Showing 26 results for Nazari
Mohammadreza Nazari,
Volume 7, Issue 3 (11-1993)
Abstract
Giardia, a protozoan parasite, resides in the small intestine in man. This parasite
damages the mucosal intestinal surface and in severe cases produces malabsorption
and it may also affect mineral absorption, especially zinc.
In this study a total of 118 infested and 43 non-infested persons as a control
group were selected. From each patient a 5 ml blood sample was obtained. The serum
was separated and zinc measured by atomic absorption method.
The results show mean serum zinc level in the infested group to be 75.364
microgram percent with the standard deviation of 19.433 while in the healthy control
group it was 97.707 ± 28.258 Comparsion between the two sexes indicated that in
male subjects mean zinc content was 73.832 and 75.755 in the female group.
Abdolreza Sheikhrezae, Seyyed Ali F. Tabatabai, Reza Nazari, Gila Behzadi, Zahid Hussain Khan,
Volume 10, Issue 1 (5-1996)
Abstract
One of the most important factors responsible for axonal degeneration
following spinal cord trauma is ischemia produced by cord compression.
Previous studies have revealed that omental transposition upon the injured site of
the spinal cord could be beneficial in the induction of partial improvement of
neuroelectrical and motor function in laboratory animals. The purpose of this
study is to verify the effects of early placement of pedicled omentum on recently
traumatized rat spinal cord as measured by subsequent clinical, electromyography
(EMG), motor evoked potential (MEP) and horse-radish peroxidase (HRP)
labelling methods.
Forty rats were divided into two groups (A&B). Atter anesthesia,
laminectomies were performed at T12level and the left lateral half of.the spinal
cord was compressed intradurally by an aneurysm clip for seven minutes in both
groups. The omentum was transposed in group B rats on the lesioned site.
After 3-5 months, evaluation of the muscular forces in the affected limb
according to modified Tarlov's classification showed a significant difference
between the two groups (P < 0.01). EMG showed a greater degree of spasticity in
nongrafted animals than grafted ones. MEP showed a powerful signal in grafted
animals, but only a weak signal was recorded in the nongrafted group. Injection
of HRP into the spinal cord below the compression site demonstrated retrogradely
labelle d neurons above the compression site in grafted animals, but transmission
of HRP was not seen in nongrafted animals.
These results show that transposition of omentum on the injured site of
recently traumatized rat spinal cord could be helpful in axonal regeneration.
Mh Ghahramani, M Nazari, Sz Tabei, J Ahmadi, Sn Rafati, Ma Ghalambor,
Volume 10, Issue 2 (8-1996)
Abstract
To study the effect of depression on the endocrine and immune systems, 557
male freshman and sophomore medical students (20-30 years old) were given
Beck's Depression Inventory. Students with marks 5 or above were selected as the
control (n=26) and those with marks of 20 or higher were chosen as the test group
(n=27). All of the students were subjected to the following tests: CBC, differential,
total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), HDL-c, VLDL-c, fibrinogen (Fibr),
cortisol (Cort), prolactin (PRL), testosterone(Test), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine
(T4), total serum immunoglobulins (Ig), IgA, IgG, IgM, creatine kinase (CK),
and C3 and C4 components of the complement system.
Results indicated statistically significant increases of the following parameters
in the test group as compared with the controls: TC (P < 0.05), LDL-c (P <
0.05), CK (P < 0.025), Fibr (P < 0.0 1), Test (P < 0.05), Cort (P < 0.025), IgG (P
< 0.025) and Ig (P < 0.025). The results were in accordance with the anticipated
hormonal and cell-mediated immunity alterations caused by depression, which
affected both cytokines and endorphin levels.
In spite of the limited number of subjects used in this study and lack of the
dexamethasone suppression test (DST), the overall approach of this study is
encouraging nevertheless, further studies using a 1zrger sample are required.
