Jundishapur Journal of Chronic Disease Care
Volume:4 Issue: 1, Jan 2015

Recent evidences have shown that obesity may affect homocysteine concentration. In addition, other studies reported that migraine is associated with high homocysteine concentration and obesity..

The purpose of this study was to assess any association between general obesity and homocysteine levels in patients with migraine..Patients and

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 121 patients with migraine, aged 15-67 years, referred to Isfahan Khorshid and Imam Mosua Sader clinics in 2013. Fasting serum homocysteine concentration and anthropometric measurements such as weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Fat Mass (BFM) and Lean Body Mass (LBM) were measured. The association between anthropometric measurements and homocysteine levels was examined with linear regression test, using SPSS software (version 18.0)..

Obesity and overweight were found in 14% and 43% of patients, respectively. In addition, hyperhomocysteinemia was observed in 19.6% of women, but none of men had homocysteine levels higher than 15 µm/L. There was a significant positive association between BMI (P = 0.002), BFM (P = 0.007) and LBM (P 0.001) with serum levels of homocysteine. These associations remained significant even after adjustment for confounding variables. Moreover, in sex-stratified analyses, we found significant associations between BMI and BFM with homocysteine levels either in crude and adjusted models. However, such association was not significant for LBM (P = 0.31 for men; P = 0.06 for women)..

Body mass index, BFM and LBM were significantly associated with high homocysteine levels in patients with migraine. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings..

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a serious and costly complication in diabetes which affects approximately 15% of patients with diabetes and affects their quality of life (QOL).. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors associated with QOL in patients with DFU..Patients and This cross-sectional study was performed on 60 patients (32 males and 28 females) hospitalized for DFU, performed through convenience sampling. Data related factors and the QOL questionnaire for patients with DFU were abridged. This questionnaire has 29 questions in six dimensions of enjoying life, physical health, daily activities dependence, negative emotions, concern about wound, and wound caring, which evaluate the QOL in patients with DFU. The scoring method for this tool is five optional Likert. Descriptive and analytic statistical methods were used to analyze the data.. Of the 60 patients with DFU, 53% were male and 47% female with an average age of 58.08 ± 11.95 years and average QOL of 41.1 ± 9.15. Statistical analysis showed that age (P = 0.002), employment (P ≤ 0001), socioeconomic status (P = 0.016), leg ulcer (P ≤ 0001), and the number of foot ulcer (P = 0.017) had a statistically significant relationship with QOL and its dimensions. Other variables did not have a significant relationship with QOL, but some of them such as smoking during negative emotions (P = 0.046) and marital status affecting the foot care difficulties (P = 0.03) had significant statistical relationships with QOL.. Diabetic foot ulcer affects different aspects of life and can reduce patient’s QOL. To improve the care behaviors and have a better control of foot ulcers and improve the QOL for these patients, taking into account factors such as age, occupation, marital status, number of wounds, and economic status is essential to plan for care and health needs in these patients..

Inadequate knowledge and lack of its transmission to the community from health services staff is one of the factors of failure in preventing cardiovascular disease.. Thus we aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of health services staff in relation to prevention of cardiovascular diseases..Patients and In this descriptive and analytic study, performed during the year 2012, subjects included 185 women health services staff (Including Physicians, Nurses, Midwives, Health experts and Health workers) from Fereydan and Chadegan city. The data collection tool was questionnaires including demographic characteristics and questions about knowledge, attitude and practice. For statistical analysis the SPSS20 software, descriptive statistics and statistical tests were used.. Mean percentage of knowledge, attitude and practice scores of health services staff were 56.48 ± 9.89, 67.01 ± 5.46 and 37.56 ± 20.30, respectively. Regarding the risk factors for cardiovascular disease 2.7% of the participants had good and 36.2 % had poor knowledge. Furthermore, 4.9% had good attitude, 0.5% had poor attitude, 82.2% had poor practice, and only 1.1% had good practice.. Knowledge, attitude and practice of subjects were not desirable. Therefore, we recommend preparation and appropriate educational booklets for health services staff and quality retraining courses in this field along with evaluation at the end of the retraining courses and also activate physicians training of other health care personnel..

