مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان
پیاپی 578 (هفته دوم امرداد 1399)

One of the most common problems in the elderly is falling which can lead to adverse consequences. The aim of current study was to compare the risk factors associated with falling in the elderly in Kerman City, Iran.

A cross-sectional study was carried out on 400 elderly referred to Kerman City comprehensive health services centers in 2018. The participants were selected using multi-stage sampling method, and divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of a history falling in the past six months. The individual or environmental risk factors associated with falling were evaluated using the Fall Risk Screening Tool during an interview, and compared. The data were analyzed by SPSS software using Chi-square and Logistic regression.

The mean age of the elderly was 67.04 ± 6.9 years, and 56.8% were women. The history of falling during the past six months was reported in 110 elderly (27.5%), and 314 (78.5%) had multiple risk factors for falling. Taking more than four drugs, using inappropriate shoes, and having underlying illness were the most common related risk factors.

The current study revealed that most elderly had several risk factors for falling that need to be considered in health assessment by healthcare providers.

Diabetes is caused by a breakdown in insulin production or its malfunction in the body. So far, many studies have been done on its treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the histological changes in endocrine part of the pancreas of diabetic rats treated with Rosa damascena extract.

 In this experimental study, 100 male rats were divided into 10 groups of control, untreated diabetic, gavage stress, insulin treatment, three healthy groups receiving different doses of extract, and three diabetic groups receiving different doses of extract (300, 600, and 900 mg/kg). Finally, pancreatic tissue was removed and immunohistochemically stained with hematoxylin-eosin to count pancreatic beta cells number, and to calculate islets of Langerhans. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA test, and P < 0.050 was considered as statistically significant.

 Rosa damascena extract at 900 mg/kg, significantly increased the area of the islets of Langerhans in diabetic rats compared to the diabetic control group (P = 0.021). This dose of extract also increased the percentage of beta cells in the islets of Langerhans compared to the diabetic control group (P = 0.017).

 According to the results, using rose extract can improve tissue changes in the pancreas. This extract can probably be considered as a suitable research potential in future studies.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Today we are facing a global epidemic. Fever, cough, fatigue, breathlessness, and smell or taste loss are the most frequent clinical symptoms. In most cases, the symptoms are mild. However, it may occasionally progress to widespread thrombosis, septic shock, or acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS). The incubation period is usually about 5 days, but can vary from 2 to 14 days. Early quarantine is vital for preventing the complications and rapid spread of the disease. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of a nasopharyngeal sample is the standard diagnostic test. However, this method is expensive and unavailable in many parts of the country, and has delayed results. On the other hand, computerized tomography scan (CT-scan) is widely available and low-cost throughout the country, and provides immediate results with high sensitivity. Indeed, in some cases, CT-scan is capable of providing evidence for the disease before detection of viral RNA from upper respiratory samples. CT-scan exhibits higher sensitivity, but lower specificity for diagnosis of COVID-19, compared to RT-PCR (sensitivity of 59-78% and 95-98% as well as specificity of approximately 100% and 96% for RT-PCR and chest CT-scan, respectively). Low sensitivity for diagnosis of COVID-19 and ionizing radiation exposure are two major disadvantages of CT-scan, which can be resolved to a large extent by clinical and laboratory correlations and utilizing low-dose CT protocols. It seems that CT-scan can be ordered for diagnosis of COVID-19 when PCR test is not feasible, or in case of high clinical suspicion in spite of negative PCR. In addition, CT-scan plays a major role in assessing the severity, extent and prognosis of the disease in monitoring the response to treatment, and in diagnosis of complications.</div>