P Mohammadkhani, Mr Mohammadi, Ma Nazari, M Salavati, Om Razzaghi,
Volume 17, Issue 1 (5-2003)
Abstract
Diagnosing and assessing child abuse is a critical and difficult process in
clinical psychology, because this phenomenon has several negative behavioral
and psychological consequences on victims. The aim of this research is to create
a scale for assessing child abuse and neglect. Through a multiclustral sampling,
3042 secondary school students (boys and girls) were selected to fill (1) a list of
54 items (Child Abuse and Self Report Scale, CASRS) which assess four categories
of child abuse and neglect, after approving through content validity and (2)
Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-A) in order to assign construct
validity and comorbid psychopathology. Then, we did a clinical interview with a
sample group who were diagnosed as abused children according to CASRS and
TSCC-A. In addition, these scales were completed by a group of abused children
as criterion group, for assigning criterion validity. In order to assign the reliability
of CASRS and TSCC-A, after 3 weeks test-retest was done. Through a factor
analysis , the best items were assigned. The results showed that CASRS and TSCCA
have excellent reliability and validity. Also, its stability was at an appropriate
level. In addition, factor analysis showed that 38 items were the best questions for
assessing child abuse. We believe that CASRS is an instrument which measures
child abuse during the current life. It is brief (6 to 8 minutes for the core scales)
and practical for epidemiological researches on child abuse, maltreatment and
clinical screening. Methodological issues inherent in child self-report measures
of abuse are discussed.
Parvaneh Mohammadkhani, Mohammad Reza Mohammad, Mohammad Ali Nazari, Ebrahim Rezaee Dogaheh, Masoud Nikfarjam, Hedieh Azadmehr,
Volume 19, Issue 1 (5-2005)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background: The aim of this study was to standardize and assign validity and reliability of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-A).
Methods: Normative data for the TSCC-A were based on 3042 students participating in a prevalence child abuse study in 19 different locations of Tehran and 140 participants who had been refered to the run-away children centers in Tehran. After the TSCC was validated on run-away and abused children, it was made available to researchers doing larger studies on a normative group.
Results: Reliability analysis of the TSCC-A scales in the normative sample demonstrated high internal consistency. The evidence for its validations (convergent, discriminant and construct validity) showed thai they were significantly acceptable.
Conclusion: This paper presents data demonstrating the psychometric reliability and validity of the TSCC-A scales in the Iranian student population. We suggest to include the TSCC-A in a battery of relevant standardized tests.
Ali Ahmadi, Seyed Saeed Hashemi Nazari, Mahmoud Mobasheri,
Volume 28, Issue 1 (1-2014)
Abstract
Background:The present study compared the differences between survivals of patients with colorectal cancer according to their ethnicity adjusted for other predictors of survival.
Methods: In this prospective cohort study patients were followed up from definite diagnosis of colorectal cancer to death. Totally, 2431 person-year follow-ups were undertaken for 1127 colorectal cancer patients once every six months. The data were analyzed by stata software using bivariate analysis, multivariate analysis, and Cox regression.
Results: The age at diagnosis was significantly different between men and women (p<0.03). 61.2% were male and the rest were female. Most patients were Fars (51.2%), followed by Turciks (21.5%), Kurds (8.2%), and 7.5% Lurs. Of the patients, 75% had a survival of more than 2.72 years, 50% a survival of 5.83 years, and 25% longer than 13.1 years after diagnosis. Risk ratio was significantly different among ethnics (p<0.05). The variables of ethnicity, being non married, tumor grade, family history of cancer, and smoking were considered as determinants of the patients’ survival in Cox regression model. The median survival time in Fars, Kurds, Lurs, Turks and other ethnics was 5.83, 2.44, 5.49, and 8.52 years, respectively.
Conclusion: Ethnicity and access to healthcare are predictors of survival of patients with colorectal cancer which may define priorities in controlling cancer and implementing interventional and prevention plans.
Ali Javani, Masoud Abolhallaje, Mehdi Raadabadi, Hanieh Rezaee Dehaghi, Aslan Nazari, Hamed Nazari, Azadeh Chatrouz ,
Volume 29, Issue 1 (1-2015)
Abstract
Background: One of the main indexes of development is health index or the degree to which a society enjoys health and therapeutic services. The present study was done with the aim to analyze development levels in cities in Tehran regarding health infrastructural index using the standardized score and Morris’ model.
Methods: This is a descriptive and pragmatic study which ranks 14 cities in Tehran province using the standardized score and Morris’ models based on 10 selected health indexes. The required data were gathered using a researcher-made information list and the information gathered from the Statistics Center and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The data were analyzed using Excel software.