Complications and diabetes-related difficulties such as fatigue are among the major hindrances in improving health behaviors such as the participation in diabetes self-care programs.. This study investigates the factors influencing fatigue levels in type two diabetes patients given the significance of fatigue and its consequences on controlling diabetes as well as regarding the significant role of the community health nurses in treating and educating patients..Patients and The present study is a quantitative research with a descriptive design. The participants of the study were 195 patients with type two diabetes supported by Isfahan Endocrine and Metabolism Research Centre. They were selected via available sampling method. The instrument of data collection was a written questionnaire that consists of two-part demographic information section and a short form of the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory (MFSI-SF). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (ver 16). The significance value for all the tests in the study was P 0.05.. There were significant statistical differences (P 0.05) between the mean fatigue scores for females (23.22 ± 17.49) and males (13.24 ± 17.73). Among the investigated factors, there was a significant statistical association among the fatigue mean total score and body mass index, (F = 9.521, df = 2, P 0.05), physical activity (t = 3.90, df = 190, P 0.05), and complications such as nephropathy, neuropathy, and foot ulcer history.. Fatigue in diabetes is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, which can be controlled and treated effectively, if it is evaluated appropriately, and the factors that cause it are investigated..

Adequate sleep is essential for general health. Several factors disrupt sleep patterns. The quality of sleep affects health and daily functions.. The current study aimed to determine the students'' sleep patterns and other sleep related factors..Patients and The current cross-sectional study was conducted on 350 female students of the Islamic Azad University, Rasht branch (Rasht, Iran) who were selected by multistage random sampling method. Data collection tool was a self-reporting questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, employing Chi-square, and Pearson product moment correlation coefficients.. The mean age of the subjects was 22.16 ± 2.86 years. Results showed 35.7% disruption of sleep onset, 46.3% impairment of sleep continuity, and 32% awakening early in the morning. Also, 42.3% of the subjects expressed excellent sleep quality. There was a significant relationship among sleep quality with the time of going to bed, difficulty in sleeping, awakening by noise, repeated awakening at night, waking up early in the morning, fatigue, and sleepiness in classroom.. The results of the current study showed a high prevalence of sleep problems among the students. Identification and treatment of students’ sleep disorders may improve academic performance and life quality..

Recent studies show that serum lipid profile and body composition have effects on the prognosis of multiple sclerosis (MS).. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aerobic dancing training on serum lipid profile in women with RRMS (relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis)..Patients and Twenty-eight RRMS patients, age range 20-45 years with mild disability (expanded disability status scale 3 (EDSS 3)) participated in this semi-experimental study. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: exercise group (n = 15) and control group (n = 13). Lipid profile and body composition parameters were measured before and after the intervention. Exercise group participated in aerobic dancing training program at 50% -70 % heart rate reserve (HRR) for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week.. At the end of the 8 week period, significant decreases have been found in TG (triglyceride), TC (total cholesterol), VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) levels and percent body fat (PBF) in exercise group (P < 0.05). Also, a significant difference observed in TG, VLDL levels, and PBF between 2 groups at the final measuring (P < 0.05). There was no significant change in the investigated parameters between initial and final measurements in the control group (P > 0.05).. In general, the results confirm the positive influence of the regular aerobic dance training on changes in lipid profile and body composition parameters in female patients with RRMS..

One of the groups predisposed to viral coinfection of hepatitis B and C (HCV and HBV) is injecting drug prisoners. The crimes, they were sentenced to prison for, are often the same high risk behavior, which predispose individuals to high risk diseases like AIDS and hepatitis. Because coinfection of hepatitis B and C complicates the clinical course, management, and therapy, the literature on the prevalence of HBV/HCV coinfection among intravenous drug abuse inmates in Iran is sparse.. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C coinfection in drug abuse prisoners and its association with demographic characteristics and high risk behaviors..Patients and This cross-sectional study was carried out on drug abuse prisoners during 2009 in Isfahan. Data were collected by questionnaire, including high risk behaviors, medical and surgery record, and demographic characteristics. Blood samples were tested for HBsAg and HCV Ab. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson test.. The results showed that 20 inmates (2.1%) had coinfection of HBV and HCV. Also a significant correlation exists between coinfection of HBV and HCV and dental care (P = 0.02), using a shared needle (P = 0.01), and history of imprisonment (P = 0.01).. With regard to the results of the present research, in order to lower the risk of these diseases transmission in prison, some interventions are recommended as follows: informing the prisoners and enhancing their awareness about high risk behaviors, screening them prior to entry and during their stay, giving them sterile syringes, and supervising more carefully over entrance of drugs into the prison..

