Lupus-like membranous nephropathy: Is it lupus or not?

BACKGROUND: Membranous glomerulonephritis is typically classified as idiopathic or secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), hepatitis B, drugs, toxins, other infections, or malignancy. Not infrequently in some patients without a definite diagnosis of SLE, pathologic features of secondary membranous nephropathy are seen e.g., mesangial and/or subendothelial deposits, tubuloreticular inclusions, and full house immunofluorescence. In these patients, there is uncertainty about the etiology, response to therapy, and prognosis of membranous GN. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 98 patients with membranous GN at San Francisco General Hospital and John Stroger Hospital of Cook County over a 10-year period. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS.18. RESULTS: Thirty-nine (40 %) had idiopathic membranous GN (Group 1), thirty-six (37 %) had lupus membranous GN (Group 2) and twenty-three (23 %) had some pathological features of secondary membranous GN, but no definite etiology of membranous GN (Group 3). At baseline (at time of renal biopsy) and after mean follow-up of 3.5 years, the average serum creatinine (in mg/dL) in Group 1 was (1.6 ± 1.0 versus 1.6 ± 1.7), Group 2 was (1.8 ± 2.5 versus 1.2 ± 0.9) and Group 3 was (1.1 ± 0.4 versus 1.27 ± 0.83), respectively. For the same time points, the average urine protein to creatinine ratio (g/g) in Group 1 was (9.8 ± 7.1 versus 5.7 ± 6.7), Group 2 was (4.2 ± 3.9 versus 1.7 ± 2.2), and Group 3 was (7.4 ± 5.7 versus 3.1 ± 3.8). In addition, during the follow-up period, eleven of 39 (28 %) in Group 1, two of 36 (6 %) in Group 2, and three of 23 (13 %) in Group 3 progressed to end-stage renal disease and were started on dialysis. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that patients with lupus membranous GN have better renal prognosis than patients with idiopathic membranous GN. The renal prognosis for patients with pathological features of lupus membranous but no diagnosis of systemic lupus (lupus-like membranous GN) falls in between. Further studies are needed to determine if Group 3 patients can (a) definitively be classified as true idiopathic membranous GN or lupus membranous GN or (b) they have a separate disease from either M-type phospholipase A2 receptor membranous nephropathy or systemic lupus-induced membranous nephropathy.

Association between hepcidin, haemoglobin level and iron status in stage 4 chronic kidney disease patients with anaemia.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the probable association of serum hepcidin and haemoglobin levels with iron and inflammation statuses in patients of chronic kidney disease stage 4 with anaemia. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from March 2011 to October 2012, and comprised patients of chronic kidney disease stage 4 with anaemia. Serum biochemical factors as well as hepcidin, ferritin, interleukin 6, high sensitivity C-reactive protein and iron levels were measured using standard methods. Statistical correlations were established using regression analysis and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: There were 40 patients among whom 15(37.5%) were males and 25(62.5%) were females with an overall mean age of 55.68±14.4 years. There was a significant inverse relationship between hepcidin and haemoglobin levels (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between hepcidin with iron status, nutritional and inflammatory markers such as ferritin, Total iron binding capacity, albumin and interleukin 6 (p<0.05 each). CONCLUSIONS: Hepcidin had negative correlation with haemoglobin level in stage 4 chronic kidney disease patients with adequate iron stores, which could be effective in the development of anaemia in such patients.