Results: The development coefficient in the studied cities varies from 0.595 to -0.379 so that Rey city has the highest level of development and Pishva city has the lowest level of development among the studied cities. The more number of the cities (43%) was among the rather undeveloped group and none of the cities (0%) was in the rather developed group.
Conclusion: Regarding the findings, there is a big gap and difference regarding enjoying health and therapeutic infrastructural indexes among the cities in Tehran province. Therefore, it is suggested that development-oriented plans consistentent with development levels should be implemented in these cities.
Somaye Yosaee, Alireza Esteghamati, Mahdiyeh Nazari Nasab, Ahmad Khosravi, Mina Alinavaz, Banafshe Hosseini, Kurosh Djafarian,
Volume 30, Issue 1 (1-2016)
Abstract
Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a serious public health concern worldwide; however, the pathogenesis of this disease has not been yet cleared. This study aimed to compare diet quality in obese/overweight participants with/without metabolic syndrome with normal weight controls.
Methods: This was a comparative study on 147 Iranian adults under treatment at the Endocrinology Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. They were assigned into three groups (normal weight, obese weight with/without MetS) according to the inclusion- exclusion criteria. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the NCEP ATPIII consensus criteria. Healthy Eating Index Data were obtained from the validated FFQ to determine the diet quality index scores, using the Healthy Eating Index-2010.
Results: Our findings demonstrated that FBS, TG, SBP, WC and weight were higher among MetS patients compared to the both weight matched and non-weight matched participants, while HDL-c was lowest in this group (p<0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between healthy weight controls and obese/overweight participants with/without MetS in HEI-2010, and 9 of the 12 HEI-2010 components score (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Our study revealed that low diet quality was a risk factor in developing MetS.
Parvin Babaei, Arsalan Damirchi, Bahram Soltani Tehrani, Yazgaldi Nazari, Reyhaneh Sariri, Rastegar Hoseini,
Volume 30, Issue 1 (1-2016)
Abstract
Background: The balance between production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and antioxidant defense in the body has important health implications. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in salivary antioxidants: catalase, vitamin C and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in sedentary men at rest and after acute exhaustive exercise.
Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial (The registry code IRCT2011053212431N1) recruited twenty-five sedentary men (age=21±3yrs; height=172±8cm; weight=66±9kg; VO2 max=37.6±7.4mL•kg-1•min-1) participated in a double-blind randomized experiment. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected before, immediately and 1 hour after exhaustive treadmill running. Catalase, vitamin C (Vit C) concentration, and BDNF concentrations were determined using biochemical assays and ELISA respectively. Repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni posthoc test were used to analyze data.
Results: The results of the present study showed that an acute intensive exercise causes a reduction in salivary catalase, Vit C and also BDNF concentration (p<0.05) compared with pre-exercise. Both catalase and Vit C showed a tendency to return to pre-exercise value after one hour. However, BDNF continued to reduction at least 1 hour after the ending of the training.
Conclusion: Reduction in antioxidants capacity of saliva might reflects disturbance in natural antioxidant defense mechanisms of the body after an acute intensive physical stress and possible further health threatening consequences.
Ayoob Rastegar, Shahram Nazari, Ahmad Allahabadi, Farahnaz Falanji, Fakhreddin Akbari Dourbash, Zahra Rezai, Soudabeh Alizadeh Matboo, Reza Hekmat-Shoar, Seyed Mohsen Mohseni, Gharib Majidi,
Volume 31, Issue 1 (1-2017)
Abstract
Background: Nanoscale poly (amidoamine) dendrimers have been investigated for their biological demands, but their antibacterial activity has not been widely discovered. Thus, the sixth generation of poly (amidoamine) dendrimer (PAMAM-G6) was synthesized and its antibacterial activities were evaluated on Gram-negative bacteria; P. aeruginosa, E. coli, A. baumannii, S. typhimurium, S. dysenteriae, K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, and Gram-positive bacteria, and S.aureus and B. subtilis, which were isolated from different clinical specimens and standard strains of these bacteria.
