Analysis of injuries and deaths from road traffic accidents in Iran: bivariate regression approach.

BACKGROUNDS: This study aims to estimate and compare the parameters of some univariate and bivariate count models to identify the factors affecting the number of mortality and the number of injured in road accidents. METHODS: The accident data used in this study are related to Kermanshah province in march2020 to march2021. Accidents areas were divided into 125 areas based on density characteristics. In a one-year period, 3090 accidents happened on the suburban roads of Kermanshah province, which resulted in 398 deaths and 4805 injuries. Accident information, including longitude and latitude of accident location, type of accident (fatal and injury), number of deaths, number of injuries, accident type, the reason of the accident, and the kind of accident were all included as population-level variables in the regression models. We investigated four frequently used bivariate count regression models for accident data in the literature. RESULTS: In bivariate analysis, except for the DNM model, there is a reasonable decrease in the AIC measures of the saturated model compared to the reduced model for the other three models. For the injury models, MSE is lowest, respectively for DIBP (137.87), BNB (289.46), BP (412.36) and DNM (3640.89) models. These results are also established for death models. But, in univariate analysis, only injury models almost present reasonable results. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the IDBP model is better suitable for evaluating accident datasets than other models. Motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, left turn deviance, and dangerous speeding were all significant variables in the IDBP death model, and these parameters were linked to accident mortality.

Association between dyslipidemia and blood lipids concentration with smoking habits in the Kurdish population of Iran.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is the most preventable cause of most chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Dyslipidemia is also an important risk factor for CVD. Yet, research has provided contradicting findings regarding the association between smoking and blood lipids. This paper examines the relationship between dyslipidemia and smoking based on the results of a cross-sectional sample of a Kurdish population in western Iran. METHODS: This population-based study was derived from the recruitment phase of Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease (RaNCD) cohort study. Logistic regression model adjusted by confounding variables was used to determine the relationship between smoking and blood lipid components. In addition, dose-response relationship between blood lipids and the number of smoked cigarettes was evaluated. RESULTS: For the purpose of this study, 7586 participants were examined. The lifetime prevalence of smoking was 19.9%, and 11.8% were current smokers. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in current smokers (54.9%) was higher than former smokers (43.9%) and in turn former smokers higher than non-smokers (38.0%). Current smokers had greater risk of abnormal HDL cholesterol [OR (95% CI), 2.28(1.98 -2.62)] and triglyceride [OR (95% CI), 1.37(1.15 -1.67)] compared to non-smokers. There was no significant difference in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol between the two groups. A dose-response relationship was found between the number of cigarettes smoked and HDL-C and TG but no relationship was observed in terms of total cholesterol and LDL-C. CONCLUSIONS: As compared to non-smokers, current smokers and former smokers had abnormal HDL-C and triglyceride and abnormal total cholesterol and triglyceride, respectively. After quitting smoking, heavy smokers showed a more normal HDL-C and total cholesterol levels than the people who tended to smoke a lower number of cigarettes per day.

Modeling the effect of static stretching and strengthening exercise in lengthened position on balance in low back pain subject with shortened hamstring: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Hamstring shortening may have negative impacts on function and biomechanics of knee and hip joints and lumbo-pelvic rhythm. Many interventions are believed to correct hamstring to its normal length. There are several reports of impairment in postural control of patients with low back pain. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of stretching exercise and strengthening exercise in lengthened position of the hamstring muscle on improving the dynamic balance of the person in patients with chronic low back pain with short hamstring muscles. METHODS: Forty-five patients with hamstring shortening who referred to physiotherapy clinic of Kermanshah university of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran were randomly allocated to the three groups; static stretching (n = 15), strengthening exercise in lengthened hamstring position (n = 15) and control (n = 15). All groups received conventional physiotherapy for low back pain and the two intervention groups received stretching exercise and strengthening exercise in lengthened position programs as well. All groups performed three treatment sessions for a week, a total of 12 sessions. For balance assessment, Y-Balance test was performed for each participant in three reach directions. To determine the important and significant variables, all variables entered a model (Generalized Estimation Equations method). RESULTS: The results indicate that based on GEE model, by controlling other variables, participants of static stretching exercise showed more improvement in balance than control group (ß = 9.58, p-value = 0.014). Also, balance status showed significant improvement in the end of study compared to baseline of the study (ß = 7.71, P-value< 0.001). In addition, the balance in three reach directions improved significantly and the greatest balance improvement was in the anterior reach direction (ß ranged over = 6.16 to 11.59) and the height of patients affected their balance (ß = 0.28, P-value = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: Group (type of intervention), phase of intervention, reach direction of test (anterior, posteromedial and posterolateral) and height of participants were associated with balance performance. Static stretching exercise was more effective than muscle strengthening exercise in lengthened position for improving dynamic balance in low back pain patients with hamstring tightness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (I RCT201507258035n2 ). Registered 16th September 2015.

