Iranian Journal of War and Public Health
Volume:13 Issue: 52, Summer 2021

Diabetes mellitus has been known as a common disease that leads to many comorbid conditions. One of these common conditions is the diabetic foot which increases infections risk. This study was aimed to investigate phagocytic activity in patients with a diabetic foot.

This study was carried out on 150 patients with a diabetic foot in al-Zahraa and al-Karama Teaching Hospitals, Iraq from January 2017 to January 2020. A total of 150 samples was collected for 3 groups (50 participants in each group). Blood samples were transferred into EDTA tubes, then 5ml of blood were pipetted in a plain tube. Thereafter, 0.5ml of working nitro blue tetrazolium solution  was prepared by mixing an equal volume of 0.2% nitro blue tetrazolium solution with phosphate-buffered saline. Next, the plain tube was incubated at 37°C for 15 minutes in a water bath before being left for another 15 minutes at room temperature. A blood smear from the prepared mixture was then stained using Gemza stain. Finally, 100 neutrophils were randomly calculated, and the positive with formazan phenomena appear with blue-black granules were counted out of 100 cells. The statistical data analysis was performed with SPSS 22 using  t-test.

The phagocytic activity was significantly higher in healthy control individuals (14.10±3.96) compared to DM1 (10.54±3.60) and DM2 (11.88±3.54) (p<0.05). There was a significant difference between the control group with DM1 (p=0.448, F=0.58), and DM2 (p=0.314. F=1.02) in term of phagocytes activity.

There is a clear reduction of phagocytic activity in patients with both types of diabetes mellitus with a diabetic foot comparing the healty group.

Eosinopenia is a form of agranulocytosis where the number of eosinophil granulocytes is lower than expected, which is observed in many viral and bacterial infections. This study aimed to investigate eosinopenia in non-respiratory COVID-19 patients.

This experimental study was conducted on COVID-19 patients who had the positive PCR test in an outpatient clinic in Al-Feiha Teaching Hospital in Basrah, Iraq. One hundred four patients were selected from June to November 2020. Full blood counts and estimation of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein were done. The Chi-square statistical test in SPSS 20 software was used for data analysis.

Eosinopenia observed in 47 patients (45.1%); 20 patients (19%) were respiratory COVID-19 and 27 patients (26%) were non-respiratory COVID-19. Total white blood cell count reduced in 17 patients & increased in 30 patients while normal in 57 patients. Logistic regression analysis indicated that eosinopenia is a significant independent predictor of non-respiratory COVID-19 infection (p=0.008; B=0.0001).

Eosinopenia is a predictor of COVID-19 infection in patients with non-respiratory illnesses.

Social health is the part of a person's health that emerges in the community. We consider a person to have social health who can express his/her social activities and roles normally and feel connected to society and social norms. This study was aimed to determine a relationship between social support and social health among the people of Yasouj, Iran.

This descriptive study was a cross-sectional survey conducted on people of Yasuj in 2016. Four hundred people were selected using the cluster sampling method. A standardized questionnaire for the social support variables was used. The information was coded and entered into SPSS 22 software. Kendall's tau-c test was used to analyze the relationships between variables.

There were significant relationships between social health and social, family, friends, and others' support (p<0.05).

Social support (family, friends, and others) can help increase the social health of individuals, and it can reduce social harm.

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 is a transmembrane glycoprotein closely related to tumorigenicity as well as tumor metastasis. It is also a well-known candidate for detecting tumors as a very common consequence of war-related symptoms. This study was designed to investigate the probability of using a cancer biomarker (VCAM-1) as an indicator for the progression of breast, lung, and bladder cancers.

This experimental study was conducted on 15 to 89 years-old patients who attended the Middle Euphrates cancer center and the breast disease clinic in AL-Sadder Medical City teaching hospital in Al-Najaf Province, Iraq, for a checkup from September 2020 to January 2021. Eighty-eight samples were selected by random sampling method; 22 patients for each breast, lung, and bladder cancer group and 22 healthy subjects as control. An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used to evaluate the concentration of VCAM-1. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison tests.

The means±SE of VCAM-1 levels in control, breast, lung, and bladder cancer groups were 42.29±3.928ng/ml, 58.12±2.357ng/ml, 66.81±4.307ng/ml, and 82.85±7.292ng/ml, respectively. Serum VCAM-1 levels increased significantly in all groups compared to the control group (p<0.05) except in breast cancer (p>0.05). There was a significant difference only between breast and bladder cancer groups (p<0.05).

The highest level of VCAM-1 is in the bladder cancer group; therefore, serum VCAM-1 can be used as an indicator for bladder cancer.

