مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان
پیاپی 728 (هفته چهارم شهریور 1402)

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused challenges in accessing and utilizing healthcare, particularly dental services. This study focuses on determining the impact of the pandemic on Iranian households' use of dental services and the factors that influence it.

The statistical population of this study consisted of households throughout the country, with a sample size of 76,495 households. The study employed a logistic regression model, and statistical analysis was conducted using Access, Excel, and STATA 15 software.

The study found that fewer households utilized dental services after the outbreak of COVID-19. The ratio of dental service utilization before and after the occurrence of COVID-19 was 4.59% and 2.84% of households, respectively. Additionally, households with insurance coverage were more likely to use dental services, while households with an employed head, a highly educated head with high income, and households with elderly members were less likely to utilize dental services.

For improving the utilization of dental services after the COVID-19 pandemic among Iranian households, particularly those: without insurance, living in rural areas, with elderly members, and headed by women, evidence-based interventions should be implemented.

The sudden epidemic of Corona led to the suspension of face-to-face medical education. The educational system tried to compensate for the shortcomings by using distance and electronic education. This study aimed to describe the opportunities of virtual education in the pandemic from the point of view of general medical students.

The current research is a qualitative study with a conventional content analysis approach. The participants consisted of 14 students who had the experience of virtual education during the Corona era. Purposive sampling method was used to select the interviewees. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and with the help of MaxQDA software. Lincoln and Goba criteria were used to ensure the accuracy of the data.

Based on data analysis, three main categories include "infrastructural opportunities", "educational opportunities" and "individual opportunities" along with 9 subcategories "breaking the traditional classroom; link with technology". "The development of virtual education systems", "New experience of education management", "Emergence of new style of tests", "Education free from time and place; academic flexibility", "Educational self-management representation", "Time saving; optimal time management”, "more mental-psychological satisfaction; more satisfaction with life" and "fuller pocket, less financial worries" were obtained as the main opportunities of virtual education.

Virtual education had an effect on the quality of education and life of students. Therefore, the expression of opportunities can be effective and helpful for future policies and lead to the creation of new ideas of distance education in the future. In this regard, especially academic flexibility and education free from time and place facilitates and accelerates the exploitation of national and international opportunities.

Immunocompromised persons are very susceptible to fungal infections. It is desirable to treat pulmonary fungal infections with specific delivery of drugs to the lungs.

Zein nanoparticles containing fluconazole were prepared by anti-solvent method. Their physico-chemical properties were investigated. From the optimal formulation, dry powder was prepared with lactose or mannitol using spray drying and aerosolization characteristics of the dry powders were evaluated using Anderson's cascade impactor. Antifungal effect was investigated against candida albicans and minimum inhibitory concentration was determined. Cytotoxicity of free fluconazole, dry powder containing drug loaded nanoparticles, dry powder containing nanoparticles without drug was also evaluated against A549 cell line by MTT method.

The size of nanoparticles was in the range of 88.70 ± 1.35 to 226.90 ± 5.40 nm, and the percentage of loading efficiency was in the range of 57.58 ± 3.61 to 92.94 ± 0.34. In the prepared dry powder samples, all the powder samples had a high emitted dose percentage. Cytotoxicity test showed that in general none of the groups had significant cytotoxic effects even at the highest studied concentration.

Using lactose as carrier, can improve the aerodynamic properties of dry powder compared with mannitol. The prepared inhaled fluconazole powder has a suitable fine particle fraction % and a low median mass aerodynamic diameter and can be well deposited in the lung. In addition, powder containing fluconazole was safe and its effect was comparable with fluconazole.