Exploring the Potential of Metformin in Mitigating Radiation-induced Gastrointestinal and Hematopoietic System Injury in Rats After Whole-body X-ray Radiation: An Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: The modern world faces a growing concern about the possibility of accidental radiation events. The Hematopoietic system is particularly vulnerable to radiationinduced apoptosis, which can lead to death. Metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes, has been shown to protect normal cells and tissues from the toxic effects of radiation. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of metformin in mitigating radiation injury to the gastrointestinal and hematological systems of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 73 male rats. After total body irradiation with 7.5 Gy of X-rays, rats were treated with metformin. Seven days later, the rats were sacrificed and blood samples were taken for evaluation. RESULTS: The study found that metformin was not effective in mitigating radiation injury. The histopathological assessment showed no significant changes in goblet cell injury, villi shortening, inflammation, or mucous layer thickness. In terms of biochemical evaluation, metformin did not significantly affect oxidative stress markers, but irradiation increased the mean MDA level in the radiation group. The complete blood count revealed a significant decrease in WBC and platelet, counts in the radiation group compared to the control group, but no significant difference was found between the radiation and radiation + metformin groups. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, metformin may not be a good option for reducing radiation toxicity after accidental exposure. Despite treatment, there was no improvement in platelet, white blood cell, and lymphocyte counts, nor was there any decrease in oxidative stress. Further research is needed to explore other potential treatments for radiation injury.

The effect of a six-week Aqua Pilates and Aqua Stretch intervention on pain, function, and quality of life in patients affected by ankylosing spondylitis: A rater-blind randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: There has been a dearth of research into the benefits of water-based workouts for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the effect of Aqua Stretch and Aqua Pilates in improving quality of life (QOL), function, and pain in AS patients. METHODS: This study was conducted on 40 patients, who were randomly assigned to the Aqua Pilates, Aqua Stretch, and control groups. The experimental groups attended interventions for six-week. QOL, pain intensity, function, and fatigue were measured before and after treatments. RESULTS: Except for the chest expanding, all variables in the Aqua Stretch group changed significantly after six weeks (p< 0.05). QOL (p= 0.002), 6MWT (p= 0.016), and Schober flexion (p= 0.011) showed changes, while BASDAI (p= 0.0001), VAS (p= 0.0001), fatigue (p= 0.0001), and Schober extension (p= 0.028) showed significant decreases. Except for chest expansion and Schober extension, which did not alter significantly after six-week of Aqua Pilates (p> 0.05), all other variables did. There was an increasing trend in 6MWT and Schober flexion (p= 0.021) and a decreasing trend in BASDAI (p= 0.002), VAS (p= 0.0001) and fatigue (p= 0.002). Except for QOL (p= 0.016), no statistically significant differences were found between the groups. CONCLUSION: All variables had a significant change after six-week Aqua Stretch, except for the chest expanding. Chest expanding and Schober extension were the variables which had no significant change after six-week Aqua Pilates. With the exception of QOL, no statistically significant differences were found between the groups. Aqua Stretch had the greatest effect on the VAS, as measured by the minimum clinically relevant differences (MCID). Moreover, in Aqua Stretch alone, there was a notable impact on fatigue, QOL, and the BASDAI.