Methods: In this study, 980 specimens including urine (47%), blood (27%), sputum (13%), wounds (8%), and burns (5%) were collected from clinical specimens of 16 hospitals and clinics in city of Sabzevar, Iran. Then, the target bacteria were isolated and identified using standard methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentrations against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were determined according to guidelines described by clinical and laboratory standards institute (CLSI). Standard discs were prepared using 0.025, 0.25, 2.5, and 25 μg/mL concentrations of PAMAM-G6 on Mueller-Hinton agar plates to determinate the zone of inhibition. The cytotoxicity of PAMAM-G6 dendrimer was evaluated in HCT116 cells by MTT assay.
Results: The most important isolated bacteria were E. coli (23.65%), S. aureus (24.7%), P. aeruginosa (10.49%), B. subtilis (7.7%), S. typhimurium (8.87%), A. baumannii (7.02%), K. pneumoniae (7.1%), P. mirabilis (6.46%), and S. dysenteriae (3.6%). Moreover, it was found that poly (amidoamine)–G6 exhibited more antibacterial efficacy on standard strains than isolated bacteria from clinical samples (p<0.05). The cytotoxicity of PAMAM-G6 to the cells showed that cytotoxicity depended on the concentration level and exposure time.
Conclusion: The PAMAM-G6 dendrimer showed a positive impact on the removal of dominant bacterial isolated from clinical specimens and standard strains.
Farshad Sharifi, Mojde Mirarefin, Mahtab Alizadeh-Khoei, Neda Nazari, Baharak Najafi, Hossien Fakhrzadeh, Seyed Masoud Arzaghi, Ulrika Söderhamn, Fahimeh Taati, Neda Mehrdad,
Volume 32, Issue 1 (2-2018)
Abstract
Background: The Nutritional Form for the Elderly (NUFFE) is a newly developed tool. This study aimed to carry out a psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of NUFFE (NUFFE-P) among nursing home residents.
Methods: Nursing home participant’s aged ≥ 60 years (n=97) were enrolled. The inclusion criteria were residency for at least 6 months in the nursing home, and ability to communicate. Exclusion criteria included cognitive impairment, having depressed mood, severe hearing loss, problems in upper and lower extremities also, history of hospital admission during 6 months before enrollment. Anthropometric measures, laboratory tests, three-day food intake, NUFFE-P version, Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Barthel Index (BI) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) were assessed. The relationship between the NUFFE-P and MNA scores was considered as concurrent validity.
Results: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of NUFFE-P tool was 0.76. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the total score between two raters obtained 0.98 (CI 0.97-0.99). The correlation coefficient between the NUFFE-P and the MNA scores was -0.75 (p<0.01). Four factors were extracted for the NUFFE-P in an exploratory factor analyses. Sensitivity 69.8% and 100% and specificity 75.7% and 85.6% were achieved to detect elderly at medium risk (cutoff=6), and at high risk of under-nutrition (cutoff=11) respectively.
Conclusion: The NUFFE-P has sufficient psychometric properties in nutritional status screening among the Iranian elderly nursing homes residents.
Aslan Nazari, Iravan Masoudi Asl, Masoud Abolhallaje, Amir Ashkan Nasiripour, Mohammad Javad Kabir,
Volume 32, Issue 1 (2-2018)
Abstract
Background: Social health insurances provide protection to access affordable coverage of services and stewardships of health system need to intervene to fulfill these objectives. This study conducted to assess interaction between stewardship and social health insurances.
Methods: This qualitative study conducted in two phases as comparative study and document analysis in 2018. Comparative study employed to identify the dimensions and requirements of interaction between stewardship of health systems and social health insurances in countries around the world. In document analysis, all evidence about Iran health financing reviewed. Data extraction forms were used to gather data.
Results: There were less interaction between stewardship and social health insurances in revenue collection and risk pooling. Advisory role of stewardship and proposals to coverage of uninsured people and performing risk analysis were some examples of such interaction. In Iran’s health system, where stewardship plays a magnificent role in service provision, the basis of interactions are contracts, payment systems and timeline of payments.
Conclusion: Mechanisms of interaction in Iran is not clear or does not work properly. Thus, nonstructural merging of social health insurances needs to redefine these mechanisms.
Majid Reza Khalajzadeh, Mehrzad Kiani, Fariba Borhani, Shabnam Bazmi, Saeid Nazari Tavakkoli, Mahmoud Abbasi,
Volume 33, Issue 1 (2-2019)
Abstract
Background: Ethical attitudes and personal values play a significant role in clinical decision-making; however, they have been given limited attention by professionals in laboratory medicine. Studies suggest that individual attitudes are not static and that professionals learn ethical attitudes through a variety of formal and informal learning methods. This study was conducted to investigate changes in the attitudes of clinical laboratory professionals after teaching them ethics and to compare the results among the 3 groups.
