Modern Care Journal
Volume:14 Issue: 2, Apr 2017

Antitrypsin is one of the factors that increases during inflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to monitor alterations in serum antitrypsin level during pulmonary tuberculosis treatment and determine its association with pulmonary function and fibrotic changes.
This quasi-experimental study was done on all 40 patients who had pulmonary tuberculosis and were referred in 2015 - 2017 to a tuberculosis care center in Birjand, Iran. Sampling was done through the census method. After the establishment of tuberculosis diagnosis, all patients received tuberculosis treatment for 6 consecutive months. Before, 2 and 6 months after treatment onset, 5-milliliter blood samples were obtained from each patient for antitrypsin measurement. Moreover, chest radiography was performed for each patient both before and 6 months after treatment onset, while pulmonary function test or spirometry was done 2 and 6 months after treatment onset. The one-way analysis of variance, independent-sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U, Friedman, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed for statistical data analysis.
From the 40 recruited patients, only 24 completed the study. The mean of serum antitrypsin level at baseline was 201.72 ± 47.66, which significantly decreased to 157.61 ± 36.98 and 141.10 ± 26.76, at respectively 2 and 6 months after treatment onset (P The serum level of antitrypsin decreases during pulmonary tuberculosis treatment. Therefore, antitrypsin, as an acute-phase protein, can be used for the follow-up assessment of response to treatment among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Middle-aged females are very vulnerable in their menopausal transition and are at risk for developing chronic illnesses. Modification of eating behaviors is one of the most important strategies for the prevention and management of chronic illnesses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention based on the health belief model and self-regulation on female’s eating behaviors during menopausal transition.
As a randomized controlled field trial, this study was done in 2016 on seventy 35- to 50-year-old females recruited from primary healthcare centers in Darmian county, Iran. Females were randomly allocated to control and intervention groups. A valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire was used to assess self-regulation and Health Belief Model constructs. Women in the intervention group received theoretical trainings about eating behaviors in six 60- to 90-minute sessions and practical training about healthy cooking in one 180-minute session. Data collection was done before, immediately after, and 3 months after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed via the SPSS software (v. 18.0) and by conducting the independent-sample t test, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and Bonferroni post hoc test at a significance level of less than 0.05.
The study groups did not significantly differ from each other regarding female’s demographic characteristics (P The educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model and self-regulation improved women’s healthy eating knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and practice.

There are 350 million carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) around the world. HBV can be associated with type II diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for type II diabetes mellitus among patients with HBV.
This community-based, cross sectional, descriptive, correlational study recruited participants above 13 years, who resided in Esfandiar rural area, Tabas, Iran. A blood sample was collected from each participant for serological and biochemical tests. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data on the participants’ demographic characteristics, HBV risk factors, and diabetes mellitus risk factors. Independent sample t test, Chi square test, and Fisher’s exact test were applied in SPSS v. 22.0 at a significance level of This study was conducted on 1245 rural dwellers, with the mean age of 36.5 ± 18.5 years (range, 13 - 96 years). The study population consisted of 676 (54.3%) males and 569 (45.7%) females. The prevalence of type II diabetes mellitus and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seropositivity was 7.6% (n, 95) and 12.5% (n, 156) among the participants, respectively. Moreover, the prevalence of HBsAg seropositivity among diabetic patients was insignificantly higher than nondiabetic patients (15.8% vs. 12.3%; P = 0.32). The prevalence of seropositivity among diabetic men was significantly higher than diabetic women (P = 0.02). The mean age, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, and hemoglobin A1c level were significantly higher among diabetic, antigen-positive patients, compared to their nondiabetic counterparts (P 0.05).
This study suggests that HBV can be a risk factor for type II diabetes mellitus. Therefore, continuous monitoring for diabetes mellitus is essential for patients with HBV infection, particularly those above 50 years, those with a body mass index above 25 kg/m2, and those with a positive family history of type II diabetes mellitus.

The risks of advanced liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer among patients with hepatitis B and C virus co-infection are greater than in patients with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection.
The present study sought to assess the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among individuals with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seropositivity in Mashhad, the largest city in the northeast of Iran.
This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2017 on 284 individuals with HBsAg seropositivity who referred from April 2016 to March 2017 to the Central Diagnostic Laboratory of the Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research, Mashhad, Iran. Commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used for detection of hepatitis C virus. Moreover, real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction quantification test was performed for individuals with hepatitis C virus antibody.
Participants were aged 4 - 89 years. Among them, 158 (55.6%) were male with a mean age of 43.9 ± 14 and 126 (44.4%) were female with a mean age of 40.5 ± 14.1. Hepatitis C virus antibody was detected only in four individuals (1.41%) and hepatitis C virus RNA (genotype 3) was detected only in one of these individuals with a viral load of 1000 copies/ml.
Study findings show the low prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus co-infection in Mashhad, Iran.