Overall survival with non-proportional hazards in first-line treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

This study aimed to identify the most effective first-line treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer based on overall survival, identify the most commonly used treatment, and generate a meaningful ranking among all available treatments based on their relative effectiveness. Researchers used the ANOVA parametrization method to fit the second-order fractional polynomial network meta-analysis with a random-effect model. Using a non-proportional hazards network meta-analysis, 46 treatments were compared by considering a combination of direct and indirect evidence extracted from clinical trial studies. Included in the review were 46 trials involving 21350 patients. Between January 2000 and January 2023, researchers conducted a thorough search through Embase, PubMed/Medline, and Scopus. To undertake a secondary analysis of this data, we recreate individual patient data from published Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curves and assess the accuracy of that reconstruction. A random-effects model was used to evaluate the pooled overall survival and hazard ratio with a 95 percent confidence interval. The predicted survival curves for the network meta-analysis showed that GOLFIG and FOLFOX + Cetuximab treatments have higher survival, respectively. Our results provide moderate quality evidence and comparative effective estimates for various available first-line treatments for metastasis colorectal cancer based on network meta-analysis.

Association between anthropometric indices and quality of life in menopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether body mass index (BMI), abdominal obesity or fat distribution influence the quality of life of postmenopausal women. METHODS: Subjects in this cross-sectional study were 233 postmenopausal women (aged 45-70 years) with an intact uterus and ovaries and who were sexually active and not using hormone therapy. Anthropometric measurements were recorded and subjects were interviewed using a specific health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) instrument, the MENQoL scale. RESULTS: According to BMI values, 31.5% of the women were obese, 42.2% were overweight, 25.8% were normal weight and none were underweight. However, according to the MENQOL scale results, obese women scored significantly higher on symptoms for physical domains. The women with the android pattern of fat distribution had significantly higher scores in the vasomotor and physical domains (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity did not affect global HR-QoL in postmenopausal women, but appeared to have an influence on the psychical domains. Other anthropometric measurements were not associated with differences in HR-QoL. Keeping the anthropometric indices in the normal/premenopausal might improve the quality of life in menopause women.

A randomized clinical trial for the effect of static stretching and strengthening exercise on pelvic tilt angle in LBP patients.

BACKGROUND: Stretching and strengthening exercises are commonly used to improve muscle shortness of the hamstring as any tension in this muscle can have an effect on the pelvic posture. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two methods of improving short hamstring on the angle of pelvic tilt in LBP sufferers. METHODS: Forty-five low back pain patients aged 19-59 years with hamstring tightness participated in this clinical trial. The patients were categorized randomly into three groups: 1- static stretching, 2-strengthening exercise and 3-control group. The two intervention groups received physical therapy and special exercise program thrice a week in a total of 12 sessions, while the control group received only conventional physical therapy. Before and after the treatment implementation, the pelvic tilt and straight leg raising (SLR) degree were assessed for each group. RESULT: After 12 sessions of treatment, the ANCOVA models indicated non-significant differences in pelvic tilt angle and SLR score changes (p > 0.05), among the three groups. In addition, no statistically significant correlation was observed between the pelvic tilt and SLR test [except for the strengthening exercise group (Pearson correlation coefficient = -0.54, P < 0.05)]. CONCLUSIONS: In LBP sufferers, both static stretching and strengthening of hamstring muscle in its lengthened position caused elongation and extensibility in the hamstring muscle and increased SLR test score, but did not change pelvic tilt angle.

Analysis of QTc Interval during Levofloxacin Prescription in Cardiac Patients with Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Medications induced QT prolongation could cause ventricular arrhythmia, torsade de pointes, and death. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of QTc interval prolongation as a result of levofloxacin treatment in patients admitted to cardiology wards. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the coronary care units and general wards of the Imam Ali Heart Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran. The QTc interval was determined at baseline and after 72 hours of levofloxacin administration. Changes in the QTc interval before and after the levofloxacin prescription were determined. RESULTS: The mean age of recruited patients was 63.26 ± 14.56 years. More than 80% of patients who received levofloxacin experienced QTc prolongation. The QTc interval was increased significantly after levofloxacin administration (15.68 ± 26.84 milliseconds) (p<0.001). These changes remained significant after excluding medications with QTc lengthening properties (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Treatment with levofloxacin in patients with heart disease increases the risk of QT prolongation.

