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  Introduction: Markazi province was one of the regions with endemic goiter in Iran. Following initiation of iodine deficiency control program in 1989, production, distribution and consumption of iodized salt begun. This survey was conducted in the frame work of national monitoring survey in 2001 to find the prevalence of goiter and urinary iodine level in order to evaluate the iodine status of school age children in Markazi province.

  Materials and Methods: 1200 school children (600 boys and 600 girls), aged 7-10 years, were selected randomly from all regions of Markazi province. The grade of Goiter was determined according to WHO classification and urinary iodine content was estimated using the digestion method in one tenth of the these children. Data was analyzed using T, Chi square and Pearson tests.

  Results: Total Goiter rate was 4.4% (4.4% in girls and 4.4% in boys). Urinary iodine median was 16.7 µg/dl. Urinary iodine was above 10 µg/dl in 81.2% and less than 5 µg/dl in 9.2% of samples. No one had urinary iodine below 2 µg/dl.

  Conclusion: It is concluded that the rate of Goiter in Markazi province has decreased significantly since 1986 and urinary iodine levels in school children are indicative of adequate iodine intake. Therefore Markazi province can be considered as an “iodine deficiency free” zone.

 

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Introduction: As tonsillectomy operations are done in vicinity of airways, two important purposes in anesthesia are decreasing bleeding and recovery time. Because of common use of Halothane and its reported side effects, we managed a study for comparing these two factors in two methods of anesthesia with or without Halothane. Materials and Methods: In a single blinded clinical trial, 140 (4-12 years old) children undergoing tonsillectomy, were randomly allocated in two equal groups. In the control group maintenance was done with Halothane-N2O 50% but in the case group without Halothane plus hyperventilation (Liverpool technique). Bleeding volume was estimated according to preoperative and 6 hour's postoperative hematocrit. Recovery time was recorded in minutes. Data was ahalyzed using Mann-Whitney U, T, Leven and K-S tests. Results: There was not any significant difference in sex, age, and weight and operation duration in the two groups. Mean recovery time in the case group was 7.87 minutes and in the control group 15.59 minutes, which showed a significant difference (p=0.00001). Mean bleeding volume in the case group was 44.22 ml and in the control group 58.52 ml, which also showed a significant difference (p = 0.005). Conclusion: According to our study it seems that anesthesia with Halothane causes more bleeding and prolonged recovery time in comparison to Liverpool technique.

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Background: Food insecurity is defined as the limited or uncertain availability of enough food for an always active and healthy life. Diabetes mellitus, one of the most common metabolic diseases, has been associated with significant morbidity and mortality and it is considered a health priority in Iran. Recent studies indicate the widespread prevalence of food insecurity and diabetes mellitus in Iranian society. This study reviews the status of food insecurity and effective socio-economic factors in people with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 135 patients, aged between 30 and 55, who had recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and food insecurity status were assessed using demographic and the 18-item USDA household food security questionnaires, respectively. Physical activity also was evaluated by MET, physical activity questionnaire. Data were analyzed by Chi-square, t-test, and logistic regression.

Results: Prevalence of food insecurity was 66.7%. Food insecurity was significantly associated with economic status, education level, income, having child under 18 years of age, family size, and number of children (p<0.05) however, there was not a significant relationship between food insecurity and occupation, marital status, family history of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, age, and the amount of physical activity.

Conclusion: Considering the higher prevalence of food insecurity in diabetic patients, it can be said that it is likely that the incidence of diabetes is higher in food insecure people.

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  Background: Due to the lack of efficient anti-HIV vaccine, anti-HIV pharmaceuticals play an important role in controlling HIV infection. Also significant rise in drug resistance and drug toxicity has caused increased interest in finding new anti-HIV agents. In this study, a nano-sized version of lamivudine based on PEGylated chitosan was synthesized.

  Materials and Methods: In this research, nanoparticles of chitosan were efficiently PEGylated for increasing their stability in water and then the anti-HIV drug, lamivudine, was loaded on these PEGylated nanoparticles. After purification and lyophilization of new synthesized nanoparticle, the raw materials and final product were sampled and FTIR, HNMR and CHN analyses were done.

