فصلنامه یافته
سال بیست و پنجم شماره 4 (پیاپی 98، زمستان 1402)

Arbitrary use of drugs not only leads to failure to treat  the disease but also leads to drug complications, inconsistency of prevalence of diseases in the country with the amount of drug consumption and the problem of indiscriminate drug consumption in the pharmaceutical system of the country. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating self-inflicted medication use factors influencing it among patients admitted to Shahid Rahimi Hospital, Khorramabad.

This study was conducted on 381 patients of Shahid Rahimi Hospital, Khorramabad in winter 2021. A simple random sample was drawn and the information of the individuals was collected using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the demographic information and a t-test was conducted using SPSS 23 software for comparisons.

According to the results of this study, the average age of people was 34.322±11.438 years. The percentage of arbitrary drug use was 25.3%. The percentage of self -administered medication was 56.8% for painkillers and 56.2% for multivitamins, 71.2% for cold and flu patients and 38% for chronic and acute headaches. The most important reasons for self-medication are, in this order, the higher quality of foreign medicines compared to Iranian medicines and the use of medicinal plants, and the least important reasons for self-medication are fear and shame of medical examinations, lack of trust in doctors' medicine, taking medicines during illness on the advice of acquaintances and the use of previous doctors' prescriptions were mentioned.

Given the high prevalence of self-inflicted drug use, it is suggested that various educational programs be implemented by appropriate organizations, including the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, medical centers, and mass media to reduce the factors identified in this study.

The population of any country plays a crucial role in its economic, social, cultural, and political development. A young population enhances the workforce and economic dynamism of the country. Changes in lifestyle and a series of population, economic, and political policies in recent years have exposed Iran to the risk of population aging and demographic warnings from social researchers. The situation is such that population experts unanimously believe that if the current trend of increasing births and population growth continues, the country will face a major population crisis in the next 30 years. The present study examined the challenges and policy solutions in the field of Iran's population, considering a densely populated future. Considering the age pyramid between 1990 and 2000, Iran has experienced significant population growth, providing an effective and active workforce for the country. According to statistical models, Iran's population is projected to age significantly by 2030 and 2050. The complex issue of increasing fertility and population growth requires comprehensive and balanced measures. Promoting public awareness, financial support for families, social security provision, gender balance, housing facilities, population research, rural development, and collaboration with non-governmental organizations can be considered appropriate policies to increase fertility in Iran. The population issue should not be politicized, with some opposing and others supporting it; everyone should collaborate to address this significant gap. Considering the serious concerns and warnings of the Supreme Leader regarding population aging and the expressed concerns about the decline in population and the inadequacy of the current situation, policies for increasing fertility and population growth are on the agenda. However, all organizations, agencies, and individuals who can contribute to the realization of these policies must actively and seriously participate.

Due to the possible complications of a persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA), the treatment of the PDA will be necessary, depending on the opinion of the treating physician. Medical or surgical treatment can be used in this regard. In recent years, acetaminophen has been considered a medication with fewer potential side effects.  The present study aimed to compare acetaminophen with ibuprofen in the patent ductus arteriosus in neonates admitted to training hospitals in Khorramabad.

A total of 28 neonates were included in this retrospective cohort study. The required data were collected by studying the patients' files. The PDA in newborns was diagnosed by primary echocardiography by the attending physician. Thereafter, 12 and 16 cases were treated with ibuprofen and acetaminophen, respectively. After completing the treatment period on days 3 and 5, the attending physician performed echocardiography to check PDA closure. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 24) using descriptive indices of mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, Fisher's exact test, and Mann-Whitney U test.

In this study, the frequency of affected male neonates was the same as that of affected female newborns (n=14; 50%). The mean weight scores of neonates in acetaminophen and ibuprofen groups were obtained at 2831/25±918/49 and 2241/5 ±868/9 gr, respectively. All newborns in both groups were treated; thereafter, 23 cases recovered with 3-day treatment and 5 neonates with 5-day treatment. No significant complications were observed in patients.

The effect of acetaminophen on PDA closure was similar to that of ibuprofen. The need for 5-day treatment was higher in the acetaminophen group; nonetheless, no significant side effects were reported in any newborn. According to this study, acetaminophen can be a good alternative to ibuprofen in the treatment of PDA.

Cancer is always one of the major causes of death among patients, and providing affordable and effective medicines that are accessible to patients is one of the most important goals of health systems. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the key factors affecting the availability of medicines and the cancer patients’ affordability in pharmacies in Khorramabad, Iran.

This is cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study in 2022, In this study, pharmacies were considered as clusters, and then 96 prescriptions of cancer patients visiting pharmacies in the urban areas of Khorramabad were simple randomly selected for examination., data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 21).

The results of this study showed that more than half of the patients were reasonably satisfied with the availability of their prescribed medications in pharmacies. However, due to their income and economic situation, they were unable to afford the cost of medications. The most important socio-economic factor affecting access and financial ability to pay for prescribed medicines was the individuals’ level of income. However, in groups with relatively high incomes, the financial ability to pay for prescribed medicines was relatively low.

Since income is a significant factor in the financial ability to pay for cancer medicines, to enhance the productivity of health policies, health policymakers should allocate the necessary subsidies to medicines or increase insurance coverage for these medicines.

Covid-19 is considered a new disease across the globe. Physical activity reduces risk factors, and with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, saffron is used as a traditional herbal medicine to treat cough and asthma. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the effect of saffron supplementation and endurance training on the concentration of C-reactive protein, interleukin-8, and clinical symptoms in outpatients with COVID-19.