Does lipoic acid consumption affect the cytokine profile in multiple sclerosis patients: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: A limited amount of data exists regarding the effect of lipoic acid (LA), an oral antioxidant supplement, on cytokine profiles among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the effect of daily consumption of LA on the cytokine profiles in MS patients. METHODS: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial, 52 relapsing-remitting MS patients with an age range of 18-50 years were recruited into 2 groups: LA consumption (1,200 mg/day) or placebo. Patients followed their prescribed supplements for 12 weeks. Fasting blood samples for cytokine profile measurement were collected at baseline and after the intervention. Anthropometric parameters were measured based on the standard guidelines. RESULTS: INF-γ, ICAM-1, TGF-ß and IL-4 were significantly reduced in the LA group compared to the placebo group [(INF-γ: 0.82 ± 0.2 vs. 0.2 ± 0.2 pg/ml, p < 0.0001), (ICAM-1: 20.2 ± 9.4 vs. 8 ± 10 ng/ml, p = 0.0001), (TGF-ß: 103.1 ± 20.2 vs. 54.9 ± 26 ng/ml, p < 0.0001) and (IL-4: 0.1 ± 0.1 vs. 1.02 ± 1.7 ng/ml, p = 0.0112)]. No significant changes in TNF-α, IL-6, EDSS and MMP-9 were found between the LA and placebo groups (p = 0.6, p = 0.8, p = 0.09 and p = 0.8, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results suggested that consumption of 1,200 mg LA per day beneficially affects several inflammatory cytokines including INF-γ, ICAM-1 TGF-ß and IL-4. Further investigations are needed to verify the beneficial role of LA on other cytokine profiles among MS patients.

Community based needs assessment in an urban area: a participatory action research project.

BACKGROUND: Community assessment is a core function of public health. In such assessments, a commitment to community participation and empowerment is at the heart of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network, reflecting its origins in health for all and the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. This study employs a participation and empowerment plan in order to conduct community assessment. METHODS: The method of participatory action research (PAR) was used. The study was carried out in an area of high socio-economic deprivation in Ardabil, a city in the northwest of Iran, which is currently served by a branch of the Social Development Center (SDC). The steering committee of the project was formed by some university faculty members, health officials and delegates form Farhikhteh non-governmental organization and representatives from twelve blocks or districts of the community. Then, the representatives were trained and then conducted focus groups in their block. The focus group findings informed the development of the questionnaire. About six hundred households were surveyed and study questionnaires were completed either during face-to-face interviews by the research team (in case of illiteracy) or via self-completion. The primary question for the residents was: 'what is the most important health problem in your community? Each health problem identified by the community was weighted based on the frequency it was selected on the survey, and steering committee perception of the problem's seriousness, urgency, solvability, and financial load. RESULTS: The main problems of the area appeared to be the asphalt problem, lack of easy access to medical centers, addiction among relatives and unemployment of youth. High participation rates of community members in the steering committee and survey suggest that the PAR approach was greatly appreciated by the community and that problems identified through this research truly reflect community opinion. CONCLUSIONS: Participatory action research is an effective method for community assessments. However, researchers must rigorously embrace principles of mutual cooperation, respect for public ideas, and a robust belief in community empowerment in order to pave the way for responsible and active citizen participation in the various stages of research.

One-year follow-up of patients with hyperopia undergoing photorefractive keratectomy with Allegretto WaveLight Eye Q 400.

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in treating patients with cycloplegic hyperopia from +1.00 to +7.00 diopter using Allegretto wave Eye Q 400. This study was conducted on 25 patients with cycloplegic astigmatism ≤1 diopter and cycloplegic hyperopia between +1.00 and +7.00 diopters in 47 eyes, who successively entered into the study within 6 months and underwent PRK. Prior to PRK surgery, all the patients were examined for cycloplegic refraction (astigmatism and hyperopia), slit lamp, keratometry, fundus, and best-corrected (BCVA) and uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) testing. These examinations were repeated after 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. The mean preop UCVA of patients was 0.76±0.28 (ranging from 0.00 to 1.3), which reached 0.19±0.22 (ranging from 0.00 to 0.78) one year after the surgery (P=0.000). There was a significant correlation between increasing astigmatism and preop cycloplegic hyperopia >5 diopters (P=0.000), corneal ring haziness at 12th months (P=0.000), and 12 months cycloplegic residual hyperopia ≥2.00 diopters (P=0.000). 53.2% of the eyes (with a mean grade of 2.34) were detected with corneal ring haziness at 12th months, which was significantly correlated with 12 months residual cycloplegic hyperopia of ≥2.00 diopters (P: 0.000) and cycloplegic sphere above 5 diopters (P=0.006). Although the use of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with Allegretto Eye Q 400 is associated with a decrease in the mean cycloplegic and improved UCVA and BCVA, its use is not recommended in cases with preop cycloplegic hyperopia above 5 diopters due to the high rate of induction of astigmatism, corneal haziness, and regression of hyperopia.

