The prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy associated with type-2 diabetes in Shiraz, Iran: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common diagnosis in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The prevalence of LVH among patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), high blood pressure and aging is higher than the healthy population and has been independently associated with an increased risk for future cardiac event, including stroke. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of LVH among T2DM subjects and evaluate its association with related risk factors of CVD patients in the metropolis of Shiraz, Iran. The novelty of this study is that there has been no known published epidemiological study related to the relationship of LVH and T2DM on this unique population. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study was designed based on collected data of 7715 free dwelling subjects in the community-based Shiraz Cohort Heart Study (SCHS) from 2015 to 2021, ages 40-70 years. Overall, 1118 subjects with T2DM were identified in the SCHS and after exclusion criteria, 595 subjects remained eligible for study. Subjects with electrocardiography (ECG) results, which are appropriate and diagnostics tools, were evaluated for the presence of LVH. Thus, the variables related to LVH and non-LVH in subjects with diabetes were analyzed using version-22 statistical package for social sciences software program to ensure consistency, accuracy, reliability, and validity for final analysis. Based upon related variables and identifying LVH and non-LVH subjects, the relevant statistical analysis was implemented to ensure its consistency, accuracy, reliability, and validity for final analysis. RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence of diabetic subjects was 14.5% in the SCHS study. Furthermore, the prevalence of hypertension in the study subjects aged 40-70 years was 37.8%. The prevalence of hypertension history in T2DM study subjects for LVH compared to non-LVH was (53.7% vs. 33.7%). The prevalence of LVH among patients with T2DM as the primary target of this study was 20.7%. Analytical findings comparing both LVH and non-LVH subjects who have T2DM identified significance for variables in the older (≥ 60) mean and categorical age group (P < 0.0001), history of hypertension (P < 0.0001), mean and categorical duration of hypertension in years (P < 0.0160), status of controlled versus uncontrolled hypertension level (P < 0.0120), the mean systolic blood pressure (P < 0.0001) as well as mean duration years of T2DM and categorical duration of diabetes in years (< 0.0001 and P < 0.0060), mean fasting blood sugar (< 0.0307) and categorical status of FBS Level (mg/dl): controlled and uncontrolled FBS status of controlled vs. uncontrolled FBS levels P < 0.0020). However, there were no significant findings for gender (P = 0.3112), diastolic blood pressure mean (P = 0.7722) and body mass index (BMI) mean and categorical BMI (P = 0.2888 and P = 0.4080, respectively). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of LVH in the study increases significantly among T2DM patients with hypertension, older age, years of hypertension, years of diabetes, and higher FBS. Thus, given the significant risk of diabetes and CVD, evaluation of LVH through reasonable diagnostic testing with ECG can help reduce the risk of future complications through the development of risk factor modifications and treatments guidelines.

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.

Potential of four definitions of metabolic syndrome to discriminate individuals with different 10-year cardiovascular disease risk scores: a cross-sectional analysis of an Iranian cohort.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to reveal the potential of four different metabolic syndrome (Mets) definitions to differentiate subjects according to 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease. DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort. SETTING: This study used baseline data from the Shiraz Heart Study, a prospective cohort study in Shiraz, Iran. Participants were screened against Mets definitions including modified WHO, National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), American Heart Association (AHA) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Also, Framingham risk score (FRS) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score were determined for each participant. PARTICIPANTS: A total number of 7225 participants of both genders entered the study. They were selected through defined family physician centres in different geographical areas. Urban residents with no migration plan were included. Those who were far from study centres or with disabilities that made them incapable to cooperate were excluded. RESULTS: Participants were 47.68% (N=3445) male with the mean age of 52.13±8.00 years. The number of subjects with Mets identified by WHO was the lowest (N=1676), while the percentage of subjects with high risk score was the highest, 17.1% (N=282) in FRS and 9.8% (N=162) in ASCVD risk score. There were statistically significant differences in the mean risk scores between participants with and without Mets according to AHA, WHO and NCEP ATP III definitions (p<0.001). In IDF definition, the risk scores of subjects with Mets were not statistically different compared with peers without Mets, neither based on FRS (p=0.247) nor ASCVD risk score (p=0.193). CONCLUSIONS: IDF was not the appropriate definition for discrimination of subjects with Mets and/or those at high risk of future cardiovascular events. AHA, WHO and NCEP ATP III definitions were effective to discriminate subjects with Mets from peers without Mets.

