12014 research outputs found
Sort by
The effect of vitamin D supplementation on clinical symptoms and metabolic profiles in patients with endometriosis
No full textBackground: To our knowledge, data on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on clinical symptoms and metabolic profiles in patients with endometriosis are limited. This study was conducted to determine the effects of vitamin D supplementation on clinical symptoms and metabolic profiles in patients with endometriosis. Methods: The current randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted among 60 patients (aged 18�40 years old) with endometriosis. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups (30 participants each group) to receive either 50,000 IU vitamin D or placebo each 2 weeks for 12 weeks. Results: Vitamin D supplementation significantly decreased pelvic pain (β � 1.12; 95 CI, �2.1, �0.09; p=.03) and total-/HDL-cholesterol ratio (β � 0.29; 95 CI, �0.57, �0.008; p=.04) compared with the placebo. Moreover, vitamin D intake led to a significant reduction in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (β � 0.64 mg/L; 95 CI, �0.97, �0.30; p<.001) and a significant increase in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (β 47.54 mmol/L; 95 CI, 19.98, 75.11; p=.001) compared with the placebo. Conclusions: Overall, our study demonstrated that vitamin D intake in patients with endometriosis resulted in a significant improvement of pelvic pain, total-/HDL-cholesterol ratio, hs-CRP and TAC levels, but did not affect other clinical symptoms and metabolic profiles. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Economic value of life in iran: The human capital approach
No full textBackground: The human life value is among the most important challenges of the health economic evaluation. This limitation has reduced the feasibility of applying the cost-benefit method in evaluations of health interven-tions and policies. Using the human capital approach and discounted value of future earnings, the present study calculated the human capital of different age groups. Methods: The required data were obtained using �income and expenditures of Iranian households� data in 2015 from the Statistical Center of Iran, which included the information on 19380 urban households. Results: According to the calculation of human capital, the maximum value of a statistical life year in the high-income group was related to the age group of 30-34 yr old (223,286 US equals to 9378 million Iranian Rials). The lowest value in all three groups of high, medium and low income is related to the age group of 85 and old-er. In addition, the economic value of statistical life year for men has been calculated as higher than that of women, however, in older age groups, the human capital of both genders have been converging. Conclusion: The economic value of life for young people aged between 20 to 30 yr was higher than other de-mographic groups. The findings of the research help to provide a more accurate base for the cost-benefit analysis of health and social policies. Considering the economic value of the statistical life for different age groups may change policy priorities in areas related to health and life of human beings. © 2021, Iranian Journal of Public Health. All rights reserved
Regional COVID-19 registry in Khuzestan, Iran: A study protocol and lessons learned from a pilot implementation
Get PDFDisease registry systems provide a strong information infrastructure for decision-making and research. The purpose of this study is to describe the implementation method and protocol of the COVID-19 registry in Khuzestan province, Iran. We established a steering committee and formulated the purposes of the registry. Then, based on reviewing the literature, and expert panels, the minimum data set, the data collection forms and the web-based software were developed. Data collection is done retrospectively through Hospital Information Systems, Medical Care Monitoring Center system (MCMC), Management of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control system (MCDPC) as well as, patients' records. For prospective data collection, the data collection forms are compiled with patients' medical records by the medical staff and are then entered into the registry system. We collect patients' administrative and demographic data, history and physical examinations, test and imaging results, disease progression, treatment, outcomes, and follow-ups of the confirmed and suspected inpatients and outpatients. From April 20 to December 5, 2020, the data of 4,812 confirmed cases and 7,113 suspected cases were collected from two COVID-19 referral hospitals. Based on our experience, recording information along with providing care for patients and putting patients' data registration in the medical staff's routine, structuring data, having a flexible technical team and rapid software development for multiple and continuous updates, automating data collection by connecting the registry to existing information systems and having different incentives, the registration process can be strengthened. © 2021 The Author