The present research was conducted based on a randomized, double-blind, four-group, pretest-posttest design. The statistical population of this research entailed all outpatients with COVID-19 referred to the health center of Keshkosrai. Among this population, 36 cases were randomly selected. The research hypotheses were evaluated using SPSS software at a significance level of P<0.05 using the statistical test of analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and paired T-test.

The results of ANCOVA demonstrated that after adjusting the effect of baseline values, height, and body mass index, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of the mean change of interleukin-8, C-reactive protein, partial oxygen pressure (SpO2), and body temperature (P<0.05). That is, the type of intervention can markedly affect the change of interleukin-8, C-reactive protein, partial oxygen pressure, and body temperature.

As evidenced by the obtained results, it is possible to use saffron as an auxiliary therapeutic method, as well as regular sports activity, which helps to control pathogens, including COVID-19, by boosting the body's immunity.

In numerous studies in the field of medical sciences, researchers use health centers as a frame for stratified sampling. Since socioeconomic variables play a major role in health outcomes, the present study aimed to classify urban health centers of Khorramabad in terms of the socioeconomic status of households using factor and cluster analysis.

In this cross-sectional study, the statistical population included all urban areas of Khorramabad based on the population and housing census conducted by the Statistical Center of Iran. Firstly, the scatter maps of urban areas and health centers were adopted together. Thereafter, socioeconomic indexes of urban areas were calculated in seven fields, and exploratory factor analysis was used to reduce dimensions. Finally, the similar health centers in terms of factor scores were allocated to the same clusters by k-means cluster analysis using SPSS software (version 26) and were displayed on city maps using Arc GIS software.

Three factors identified in factor analysis explained about 73.3% of the total variance of socioeconomic indexes. Based on cluster analysis, 11 health centers were located in cluster 1 (related to lower educational attainment, poorer housing amenities, and higher rate of homelessness and divorce), 16 centers were located in cluster 2 (related to higher studying persons rate, lower marriage rate in women, lower unemployment rate, and higher residence in apartment flats) and 10 health centers were located in cluster 3 (related to higher academic graduates, more profitable jobs, and better housing amenities).

The results of this research can be used in health studies in urban areas of Khorramabad as a basis for performing stratified sampling. Furthermore, it is recommended that authorities adopt more effective planning to improve deprived areas in cluster one.

A high-fat diet can cause obesity and endanger health. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of high-fat diet, continuous moderate-intensity training, and high-intensity intermittent training on the gene expression levels of PLIN2 and ATGL in the twin muscles of male Wistar rats.

Thirty-two male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n=8): 1- control group with a standard diet (ND) 2- control group with a high-fat diet (HFD) 3- high-fat diet and continuous aerobic training with Moderate intensity (HFD+MICT) 4- high-fat diet and intermittent aerobic training (HFD+HIIT). For one training group, eight weeks of moderate-intensity continuous aerobic training (MICT), and for the other group, eight weeks of high-intensity intermittent aerobic training (HIIT) were performed on the treadmill. Then, 48 hours after the last training session, the twin muscle tissue was isolated to check the expression of PLIN2 and ATGL genes. Gene expression analysis was done by Real-time PCR technique. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's post-hoc test were used to analyze the collected data.

After eight weeks of training, the level of PLIN2 gene expression in the two training groups was significantly lower than in the HDF group, and the level of ATGL gene expression was significantly higher in both groups than in the HDF group (P<0.05).

It was shown that two exercises had a modulating effect on the expression of genes that are effective in the process of autophagy and the formation of fat cells.

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the consumption pattern of dairy products and early childhood tooth decay among six-year-old preschool children in Districts 3 and 5 of Tehran during the academic year 2015-2016.

This descriptive-analytical research was conducted on 384 six-year-old preschool students in Districts 3 and 5 of Tehran studying in the academic year of 2015-2016. After obtaining the approval of the Faculty of Dentistry and Deputy of Health at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, as well as consent from the Ministry of Education and school principals, in collaboration with the health teachers, the examination schedule was established. The sampling of students was done in two stages and randomly. Initially, Districts 3 and 5 were randomly selected from among the education Districts under the supervision of Shahid Beheshti University, followed by the selection of 7 schools in the subsequent phase.

The average dmft of the samples was estimated to be 4.17. The consumed dairy products in descending order were ice cream (76%), low-fat milk (75%), dough (68%), butter (64%), cheese (63%), cocoa milk (56%), full-fat milk (47%), cream (44%), curd (39%), high-fat yogurt (37%), and traditional ice cream (33%). Among all dairy products, the consumption of ice cream and cocoa milk was associated with caries risk (P<0.01). Based on the results of the research, gender, parental age, and maternal education were related to the occurrence of early tooth decay in children. It was also found that high-fat milk, cheese, dough, and various types of yogurt were associated with reducing early tooth decay in children, while ice cream and cocoa milk had a relationship with increasing early tooth decay in children. The results of the structural equation modeling showed that dairy consumption has a decreasing effect on dmft.

The results of this study demonstrated that among dairy products, high-fat milk, cheese, dough, and various types of yogurt were associated with reducing early childhood tooth decay, whereas ice cream and cocoa milk are related to increasing this decay in 6-year-old children in Tehran. Despite these findings, there is still a need for additional research in this area.