learning of medical student’s anatomy knowledge.

</strong> This study was an interventional, in descriptive type, done in visual system anatomy educational course and designed in four training sessions consisted of: 1. A 15 multiple choice questions pre-course online test, distributing lesson plans and related educational videos, 2 and 3.training sessions in which education content by using cadaver and other teaching aids such as moulage and slides were presented; 4.Discussion, post-test holding and distribution of satisfaction questionnaire. The overall pre-intervention and post-intervention data were analyzed using Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and paired t-test in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. P-value less than 0.05 was considered as statistical significance.

</strong> Based on the results of the final exam, correct answer percentage to each question </strong>(CAP) of post-intervention were higher than the CAP of the pre-intervention. The statistical analysis also indicated that there was significant difference in the mean of CAPs between the two tests (p></strong>0.01).

</strong> It seems that proposing a new curriculum and including basic anatomy sessions in clinical training courses can help students to review basic science concepts and apply them in developing clinical skills and ultimately safe patient care.

Improper use of antibiotics is one of health care problems that can lead to side effects or antibiotic resistance without benefit. This study aimed to evaluate the association between health literacy and knowledge on appropriate use of antibiotics in a population sample from Tehran.

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study on adults aged between 18 and 65 years. Health literacy was measured by the Health literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA: Health Literacy for Iranian Adults) questionnaire, and awareness about proper antibiotic use was evaluated by a checklist designed based on a literature review and expert’s opinion in domains of knowledge and attitude. Both an online Google Forms questionnaire and a paper questionnaire completed by outpatients from particular clinics in Tehran's north, west, or center were used to collect the data. SPSS Version 22 was used to analyze the data.

Out of 359 participants, 59.6% were women, and 66.8% had a university education level. Internet and health care workers were the main sources of health information. The mean score of health literacy was 71.4 out of 100, and 67.4% of the respondents had excellent or sufficient health literacy. The mean antibiotic awareness score was 10.5 out of 13, and the score in the domain of attitude was higher than knowledge. There was a significant relationship between health literacy and awareness about proper antibiotic use (P < 0.001). Health literacy was significantly higher in women (P = 0.001), people with higher education levels (P = 0.001), and financial sufficiency (P = 0.0038). Also, there was a significant relationship between awareness about proper antibiotic usage and age (P = 0.007) and financial sufficiency (P < 0.001) of the respondents. The online questionnaire users were not different in terms of their health literacy, but they were more educated and aware of antibiotics.

The level of health literacy and awareness about the proper use of antibiotics in this study was good. level of health literacy was closely related to knowledge about the proper use of antibiotics, thus, it seems that promoting health literacy may increase awareness about proper antibiotic use.

SARS-CoV-2 is a new coronavirus type that first appeared in Wuhan, China, and caused a pandemic of respiratory diseases from the end of 2019. Severe infections of this virus can cause incorrect adjustments of cytokine and chemokine responses, which ultimately causes damage to the lung tissue. Corticosteroids are a class of drugs that reduce inflammation and immune system activities in the body. For this reason, many doctors and researchers thought of using corticosteroid treatments to control the cytokine storm.

In this retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study, the files of Covid-19 patients who were admitted to Shahid Mohammadi Hospital, Bandar Abbas, Iran, were examined. On the basis of the severity, the patients were grouped into two groups of moderate and severe patients. Patients in each group were then sub-categorized into high dose and low dose, according to the received dose of corticosteroids. Then we investigated the effect of different doses of corticosteroids on the course of recovery of Covid-19 cases.

In the severe group, the patients who received high-dose of corticosteroids had a higher mortality rate as compared to the low-dose group. In both the severe and moderate groups, the LDH level of the patients who received low doses of corticosteroids at the time of discharge were significantly less compared to those who received high doses. In the moderate group, the percentage of lymphocytes in the low-dose corticosteroid group was considerably higher compared to the high-dose corticosteroid group at the time of discharge.

