Comparison of the effect of oral and vaginal misoprostol on labor induction: updating a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies.

OBJECTIVES: This study is aimed to compare the effect of oral misoprostol with vaginal misoprostol to induce labor as a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed [Medline], Scopus, Web of science, Embase, Ovid, Cochrane library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched using the relevant keywords. All RCTs comparing the effect of oral vs vaginal misoprostol on labor induction were considered. The Cochrane Risk of Bias checklist was used for assessing quality of included RCTs. All statistical analyses were completed using STATA (Version 16) and Revman (Version 5). RESULTS: Thirty-three RCTs with 5162 patients (1560 in oral and 2602 in vaginal groups) were included in this meta-analysis. Labor induction length did differ significantly between the two routes of misoprostol administration [Standardized Mean Difference: 0.40 h, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34, 0.46; I2: 66.35%; P = 0.04]. In addition, the risk of neonatal death, tachysystole, uterine hyperstimulation, preeclampsia, non-FHR and abortion was lower in the oral misoprostol group and the risk of hypertonus, PROM, oxytocin need and cesarean fever was higher in this group than the vaginal misoprostol group. CONCLUSIONS: Based on results of this meta-analysis, it can be inferred that currently, clinical specialists can decide to use this drug orally or vaginally on a case-by-case basis, depending on the condition of the pregnant mother and the baby.

Comparison of the outcomes of normal vaginal delivery with and without spinal anesthesia in mothers admitted to the maternity ward of Firoozabadi Hospital.

Introduction and Objective: The study of the methods of controlling labor pain is very important. One of the methods of pain relief is spinal anesthesia. Due to the different opinions about the effects of spinal anesthesia on the delivery process and maternal and fetal consequences, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of spinal anesthesia and compare it with normal vaginal delivery without spinal anesthesia. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 120 mothers, who were admitted to the maternity ward of Firoozabadi Hospital for delivery, were examined. The patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into two groups of 60 people, one group receiving spinal anesthesia and one without spinal anesthesia, and then, were evaluated in terms of clinical variables and complications of the mother and fetus. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Results: The mean age of the mothers was 26.6 ± 5.9 years. Five mothers (4.2%) who received spinal anesthesia underwent emergency cesarean section and a significant difference was shown between the two groups (P = 0.02). The mean duration of the active phase of labor did not show a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.2), but the duration of the second phase of labor was significantly longer in the mothers who received spinal anesthesia (P = 0.008). Conclusion: Spinal anesthesia can be used as a low-complication method in vaginal delivery to reduce pain.

Geriatric Syndromes among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Comparison between Young and Elderly Patients.

Background: In the general geriatric population, Geriatric syndromes (GSs) predict greater likelihood of hospitalization, increased health care use and cost. The present study aimed to compare GSs among young and elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: In a cross-sectional study a total of 98 participants, including 65 elderly (≥60 years) and 33 young adult patients (<60 years) with RA who referred to the geriatric and rheumatologic clinic were enrolled. Patients were categorized into three groups (healthy elderly, n=27; elderly with RA, n=38; and young people with RA, n=33). GSs were assessed using mini-mental state exam (MMSE), five-item geriatric depression scale-15 (GDS-15), mini nutritional assessment (MNA), and asking patients about history of falls in the past year. The RA activity in patients was assessed using disease activity for rheumatoid arthritis score-28 (DAS-28) scale, serum ESR (mm/h) level. Results: There was a statistically significant differences in terms of DAS-28 (2.23±1.01 vs. 0.64±0.97, P=0.025) and ESR (28.10±6.64 vs. 23.09±7.65 mm/h, P=0.042) between healthy elderly and RA elderly patients. Elderly patients with RA were significantly more prone to have cognitive impairment (P=0.002), fall (P=0.005), malnutrition (P<0.001), urinary incontinence (P<0.001), and functional disability (P=0.021) compared to healthy elderlies and young RA patients. The results of binary logistic regression revealed that in elderly RA patients, higher DAS-28 score [odds ratio (OR) = 1.96; 95% CI 1.03, 3.84; P=0.041] was an independent risk factors for the GSs. Conclusion: The prevalence of some features of GSs were higher in the elderly RA patients than healthy elderly and young RA patients.

The impact of socially accountable health professional education: Systematic review.

Medical education is socially responsible for a global educational movement that transforms the development and presentation of medical schools in higher education. Therefore, in the present systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the impact of socially accountable health professional education. Published research articles were reviewed by searching the relevant terms invalid databases. In the initial search, 2340 records were obtained. At this stage, 1482 records were deleted due to duplication, and 773 records were removed due to indirect connection with the subject. Then, 85 articles were retrieved for full-text review. Finally, the complete review led to the selection of nine studies that met all inclusion criteria. Based on the results of the present systematic review, among the nine reviewed articles, four studies (44.44%) evaluated the effectiveness of social accountability on increasing the sense of empowerment, self-confidence, competencies such as teamwork, communication skills, and readiness for work. Three studies (33.333%) assessed the effectiveness of social accountability on providing further and better medical services and reducing infant mortality. Also, in two articles (22.22%), students' lack of knowledge about social accountability was studied. Social accountability can help cultivate a healthy and skilled medical workforce and be effective in improving health services provided to the people. On the other hand, there are different perceptions and views on what social responsibility really is and how its effectiveness can be measured. Also, it is highly important to provide awareness in this regard for students.