Alteration of TRIM33 Expression at Transcriptional and Translational Levels is Correlated with Autism Symptoms
No full textAs a complex neurodevelopmental disorder, autism affects children in three major cognitive domains including social interactions, language learning and repetitive stereotyped behaviors. Abnormal regulation of cell proliferation in the brain during the embryonic period via the TGF-β signaling pathway and TRIM33 gene that encodes a protein with a corepressor and regulatory role in this pathway has been considered as an etiology for autism. Here, we investigated the association of a variation of TRIM33 with autism symptoms at levels of mRNA and protein expression. We used Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) as behavioral diagnostic tools. Normal and autistic children were genotyped for a TRIM33 polymorphism (rs11102807), and then expression was assessed at transcriptional and translational levels. Results demonstrated that the frequency of the homozygous A allele (AA genotype of rs11102807) was significantly higher in children with autism (P < 0.001), whereas carriers of the G allele were mostly among healthy individuals. Children homozygous for the rs11102807 A allele were associated with an increase in CARS and ADI-R scores, indicating a significant correlation with autism symptoms. TRIM33 gene expression at both mRNA (P < 0.01) and protein (P < 0.001) levels was significantly higher in controls compared to autistic children. A remarkable association between higher TRIM33 gene expression at the transcriptional level and lower scores for both CARS and ADI-R was observed in non-autistic children. It seems that rs11102807 modulates the function and expression of the TRIM33 gene, implying that the A allele may increase the risk of autism in children by reducing gene expression and altering the TGF-β signaling pathway. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature
Comparison of the effect of letrozole alone with letrozole plus n-acetylcysteine on pregnancy rate in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome: A randomized clinical trial
Get PDFObjectives: Different drugs are prescribed for the induction of ovulation in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of this study was to compare the effect of letrozole alone with letrozole plus N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) on the pregnancy rate in patients with PCOS. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial studyincluded317 patients with PCOS in the infertility clinic of Zahedan in 2018. Patients were randomly divided into letrozole and NAC plus letrozole groups. Then, several parameters were evaluated in both groups, including the pregnancy rate, number of follicles larger than 18 mm, endometrial thickness, and the endometrial pattern. Finally, data were analyzed using SPSS 25, and t-test and chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean age of study participants was 28.5 ± 4.9 years old. The mean duration of infertility in the intervention group was 4.5 ± 3.8 years. The mean anti-Müllerian hormone and the mean endometrial thickness of patients in the intervention group were 4.4± 3.6 ng/mL and 7.6 ± 2.5 mm, respectively. Eventually, the pregnancy rate was 14.6 (n = 23) and 7.5 (n = 12) in the intervention and control groups, respectively (P = 0.046). Conclusions: The results of this search revealed that the number of follicles with the size of 18 mm in the control group was higher compared to the intervention group, but the fertility rate in patients with PCOS receiving letrozole plus N-acetylcysteine was significantly higher. © 2021 The Author(s);
Lung abscess as a complication of COVID-19 infection, a case report
Get PDFTo our knowledge, no previous studies have reported lung abscess as a complication of COVID-19 infection. It is essential to follow-up with the patients after discharge for such complications, especially if they are symptomatic. © 2021 The Authors. Clinical Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
A Randomized Clinical Trial of a Modified Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children Hospitalized with Cancer
No full textObjectives: Many youth diagnosed with cancer also suffer from anxiety, depression, posttraumatic distress, and attention problems, which can negatively affect their quality of life. Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Children (MBCT-C) aims to enhance self-management of attention, improve emotional self-regulation, and bolster social-emotional resiliency. A modified MBCT-C intervention was conducted with hospitalized pediatric cancer patients to evaluate its efficacy for reducing internalizing and attention problems. Methods: Forty children (ages 11 to 13) diagnosed with cancer were randomly assigned to either a modified MBCT-C group (n = 20) or treatment as usual (TAU) control group (n = 20). To meet the needs of hospitalized participants, the manualized MBCT-C protocol was adapted to consist of 20 sessions, each lasting 45 min. Sessions were conducted 5 times weekly for 4 weeks. Primary outcome measures were the Child Behavior Checklist, Parent Report and its companion instrument, and