According to the results, in the case of patients with moderate clinical severity, a low dose of corticosteroids improved the disease, but in the case of patients with severe clinical severity, the results were contradictory, which may be caused by interference of other factors such as underlying diseases, the severity of the illness, etc. in the severe group.

Today, various drugs have been investigated as the primary or complementary treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been used as a mucolytic in pulmonary diseases. This drug apparently contributes to the retrieval of the intracellular antioxidant system.

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of NAC in severe COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

This single-blinded randomized controlled phase III clinical trial included 40 patients with confirmed COVID-19 (based on polymerase chain reaction) admitted to the Shahid Mohammadi Hospital’s ICU, Bandar Abbas, Iran, in 2020. All cases had severe COVID-19. They were allocated randomly to two equal groups. Patients in the control group received standard drug therapy based on the treatment protocol of the national COVID-19 committee, while those in the NAC group received a single dose of intravenous NAC (300 mg/kg) upon admission to the ICU in addition to standard drug treatment. Clinical status and laboratory tests were done on admission to the ICU and then 14 days later or at discharge without knowing the patient grouping.

The two groups were comparable regarding age, gender, and other baseline laboratory and clinical parameters. At the final evaluation, respiratory rate (21.25 ± 4.67 vs. 27.37 ± 6.99 /min) and D-dimer (186.37 ± 410.23 vs. 1339.04 ± 2183.87 ng/mL) were significantly lower in the NAC group (P = 0.004 and P = 0.030, respectively). Also, a lower percentage of patients in the NAC group had lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ≤ 245 U/L (0% vs. 25%, P = 0.047). Although the length of ward and ICU stay was shorter in the NAC group than in controls, the difference was statistically insignificant (P = 0.598 and P = 0.629, respectively). Mortality, on the other hand, was 75% in the control group and 50% in the NAC group, with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.102). Concerning the change in the study parameters, only the decrease in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was significantly higher with NAC (P = 0.042). The intubation and mechanical ventilation rates were higher, while oxygen with mask and nasal oxygen rates were lower with NAC, but the difference was statistically insignificant.

Based on the current research, NAC is related to a significant decrease in RR, D-dimer, and DBP in severe COVID-19. Also, LDH was significantly lower in the NAC group than in the controls. More research with larger sample sizes is needed to validate the current study results.

Erythropoietin plays a significant role in the growth of red blood cells, hemoglobin levels, and tissue oxygenation in critically ill patients, as well as anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of recombinant erythropoietin on improving COVID-19 patients.

This study was conducted on 20 COVID-19 participants with hemoglobin of ≥ 9. The inclusion criteria was at least one severe COVID-19 symptom/sign in this interventional study. The primary outcome was a combination of hospital stay length and paraclinical evaluation (LDH and hemoglobin level). The outcomes and side effects were evaluated on day 0 (before the intervention) and five (post-intervention).

The mean hemoglobin level was 10 ± 1.1 gr/dL in the intervention group and 8 ± 0.7 gr/dL in the control group posttreatment, indicating a significant difference between the groups (P = 0.04). The mean hospital stay length (6 ± 2 days) in the intervention group was significantly less than the control group (9 ± 4 days) (P = 0.001). At the end of the treatment, the mean LDH was significantly lower in the intervention group (503 ± 264 µ/L) than in the control group (725 ± 320 µ/L; P = 0.017).

According to the results, this study provides the first solid evidence for the positive effects of recombinant erythropoietin on COVID-19.