A comparative study of Pentacam indices in various types and severities of refractive error in candidates for photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) surgery.

This study aimed to specify Pentacam indices in patients who suffered from different types of refractive error and underwent photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) surgery. It is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out on 1125 patients (2215 eye samples) who underwent PRK surgery in the Noor Surgical Center of Ardabil, Iran, over a 5 year period (2014-2018). A particular checklist was provided to patients, which consisted of demographic data, pachymetry test, keratometry, refractive error, corneal-thickness indices, and corneal surface area indices. The data were analysed using the statistical analysis package of IBM® V25. The mean age of the participants in this study was 28.48±6.82 years, and the ratio of women to men was 66.4%. It was observed that the differences between angle, volume, the depth of the anterior chamber, IVA, and ISV were significant (P=0.00) when compared to each other in all types of refractive errors. High myopes had significantly higher Kmax front than low myopes (P=0.00). In astigmatism patients, the Kmax in front of the cornea in extreme type was significantly higher than in moderate (P=0.00) and high (P=0.01) types. High myopes had significantly lower Rmin than mild myopes (P=0.02), and extreme astigmatism had significantly lower Rmin than high (P=0.014) and moderate types (P=0.013). The data from this study revealed that in patients undergoing PRK surgery, some Pentacam indices could be related to some types of refractive error, and in some of these indices, there are statistically significant differences between different severities of refractive errors. Therefore, their preoperative evaluation is very important.

Using Multiple Logistic Regression to Determine Factors Affecting Delaying Hospital Arrival of Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Early treatment of ischemic stroke patients who arrive at the hospital ≤4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is more beneficial and very important. Objective: This study is aimed to investigate the factors delaying the hospital arrival of patients with acute ischemic stroke by using multiple logistic regression analysis. Methods and Materials: This descriptive cross-sectional study was done on patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke who were referred to Ardabil city Training and Research hospital at 2018. All patients and/or patient relatives were interviewed and data were collected through a checklist including demographic and clinical data of patients to explore the involved factors delaying hospital arrival of patients and then analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Of all included patients, only 25.3% arrived at the hospital in ≤ 4.5 hours. By using multivariate logistic regression analysis, living in cities (P = 0.007), cigarette consumption (P = 0.032), having valvular heart disease (P = 0.008), and gender (P = 0.049) were factors associated with an early arrival to the hospital. Conclusions: Results showed that most of the patients had a considerable delay in arriving at the hospital in ≤ 4.5 hours. Thus, providing health promotion strategies to improve society awareness of early symptoms of stroke, training of local physicians about the importance of early arrival of stroke patients, and more extended ambulance services in all cities and rural areas are necessary for better management of acute stroke patients in this area.

Effectiveness of Sublingual Buprenorphine and Fentanyl Pump in Controlling Pain After Open Cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: The proper management of postoperative pain improves patients' quality of life, accelerates early postoperative recovery, shortens hospitalization period, and reduces medical costs. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of intravenous fentanyl pump and sublingual buprenorphine tablet in controlling pain after open cholecystectomy. OBJECTIVES: Evaluating the effectiveness of sublingual buprenorphine in reducing postoperative pain and complications after open cholecystectomy. METHODS: This study was a double-blind, randomized clinical trial. The study population encompassed those candidates undergoing open cholecystectomy, patients with ASA class I and II, individuals undergoing no other concomitant surgery, and patients in the age range of 20 - 50 years. The first group received sublingual buprenorphine 6, 12, and 18 hours after the first administration. The second group received fentanyl as patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for 24 hours. Then nausea, vomiting, sedation, and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores were evaluated at the beginning, 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours after surgery. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients in the buprenorphine and fentanyl groups were 44.8 ± 5.5 and 42.8 ± 7.1 years, respectively. In this study, 22.5% of the patients in the buprenorphine group and 35.5% of the patients in the fentanyl group were male. During 6 and 24 hours after surgery, the pain level regarding the VAS scores was significantly lower in the buprenorphine group than in the fentanyl group; however, analgesic consumption was higher in the fentanyl group. In the early hours after surgery (2 and 6 hours), nausea and vomiting were lower in the buprenorphine group than in the fentanyl group even though the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests buprenorphine as an effective drug for patients to reduce postoperative pain because of its limited complications, inexpensiveness, and more convenient administration method.

