فهرست مطالب niloufar mahmoudi

 Social isolation is one of the important concerns in the elderly population which can negatively affect their quality of life and health. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of social isolation among older adults aged 60 years and older in Tehran, Iran and find its associated factors.

This is a secondary analysis study on data obtained from a large cross-sectional study conducted on older adults in Tehran in 2020. The Persian version of lubben social network scale (LSNS-6) was used to measure social isolation. The demographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, living arrangements, and number of children), socio-economic status (educational level, employment status, and household income) and health-related information (history of chronic diseases and use of assistive devices) were collected using a checklist. Data were analyzed in SPSS v. 23 software using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The significance level was set at

The data were related to 1280 older adults aged 60 years and older (Mean±SD age=70.97±8.07 years). The prevalence of social isolation was 30.8%. The results of chi-square test revealed that living arrangement (P<0.001, X2=46.93), marital status (P<0.001, X2=26.91), household income (P<0.001, X2=67.44), level of education (P<0.05, X2=20.26), employment status (P <0.001, X2=29.21), musculoskeletal problems (P<0.001, X2=15.47), respiratory problems (P<0.05, X2=10.43), vision problems (P<0.05, X2=4.4), hyperlipidemia (P<0.001, X2=13.53), and wearing glasses (P<0.05, X2=3.92) had significant association with social isolation. The regression analysis model could significantly predict social isolation (X2=188.35, P<0.001). The model revealed that being male (P<0.05, OR=1.7), living with spouse (P<0.05, OR=0.4), musculoskeletal disease (P<0.05, OR=1.42), diabetes (P<0.05, OR=1.41), household income (P<0.001, OR=5.82), being unemployed (P<0.001, OR=2.13), having hyperlipidemia (P<0.001, OR=0.58), and living in developed areas (P<0.001, OR=2.02) significantly predicted the social isolation.

There is a strong association between social isolation and some socio-economic, demographic-health related factors in older adults. Health policymakers and healthcare experts can develop the screening and prevention programs related to the mental and social health of older adults in Tehran, Iran in order to moderate and control these factors.

Green synthesis is a simple, low-cost, non-toxic, environmentally friendly and efficient approach to use. Leaf extract of plants rich in polyphenols, such as flavonoids, is a powerful agent in reducing the synthesis of gold nanoparticles. The purpose of this study is to investigate the parameters affecting the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using the aqueous extract of Scrophularia striata plant and their antimicrobial activity. Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles was accomplished by the interaction of golden salt (HAuC with aqueous extract of Scrophularia striata. In order to obtain uniform and spherical nanoparticles, the following parameters affecting the biosynthesis of nanoparticles were investigated and optimized by ultraviolet-spectrophotometric technique; golden salt concentration, extract volume, pH and reaction time. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction technique were also used to further characterize nanoparticles. Finally, the anti-bacterial properties of gold nanoparticles were investigated by disc diffusion method. The resulting absorption spectra exhibited strong peaks at 570 nm, which is a specific wavelength for gold nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy studies showed that the gold nanoparticles had a spherical shape with a mean diameter of 5-10nm, and the highest diameter of the growth inhibition zone was observed on the diameter of the hafnium bacteria (14mm). In this study, it was observed that, with the aid of Scrophularia striata aqueous extracts, a golden nanoparticle showed an antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria.

Schizophrenia is a disease with unknown etiology. There is evidence suggesting that oxidative damage occurs in schizophrenia. Oxidative damage may arouse from imbalance between oxidant and anti-oxidant factors in cellular and tissue environment. Although it may not be the primary cause, it can worsen the disease and may be a reason of poor response to therapy in these patients. The present study aimed at evaluating the pro-oxidant antioxidant balance (PAB) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in serum of schizophrenia patients. PAB is an assay to determine the pro-oxidant load and antioxidant capacity in a single measurement.
In this cross- sectional study, patients with diagnosis of schizophrenia, who referred to a psychiatry university hospital (Ibn-e-Sina Hospital) affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, were enrolled. Patient's demographic characteristics and laboratory data were recorded from patients’ files. Serum PAB and TAC were measured using a special PAB assay and commercial kit, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16.
A total of 84 individuals (42 schizophrenia cases and 42 healthy controls) participated in this study. Controls were age and sex-matched with the patients’ group. The mean TAC in the patient and control groups was 0.49±0.04 and 0.51±0.04 nmol/L, respectively (p = 0.16). PAB was higher in patients’ group than in controls (127.36±36.44 vs. 118.93±52.34 HK), however, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.09). The change was correlated with the chronicity of the disease.
Pro-oxidant antioxidant balance was elevated in serum of patients with schizophrenia. These data suggested the occurrence of oxidative stress during the progression of the disease. Lower antioxidant capacity might suggest that patients with schizophrenia could be more susceptible to oxidative stress damage.