Continuous evaluations of clinical education and learning in nursing require the use of valid and reliableinstruments. The present study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the CLECS questionnaire (a questionnaire for assessing the clinical learning environment) in nursing students. This is a psychometric study conducted on 118 nursing students. Through email correspondence with the corresponding author, permission was obtained from the developer to translate, validate, and use the CLECS. The CLECS was translated into Persian. The psychometric process was performed after the translation and cultural adaptation steps. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the reliability. The instrument validity was assessed through convergent, discriminant, and confirmatory factor analysis. We used AMOS 18 for confirmatory factor analysis and SPSS-20 for reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity. A total of 118 nursing students participated in the study. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the questionnaire was 0.942. Convergent validity was obtained in all dimensions above 0.4. The confirmatory factor analysis results confirmed the fit of the final model and showed that the present questionnaire was 6-dimensional. Most of the questions in the questionnaire did not have a good differential validity. The highest and lowest means were related to the nursing process and holism dimensions, respectively. Based on the findings of this study, CLECS, except in the discriminant validity, has good validity and reliability, which can be considered to examine the learning environment of undergraduate nursing students.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to fat accumulation in hepatic cells due to alcohol consumption, hepatitis, and drugs. The prevalence of this disease has been reported at 20-50% in western and 12 - 13% in Latin countries. Patients who suffer from obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance may be affected more than others. This disease is symptomless, and its paraclinical diagnosis is achievable by increasing the hepatic enzymes. Ultrasonography and fibroscan are some of the common diagnostic methods for this disease. The first treatment for this disease is weight loss and physical activities. Vitamin E can improve histopathological changes in terms of medications. While pioglitazone is an effective blood sugar-lowering drug, metformin has no role in treating diabetes or prediabetes.

COVID-19, an acute respiratory disease caused and transmitted by SARS-COV-2 virus, has turned into a major global concern since 2019. In severe cases, the elevated levels of immune cells cause inappropriate responses. To date, no medications have been approved for COVID-19.

The present retrospective cohort study was designed and conducted in Shahid Mohammadi Hospital, Bandar Abbas, Iran, in 2020. Eligible patients with confirmed COVID-19 based on PCR test were included (n = 200) and allocated to two groups to receive interferon β1-a (IFNβ1-a) either in the first or in the second week of treatment (IFN week 1 and IFN week 2 groups, respectively). The primary objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of IFNβ1-a administration in the first and the second week of treatment on patient mortality. The secondary objective was to investigate the difference between the two groups in terms of laboratory data and length of hospitalization. The data were analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests.

The study population was divided into two equal groups. IFNw1 group received IFNβ1-a in the first week and IFNw2 group in the second week of treatment. The two groups matched in terms of baseline demographic data. The mortality rate was significantly lower in the IFNw1 group (13% vs. 18%; P-value = 0.01). At discharge, C-reactive protein (CRP) was clearly reduced in the IFNw1 group compared to the IFNw2 group (15 ± 12 vs. 24 ± 16; P-value = 0.02), but other lab variables did not show a significant difference between the two groups.

There was a relationship between IFNβ1-a administration time and the trend of recovery in patients with moderate COVID-19. Administration of IFNβ1-a in the first days of treatment can reduce inflammatory factors and mortality rates in these patients.

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory disease caused by SARS-COV-2, which affects the lower respiratory tract, and causes pneumonia in patients. The disease rapidly spread around the world after the outbreak in late 2019, and became one of the challenges of health care systems. Older adults and patients with underlying diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and diabetes are at a higher risk for COVID-19, and need more care. Due to its prevalence in older adults and normal population, diabetes is important in terms of putting a burden on intensive care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diabetes is also one of the most common comorbidities in patients with COVID-19, which is considered a risk factor for these patients. In addition, the association between diabetes and respiratory distress syndrome is not yet fully understood. Some studies have suggested that diabetes is not associated with respiratory distress syndrome while some others suggest that pulmonary dysfunction follows diabetes. It is also unclear what factors are associated with disease prognosis and mortality in COVID-19 patients with diabetes. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the status of demographic factors, comorbidities, lifestyle and laboratory results in diabetic patients with COVID-19, and compare them with the non-diabetic population and determine the prognostic factors in diabetic patients with COVID-19.