Prolonged Undiagnosed Nasal Foreign Body Case Report.

The case report presented is a 22-year-old female with an undiagnosed nasal foreign body (NFB) in her right nasal cavity for 18 years. Previous physical examination and anterior rhinoscopy by other health care specialists failed to detect the NFB. She was treated conservatively by many ENT specialists as sinusitis with antibiotics therapy and anti-allergy drugs for many years with no improvement. Due to persistent sinus symptoms unrelieved by conservative treatment further investigation with a paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) scan was completed that identified the NFB. The NFB was successfully removed surgically with the aid of nasal endoscopy under general anesthesia. The NFB was diagnosed as a piece of calcified externally cotton vegetation. This case highlighted the importance of complete investigation of persistent symptoms including imaging with a non-contrast spiral CT, in addition to a dilated physical examination, clinical and pathologic lab exam.

Can anthropometric indices predict the chance of hypertension? A multicentre cross-sectional study in Iran.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the prevalence of hypertension (HTN), and determine the relationship between HTN and anthropometric indices including fat distribution, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) in Shiraz Heart Study. SETTING: In this cross-sectional study, subjects were enrolled in 25 clinics in Shiraz. I.R. Iran between 2019 and 2021. PARTICIPANTS: A total number of 7225 individuals were selected, aged between 40 and 70 years of whom 52.3% were female. Among the people living in Shiraz, individuals living far from clinics, cases of mental or physical disabilitiy and documented cardiovascular diseases were excluded. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome: The association of body composition, WHR, WHtR and BMI with HTN. SECONDARY OUTCOME: The sensitivity and specificity of the WHtR for the prediction of HTN. RESULTS: HTN prevalence was 19.3%. Obesity prevalence was estimated to be 28.5%. WHR and lean body mass showed a significant association with HTN (p<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic for WHtR yielded an area under the curve of 0.62 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.64) and 0.63 (95% CI 0.62 to 0.65) for males and females, respectively. The optimal threshold value yielded 0.54 in men and 0.61 in women. The sensitivity was 72.3% and 73.9% in women and men, with specificity of 48.4% and 44.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: HTN had a meaningful association with all the noted anthropometric indices. WHtR performed well as a predictor of HTN.

Magnitude of the Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Testing in the Shiraz Cohort Heart Study.

To determine the conclusive integrity in the Shiraz Cohort Heart Study (SCHS) project, management began quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) of the collected data throughout the study end-points. The QA is a focused process that prevents and detects data collection errors and verification of intended requirements in the SCHS. The QC is a subset of QA intended to capture errors in processing data through testing and preventive processes to identify problems, defects, or intended requirements. SCHS involved 10,000 males and females aged 40-70 over a 10-year follow-up period with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the city of Shiraz, Iran. The study measured events and access to preventive care in Shiraz city. The SCHS identified unique barriers to select national study models in developing standardized measures related to variations in ethnicity, religion, cross-cultural considerations, and others. A suggested response to this problem was to develop a mechanism to standardize elements of the questionnaire, study design, and method of administration. This action was based on the geographically normal distribution of the Family Physician Health and Medical Services in Shiraz. Important QA and QC decisions were developed and adopted in the construction of the SCHS and follow-up to ensure conclusive integrity.

The rapid CD4 + T-lymphocyte decline and human immunodeficiency virus progression in females compared to males.

CD4 + T-lymphocyte counts are used to assess CD4 + decline and the stage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) progression in HIV-infected patients. Clinical observation suggests that HIV progress more rapid in females than males. Of the original 5000 HIV-infected population of Western New York HIV/AIDS, Referral Center at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), 1422 participated in the cohort study. We identified 333 HIV-infected patients with CD4 + T-cell-counts ≥ 500/µÆ–, among them 178 met the inclusion criteria for the 10-year study. Females had higher mode (600 vs. 540) and mean (741.9 vs. 712.2) CD4 + counts than males at baseline. However, CD4 + declined faster among females in a shorter time than males (234.5 vs. 158.6, P < 0.004), with rapid HIV progression. Univariate analyses determined that females had a 40% higher risk for CD4 + decline than males. The bivariate analyses specified CD4 + decline remained greater in females than males. Multivariate analyses which employed Cox's proportional Hazard-Model to adjust for numerous variables simultaneously identified women had almost twice the risk for CD4 + decline and rapid HIV progression than males (RR = 1.93; 95%CI 1.24, 2.99). Although the biological mechanism remains unknown, findings suggest gender differences in CD4 + decline, with a higher risk of rapid HIV progression and shorter longevity in females.