the Youth Self-Report (YSR). Data were collected at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at 2 months following the intervention. Results: Repeated measures ANOVAs showed that, as compared with TAU controls, the MBCT-C group achieved significant reductions in internalizing and attention problems, and those gains were maintained at the 2-month follow-up. Reliable Change Index scores showed that the gains made by the MBCT-C group were both clinically significant and stable. Conclusions: By reducing internalizing and attention problems, mindfulness-based interventions may improve the quality of life for children hospitalized with cancer. These promising results warrant further investigation into the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions to remediate internalizing and attentional problems in youth diagnosed with serious medical illnesses. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
An efficient automated incremental density-based algorithm for clustering and classification
No full textData clustering divides the datasets into different groups. Incremental Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) is a famous density-based clustering technique able to find the clusters of variable sizes and shapes. The quality of incremental DBSCAN results has been influenced by two input parameters: MinPts (Minimum Points) and Eps (Epsilon). Therefore, the parameter setting is one of the major problems of incremental DBSCAN. In the present article, an improved incremental DBSCAN accorded to Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) has been presented to address the issue. The proposed algorithm adjusts the two parameters (MinPts and Eps) of the incremental DBSCAN via the iteration and the fitness functions to enhance the clustering precision. Moreover, our proposed method introduces suitable fitness functions for both labeled and unlabeled datasets. We have also improved the efficiency of the proposed hybrid algorithm by parallelization of the optimization process. The evaluation of the introduced method has been done through some textual and numerical datasets with different shapes, sizes, and dimensions. According to the experimental results, the proposed algorithm provides better results than Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) based incremental DBSCAN and a few well-known techniques, particularly regarding the shape and balanced datasets. Also, good speed-up can be reached with a parallel model compared with the serial version of the algorithm. © 2020 Elsevier B.V
Right ventricular undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma: A case report
Get PDFIn this paper, a case of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma in a patient with right-sided heart failure has been explored. A 61-year-old woman complaining from cough and dyspnea for a week following indistinctive surgery on right buttock area with reported pathology of malignant undifferentiated tumor presented to the hospital. Laboratory results indicated negative TPi enzyme and D.dimer of 4127.81 mg/L. In transthoracic echocardiography, a mass filling the entire right ventricular space was observed. A resection surgery was performed and the pathology was reported as primary cardiac sarcoma. © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved
COVID-19 and cancer: A comparative case series
Get PDFBackground: Cancer patients, with an incidence of more than 18 million new cases per year, may constitute a significant portion of the COVID-19 infected population. In the pandemic situation, these patients are considered highly vulnerable to infectious complications due to their immunocompromised state. Material & Methods: In this retrospective case series, the documents of solid cancer patients infected by SARS-CoV-2, hospitalized in Shariati hospital between 20 February and 20 April 2020, were evaluated. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was based on laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and/or features of chest CT scan highly suggestive for SARS-CoV-2. Results: A total of 33 COVID-19-infected cancer patients were included. Mean age was 63.9 years, and 54.5 of the patients were male. LDH level was significantly higher (1487.5 ± 1392.8 vs. 932.3 ± 324.7 U/L, P-value=0.016) and also serum albumin was significantly lower in non-survivors (3.6 ± 0.5 vs. 2.9 ± 0.6 g/dL, p-value=0.03). Among 16 patients with stage IV cancer, thirteen patients died, which was significantly higher compared to stage I-III cancer patients (81.3 vs. 18.8 P-value= <0.001). In terms of developing complications, sepsis, invasive ventilation and mortality was significantly higher in patients who received cytotoxic chemotherapy within the last 14 days. Conclusion: In this study, we showed that the mortality rate among cancer patients affected by COVID-19 was higher than general population and this rate has a significant correlation with factors including the stage of the disease, the type of cancer, the activity of cancer and finally receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy within 14 days before diagnosis of COVID-19. © 202