One of the most dangerous complications of COVID-19 is sudden hyperglycemia that may carry a high incidence of the death rate. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between death rate and hyperglycemia caused by COVID-19 infection in non-diabetic patients.

In this study, 296 patients were selected randomly, 57 patients complaining of sudden hyperglycemia (>400 mg/dl) one week after the high fever subsided; the others did not show such complain. Statistical analysis was done to evaluate the relative risk of hyperglycemia upon the incidence of mortality rate between two groups.

The X2 value was 20.5959 for all, and the p-value was not significant except for COVID-19 with hyperglycemia that showed a highly significant mortality rate (X2=15.9, p<0.001).

Hyperglycemia should be monitored even after regression of COVID-19 symptoms, and insulin therapy must be considered to minimize the risk of death.

Mourning and grief are common experiences that can be stressful events with adverse physical, social, and psychological consequences. This study aimed to design and develop Inter-Organizational Psychosocial Support for the family and survivors of the deceased Covid-19

This qualitative study was conducted in 2021. After a review of literature, several focus group discussions and rounds of Delphi were carried out with 35 experts, who were selected purposively. The interventions were presented to the target group as a pilot for six months.

Inter-organizational Interventions are presented in 5 main stages. Initial social worker assessment, mental assessment by mental health experts, complete a checklist and send it to the expert in charge of social work at the university, providing social and economic interventions by social workers in cooperation with support organizations and finally follow-up, termination, and documentation.

The results of this study can be used as inter-organizational interventions to facilitate the realization of social equality and justice especially for vulnerable people.

The quality of life for the disabled is one of the biggest challenges in today's societies. This study aimed to investigate the quality of life, determine the effective criteria, and provide operational solutions to improve the right of people with disabilities in Tehran.

This combined-exploratory research with the qualitative-quantitative method was carried out on disabled people in Tehran from 2021 to 2022. In the qualitative phase, the pathology of improving the right of people with disabilities in the city was investigated using a phenomenological approach through a semi-structured interview. The experts and disabled population were selected by snowball and available sampling, respectively (n=27). The quantitative phase was performed by survey method using a researcher-made questionnaire. Cluster sampling was performed in five areas of Tehran. The number of samples was estimated to be 384 using Cochran's formula. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were confirmed using face validity and Cronbach's alpha, respectively. Data were analyzed using a one-sample t-test by SPSS 20 software.

A total of 335 primary codes and 52 secondary codes were extracted from all interviews. These 52 secondary codes were subjected to 18 sub-themes and finally, five main themes, including improvement of urban spaces for the people with disabilities; participation of the people with disabilities in urban spaces; allocation of the right to people with disabilities; adaptation of public transportation for people with disabilities; and education and information as fulfilling the rights of people with disabilities were extracted.

It is necessary to pay attention to the factors affecting the quality of life of people with disabilities in various socio-cultural, economic, and physical-structural dimensions of Tehran in urban management and design.

 Surviving a war while other friends are dying or seriously injured is one of life's most painful experiences, which can lead to physical, cognitive, and emotional reactions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of unified transdiagnostic therapy on cognitive emotion regulation, experimental avoidance, and diagnostic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans.

 This was a quasi-experimental study with a two-group design of experiments and controls with pre-test and post-test, which was carried out on all veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder in Mashhad city in 2020-2021. Thirty-two people were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to two 16-person experimental and control groups. The subjects filled out the cognitive emotion regulation, experimental avoidance, and post-traumatic stress disorder questionnaires before and after the intervention. The intervention was performed by the first author in twelve 90-minutes sessions on Tuesdays at the Rayan Mehr Golshan Clinic in Mashhad. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23 software through multivariate analysis of covariance.

 There was a significant difference between all components of cognitive emotion regulation, experimental avoidance, and diagnostic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in experimental and control groups (p <0.05).

 Transdiagnostic therapy is effective on cognitive regulation of emotion, experimental avoidance, and reduction of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans with a disability.

By accepting the absolute rule of non-disability in society and the lives of these people as part of society, it is necessary to pay attention to their needs, especially the need for exercise and physical activity and the optimal use of their leisure time. This study aimed to identify the factor affecting the development of sports participation in the leisure time of veterans and disabled persons in Iran.

The present study followed an interpretive paradigm and a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with participants who were selected purposefully and selected by snowballs. At interview 17, theoretical saturation was obtained and continued until interview 19 for reassurance. Data analysis was performed by content analysis and coding methods.

The 49 non-duplicate extracted initial codes were classified into 15 sub-categories and 4 core categories (socio-cultural, economic, political-legal and technological-environmental).

The institutionalization of participatory sports for veterans and the disabled increase community health, reduce health care costs, and increase community productivity.