Annals of Military and Health Sciences Research
Volume:19 Issue: 4, Dec 2021

 Given the increasing trend of hookah use among youth in deprived areas and the increasing number of traditional teahouses serving hookahs, it is critical to investigate the reasons for this issue.

 The aim was to determine the factors affecting the tendency to use hookahs.

 This study was conducted in Zahedan City, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The sampling method in this study was cluster sampling, such that among 15 traditional teahouses, 4 teahouses were randomly chosen. After referring to each of these teahouses, 1385 questionnaire forms were distributed among all youth, and 300 questionnaire forms were returned. The structured questionnaire consisted of a series of questions about demographic data, favorite flavor, duration of using a hookah, the main reason for hookah smoking, etc. The analysis of the data involved both descriptive and inferential statistics, including mean, SD, and linear regression. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.

 The results of linear regression showed that the duration of smoking (B = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.22-0.37) and reason for smoking were significantly associated with the rate of hookah smoking (B = 0/56; 95% CI, 0.45 - 0.68).

 As a result, there is a strong association between smoking duration and the atmosphere of traditional teahouses with the rate of hookah smoking. Thus, other places with a healthy atmosphere (such as gyms and sports clubs) should be made for youths to spend their time.

 Wound healing is a physiologic process that cells and tissues react when the skin is exposed to thermal injury. The inflammatory process has ‎essential effects on wound healing that includes coordination between immunological and biological responses. Chemical and herbal medicines are locally or systemically administrated to help wound healing. Herbal medicines have become more prevalent in recent years due to fewer side effects. Dwarf elder is used to treating inflammation and has been reported to possess antibacterial and antioxidant activities. This plant is also effective against burns, wounds, eczema, and infection.

 In this study, we evaluated the topical application of dwarf elder on full-thickness epidermal thermal wounds in Wistar rats.

 Thirty adult male Wistar rats of about 300 g were used. The rats were randomly divided into three groups: Control group, vehicle group treated with an ointment base, and treatment group treated with elder ointment 10%. The animals were anesthetized and were created burn wounds with an area of 1 cm2 using the Meyer method. After 21 days, the wounds were photographed with a Canon camera. The wound area and healing degree were calculated. Slides were stained with H&E and examined by light microscopy and GraphPad Prism software. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using ANOVA and Tukey’s test. The significance level was considered at P < 0.05.

 The wound area on the 21st day was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control and vehicle groups. The epithelium thickness (μm) was significantly higher in the treatment group than in the control and vehicle groups. The blood vessels were significantly higher in the treatment group than in the other groups.

 The study showed that elder extract could be an effective remedy to repair and heal thermal injury and burn wounds.
 

Context:

 Iran was one of the first countries in the world to encounter acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in February 2020. Numerous efforts have been made worldwide to develop safe and effective vaccines to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Finally, several vaccines with different platforms have been licensed for use in various countries. The injection of these vaccines can lead to a range of unwanted side effects (mild to severe).

 This study tried to collect the common adverse effects of the most frequently used COVID-19 vaccines in Iran and provide readers with relevant information and statistics.

 This review study collected papers by searching in foreign journals using databases, such as PubMed, PubMed Central, MEDLINE, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and Embase, with the keywords of side effects, COVID-19, vaccine, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, and Sinopharm, which were published within 2000-2021.

 According to available information and studies, vaccines, unlike COVID-19, do not have any threatening and high-risk side effects, and their benefits outweigh their insignificant side effects. A total of 48 full-text studies and 10 valid websites with high citations and up-to-date information were selected. Among the relevant references, 26, 16, and 16 studies performed on AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, and Sinopharm vaccines were chosen for review, respectively.

 The findings of this study can reassure readers and be effective in combating misconceptions about vaccination. Undoubtedly, the main solution to overcome the economic damage and social health burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is to accelerate global vaccination.