Methods: Four topics were selected in the field of medical laboratory ethics as teaching materials. A questionnaire including 22 items was designed and validated. Teaching sessions for the 3 study groups were held. All 65 clinical laboratory participants completed the questionnaire before and after the classes. Paired t test and ANOVA were used to assess differences among groups.
Results: Significant differences were found in the mean scores of ethical attitudes before and after the educational intervention among the lecture-based teaching group (p=0.016), problem-based learning group (p=0.001), and all participants (p=0.004). However, no significant difference was found between the mean scores before and after the intervention in role-playing group (p=0.623).
Conclusion: Teaching by lecturing and problem-based learning was more effective to change ethical attitude of the laboratory professionals than the role-playing method. Thus, we suggest the implementation of teaching ethics using these methods to improve the ethical attitude of clinical laboratory professionals.
Seyyedeh Sara Azimi, Fatemeh Koohi, Mohammad Aghaali, Roya Nikbakht, Maryam Mahdavi, Yaser Mokhayeri, Rasool Mohammadi, Niloufar Taherpour, Mehran Nakhaeizadeh, Davood Khalili, Hamid Sharifi, Seyed Saeed Hashemi Nazari,
Volume 34, Issue 1 (2-2020)
Abstract
Background: Estimation of the basic reproduction number of an infectious disease is an important issue for controlling the infection. Here, we aimed to estimate the basic reproduction number (𝑅0) of COVID-19 in Iran.
Methods: To estimate 𝑅0 in Iran and Tehran, the capital, we used 3 different methods: exponential growth rate, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian time-dependent. Daily number of confirmed cases and serial intervals with a mean of 4.27 days and a standard deviation of 3.44 days with gamma distribution were used. Sensitivity analysis was performed to show the importance of generation time in estimating 𝑅0.
Results: The epidemic was in its exponential growth 11 days after the beginning of the epidemic (Feb 19, 2020) with doubling time of 1.74 (CI: 1.58-1.93) days in Iran and 1.83 (CI: 1.39-2.71) in Tehran. Nationwide, the value of 𝑅0 from February 19 to 29 using exponential growth method, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian time-dependent methods was 4.70 (95% CI: 4.23-5.23), 3.90 (95% CI: 3.47- 4.36), and 3.23 (95% CI: 2.94-3.51), respectively. In addition, in Tehran, 𝑅0 was 5.14 (95% CI: 4.15-6.37), 4.20 (95% CI: 3.38-5.14), and 3.94 (95% CI: 3.45-4.40) for exponential growth, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian time-dependent methods, respectively. Bayesian time dependent methods usually provide less biased estimates. The results of sensitivity analyses demonstrated that changes in the mean generation time affect estimates of 𝑅0.
Conclusion: The estimate of 𝑅0 for the COVID-19 ranged from 3.94 to 5.14 in Tehran and from 3.23 to 4.70 in nationwide using different methods, which were significantly larger than 1, indicating the potential of COVID-19 to cause an outbreak.
Leila Janani, Ahmad Hajebi, Hajar Nazari, Neda Esmailzadehha, Leila Molaeipour, Fatemeh Varse, Mehrdad Eftekhar, Cornelia Betsch, Seyed Abbas Motevalian,
Volume 34, Issue 1 (2-2020)
Abstract
Background: The worldwide emergence and rapid expansion of COVID-19 emphasizes the need to assess the knowledge gap and to predict the disease-related behaviors and reactions during this epidemic.
Methods and design: COVID19 Population Survey of Iran (COPSIR) is a repeated cross sectional survey that will be conducted in 8 waves. In each wave, 515 Iranian adults aged 18 years or older will be randomly selected and interviewed by phone. The study waves will be performed at approximately weekly intervals. The survey tool is adapted from COSMO (COVID-19 Snapshot MOnitoring) study. This study will provide information on trends of knowledge, risk perception, preventive behaviors, psychological problems, essential needs, and public trust among Iranian adults during COVID-19 epidemic.