The Association Between Low Serum Cholesterol and Non-Cardiovascular Mortality among Italian Males and Females: A Nine- Year Prospective Cohort Ctudy

Background: No study to date provides evidence suggesting that lower cholesterol is associated with excess death in non-cardiovascular disease (NCVD). This study aimed to determine the association between low cholesterol level and NCVD mortality. Methods: A nine-year cohort study was conducted on 3,079 male and 26,005 female Italians aged 20-69 years old. The Cox proportional hazard models implied a hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval for association. Results: Among males, there were significant inverse associations between the lowest cholesterol decile (< 160mg/dl) hazard ratio and all-cause deaths and non-cardiovascular deaths, 1.50 (1.19-1.89) and 2.06 (1.54-2.74), respectively. Among females, there was a significant inverse association of lowest and fourth cholesterol deciles, 1.53 (1.01-2.34); 1.52 (1.06-2.18) hazard ratio for all-cause deaths and risk for non-cardiovascular deaths in the same deciles 1.52 (0.91-2.50); 1.78 (1.16-2.71), respectively. Remarkably, in depth analysis for NCVD, found significant inverse associations hazard of cholesterol <160 mg/dl for cancer, non-cancer liver dysfunction (NCLD), other non-cancer-non- CVD in males and only NCLD death was significant in females. Conclusion: Among males, there were significant inverse hazard associations between the lowest cholesterol decile and all-cause and non-CVD deaths . Among females, there were significant inverse hazard associations of lowest and fourth cholesterol decile for all-cause and also risk first and fourth deciles for non-CVD mortality.

Analysing cardiovascular risk factors and related outcomes in a middle-aged to older adults population in Iran: a cohort protocol of the Shiraz Heart Study (SHS).

INTRODUCTION: The significant increase in the rate of morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases has become a health challenge globally. Lack of enough knowledge on the underlying causes in Iran and taking the unique characteristics of the Shiraz metropolitan city (the capital city of Fars Province) into consideration prompted us to conduct the Shiraz Heart Study. The aim of this study is to determine the predisposing elements leading to coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In this population-based, prospective study, family physician clinics will become the executive arms. Participants aged 40-70 years old will be recruited to achieve a sample size of 10 000. Socioeconomicta and anthropometric indices supplemented by physical activity, nutritional and psychological questionnaires, as well as routine blood laboratory tests, medical history and electrocardiographic records, will be collected at enrolment in clinics. In addition, blood samples will be obtained to explore the possible role of genetics in outcome occurrence. Follow-up with blood sampling, completion of a lifestyle questionnaire and evaluation of clinical risk factors will be carried out five times in a 2-year interval for all participants. Advanced statistical methods such as mixed model and time-to-event models will be used for data analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study is in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration and has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (No: 2017-358). Signing a written informed consent is the preliminary step. Participants are free to withdraw on their request at any time. Collected data are kept encrypted in a software with authorities' access only. Findings of the study will be published at a national or international scale through peer-reviewed journals.

Is low cholesterol a risk factor for cancer mortality?