Heavy metals cause significant issues when people are exposed to many specific types of them. They can cause many disorders and affect the biochemical pathways in the body. Herbs are known as one of the richest sources of modern patented drugs, particularly in Iranian references. Many metals, particularly heavy metals, are toxic. Various studies have shown a higher level of heavy metals than standards in some countries like Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, and Nigeria. A preliminary study was conducted to determine some toxic elements in powdered Ziziphora (Ziziphora persica) collected from the local market in Lahijan city, northern Iran. Twenty random samples were gathered from various markets, and a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS) was used to detect some featured toxic elements, including copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and mercury (Hg). The results showed higher Pb, Cd, and Hg levels than standards. Besides, Cu and Zn were detected to be lower than standards.

 Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most prevalent cancer and the sixth cancer leading to death in men worldwide.

 The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of eight weeks of combined training on specific markers of prostate cancer in older adults.

 Twenty older adults (62 ± 7 years) with prostate cancer were divided randomly into the control (n = 10) and training (n = 10) groups. The training group performed exercise training in three sessions a week for eight weeks. Resistance training included two sets of 10 repetitions at 60 - 75% of one-repetition maximum, and endurance training contained treadmill running for 20 - 35 min at 60 - 75% of maximum heart rate. Bruce test, one-repetition maximum, and ELISA technique were used respectively to measure the aerobic performance, strength performance, and serum levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and testosterone (TS). A two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to specify the differences.

 Weight, fat percentage, Body Mass Index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), glucose, insulin, and PSA were significantly lower in the training group than the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, strength performance, aerobic performance, SHBG, TS, and PTEN were significantly higher in the training group than in the control group (P < 0.05).

 Combined training can have an influential role in physical condition improvement through decreasing the PSA serum level and increasing SHBG, TS, and PETEN serum levels, which helps patients with prostate cancer to be cured.

Sulfur mustard (SM), a classic chemical weapon in the vesicant category, can induce severe damage, for which the therapy is still limited even today. Laboratory work is essential in unveiling toxicological effects and developing medical countermeasures. Sulfur mustard analog 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES), is employed in the lab for less toxicity. However, due to its similar characteristics to SM (being oily, hydrophobic, and volatile), the manipulation of CEES still needs special attention to avoid personnel injury and laboratory pollution. Here, to clear the chemical safety concerns in the laboratory study of CEES, the working procedure and experimental data are summarized, which might help educate new researchers to be skilled and professional.

There have been many studies on arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery outcomes. However, few studies have investigated the outcomes of the arthroscopic repair of isolated subscapularis tendon tear.

This study aimed to evaluate themedium-term clinical outcomes of the arthroscopic repair of an isolated subscapularis tendon tear in a four-year follow-up.

This prospective cohort study was performed on all patients with shoulder pain who had isolated subscapularis tendon on magnetic resonance imaging and underwent arthroscopic evaluation and repair at Besat Hospital, Hamadan, Iran, during 2011 - 2017. The mean follow-up time was 4 years. The modified UCLA, Quick DASH, and visual analogue scale (VAS) were measured, and the belly-press test and lift-off test were completed in the examination. Data were analyzed by the SPSS software version 24.

Out of 11 patients, three were female (27.3%), and seven were male (72.7%). The mean age of patients was 59.42 ± 8.12 years. Nine patients were completely satisfied with the surgery outcome, and one was relatively satisfied. Themean UCLA score 2 years after the surgery increased significantly (33.28 ± 2.92 vs. 10.71 ± 3.4, P < 0.001). The mean Quick DASH reached from 38.26 ± 27.94 before surgery to 7.56 ± 16.43 (P = 0.003). Moreover, the mean VAS score significantly reduced (0.57 ± 1.51 post-intervention compared to 4.57 ± 1.21 pre-intervention, P < 0.001).

The medium-term results of the arthroscopic repair of subscapular tendon tear were satisfactory. Therefore, it can be a reliable alternative method for open subscapularis tendon repair.