Depression, Testosterone concentration, sexual dysfunction and methadone use among men with hypogonadism and HIV Infection.

Low testosterone levels are associated with depression and impaired sexual performance. We examined the association between hypogonadism, sexual function and depression among men with HIV infection in Shiraz, Iran. A total of 237 male HIV-positive patients referred to voluntary counseling centers were recruited based on convenience sampling from May to October 2010. All patients provided informed consent and completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BMSFI). Blood samples were collected after an overnight fast to measure free testosterone (FT) concentration. Hypogonadism was found in 68 % of the participants, and about 68.8 % had moderate and severe depression. Serum FT levels were significantly lower in patients with depression and a direct association was found between the risk of hypogonadism and increased BDI-II score. Among methadone nonusers and nondepressed patients, an inverse association was found between hypogonadal and eugonadal men in the sexual drive, erectile and ejaculatory function domains of the BMSFI. However, there was no significant association between methadone user status and depression. Depression and hypogonadism had a reciprocal effect. Depression and methadone use were associated with hypogonadism and had a significant effect on sexual function.

Drug targeting using solid lipid nanoparticles.

The present review aims to show the features of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) which are at the forefront of the rapidly developing field of nanotechnology with several potential applications in drug delivery and research. Because of some unique features of SLNs such as their unique size dependent properties it offers possibility to develop new therapeutics. A common denominator of all these SLN-based platforms is to deliver drugs into specific tissues or cells in a pathological setting with minimal adverse effects on bystander cells. SLNs are capable to incorporate drugs into nanocarriers which lead to a new prototype in drug delivery which maybe used for drug targeting. Hence solid lipid nanoparticles hold great promise for reaching the goal of controlled and site specific drug delivery and hence attracted wide attention of researchers. This review presents a broad treatment of targeted solid lipid nanoparticles discussing their types such as antibody SLN, magnetic SLN, pH sensitive SLN and cationic SLN.

An epidemiological survey of the suicide incidence trends in the southwest iran: 2004-2009.

BACKGROUND: Elimination of suicide attempts is impossible, but they can be reduced dramatically by an organized planning. The present study aimed to survey the suicide trends in Fars province (Iran), during 2004-2009 to better understand the prevalence and status of suicide. METHODS: This survey was a cross-sectional study. The demographic data were collected from the civil status registry between 2004 and 2009. Suicide and suicide attempt data were collected of three sources including the affiliated hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, mortality data of Vice Chancellery of Health in Fars province and data from forensic medicine. Then, they were analyzed by Excel and SPSS. Chi-square and regression analyses were used for data analysis. RESULTS: During the study, 10671 people attempted suicide, of which 5697 (53%) were women and 4974 (47%) were men. Among them, 1047 people (9.8%) died, of which 363 (34%) were women and 679 (64%) were men. There was a significant relationship between gender and fatal suicide. The mean suicide attempt for both genders was 53 per 100,000 and 49, 57 for men and women, respectively. The trends in the incidence of Suicidal attempts were decreasing. CONCLUSION: Without implementing effective preventive measures, the health care system in Iran will face a further burden of fatal suicides among young people. Therefore; enhancing the primary health care and specialized mental health services for those with unsuccessful suicide attempts can effectively reduce the burden of suicide.