This study is a cross-sectional study performed on 415 patients with COVID-19 in the COVID-19 ward of Shahid Mohammadi Hospital of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences from February to September 2020. Based on their diabetes, these patients were divided into diabetic and non-diabetic groups. Then, data on demographic factors, smoking, opioids and alcohol consumption, comorbidities (chronic lung disease, asthma, obesity, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, malnutrition, chronic neurological disease, rheumatic disease, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, favism, hyperlipidemia, and malignant neoplasms), some personal lifestyle features were determined in diabetic patients and compared with non-diabetic populations. Also, the information on biochemical variables, including hemoglobin, white blood cells, lymphocyte, neutrophils, hematocrit, platelets, prothrombin time, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, blood glucose, sodium, potassium, C reactive protein were measured patients of the two groups. Also, heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen saturation were determined in diabetic and non-diabetic patients.Quantitative variables were described by number (n) and percentage (٪). Qualitative variables were described using mean and standard deviation (SD), median and interquartile range (IQR). The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of quantitative variables. Independent t-test or Man-Whitney U test, and Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used to compare variables. In all statistical analyses, a p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed by IBM SPSS version 22 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA).

The findings of our study showed that in the diabetic patients’ group 82 patients (41.2%) and in the non-diabetic population 135 patients (55.32 %) were men. In the diabetic group, the mean age of recovered patients was 58.52 years and the mean age of those in the deceased was 57.73 years, which was not statistically significant. In the non-diabetic group, the mean age of patients recovered was 47.98 years and the mean age of those in the deceased was 62.58 years, which was statistically significant (p <0.001). In the diabetic population, 773 patients (42.69 %) and in the non-diabetic population, 132 patients (54.09 %) had positive PCR. In the diabetic population, 18 patients (10.59 %) and in the non-diabetic population, 10 patients (4.09 %) had chronic kidney disease. In the diabetic population, 11 patients (6.43 %) and in the non-diabetic population, 13 patients (5.32 %) smoked. In the population of diabetic patients, the mean level of hemoglobin (P = 0.002) and lymphocyte count (P = 0.043) in the living cases were significantly lower than those in the deceased. The mean levels of neutrophils (P = 0.012), aspartate transaminase (P = 0.020), lactate dehydrogenase (P = 0.041), blood urea nitrogen (P = 0.003), and creatinine (P = 0.011) in the diabetic population were significantly higher in the living cases than those in the deceased, but the comparison of these cases in the non-diabetic population did not show a significant difference.In diabetic patients, there was a significant difference between the number of survival and death in each group of positive and negative PCR (P = 0.011); While the difference in mortality and survival between PCR positive and negative groups in non-diabetic subjects was not significant. In diabetic patients, a significant difference was also reported between the number of survival and death in groups with CKD and without CKD; while in non-diabetic participants there was no significant difference between CKD and non-CKD groups in terms of survival and death. Corticosteroid treatment also significantly led to a difference in the number of survival and death cases among the diabetic population, but a comparison of these cases in the non-diabetic population did not show a significant difference.In the group of diabetic patients, respiration rate (number of breaths per minute) was significantly lower among the living cases compared to those in the deceased (P < 0.05), while our findings in this regard did not show a significant difference in non-diabetic individuals. Also, in diabetic patients, the amount of oxygen saturation was significantly higher among the living cases than those in the deceased (P < 0.05), in which case the same results were observed in non-diabetic patients (P < 0.05).

In this study, the mortality rate in diabetic patients was significantly associated with lymphopenia, elevated aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine compared to non-diabetic patients.  Our findings suggest that individuals with type 2 diabetes are more prone to complications of COVID-19 and its related mortality; therefore these patients need more medical attention in the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, considering that so far limited studies have focused on the possible differences in the complications of Covid-19 disease and its mortality in diabetic individuals compared to non-diabetic individuals, it is recommended that more studies with higher sample sizes in other populations be performed to confirm the results of the present study.

