Estimation of Mean Intelligence Quotient with Wechsler Scale in Iran: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The low intelligence quotient (IQ) level is one of the most common and important medical, social, and familial problems in all countries. The current study aimed to estimate mean IQ with the Wechsler scale in Iran by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis. In the current meta-analysis, all articles related to IQ conducted in Iran using the Wechsler scale were deeply searched by reviewing citation databases including Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer, SID, Magiran, Iranmedex, Medlib, and Google Scholar motor search and using valid keywords without time limits. Due to heterogeneity between studies, a random effects model was used to combine the results of studies. To investigate the heterogeneity of the studies, the I2 index was used. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA software version 11.1. The number of participants in the 51 studies was 5352. The mean total IQ score in Iran was estimated 97.12 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 88.71-105.52), the practical intelligence was 92.84 (95% CI: 79.14-106.55), and the verbal intelligence was 94.50 (95% CI: 83.90-105.10). The total IQ score in the northern, southern, central, eastern, and western regions of Iran was 97.08, 108.90, 92.31, 101.76, and 96.45, respectively. The mean IQ score in Iran in subjects under 20 years of age is 97.73 and in subjects over 20 years of age is 105.61. There is also no significant relationship between the mean total IQ in Iran and two parameters of the year of research and number of research samples. For prevention of decrease IQ and given that proper nutrition and breastfeeding directly contribute to increase IQ, nutrition should be provided free of charge in poorer areas during pregnancy until baby born. Moreover, the media should provide adequate education for breastfeeding and nutrition, because IQ affects people's academic, occupational, personal, and social performance, and also prevents elite immigration with suitable planning and provides conditions for elites to return to the country.

Investigating inappropriate admissions and hospitalizations in Yasuj educational hospitals based on appropriateness evaluation protocol (AEP): A case study in the internal and surgical wards.

BACKGROUND: Examining the conditions for hospital admission and its appropriateness, and continuous investigation of hospital services are important issues that can improve resource productivity, service quality, and hospital efficacy. So, the present study was conducted to determine the appropriateness of the services provided in Yasuj educational hospitals. METHODS: This descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 204 hospitalized patients who were selected through multistage quota sampling in 2016. The appropriateness evaluation protocol (AEP) was used to collect the data. Analytical tests such as paired t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were used to determine the relationship between appropriate and inappropriate admission and hospitalization and demographic characteristics. The data were analyzed using the SPSS18 statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 980 days of stay were evaluated, and according to the AEP, 35 days of hospitalization were considered inappropriate (3.57%). The mean hospitalization duration was 6/16 ± 5/53 days. The results showed that inappropriate admission and hospitalization rates were respectively 0.6% and 13.8%. CONCLUSION: Unnecessary admissions and hospitalizations can be considered as one of the challenges of the health system. Reducing unnecessary hospitalization will increase hospital productivity, reduce the waiting list and hospitalization costs, and also reduce the risk of exposure to hospital infections. In order to prevent inappropriate admissions and unnecessary hospitalizations, special measures can be taken, including the use of clinical guidelines, modification of the discharge process, and modification of the lower levels of the service providing system.

Prevalence of Hypercholesterolemia, High LDL, and Low HDL in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic and abnormal increase of different types of dyslipidemia leads to some important diseases, such as constriction and abstraction of vessels in various parts of the body, especially in the heart. High lipid profile, such as increased total cholesterol and LDL as well as decreased HDL are recognized as cardiovascular disease risk factors. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of different types of dyslipidemia in Iran by a meta-analysis method. METHODS: A literature search for studies published during 1998-2015 was carried out using both Persian and English databases (SID, Magiran, IranMedex, MedLib, PubMed, and Scopus). Keywords such as lipid, dyslipidemia, CVD, cardiovascular risk factors, hypercholesterolemia, high LDL-C, low HDL-C, and prevalence were used in the search. Random-effects model was used for the analysis using STATA (version 11.2). RESULTS: In total, 163 articles were identified of which 49 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The estimated prevalence (95% confidence interval) of eligible articles for high cholesterol ≥200 mg/dl and ≥240 mg/dl was 42% (95% CI: 38-45) and 17% (95% CI: 14-20), respectively. Moreover, the prevalence (95% confidence interval) for high LDL-C ≥130 mg/dl and ≥160 mg/dl was 40% (95% CI: 32-48) and 19% (95% CI: 16-23), respectively. The pooled prevalence estimate for low HDL-C (<40 among males, <50 among females) was 43% (95% CI: 33-53) in both sexes of the Iranian people. All types of lipid component abnormalities (hypercholesterolemia, high LDL-C, and low HDL-C) were more prevalent in women. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the prevalence of different types of dyslipidemia in Iran is substantial. Given the risk of complications (e.g. cardiovascular disease and control of different types of dyslipidemia) in Iranian people, it is important to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases.

Evaluating the effect of magnesium supplementation and cardiac arrhythmias after acute coronary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Atrial and ventricular cardiac arrhythmias are one of the most common early complications after cardiac surgery and these serve as a major cause of mortality and morbidity after cardiac revascularization. We want to evaluate the effect of magnesium sulfate administration on the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias after cardiac revascularization by doing this systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: The search performed in several databases (SID, Magiran, IranDoc, IranMedex, MedLib, PubMed, EmBase, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library and Google Scholar) for published Randomized controlled trials before December 2017 that have reported the association between Magnesium consumption and the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias. This relationship measured using odds ratios (ORs) with a confidence interval of 95% (CIs). Funnel plots and Egger test used to examine publication bias. STATA (version 11.1) used for all analyses. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies selected as eligible for this research and included in the final analysis. The total rate of ventricular arrhythmia was lower in the group receiving magnesium sulfate than placebo (11.88% versus 24.24%). The same trend obtained for the total incidence of supraventricular arrhythmia (10.36% in the magnesium versus 23.91% in the placebo group). In general the present meta-analysis showed that magnesium could decrease ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias compared with placebo (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.16-0.49; p < 0.001 and OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.22-0.65; p < 0.001, respectively). Subgroup analysis showed that the effect of magnesium on the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias was not affected by clinical settings and dosage of magnesium. Meta-regression analysis also showed that there was no significant association between the reduction of ventricular arrhythmias and sample size. CONCLUSION: The results of this meta-analysis study suggest that magnesium sulfate can be used safely and effectively and is a cost-effective way in the prevention of many of ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias.

The prevalence of visual disorders in Iranian students: A meta-analysis study and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Visual defects have dramatic effects on health, self-esteem, and educational function of students, and delayed diagnosis will cause complications, like academic failure and psychologic disorders. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of ocular disorders in Iranian students in a systematic review. METHODS: We searched databases, including PubMed, SID, Magiran, Google Scholar, and Iranmedex using the following keywords in Persian and English: disorders, vision, amblyopia, refractive errors, astigmatism, student, and Iran with all the possible combinations, important, chief, and sensitive words. Search resulted in 28 articles, conducted during a period from 1996 to 2014 in Iran and their data was analyzed using meta-analysis and random effects model. Heterogeneity of studies was assessed using I2 index, and data was finally analyzed with R Software and STATA (Version 11.2). RESULTS: Total number of subjects in the study was 1,117,274, aged 2 to 18 years. The prevalence of disorders related to amblyopia, refractive error, and strabismus was 8%, 7% and 1%, respectively. The greatest amount of refractive error was related to astigmatism (19%) followed by myopia (17%). CONCLUSION: According to the study results, the prevalence of visual disorders among Iranian students indicated the critical necessity of screening programs for prevention of visual disorders in this age group.