Discussion: The key findings of each wave will be immediately reported to the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control to set better policies for disease control and prevention. Moreover, if a message is extracted from the results of this study that needs to be communicated to the public, it will be done through the mass media.
Neda Sadeghi, Mohammad Ali Nazari, Ali Shahbazi, Mohammad Taghi Joghataei,
Volume 35, Issue 1 (1-2021)
Abstract
Background: There is conflicting evidence in favor of the hemispheric distribution of motor planning. Some studies supported the left-hemisphere-dominance hypothesis for motor planning and claimed that the left-hemisphere has a crucial function in motor control even in left-handers. The present study aimed to compare the right- and left-handed participants on motor planning ability and to investigate the performance of their dominant hands in a specific action selection task. Also, the effect of task complexity was assessed.
Methods: Twenty right-handers and 20 left-handers performed an action selection task. The participants had to grasp a hexagonal knob with their dominant hand and consequently rotated it 60° or 180 ° clockwise or counterclockwise. Depending on our objects, we used mixed factorial ANOVA and the groups were examined in terms of the planning time, grasping time, releasing time and planning pattern for initial grip selection. The SPSS 19 was used for analyzing the data and p≤0.05 was considered as the significant level.
Results: No significant differences were observed between the two groups. The movement-related measures revealed a main effect of rotation (p˂0.001). However, a significant interaction between direction × planning pattern × group (p˂0.001) indicated a preferential bias for rotatory movements in the medial direction which is consistent with the “medial over lateral advantage”.
Conclusion: Both left- and right-handed participants had a similar motor planning ability while performing a planning task with their dominant hands. Because our study was behavioral, it only provided a test of the left-hemisphere hypothesis of motor planning.
Alireza Amanollahi, Sahar Sotoodeh Ghorbani, Hamed Basir Ghafouri, Sima Afrashteh, Seyed Saeed Hashemi Nazari,
Volume 35, Issue 1 (1-2021)
Abstract
Background: The unknowingness of COVID-19 compared to other respiratory diseases and gaining an overview of its diagnostic criteria led to this study, which was designed to summarize the signs and symptoms along with the clinical tests that described these patients.
Methods: PubMedMEDLINE, Web of Science, Core Collection, Scopus, and Google Scholar were systematically searched on September 27, 2020. After screening, we selected 56 articles based on clinical characteristics and laboratory and imaging findings in confirmed COVID-19 patients as eligibility criteria. To evaluate risk of bias, the Newcastle Ottawa scale, for publication bias, Egger’s test, and for heterogeneity, I2 and tau test were used; and finally, random-effects models were used for pooled estimation.
Results: Pooled estimates for frequently clinical symptoms were as follows: fever (78% [95% CI, 74-82]), cough (60% [95% CI, 57-63]), and fatigue (31% [95% CI, 26-36]); and they were as follows for laboratory findings in lymphocyte (1.02 [95% CI, 0.92-1.12]), CRP (19.64 [95% CI, 13.96- 25.32]), and platelet count (175.2 [95% CI, 165.2-185.2]); they were as follows for imaging findings in bilateral pneumonia (64% [95% CI, 56-72]), and ground glass opacity (60% [95% CI, 48-7]). Also, in the subgroup analysis, bilateral pneumonia with 18% and fatigue with 15%, had the highest difference in values between the groups.
Conclusion: According to Forest plots, the CI and dispersion among studies were smaller in laboratory findings than in symptom and imaging findings, which might indicate a high alignment in the laboratory findings among studies.
Azadeh Sayarifard, Maryam Nazari, Najmeh Bahmanziari, Neda Mehrdad, Laleh Ghadirian,
Volume 36, Issue 1 (1-2022)
Abstract
Background: Developing a clinical practice guideline (CPG) is very time-consuming, expensive, and requires specialized knowledge; therefore, when an up-to-date and quality CPG is available, it is logical to adapt it according to local conditions. So this study aimed to identify the challenges of CPGs adaptation in Iran to help improve it and provide lessons for low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Methods: This was a qualitative study that was conducted in 2019. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 participants from two levels, groups involved in the CPGs adaptation process, from research centers and specialized medical associations and policymakers and planners in CPG development and adaptation from the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME).