 As the first randomized clinical trial, this study evaluated the effect of Famotidine on the improvement of outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

This phase III randomized clinical trial which was designed with two parallel arms, is a placebo-controlled, single-blind, and concealed allocation study, and recruited 20 patients (10 of them received Famotidine as treatment group and 10 received Placebo as control group). Oral Famotidine 160 mg four times a day was given to the COVID-19 patients until the discharge day or for a maximum of 14 days. Patients’ temperature, respiration rate, oxygen saturation, lung infiltration, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, and complete blood count (CBC) were measured at the baseline (before the intervention) and on day 14 after the intervention or on discharge day. Length of stay in the hospital and length of stay in the ICU were also measured as secondary outcomes of the study.

The results showed a significant decrease in LDH (P=0.01), mean WBC (P=0.04) and length of stay (P=0.04) of patients with COVID-19 in the group treated with Famotidine compared to the control group. There was also a significant increase in oxygen saturation (P=0.01) in the group treated with Famotidine compared to the control group. Cough improvement was also higher in the oral Famotidine group compared to the control group (P=0.02).

This was the first clinical trial on the effect of Famotidine on the improvement of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, which indicated that high-dose Famotidine improves patients’ clinical signs and reduces the severity of the disease and duration of hospitalization.

Heart failure is one of the most important public health problems with an increasing prevalence and identifying its contributing factors is imperative. This study was conducted to evaluate the iron status in patients with chronic systolic heart failure in Shahid Mohammadi Hospital of Bandar Abbas.

A total of 80 patients with chronic left ventricular failure participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a researcher developed checklist containing demographic details and echocardiographic data (left ventricular ejection fraction, LVEF%). Additionally, the frequency and distribution of iron status were measured in the research population.

The results showed that the prevalence of anemia was significantly high in patients with chronic heart failure (77.3%). The prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) was 77.33% based on iron level (<60 μg/dL), and it was 82.66% based on the mean ferritin level (ferritin<100, or ferritin of 100 to 299 ng/mL, and transferrin saturation<20%). The prevalence of total iron binding capacity (TIBC)>360 μg/dL was 26.66%, and the prevalence of mean corpuscular volume (MCV)<80 fL was 60%. Age less than 60 years, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 60, and body mass index (BMI) less than 18.5 were also found to increase the risk of anemia in these patients.

Our study showed that the prevalence of anemia was significantly high in patients with chronic heart failure. Due to the high prevalence of anemia in patients with chronic systolic heart failure and the impact of anemia on the prognosis of the disease in these patients, effective treatment is necessary in high-risk patients to reduce the severity of their disease, compensate for their heart failure, and reduce their mortality.

COVID-19 infection can cause a wide range of complications, from respiratory infection to skin rashes.

Here, we report a case of a 73-year-old woman with left brachial artery thrombosis 2 weeks after the onset of COVID-19 infection, leading to left upper limb ischemia.

Given the life-changing nature of limb ischemia that can lead to amputation, it is crucial to consider it from the beginning of COVID-19 infection and think of preventive measures in this pandemic.

 The COVID-19 crisis has created many problems, including a negative impact on student education.

 The study aimed to understand the resident medical students' performance experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is essential for future planning.

 The present qualitative study was performed on 15 resident medical students in Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from September to November 2020. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis.

 Analysis of the meaning units of interviews showed four categories describing the resident students' experiences of performance during COVID-19 as follows: Fear and anxiety, the need for support, the sense of responsibility, and the lack of educational facilities.

 The present study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had posed incredible new challenges for resident students. Assessing the mental health of residents, providing adequate protective equipment, and support from authorities and community members can create empathy, reduce the feeling of fear, and increase their accompaniment with pandemic managing programs. Due to the problems created in the training of residents during the pandemic, it seems necessary to propose rehabilitation courses to improve the training program for residents in various fields.
 

This study aimed to investigate the demographic factors, comorbidities, and laboratory results of diabetic patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity.

