Journal of Inflammatory Diseases
Volume:17 Issue: 3, 2013

Several Studies have identified that the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic pathway consisting of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays an important role in morphine dependence and withdrawal signs. Orexin projection and its receptors have been found in the brain regions including VTA that involved in the expression of morphine withdrawal signs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of orexin receptor-1 (OX1R) agonist and antagonist microinjection into the VTA on withdrawal signs in morphine dependent rats. This experimental study was carried out on 24 male Wistar rats (weighing 250-300 g) in 2012 that were divided in 4 groups. They were rendered morphine dependent by subcutaneous injection of morphine sulfate at intervals of 12 h for 10 days. On day 11، intra-VTA microinjection of orexin receptor-1 agonist (orexin-A) and antagonist (SB-334867) was performed (2h after last morphine injection and before naloxan injection) and naloxone precipitated withdrawal sings were evaluated for 30 min. In the vehicle group، normal salin was microinjected into the VTA. Data were analyzed using t-test and ANOVA. Intra-VTA SB-334867 microinjection significantly decreased the jumping sign (P< 0. 01). Orexin-A microinjection significantly increased the wet-dog shakes sign (P< 0. 05). With regard to the results، OX1R in the VTA has a little effect on expression of withdrawal signs in morphine dependent rats.

In previous studies، the relationship between body mass index (BMI)، weight gain during pregnancy، pregnancy outcome and preterm delivery is inconsistent. The aim of this study was to determine the association between body mass index and weight gain during pregnancy with preterm delivery. This analytical study was performed in Qazvin province during 2010 and 2011. 1650 pregnant woman aged 18 to 35 years old with gestational age less than 12 weeks were selected. 274 subjects were excluded due to underlying diseases، premature rupture of membrane (PROM) or incomplete prenatal care. Body Mass Index (BMI) were measured. Weight gain during pregnancy and preterm labor (before 37 weeks of gestation) were documented. Data were analyzed by T-Test and Chi-square test. The incidence of preterm delivery in women with lower BMI was higher than other pregnant women، but the difference was not statistically significant. The incidence of preterm delivery in normal weight and overweight women with weight gain during pregnancy less than recommended was higher than others (P=0. 02، P=0. 01). Our results in this study showed the BMI and weight gain during pregnancy were significant in predicting preterm delivery. This study showed that there is an association between BMI and abnormal weight gain during pregnancy with preterm delivery. Therefore، education programs، health services and nutrition consultation are recommended for women in reproductive age.

Marital satisfaction is the most important aspect of the marriage and Emotional Intelligence and conflict resolution styles as individual components are associated with marital satisfaction. The aim of this study was to predict marital satisfaction on the basis of emotional intelligence and conflict resolution styles. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 teacher couples in Urmia in 2010 that were selected by convenience sampling method. Data were collected by Enrich marital satisfaction questionnaire، Bradbury and Greaves emotional intelligence test and Rahim organizational conflict inventory. Data were analyzed by Pearson''s correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analysis. There was a positive and significant correlation between marital satisfaction and emotional intelligence، obliging and compromising conflict resolution styles (P<0. 001). There was a negative and significant correlation between marital satisfaction and avoiding conflict resolution styles (P<0. 01). On the other hand، there was no significant correlation between marital satisfaction and integrating and dominating conflict resolution styles. With regard to the results، emotional intelligence and conflict resolution styles combined together can significantly predict changes in marital satisfaction.

Using Hospital Information Systems (HIS) is effective for reducing medical errors and provides timely access to high quality information. Therefore، all healthcare organizations are trying to implement them. The aim of this study was to identify the success factors of hospital information system implementation. This cross-sectional study was performed on 160 HIS users of educational hospitals in Urmia University of Medical Sciences in 2010 that were selected by multistage cluster random sampling. Data were collected by a self-developed questionnaire which its reliability and validity had been confirmed and results were presented by descriptive statistics. Among the four success factors of HIS implementation، the highest mean score was related to the project management (4. 62±0. 74) and the lowest mean score was related to the organizational factors (3. 98±0. 72). With regard to the results، success in HIS implementation needs attention to the project management factors. Thus، the HIS implementation roadmap should be specified more precisely and the working group should be formed involving users and appropriate leadership.