Context: Ahvaz, capital city of Khuzestan province, with a population of more than 1 million people is very famous in standpoint of air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide is emitted from vehicles and industries which can have short and long term effects on citizens..Evidence Acquisition: Data were taken from Ahvaz Department of Environment (ADoE). Stations were Naderi, Behdasht Ghadim, Havashenasi, and Mohitzist. The COPD attributed to nitrogen dioxide in Ahvaz city, Iran, in 2011 were calculated by utilizing relative risk and baseline incidence related to health end point nitrogen dioxide. Data were analyzed by SPSS ver 16.. The highest and lowest annually average nitrogen dioxide concentrations during 2011 were 70 and 21 μg/m3, respectively. The Bureau of Meteorology “Havashenasi” and head office of ADoE “Mohitzist” had the highest and the lowest nitrogen dioxide concentrations during 2011, respectively. Approximately 4% of the hospital admission for COPD happened when the nitrogen dioxide concentration was > 10 μg/m3. Low percentage of the observed health endpoints was associated with low concentration of measured nitrogen dioxide.. Using alternative energy sources, such as solar cooking and electrical heating is effective, as is using fuels such as kerosene or coal rather than biomass. Higher relative risk value can depict mismanagement in urban air quality. The lower level of relative risk value may be achieved if some control strategies for reducing nitrogen dioxide emission are used..

One of the problems of the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the weakness of the respiratory muscles that causes oxygen desaturation at rest and activity and decreases exercise tolerance.. This study aimed to investigate the effect of inspiratory muscle training on arterial oxygen saturation (SPO2)..Patients and Forty patients with mild to very severe COPD were recruited for this study, which is a randomized control trail. The patients were randomized to IMT (inspiratory muscle training) and control group. Training was performed with Respivol (a kind of inspiratory muscle trainer) for 8 weeks (15 min/d for 6 d/week). SPSS software version 16 was used to analyze the data by performing independent t test, paired t test, and Fisher exact test.. Results showed that, after 8 weeks of inspiratory muscle training, there was a little increase (but not statistically significant improvement) in SPO2 (from 92.6 ± 8.71 % to 95.13 ± 7.08 %, with P = 0.06), whereas it remained unchanged in the control group (from 96.0 ± 3.46 % to 96.4 ± 3.35 % with P = 0.51). No statistically significant difference was seen between the two groups (P > 0.05).. Although inspiratory muscles training can prevent desaturation, which is caused by activity, it fails to improve it..

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional disorders of the lower gastrointestinal tract characterized by abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits. This disorder changes the QoL (QoL) for patients.. This study examines the relationship between QoL for nursing students with other associated factors..Patients and These descriptive-analytic studies indicate a census for 57 senior nursing students of the School of Nursing-Midwifery, Ahvaz in 2013–2014. The data from the demographic questionnaire and QoL questionnaire (QOL-34) was collected. Data using ANOVA and t-tests with significance level of P < 0.05 were analyzed.. Out of 57 nursing students, there were 45 healthy subjects and 12 subjects with IBS. Mean scores for patient QoL (117.92 ± 5.87) and normal patient QoL was (49.38 ± 5.01), which indicates a significantly lower QoL. The T-test and ANOVA showed that among age, gender, marital status, living location, and QoL, there were no significant relationships (P > 0.05).While for QoL and academic Grade Point Average (P = 0.048), ethnicity (P = 0.006), disease duration (P = 0.049), and disease severity (P = 0.030) were significantly related. . It seems important to pay attention to health problems and to apply interventions that will influence QoL. Lifestyle changes and staying away from activities that are associated with tension stress can help to eliminate the symptoms and disease severity and improve the QoL for student..