This cross-sectional study enrolled 171 diabetic patients with COVID-19 admitted based on chest CT scan findings to the COVID-19 ward of Shahid Mohammadi Hospital in Hormozgan, Iran from 1 March to 1 June, 2020. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test was performed, and the patients were divided into three groups (mild, moderate, and severe) based on the severity of disease. Then we investigated the demographic factors, comorbidities, and laboratory results of diabetic patients with severe COVID-19 severity.

Regarding comorbidities, there was no significant difference between the three groups. Moreover, there was a significantly lower lymphocyte count in the severe group compared to moderate and mild groups (P = 0.001). We showed the increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine to be significantly associated with increased disease severity (P = 0.001 and P = 0.009, respectively). We also showed a significant difference in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels between different groups of patients (P = 0.002) with a higher level of AST in the severe group (P = 0.020). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and troponin were also significantly associated with an increase in COVID-19 severity in patients with diabetes (P = 0.013 and P = 0.002, respectively).

There was a significant association between disease severity and BUN, creatinine, AST, LDH, and troponin levels in diabetic patients with COVID-19. There was no significant association between different groups regarding severity of disease and comorbidities.

The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of weekly phone calls on treatment outcomes and quality of life among a group of Iranian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

In this randomized clinical trial study, 60 patients aged 15-85 with RA were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group, in addition to a monthly assessment on a weekly basis, received a full 3-month follow-up telephone conversation in order to follow the correct and regular use of the drug and respond to the patients’ questions. The control group was only evaluated routinely. Finally, the severity of the disease activity (based on DAS-28) and the quality of life (based on the SF-12 questionnaire) were evaluated after three months.

After three months from the onset of intervention, a significant reduction was observed in the number of tender joints, mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and total score of DAS-28 in the intervention group compared to the control group. In addition, after three months of treatment, the quality of life for the intervention group improved significantly more than that of the control group.

A weekly phone call with the patients suffering from RA with the purpose to guide the therapeutic process and respond to the patients’ questions could positively improve the severity of the disease along with the quality of life among the patients.

There are few studies showing the association between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 severity and mortality. This study designed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the severity and mortality of COVID-19.

The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 48 COVID-19 patients with positive PCR test results. Patients were divided into three groups according to their serum 25-OH vitamin D3 levels: group 1 <20 ng/mL, group 2. 20-50 ng/mL, and group 3, ≥50 ng/ml. The relationship of the levels of vitamin D3, as well as the history of diabetes, hypertension, Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) ≤60 mL/min, LDH ≥500 U/L, and Lymphocyte count ≤1500 with the severity of the disease and its mortality were investigated.

A significant relationship was observed between vitamin D ≤20 ng/mL and the severity (P<0.001) and mortality (P=0.001, adjusted OR=2.4) of the disease in COVID-19 patients. It was also shown that GFR ≤60 mL/min (P=0.02, adjusted OR=3.6), IHD (P=0.04, adjusted OR=2.8), LDH ≥500 U/L (P=0.027, adjusted OR=1.8), and lymphocyte count ≤1500 (P=0.002, adjusted OR=2.2) significantly affected the mortality.

The present study showed a significant relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of the disease and mortality in COVID-19 patients. These results suggest the need for appropriate health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, the medical education system in Iran has made significant progress in the development of strategic plans in medical education. The reform and innovation in medical education programs is one of the steps of the health system reform plan, which was presented in the year 2015 along with a view to the policies, plans, and strategies of the country. This study was conducted to evaluate the quality of reform and innovation program from the perspective of experts.

This qualitative study was done through a content analysis approach. Interviews were used to collect information. The study was based on purposive sampling method and sample size was based on saturation phenomenon. Fifteen experts in this field were interviewed in person and by telephone. Data analysis was performed through the 5-step Graneheim and Lundman method.

A total of 108 codes were solicited from the participants. Due to the similarities and differences between the codes, different classes and subcategories were obtained. Altogether, the different classes and subclasses obtained were placed in the form of five themes. These five main themes were complexity, challenge of documenting and central reporting, comprehensiveness, educational discourse, as well as new horizons.

