Prevalence of Anemia in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Anemia is a common public health concern in patients with type 2 diabetes worldwide. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of anemia among patients with diabetes. Methods: Electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, and Google Scholar, were searched systematically for studies published between 2010 and 2021. After removing duplicates and inappropriate reports, the remaining manuscripts were reviewed and appraised using theNewcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) tool. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled estimates of the extracted data using Stata version 17. Heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using the Q statistic. Results: A total of 51 articles containing information on 26,485 patients with diabetes were included in this study. The articles were mainly from Asia (58.82%) and Africa (35.29%). The overall prevalence of anemia was 35.45% (95% CI: 30.30-40.76), with no evidence of heterogeneity by sex. Among the two continents with the highest number of studies, the prevalence of anemia in patients with diabetes was significantly higher in Asia [40.02; 95% CI: 32.72-47.54] compared to Africa [28.46; 95% CI: 21.90-35.50] ( P for heterogeneity = 0.029). Moreover, there has been an increasing trend in the prevalence of anemia in patients with diabetes over time, from [15.28; 95% CI: 9.83-22.21] in 2012 to [40.70; 95% CI: 10.21-75.93] in 2022. Conclusion: Globally, approximately 4 in 10 patients with diabetes suffer from anemia. Therefore, routine anemia screening and control programs every 3 months might be useful in improving the quality of life of these patients.

Mothers' experience of virtual education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

This qualitative study was conducted with the aim of investigating the experience of mothers in Tehran in the field of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants in this study were 17 mothers of school children who experienced virtual education in Tehran during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews, over the phone, and lasted for approximately 30-45 min. The interviews were audio recorded with the permission of the participants, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using the method of conventional content analysis. For this study, 17 mothers were interviewed. Of those, 7 had one school-age child, 8 had two, and 2 had three. All of the children lived with both their mother and father. The majority of the mothers (16 out of 17) held bachelor's degrees. On average, the students were 11.76 years old. Fourteen of the students attended public schools, while 3 attended private schools. Most of the mothers (14 out of 17) reported their financial status as average. Data analysis led to the identification of 3 main themes and 12 subthemes. The three main categories were family-related factors, student-related factors, and school-related factors. The 4 themes related to family included 1) the role of family as a teacher, 2) the importance of direct and indirect supervision in family education, 3) the cost, and 4) the peace of mind. Factors related to students included 5 themes; 1) the advantages and disadvantages of virtual learning environments, 2) time management in education, 3) the consequences of failing to acquire necessary skills and knowledge, 4) issues of indifference and fraud in education, 5) physical, mental, and social problems affecting students. Factors related to schools included 3 themes; 1) the role of the teacher in virtual teaching and learning, 2) the challenges of lack of prior experience in education, 3) inequality in access to education and opportunities. The findings of this study have several implications for policymakers. Paying attention to technological and educational challenges related to virtual education and providing adequate support to parents are important things that should be prioritized. In addition, psychological support services should be made available to parents so that they can cope with the emotional challenges of virtual education. Finally, the positive experiences reported by mothers suggest that virtual education can be an effective and flexible option for future education, provided that the challenges are adequately addressed. Moreover, no work has been done on this issue comprehensively and the few studies that have followed this method have had some limitations. Therefore, schools, parents, and policymakers should explore innovative ways of integrating virtual education into the educational system to provide flexible and effective learning opportunities for students.

Mental health status of pregnant women during COVID-19 in healthcare centers of Iran: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted every single aspect of life. In addition to being a public health emergency, the COVID-19 outbreak impacted the mental health of individuals, especially pregnant women. This study aimed to examine the mental health status of pregnant women and also the effect of sociodemographic factors on their mental health status during COVID-19 in healthcare centers of Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional, analytical-descriptive study was conducted among pregnant women referring to healthcare centers in Shoushtar, Iran, in 2021. Multistage cluster sampling was used to select participants. Data were collected using the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the association between quantitative variables. A generalized linear model (GLM) was applied to estimate the effect of independent variables on the dependent variable (mental health). RESULTS: A total of 197 participants with a mean ± SD age of 27.85 ± 6.37 years took part in this study. The total mean score of mental health was estimated at 17.47±8.20. The highest mean ± SD score was, respectively, related to social dysfunction (6.63 ± 2.86), anxiety and insomnia (5.28 ± 3.53), and somatic symptoms (4.17 ± 3.27). Mental health disorder was significantly correlated with participants' age (R = .223, P = .00), number of pregnancy (gravida) (R = .272, P = .00), number of births (para) (R = 0.272, P = .00), and number of abortions (R = .172, P = .015). About 80% of pregnant women did not reveal impaired mental health conditions or psychological distress, while 19.3% showed scores that indicate probable mental health conditions. CONCLUSION: Social dysfunction was the most common mental health problem among pregnant women. It is necessary to pay more attention to the mental health status of pregnant women during a pandemic. Interventions such as practical strategies to promote social support and improve pregnant women's mental health during pregnancy are highly important.

Prevalence and risk factors of anemia in first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Anemia is a common health problem during pregnancy worldwide that has many short-term and long-term effects on women. This study examined the Prevalence and Risk factors of anemia in first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy in Iran between 2000 and 2021. PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, and national databases of Magiran and SID were searched for articles, which were then subjected to PRISMA-compliant screening. A systematic review and meta-analysis (using a random-effects model in STATA version 17) were conducted on the 18 eligible cross-sectional studies (published between July 23, 2000 and September 1, 2021) that revealed significant data on the prevalence of anemia in pregnant women. This study included 18 reports with a total of 25,831 individuals in which 15% of study subjects had anemia (95% CI: 12-19%). The pooled prevalence of anemia was 13% in people older than 26 years old (95% CI: 9-17%) compared to 22% in people younger than 26 years old (95% CI: 15-29). It was 18% (95% CI: 11-27%) for pregnant women having their second child in comparison to 20% (95% CI: 11-32%) for women who have had three or more children. Anemia was thought to affect 11% of housewives (95% CI: 2-26%) and 10% of working women (95% CI: 6-16%). Anemia frequency was 22%, 17% and 13% amongst first (22%), second (17%), and third (13%) trimesters, respectively. Nevertheless, it happened much less often after the second trimester. Moreover, poor education, a history of low birth weight in children, and a low socioeconomic level within women were associated with the prevalence of anemia. The pooled prevalence of anemia in pregnant women is marginally lower than in earlier report. However, it seems to be a health problem in developing countries including Iran currently. Therefore, the study suggest that health system should design comprehensive preventive and control measurements such as more effective treatments to minimize anemia in vulnerable segments of society, particularly mothers, and improve their health through increasing access to services for mothers.

Harlequin ichthyosis newborn: A case report.

Harlequin ichthyosis is a rare and severe genetic skin disorder that occurs within the developing foetus. Harlequin ichthyosis is the most severe and devastating form of autosomal recessive congenital ichthyoses. It is caused by mutations in the lipid transporter adenosine triphosphate binding cassette A 12. Here, we reported a case of harlequin ichthyosis with no family history. No abnormalities were detected in prenatal sonography. A 24-year-old pregnant woman with premature rupture of membrane and labour pain was referred to a hospital in Shoushtar city, Iran. The mother delivered a male baby with harlequin ichthyosis. The infant baby died on the 5th day. Harlequin ichthyosis is associated with adenosine triphosphate binding cassette A 12 gene mutation; therefore, genetic screening and counselling for susceptible parents should be taken into account. Prenatal diagnosis of harlequin ichthyosis principally via sonographic techniques is important in managing the disorder.