In the hospital، as an economic firm، economic analysis should be utilized for optimal use of resources and production facilities. In microeconomics، the hospital economic behavior can be analyzed through the production function as a firm producing health services. The aim of this study was to estimate the production function and to determine the economic behavior in hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. This analytical study was conducted on all hospitals (11 hospitals) of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2010. The double-log Cobb-Douglas production function was used to estimate the economic behavior of the production and service delivery. Data were collected in panel form (combined) and by survey method for a period of 13 years. Finally، the econometric software Eviews 5 was used to estimate the model. Physicians (0. 57)، nurses (0. 36)، beds (0. 24)، technology (0. 0004) and other personnel (-0. 07) inputs had the most effect on hospital production (the number of inpatient admissions)، respectively. Determination coefficient (R2=0. 99) and Durbin-Watson test (D. W=1. 98) values fall within favorable range. Total production function coefficient was more than 1. 1. The results showed the great importance of physicians to increase the production (the number of inpatient admissions). Since the production function of Iranian hospitals is often increasing returns to scale، investment on production inputs can predict the increasing rise of production.

There are a lot of hospitals in Tehran and the competition among them will be increased gradually. In this situation، achieving customers'' satisfaction is of great importance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the customers'' satisfaction in hospitals of regions 1 & 2 in Tehran. This analytical study was performed in all hospitals (25 hospitals) of regions 1 & 2 in Tehran from April to September 2010. 250 patients were selected by simple random sampling method. Finally، 150 questionnaires were suitable for analysis. Data were collected by questionnaire and the research model was designed according to Zineldin''s Model. The data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis، structural equation model (SEM) and T-test. T-statistic for the quality of offered service، the process of offering service، skills - experience level of medical staff، communication - information interaction، the quality of hospital environment، the quality of physical equipments، and the hospital''s reputation were equal to 4. 91، 4. 76، 6. 97، 7. 89، 7. 02، 4. 03، 3. 89. All studied factors affected the customers'' satisfaction in the hospitals. According to the results، it is suggested that hospitals should pay more attention to the factors which influenced patients'' satisfaction.

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is known as a conserved gene-directed mechanism for the specific elimination of unnecessary or unwanted cells from an organism and is involved in many immune system mechanisms and diseases. The main differences of this pathway with cell necrosis as two main pathways for elimination of unwanted cells are the absence of inflammation and the restricted effect on target cells. Apoptosis has an important role in biological processes such as normal development، tissue homeostasis، elimination of destroyed cells or virus infected cells and remove of self antigen-activated immune cells. A poptosis is important for regulation of cell growth and proliferation، development and body health and many autoimmune diseases، cancers and viral infections are the result of impaired or inhibited programmed cell death. Therefore the main objective of apoptosis research is to identify molecular components and regulatory mechanisms specially Bcl-2 and IAP family as the most important regulators of apoptosis and this information may lead to application of therapeutic agents that can modulate this process in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and proliferative diseases such as cancer.

The revised Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation system (APACHE II) is a system based on the evaluation of physiological variables. This retrospective study was performed to compare APACHE II with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) for predicting hospital mortality in 93 patients with head injury associated with systemic trauma admitted in the ICU of Shahid Rajaie Hospital، Qazvin during 2007 and 2008. Sensitivity، specificity and the correct prediction of the two scoring systems were compared by Chi-square test. With regard to the results، APACHE II was superior to GCS for the prediction of mortality in the patients with systemic trauma.

Some health services have been transferred to private sector by different methods such as managerial outsourcing, renting, purchase services and participation. The objective of this comparative study was to determine the efficiency of all health facilities of Tehran Gharb health center, in 2010. Data were collected from available documents and statistics and were analyzed by DEAP software. Among 11 health facilities, 27% were efficient and the mean efficiency score was 0.878. With regard to the results, it is probable that independence of these health facilities from governmental resources make them more efficient than similar facilities in other studies. However, appropriate policy making should be adopted to use financial resources in a better way.