Although a large number of studies have shown the associations of high plasma lipid profile levels with cancer, few studies demonstrate the association between low serum cholesterol (<160 mg/dl) and risk for cancer mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the association of low serum cholesterol level as a risk factor for mortality in cancer. The prospective cohort studies were conducted on 19 of 52 cohort studies including 30 179 male and 26 005 female participants who were followed up for 9 years. Cox proportion hazard model was applied to analyze these data. The associations are presented as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The statistical package for the social sciences software was used for analysis. The multivariate analysis results showed risk associations with low serum cholesterol for the first decile among male participants (cancer: HR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.06-2.18; noncancer liver dysfunction: HR=10.73, 95% CI: 3.74-30.18) and female participants (cancer: HR=1.03, 95% CI: 0.52-2.05; noncancer liver dysfunction: HR=25.8, 95% CI: 3.09-217.70). Furthermore, in the second decile, this association among male patients (noncancer liver dysfunction: HR=3.73, 95% CI: 1.16-11.95) had a statistically significant result. For the remaining deciles in both sexes, cancer and noncancer liver dysfunction has some risk or protective association, although not significant. Findings of this study indicated an inverse association between low serum cholesterol and cancer and noncancer liver dysfunction mortality.

The Mutual Impact of Smoking and Low Cholesterol on All-Cause, Non-Cardiovascular, and Cardiovascular Mortalities in Males.

The aim of the current study was to examine the possible relationship between the mutual effects of smoking and low cholesterol on all-cause, non-cardiovascular, and cardiovascular mortalities in males. This is a prospective cohort study of 30,179 males sampled from the Risk Factors and Life Expectancy (RIFLE) studies in the Italian population. The RIFLE data are from 19 different large-scale studies over a 9.5-year follow-up period. The Cox Proportional Hazard model was applied to analyze the data. The associations are presented as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Cholesterol data were reported in categories. There were significant mortality risk mutual associations for never-smokers and those in the low cholesterol category (<160 mg/dl) for all-cause (HR = 3.13, 95% CI [1.69, 5.80]), and non-cardiovascular disease (CVD) (HR = 6.51, 95% CI [2.19, 19.33]) mortality in men with an insignificant risk for CVD mortality (HR = 1.90, 95% CI [0.85, 4.22]). There were significant mortality risk associations of the mutual effects of ex-smokers and low cholesterol for non-CVD in the first to third cholesterol categories (HR = 2.50, 95% CI [1.40, 4.46]; HR = 2.65, 95% CI [1.50, 4.71]; HR = 2.12, 95% CI [1.17, 3.82], respectively), but no significant findings for all-cause and CVD deaths. Furthermore, there were significant mortality risk association of mutual effects of current-smokers and low cholesterol for non-CVD (HR = 1.56, 95% CI [1.11, 2.28]) in the first category of cholesterol level, but insignificant risk associations for all-cause deaths (HR = 1.21, 95% CI [0.89, 1.66]). Interestingly, findings indicate a mutual protective association for current-smokers and low cholesterol (<160 mg/dl) for CVD risk in males (HR = 0.42, 95% CI [0.19, 0.91]). Findings of this study identified significant mortality risk association for mutual effects of never-smokers, ex-smokers, and low cholesterol for non-CVD. However, there is significant protective association for current-smokers and low cholesterol for CVD.

Comparison of differences in performance evaluation of faculty by students with faculty's self-assessment.

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to compare self-assessment forms of coursework taught in the school of public health at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels and students' evaluation of the performance of the faculty members at these levels. METHODS: The subjects in this cross-sectional study were the faculty members and students of the School of Public Health and Nutrition, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. The data were collected using a socio-demographic information form and evaluation forms of professors prepared by the Educational Development Center (EDC). The faculty members were assessed by the students in undergraduate and graduate classes. Among the study subjects, 23 faculty members filled out the self-assessment forms which were then evaluated by 23 students. Then, the data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical 14. Paired t-test was used to compare the students' evaluation of the faculty members' performance and the professors' self-assessment. RESULTS: The mean score of self-assessment of the faculty members who taught undergraduate courses was 289.7±8.3, while that of the students' evaluation was 281.3±16.1; the difference was statistically significant (t=3.56, p=0.001). Besides, the mean score of the self-assessment of the faculty members who taught graduate courses was 269.0±9.7, while that of the students' evaluation was 265.7±14.6 but the difference was not statistically significant (t=1.09, p=0.28). CONCLUSIONS: Teaching performance perceptions of the faculty were similar to those of the graduate students as compared to the undergraduate ones. This may reflect better understanding of coursework at this level compared to the undergraduate students. Faculty members may need to adjust teaching methods to improve students' performance and understanding especially in the undergraduate level.