Retinopathy of prematurity in Ardabil, North West of Iran: Prevalence and risk factors.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which affects the retina of premature infants, is a leading cause of blindness in premature infants worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity infants referred to Alavi hospital between October 2018 and October 2019. In the present study, 400 infants with gestational age less than 34 weeks and or birth weight of 2000 g or less were enrolled in the study. Required information including sex, gestational age, maternal age, birth weight, type of delivery, oxygen therapy, septicemia, multiple gestations, consanguineous marriage, respiratory problem, and blood exchange were extracted from their hospital records and then included in the data collection form. These infants were also examined for ROP, stage and area of involvement by an experienced ophthalmologist and then classified into two groups including retinopathy and healthy group. Finally, the data were analyzed in SPSS 25 software using chi-square, fisher exact test, t-test, binary logistic regression, and ROC curve analysis. Of the 400 preterm infants studied (57.2% male and 42.8% female), 107 (26.8%) infants had ROP of whom 23 (21.5%) needed treatment (i.e. 5.8% of all infants need treatment). There were 4 (3.7%), 29 (27.1%), and 74 (69.2%) infants with zone I, II, and III, respectively. There were 91 (85%), 11 (10.3%), and 5 (4.7%) infants with stage I, II, and III, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that parental consanguinity (OR=2.263, 95%CI: 1.240-4.130, P=0.008), gestational age less than 32.5 weeks (OR=4.067, 95%CI: 2.340-7.069, P<0.001), and birth weight less than 1725 g (OR=4.522, 95%CI: 2.677-7.637, P<0.001) were associated with a 2.3-fold, 4.1-fold, and 4.5-fold increased risk of ROP, respectively. ROP had no significant relationship with other variables. In summary, the findings of the present study showed that one quarter of the premature infants had ROP. Furthermore, birth weight less than 1725 g, gestational age less than 32.5 weeks, and parental consanguinity were risk factors for ROP, in addition, one-fifth of the infants with ROP needed treatment.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Iranian population: A population-based study in northwestern of Iran.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity and its problems are the most important health and nutrition issues of adolescents in developed and developing countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the studied population. DESIGN AND METHODS: This Persian Cohort Study is a population-based study of 10,000 men and women, aged 35-70 years in northwest of Iran. Anthropometric parameters such as height, weight, waist circumference and hip circumference were measured by interviewers. Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were used to assess overweight and obesity. RESULTS: The mean age of all participants was 49.1±8.7 and 56.1% of them were female.  The mean height of participants was 162.5±9.4 kg in range 126-196 and the mean weight of them was 78.5±13.1 cm in range 40-164. According to BMI, 42.7% of all participants had overweight and 45% had obesity. According to the WHR, 71.8% of males and 97.9% of females had high WHR (abdominal obesity). CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that the rate of overweight and obesity in studied people was more than country rate. So programing for raising their Quality of Life (QoL) and lifestyle and also changing their poor nutritional habits is essential in area healthy people.