Results: The identified challenges were classified into two basic and operational categories. Basic challenges include believing the need for CPGs adaptation, attention to CPGs adaptation in evaluation and reward systems, access to financial resources, and supervision of the adaptation process. Also, operational challenges were adaptation methodology, forming an adaptation team, consensus on interdisciplinary issues, changing programs and priorities, and external barriers in the work progress path.
Conclusion: The main challenges of CPGs adaptation in Iran, as one of the LMICs, are related to education, financing, and supervision of adaptation process steps. The most significant proposed interventions to overcome the current obstacles in countries with similar contexts are holding new training courses and programs for these CPG users at different headquarters' and environmental levels, establishing an appropriate motivating system, designing an integrated adaptation system focusing on organizing related supervision affairs like planning, policy-making, and supervision at the MoHME and universities level.
Abdoulreza Esteghamati, Ali Nazari-Alam, Ali Badamchi, Mahmood Faramarzi, Mehri Naghdalipour, Ali Baradaran Moghadam, Khadijeh Khanaliha, Ahmad Tavakoli, Mohammad Rahbar, Zeinab Fagheei Aghmiyuni, Shirin Sayyahfar,
Volume 36, Issue 1 (1-2022)
Abstract
Background: Infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) have remained a significant public health concern worldwide. In developed countries, the highest prevalence of S. pneumonia has been reported among the elderly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the coverage of genotypes in the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) in the Iranian elderly population.
Methods: A total of 41 isolates of S. pneumoniae were collected in the current retrospective cross-sectional study. The samples comprised 33 inpatients hospitalized for pneumococcal pneumonia and 8 outpatients. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay was performed to categorize the bacteria isolated into specific genotypes. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software, and the chi-square test was used to assess the statistical significance in percentages.
Results: A total of 68 genotypes were identified in this study, in which 39 isolates (57.3%) were associated with invasive infections. The most common genotypes were 6A/B [8 (19.5%)], 1 [7 (17.5%)], 14 [5 (12.2%)], and 19A [4 (9.75%)], respectively. The coverage rates of PCV-7, PCV-10, and PCV-13 vaccines were 51.17%, 70.7%, and 99.9%, respectively. According to our results, the pneumococcal coverage rate of PCV-7, PCV-10, and PCV-13 vaccine types is estimated to be 51.2%, 70.7%, and 99.9%, respectively. Furthermore, the trend of pneumococcal serotypes included in the PCV-13 was steadily increasing during the study period.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that the most circulating pneumococcal serotypes were in accordance with specific serotypes included in the PCV-13 vaccine types. Therefore, including PCV-13 vaccines in immunization programs against pneumococcus in the elderly can effectively reduce the rate of infections.
Neda Izadi, Niloufar Taherpour, Yaser Mokhayeri, Sahar Sotoodeh Ghorbani, Khaled Rahmani, Seyed Saeed Hashemi Nazari,
Volume 36, Issue 1 (1-2022)
Abstract
Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak to be a public health emergency and international concern and recognized it as a pandemic. This study aimed to estimate the epidemiologic parameters of the COVID-19 pandemic for clinical and epidemiological help.
Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, 4 electronic databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for the literature published from early December 2019 up to 23 March 2020. After screening, we selected 76 articles based on epidemiological parameters, including basic reproduction number, serial interval, incubation period, doubling time, growth rate, case-fatality rate, and the onset of symptom to hospitalization as eligibility criteria. For the estimation of overall pooled epidemiologic parameters, fixed and random effect models with 95% CI were used based on the value of between-study heterogeneity (I2).
Results: A total of 76 observational studies were included in the analysis. The pooled estimate for R0 was 2.99 (95% CI, 2.71-3.27) for COVID-19. The overall R0 was 3.23, 1.19, 3.6, and 2.35 for China, Singapore, Iran, and Japan, respectively. The overall serial interval, doubling time, and incubation period were 4.45 (95% CI, 4.03-4.87), 4.14 (95% CI, 2.67-5.62), and 4.24 (95% CI, 3.03-5.44) days for COVID-19. In addition, the overall estimation for the growth rate and the case fatality rate for COVID-19 was 0.38% and 3.29%, respectively.
Conclusion: The epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 as an emerging disease may be revealed by computing the pooled estimate of the epidemiological parameters, opening the door for health policymakers to consider additional control measures.