Identification of new key genes for type 1 diabetes through construction and analysis of protein-protein interaction networks based on blood and pancreatic islet transcriptomes.

BACKGROUND: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which pancreatic ß-cells are destroyed by infiltrating immune cells. Bilateral cooperation of pancreatic ß-cells and immune cells has been proposed in the progression of T1D, but as yet no systems study has investigated this possibility. The aims of the study were to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms and identify key genes associated with T1D risk using a network biology approach. METHODS: Interactome (protein-protein interaction [PPI]) and transcriptome data were integrated to construct networks of differentially expressed genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and pancreatic ß-cells. Centrality, modularity, and clique analyses of networks were used to get more meaningful biological information. RESULTS: Analysis of genes expression profiles revealed several cytokines and chemokines in ß-cells and their receptors in PBMCs, which is supports the dialogue between these two tissues in terms of PPIs. Functional modules and complexes analysis unraveled most significant biological pathways such as immune response, apoptosis, spliceosome, proteasome, and pathways of protein synthesis in the tissues. Finally, Y-box binding protein 1 (YBX1), SRSF protein kinase 1 (SRPK1), proteasome subunit alpha1/ 3, (PSMA1/3), X-ray repair cross complementing 6 (XRCC6), Cbl proto-oncogene (CBL), SRC proto-oncogene, non-receptor tyrosine kinase (SRC), phosphoinositide-3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 (PIK3R1), phospholipase C gamma 1 (PLCG1), SHC adaptor protein1 (SHC1) and ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2 N (UBE2N) were identified as key markers that were hub-bottleneck genes involved in functional modules and complexes. CONCLUSIONS: This study provide new insights into network biomarkers that may be considered potential therapeutic targets.

Correlation between inner strength and health-promoting behaviors in women with heart failure.

INTRODUCTION: Inner strength is a factor for mental health and well-being and, consequently, a dynamic component of holistic healing. Health-promoting behaviors are appropriate activities to improve health status and prevent the progression of the functional defect resulting from heart failure. The present study aimed to determine the correlation between inner strength and health-promoting behaviors in women with heart failure referred to hospitals affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU) in 2013. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 145 women with hearth failure were selected through convenient sampling from the clients referred to hospitals affiliated with SBMU. The data collection tool included a three-section questionnaire of personal characteristics, inner strength, and health-promoting life profile II (HPLP II). The data analysis used descriptive statistical tests and Pearson correlation coefficient through SPSS version 20. RESULTS: A direct significant correlation was found between inner strength and all dimensions of health-promoting behaviors and overall health-promoting behaviors (p=0.000) as well as between all dimensions of inner strength (except for the dimension of knowing and searching with physical activity and the dimension of connectedness with personal accountability in healthcare as well as connectedness with physical activity) with health-promoting behaviors (p=0.000 to p=0008). CONCLUSION: To improve the level of health and well-being and reduce the costs of care services in women with health failure, close attention should be paid to developing and empowering their inner strength.

Evaluation of Plaid Models in Biclustering of Gene Expression Data.

Background. Biclustering algorithms for the analysis of high-dimensional gene expression data were proposed. Among them, the plaid model is arguably one of the most flexible biclustering models up to now. Objective. The main goal of this study is to provide an evaluation of plaid models. To that end, we will investigate this model on both simulation data and real gene expression datasets. Methods. Two simulated matrices with different degrees of overlap and noise are generated and then the intrinsic structure of these data is compared with biclusters result. Also, we have searched biologically significant discovered biclusters by GO analysis. Results. When there is no noise the algorithm almost discovered all of the biclusters but when there is moderate noise in the dataset, this algorithm cannot perform very well in finding overlapping biclusters and if noise is big, the result of biclustering is not reliable. Conclusion. The plaid model needs to be modified because when there is a moderate or big noise in the data, it cannot find good biclusters. This is a statistical model and is a quite flexible one. In summary, in order to reduce the errors, model can be manipulated and distribution of error can be changed.