Comparison of Dapoxetine /Tadalafil and Paroxetine/Tadalafil Combination Therapies for the Treatment of the Premature Ejaculation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Dapoxetine, and Paroxetine as well as Dapoxetine/Tadalafil and Paroxetine/Tadalafil combinational therapies, for the treatment of patients with premature ejaculation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this clinical trial study, 120 patients with premature ejaculation were randomly divided into 4 groups: The first group was treated with Paroxetine (Pa), while the second group received Dapoxetine(Da). The third group received Paroxetine combined with Tadalafil(PT) whereas the fourth group's treatment involved the use of Dapoxetine and Tadalafil(DT) for one month. In the next 2 and 4 weeks, the cases were evaluated in terms of ejaculation duration, frequency of intercourse per week, and drug side effects. RESULTS: The mean age of the Da, Pa, PT, DT groups was 32 ± 6.9, 32.4 ± 7.2, 31.6 ± 1.9, and 32.9 ± 7.7 years, respectively. There was a significant difference between the Da and DT groups (p = .029) in the ejaculation latency in the 4-week follow-up. In the two weeks follow-up, a significant difference was observed between DA and DT (p = 0.043), Pa and PT (p = 0.006), and Pa and DT groups (p = 0.004) in terms of ejaculation latency. Four weeks after the intervention, a significant difference was detected in the intercourse frequency of Da and PT groups (p =0.033), Pa and PT groups (p = 0.043), Pa and DT groups (p = 0.02), and Da and DT groups (p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: Combination therapy (Tadalafil plus Paroxetine or Dapoxetine) was more effective in IELT (Intra ejaculation latency time) than mono-therapy especially in younger patients despite its slightly more side effects.

Pentacam Indices in Photorefractive Keratectomy Surgery.

Refractive eye surgeries are one of the most non-emergent ophthalmic surgeries due to the effect on the reduction of refractive errors, increasing visual acuity, enhancing the quality of vision, and indirectly increasing the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to determine Pentacam indices in the patients who underwent photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) during 2014-2018, as well as to show their correlation with the type of refractive error. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 2215 eyes of 1125 patients undergoing PRK surgery. The patients' checklist, including demographic information, refractive index, keratometry, pachymetry, corneal surface zone indices, and progressive corneal thickness indices, was provided. All data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS software, version 25. The findings showed that there was a significant association between posterior corneal astigmatism (PCA) and anterior corneal astigmatism (ACA) (p=0.00). The mean Kmax front was recorded as 44.844 ± 1.58 D, which was significantly correlated with the type of refractive errors (p=0.00). According to the findings, there was a significant relationship between anterior chamber indices and refractive error types and their severity (p=0.00). There was also a significant correlation between the surface zone and keratoconus indices (i.e., index of surface variance - ISV, index of vertical asymmetry - IVA, index of height asymmetry - IHA, and minimum radius of curvature - Rmin) with refractive errors (p=0.00). The findings showed that some of the Pentacam indices could be related to the types of refractive errors in patients undergoing PRK surgery. Therefore, their evaluation is of great importance in this regard.

The Incidence of Minor ß-thalassemia Among Individuals Participated in Premarital Screening Program in Ardabil Province: North-west of Iran.

INTRODUCTION: The most effective way to prevent thalassemia is to screen for the disease at the population level and then to evaluate the molecularity of individuals. Considering the importance of minor ß-thalassemia and its high prevalence in societies. AIM: to investigate the incidence of minor ß-thalassemia among Individuals participated in Premarital Screening Program in Ardabil province: North-west of Iran. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 39620 individuals participated in the national screening program for Minor ß-Thalassemia. Of them 1925 cases had mean corpuscular volume (MCV) < 80 in one person or couple which referred to HbA2 concentration check. RESULTS: Of all 1925 cases, 95 cases (4.93%) had HbA2>3.5 and defined as Minor ß-Thalassemia. The total incidence of minor ß-thalassemia among all participated people was 2.4%. Of thalassemia cases 48.4% were women and 51.6% were men. Of all ß-thalassemia cases, 49.5% live in Ardabil city and rest of them live in other cities. CONCLUSION: Results showed that the prevalence of minor ß-thalassemia in Ardabil province was lower than country average rate and a study should be done in future for exact estimation of the disease.

Effect of Music Therapy with Periorbital Massage on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting In Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trail.

Introduction: Music and massage therapy are among the approaches of complementary medicine. Patients with cancer have been hugely encouraged in recent years to use complementary medicine to relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of music and periorbital massage therapy on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with gastrointestinal cancers. Methods: The present single-blind clinical trial study was conducted on 60 patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing chemotherapy who were randomly assigned to control and music plus massage therapy groups. Two interventions were concurrently carried out on patients in music plus massage therapy group while receiving chemotherapy medication, but the control group received no intervention. Rhodes questionnaire was used to assess nausea and vomiting before and 24 hours after chemotherapy. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistical tests (Chi-square and t-tests). Results: Music plus periorbital massage therapy significantly reduced nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing chemotherapy compared to the control group. Conclusion: According to the results, using music plus periorbital massage improves nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing chemotherapy, and can be considered as a complementary medicine method in conjunction with other medicinal therapies to relieve symptoms of patients with cancer.