  Results: Results of HNMR spectroscopy showed that chitosan nanoparticle was successfully PEGylated. HNMR data confirmed FTIR results and indicated that lamivudine was conjugated on chitosan nanoparticle. In addition, CHN analysis data also confirmed both HNMR and FTIR data, and demonstrated that a high yield of chitosan nanoparticle PEGylation (approximately 97%) was done and illustrated a high capacity of lamivudine conjugation on nano-sized PEGylated chitosan (30% _W/W chitosan).

  Conclusion: In this study, lamivudine drug was successfully synthesized, based on PEGylated chitosan nanoparticle.

 

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Abstract

Background: Nanoparticles are used in various applications due to unique mechanical and physicochemical properties such as their increased surface area to volume ratio and quantum effects. This study was designed to investigate the cytotoxic effects of zinc oxide nanopaticles on hematological and biochemical parameters BALB/c mice.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 28 adult male mice BALB/c, were divided into four groups (one control group and three experimental groups). The mice in the experimental groups orally received Zinc Oxide nanoparticles with doses of 50, 100 and 300 mg/kg for 14 days. The control group received distillated water only. On 15th day, some hematological and biochemical parameters were studied on the blood samples collected.

Results: Results showed that Zinc Oxide nanoparticles cause changes in blood cells. In high concentration, nanoparticles increased some of factors such as white blood cells, hemoglubin, MCV and neutrophil and besides decreased amount of RBCs, pLTs, hematocrit, lymphocytes, glucose and kratenin significantly (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The findings showed that zinc oxide nanoparticles cause harmful effects due to the considerable variations in hematological and serum parameters in mice  in a dose-dependent way.

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Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a new member of the coronavirus family causing acute respiratory infection. Patients with COVID-19 have a higher risk of developing oxidative stress during this infection. Moreover, the virus induces ROS production that activates cellular pathways for viral replication. 
Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) is a crucial transcription factor in cellular antioxidant defense by mediating Virus-induced oxidative stress and ROS production. This article suggests that an Nrf2 activator may be beneficial in preventing oxidative stress development in COVID-19 patients. Coronaviruses are a significant group of viruses that cause different illnesses in humans and animals. These illnesses can range from the common cold to more severe diseases such as SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19. COVID-19 is a new viral disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). 
The main symptoms of COVID-19-infected patients are fever, dry cough, fatigue, and sometimes respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, sore throat, and infection [1]. 

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Lack of preparation for fires can lead to irreversible damage. Therefore, fire prevention is crucial in effectively managing this risk. It is essential to implement measures to address fire incidents. Fire safety in hospital is particularly critical due to factors like the presence of disabled individuals who may not be familiar with emergency exit points, as well as the specialized medical equipment present. Fires in hospitals can result in extensive harm, including injuries to staff and patients, a loss of trust in local authorities, and the subsequent failure to deliver adequate healthcare services. Adhering to fire safety principles and fundamentals can help mitigate the impact of fires in all locations, especially medical facilities.

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Introduction: Postpartum depression is a type of mood disorder that can affect pregnant women who have given birth and is affected by various factors, so the present study aims to predict postpartum depression based on marital satisfaction, satisfied body, and dysfunctional beliefs in women of Bukan City.
Methods: The present study is descriptive-correlational. The population consisted of all women with pregnancy in the last month in the first half of 2022 in the city of Bukan in the number of 2980 according to Morgan's table and with informed written consent, 340 pregnant women referring to Shahid Qolipur Hospital in Bukan were selected by available sampling method and filled in the questionnaire. Beck-2 depression, Edinburgh postpartum depression, Enrich's marital satisfaction, Body image satisfaction, and Weisman and Beck's dysfunctional beliefs responded. The analysis was done using a stepwise regression method.
Results: Marital satisfaction, physical satisfaction, and dysfunctional beliefs have a significant ability to predict postpartum depression at P < 0.01 level. This effect is inverse in marital and physical satisfaction and positive in dysfunctional beliefs. Also, marital satisfaction, with an effect size of 0.324, physical satisfaction, with an effect size of 0.497, and ineffective beliefs, with an effect size of 0.652, explain the postpartum depression variable. Also, the prevalence of postpartum depression among women in Bukan City is 30.6%, which is higher than the average of the articles recorded in this field.
Conclusions: According to the results of the research, Marital satisfaction, physical satisfaction inversely, and dysfunctional beliefs directly and positively predict postpartum depression in pregnant women.