The innovation program in medical science education enhanced the interaction and purposeful communication between the universities of the region and created a discourse of reform and innovation in higher education. Considering the strengths and weaknesses of this program (according to the view of experts), the executive planning of this plan can be brought closer to reality.

There is an obvious relationship between learning environment and valuable outcomes such as satisfaction and student success. It is necessary to identify and strengthen the weaknesses of the learning environment, to improve the quality of learning. The aim of the present study was to assess the medical student’s views on the educational environment of Alborz University of Medical Sciences in 1396.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 27 medical students in four internal wards, pediatrics, gynecology and general surgery in four university-affiliated teaching hospitals. The research tool was a 50-item DREEM (Dundee Ready Education Environment) questionnaire in five areas of student perception of learning, student perception of professors, student perception of their scientific ability, student perception of educational atmosphere, student perception of their social conditions. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16.

In this study, the mean age of participants was 25.4±0.7 years. The average score in the five domains was 93.8±28.9 out of a maximum of 200 points. The mean score of learning area was 22.8±9.6, clinical professors 23.8±9.4, perception of their scientific ability was 15.7±8.2, educational atmosphere was 21.3±9.9 and their social conditions were 11.1±4.2. The mean score of clinical education situation was significantly different in different wards (P=0.003).

The viewpoint of university medical students about the situation of clinical education environment was in the semi-optimal range. Some wards such as internal ward need more attention from University administrators and officials.

Regarding the changes in the process of education and conducting e-learning system in the context of the Corona epidemic, there is an essential role of evaluating the education programs in improving its quality and effectiveness. This descriptive study was conducted to investigate the virtual education status from the perspective of students in Alborz University of Medical Sciences.

The statistical population of the study included 364 students studying at Alborz University of Medical Sciences in the second semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. A researcher-made questionnaire having four domains (lesson introduction, educational content, feedback and interaction, assessment and evaluation) was used as the instrument and 20 items were prepared based on a four-point Likert scale. The questionnaire validity was reviewed and confirmed based on the opinion of a 5-member panel with relevant experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using the test-retest method and Cronbachchr('39')s alpha was 0.902.

The results showed that the virtual education status in the domains of course introduction, educational content, interaction and feedback, assessment and evaluation is relatively favorable from the studentschr('39') point of view. Comparing the level of satisfaction in different schools, the School of Pharmacy, and among the different levels, master students showed the highest level of satisfaction with the virtual education program among the schools based on the domains under study. There was no significant difference in the level of satisfaction between students from different schools and levels.

Generally, the level of satisfaction in terms of various domains was relatively favorable for students participating in the virtual education classes at Alborz University of Medical Sciences.

learning style is a method preferred by learners over other styles in learning lessons. Therefore, knowledge of students’ learning styles is crucial for educational programs. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between learning style and academic achievement of dental students at Alborz University of Medical Sciences.

This cross-sectional research was performed on all dental students in the second semester of 2019-2020. Data were collected using Kolb’s Learning Style Questionnaire. In addition, students’ GPA was an indicator of their academic achievement. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 24 using descriptive and inferential statistics such as Chi-square and one-way ANOVA.

In this research, 205 out of 360 dental students completed the questionnaire. Most participants used a converging learning style (32.7%), and the rest of the subjects applied an assimilating (31.7%), diverging (31.7%) and accommodating (9.3%) learning style. There was no significant difference in students’ learning styles based on gender, year of admission, age and place of residence (P>0.05). However, a significant correlation was reported between learning style and academic achievement (P=0.04), in a way that convergers achieved higher GPAs, compared to divergers.

According to the results of the present study, most students applied converging and assimilating learning styles. Therefore, it is recommended that educational methods that match these styles (e.g., visual content presentation, diagrams, teacher’s handouts, lectures and self-study) be applied in this regard. It is notable that students with a converging learning style obtained higher GPAs, compared to those with a diverging learning style.