Epidemiologic Trend of Smear-Positive, Smear-Negative, Extra Pulmonary and Relapse of Tuberculosis in Iran (2001-2015); A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Trend analysis is an important tool to monitor epidemiological changes of disease over time to guide resource allocation. This study aimed to study incidence trends and change-points of smear positive, smear negative, extra-pulmonary and relapse of tuberculosis (TB) in Iran from 2001 to 2015. STUDY DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional study METHODS: Nonlinear segmented regression was used to describe TB incidence trends; annual percent change (APC), average annual percent changes (AAPC) and change points for each disease separately. RESULTS: Of 154930 TB cases, 49.8% were smear positive, 19.7% smear negative, 27.32% extra-pulmonary and 3.18% relapse. For all TB types, the peak of incidence was in 2001. Two change point were estimated for all TB types (P<0.05). The APC of all TB types were -6.51 (95% CI: -7.4, -5.4) for first and 2.4 (95% CI: 0. 7, 4.1) for second segment. Although the trends were significantly decreasing from 2001 to 2015 for smear positive (AAPC=2.06%), smear negative (AAPC=3.57%), extra pulmonary (AAPC=3.2%) and relapse (AAPC=3.3%), the AAPCs of trends were not significant from 2006 to 2015. Except for Extra pulmonary TB (APC=4-.9%, 95%CI:-10, 1.2), the APCs of the last segments were significant. CONCLUSIONS: Even though the TB incidence rates were decreasing, the amount of reductions seem inadequate, to reach the goals of TB control in Iran. Especially, the increase in the extra-pulmonary TB rates is a point of concern that highlights more attention is required for these cases. It is essential to improve economic supports toward TB control, illegal immigrants, data registry systems and physician's sensitivity in TB detection.

Amblyopia Prevention Screening Program in Northwest Iran (Ardabil).

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of amblyopia screening in Ardabil Province in three examination levels by kindergarten teacher, optometrist, and ophthalmologist. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, the results of the national amblyopic prevention program in 2-6 years old children in Ardabil Province were investigated in 2012. The results pertained to the examinations of children participating in this research were collected in the national approved forms. The data were entered into the computer and were analyzed using statistical methods in SPSS 18. RESULTS: Around 38,844 children (51.7%) out of 75173 with 2-6 years old qualified children participated in the screening program in Ardabil Province. In the first stage of screening, 1068 children (33.1%) are visually impaired in one eye and 2160 children (66.9%) are visually impaired in two eyes. In the second stage, the results related to the examinations by optometrists indicated that the prevalence of refractive errors, strabismus, and others were 70%, 27.8%, and 2.2%, respectively. Refractive errors problem was most prevalent in Ardabil city (72.6%).The prevalence of refractive errors, strabismus, and other reasons in amblyopic children was 51.3%, 23.9%, and 24.8%; respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present investigation showed that coverage of amblyopia screening program was not enough in Ardabil Province. To increase the screening accuracy, standard instruments and examination room must be used; more optometrists must be involved in this program and increasing the validity of obtained results for future programming.

Study Frequency of Hypertension and Obesity and their Relationship with Lifestyle Factors (Nutritional Habits, Physical Activity, Cigarette Consumption) in Ardabil City Physicians, 2012-13.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Few studies have been done on lifestyle of Iranian physicians. As physicians have important role in health promotion, the main goal of the study was to assess the lifestyle of this influential group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on lifestyle of all registered physicians of Ardabil hospitals, Iran, 2012-13. In this research, 225 physicians were selected, by using simple random sampling. Demographic and lifestyle data were obtained by self-report using standard questionnaires, physical activity by official Iranian short-version of the international physical activity questionnaire, and dietary intake by food frequency questionnaire. Weight and height was performed according to standard protocols by using standardized and zero calibrated instruments. Data were analyzed by inferential statistics using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. 16 software. RESULTS: Findings showed that 8% of participants were hypertensive, 21.3% smoker, 40%-47% inactive, 51.1% overweight, and 18.2% obese. There was a significant relationship between blood pressure and self-reported lifestyle habits (P < 0.05). And 70.7% of males and 74.1% of females had regular 10-min walking each day and moderate activity of males was significantly higher than females (P < 0.05). Food frequency weekly consumption of overweight and obese physicians were significantly higher than normal weight physicians (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Few doctors follow a healthy lifestyle; this may have a negative effect on society attitude about health.