Hepatitis B is a risk factor for cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Epidemiological study of patients with hepatitis B can provide valuable information for thoughtful healthcare planning. This study was made to evaluate the epidemiology of the hepatitis B virus infection in Babol Iran.
This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study sample consisted of all individuals who had been diagnosed with hepatitis B in 2010 - 2016 and their hepatitis-related information were available from the hepatitis B assessment forms in the Health Administration of Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Study data were retrieved from the already completed forms.
A total of 567 hepatitis B forms had been completed in 2010 - 2016. Among 567 individuals, 373 cases (65.8%) were male and 194 (34.2%) were female. Individuals were mostly married and rural dwellers. The age group with the highest frequency was 25 - 35. Most men were self-employed, while most women were housewives. The most important reasons behind the hepatitis B surface antigen testing among women and men were pregnancy and the availability of hepatitis B risk factors, respectively. Around 91.5% of participants had not received a hepatitis B vaccine at all, 3.2% had received it incompletely, and 5.3% completely.
Hepatitis B is more common among married, middle-aged, males, as well as rural dwellers. Continuous follow-up assessment, lifestyle education, and complete hepatitis B vaccination are essential for effective hepatitis B prevention.

Blood transfusion can save a million lives. Nonetheless, every recipient is at risk for transfusion-transmissible infection, chiefly hepatitis B infection. The aim of this study was to compare stationary and mobile blood donation centers respecting the prevalence of hepatitis B in 2007 - 2016.
This cross-sectional descriptive study compared hepatitis B prevalence in stationary and mobile blood donation centers in Southern Khorasan in a ten-year period from 2007 to 2016. Data were retrieved from data sheets available from Iranian blood transfusion organization.
A total of 157063 blood units had been collected in 2007 - 2016. The number of blood units collected by stationary and mobile centers was 129,899 (82.7%) and 27,164 (17.3%), respectively. Total hepatitis B prevalence rate was 0.22% (348 cases). This rate in stationary and mobile centers was 0.18% (232 cases) and 0.40% (116 cases), respectively. Hepatitis B prevalence was significantly greater in mobile centers than in stationary centers (P Hepatitis B prevalence in mobile blood donation centers is significantly higher than that in stationary centers. This problem can be due to the limited health-related knowledge of blood donors in rural areas where mainly mobile centers collect blood units. Therefore, restricting blood collection by mobile centers may be indicated until necessary health- and donation-related educations are provided to all people in high-risk areas.

Sexual transmission is one of the routes of hepatitis B transmission. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of hepatitis B among the spouses of patients with hepatitis B.
This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was done on 397 spouses of chronic carriers of hepatitis B, who had referred during years 2003 to 2014 to a private clinic of infectious diseases in Birjand, Iran. Serological tests for hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-core antigen antibody were performed for all participants. Data were entered in the SPSS software (v. 19.0) and analyzed through the Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests at a significance level of less than 0.05.
The prevalence of hepatitis B among participants was 8.3%. Resolved hepatitis B was observed in 40.6% of the participants. The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen positivity and hepatitis B core antigen antibody positivity among participants whose spouses had shown hepatitis B e-antigen positivity was 15.8% and 70.2%, respectively. This rate among participants whose spouses had shown hepatitis B e-antigen negativity was 7% and 36.3%, respectively. Hepatitis B e-antigen positivity among participants’ spouses was significantly correlated with transmission of hepatitis B core antigen antibody positivity (odds ratio = 4.18; 95% confidence interval: 2.08 - 8.38; P This study suggests the high risk of hepatitis B interspousal transmission, particularly among patients with hepatitis B e-antigen positivity. Therefore, public education about hepatitis B and emergency vaccination against it are essential for spouses of infected patients, to prevent interspousal transmission.

The purpose of this study is to present the case of Depersonalization and Derealization induced by Zolpidem. symptoms of depersonalization may occur in individuals who suffer from additional mental disorders, various medical conditions, and/or have taken certain medications. The subject was a 24-year-old male patient who has consumed 20 mg of Zolpidem for the treatment of primary insomnia. He complained that he suffered from a strange feeling in his limbs and hands along with a feeling of change in the environment immediately after the medication. His symptoms ceased after treatment was stopped and recurred when he restarted the drug. Medications and medical as well as psychiatric conditions, which are associated with causing symptoms of depersonalization, are reported here and the postulated pathogenesis by which some of these drugs induced depersonalization symptoms is also discussed. Medication-associated with depersonalization symptoms are typically resolved once the inducing drug has been withdrawn. We performed research questions regarding the side effect of Zolpidem and etiology of derealization as well as depersonalization in all of the databases and citation indexes. There were no results relevant to the research question. Therefore, we should assess medications such as Zolpidem as well as psychiatric conditions that are associated with causing symptoms of depersonalization.