Factors Affecting Preferences of Iranian Women for Breast Cancer Screening Based on Marketing Mix Components.

BACKGROUND: According to recent statistics, the breast cancer rate is growing fast in developing countries. In North West Iran, the incidence of breast cancer after esophageal and gastric cancers has the highest rate. Previous studies have also indicated that women in this region show reluctance to do breast cancer screening. There is a great need for change to promote breast cancer screening among women. Social marketing is a discipline that uses the systematic application of commercial marketing techniques to promote the adoption of behavior by the target audience. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present qualitative study, thirty-two women with breast cancer were interviewed about their experiences of breast cancer screening. A semi-structured interview guide was designed to elicit information specific to the 4 P's in social marketing. RESULTS: Three main categories emerged from the analysis: price, service and promotion. Subcategories related to these main categories included factors effective in increasing and decreasing cost of screening, current and desirable features of screening services, and weakness of promotion. CONCLUSIONS: Screening programs should be designed to be of low cost, to meet patients' needs and should be provided in suitable places. Furthermore, it is essential that the cultural beliefs of society be improved through education. It seems necessary to design an executive protocol for breast cancer screening at different levels of primary health care to increase the women's willingness to undergo screening.

Epidemiology of Childhood Cancer in Northwest Iran.

This case series study was performed for all 83 children below 14 years old suffering from cancer during 2010-2013 who were registered in Ardabil pediatric cancer registry (APCR). The required data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS.19 statistical methods software. Some 51 (61.4%) of cases were male. The mean age of patients was 5.8 years. Of the total, 60 (72.3%) of cases were from urban areas. Results showed that leukemia with 54.2%, CNS with 12% and neuroblastoma with 8.4% were the most prevalent childhood malignancies in Ardabil province. Based on the under 14 year old population estimated from Ardabil province, the cumulative incidence rate was 95.4 patients per one million. The incidence rate was relatively high so that childhood cancers should be considered as an important issue in health policy making in Ardabil province of Iran.

Global epidemic trend of tuberculosis during 1990-2010: using segmented regression model.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a pandemic disease. It is the second leading cause of death from infectious diseases after human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the world.The main objective of this paper was to determine and compare the epidemiology of TB incidence rate and its trend changes during 1990-2010 in six WHO regions regarding age, gender and income levels. METHODS: The Average Annual Percent Change (AAPC) and Annual Percent Change (APC) of TB incidence, mortality, treatment-successes, case detection rates, as well as change points of trend was estimated using segmented regression model. The number of change points was selected by the permutation procedure based on likelihood ratio test. RESULTS: Two change points for global TB incidence rate trend with AAPC5years equaling -1.4 % was estimated, the maximum AAPC5years of six regions was attributed to the American region (-3.5%). AACP of TB treatment-successes rate for Eastern Mediterranean (+2.2), the Americas (+1.6), south East Asia (+.8) and Global (+1.1) were significant (P<0.05). Moreover AACP5years of TB case detection rate for South East Asia (+7.5), Eastern Mediterranean (+4.9), Africa (+2.8) and the Americas (+1.7) were significant (P<0.05). Globally, all of income categories had descending trend of TB incidence and mortality rate, except the upper-middle income level that had ascending incidence trend (AAPC=+0.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Globally, TB incidence and mortality rates have downturn trend and TB treatment successes and detection rates have upward trend, but their changes rate are insufficient to reach the goal of TB stop strategy. The economic levels have effect on trend, with no clear pattern, so it seems necessary that evaluation TB control programs based on characteristics of countries for reach TB control goals.