Shiraz Emedical Journal
Volume:16 Issue: 8, Aug 2015

Flavonoids are a group of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant properties that help reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Kelussia odoratissima is a flavonoid-containing plant, the effect of which was analyzed on decreasing blood lipid levels in mice.. The present study was carried out with the aim of determining the anti-hyperlipidemia effects of this herb on mice.. In this preclinical study, 70 Balb/c mice were divided to five 14-member groups and received normal diet, normal diet containing 5% olive oil, high cholesterol (2% cholesterol and 5% olive oil) diet and high cholesterol diet accompanied by Kelussia odoratissima 10% or 20% hydro-alcoholic extract. After two weeks, blood samples were taken and cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were measured.. In this animal model, the levels of all serum lipids including cholesterol, HDL, VLDL, LDL, triglyceride and FBS had a significant decrease two weeks after the beginning of the study. Moreover, at the same time, in the group that received 20% hydro-alcoholic extract, the serum levels of cholesterol, HDL and LDL had a significant decrease (P < 0.05).. Kelussia odoratissima might have a desirable effect on serum lipid profile and might have beneficial effects on hyperlipidemic patients..

Breastfeeding has been associated with decreased frequency of otitis media in children. It might be due to lower prevalence of nasopharyngeal colonization with the respiratory pathogens among breast-fed infants compared to those who are formula-fed.. This study was performed to determine the influence of breastfeeding on Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis colonization rates in children..Patients and In this cross-sectional study, 2 - 6 years old children in 10 randomly selected daycare centers in northeast of Iran (Mashhad) were studied. We obtained nasopharyngeal specimens to culture for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis from 1125 children. Carriage rates for aforementioned bacteria were determined and analyzed on the basis of feeding type during infancy.. A total of 885 children were breast-fed (78.7%), 69 children were formula-fed (6.1%), and 171 children were mixed-fed (15.2%). Carriage rates of S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis among children were 13.1%, 9.1%, and 4.3%, respectively. Although lower incidence of nasopharyngeal colonization was found in breast- versus formula-fed children, it was not significant (P > 0.5).. It seems that feeding in infancy has no influence over the prevalence of nasopharyngeal colonization with respiratory pathogens during childhood..

Burnout, which is mostly found among workers in social services like nursing and teaching, is a continued response to stressful stimuli at work.. Considering the importance of management in nursing, we investigated the relationship between managers’ leadership styles and nurses’ burnout..Patients and This cross-sectional study was performed at Shahid Dr. Faghihi Hospital, Shiraz, in 2011. It was based on the Maslach Burnout Model. A random sample of 207 nurses completed a questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, a burnout measure, and the multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ). Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS. The study period was from January to March 2011.. Burnout scores for emotional exhaustion were above average (27.26), for depersonalization were low (5.96), and for reduced personal accomplishment were high (30.85). In addition, both transformational (P = 0.03) and transactional leadership (P = 0.04) had a significant negative relationship with total burnout and also with emotional exhaustion (P value = 0.01) and depersonalization (P = 0.003). Laissez-faire leadership had a significant negative relationship with reduced personal accomplishment (P = 0.004).. This study sheds light on the effective role of transformational leadership in improving nursing management and reducing burnout among nurses. Because this style of leadership enhances creativity and motivation among nurses, it can decrease burnout. Transactional leadership, because of its emphasis on collaboration, also reduces burnout. Therefore a combination of these two styles can reduce nurses’ burnout..

Cultural differences between countries may lead to different decision-making styles. This may contribute to varied style choices being used by managers (in diverse countries), who play key roles in organizations’ decision-making processes.. The present study was conducted to analyze decision-making models used by health system managers in Iran..Patients and This was a qualitative research study conducted by interviews. The participants included 30 health system members employed at micro, intermediate and macro levels. In addition to the qualitative component of the research, after coding the responses were used. To gather qualitative data, participants were invited to illustrate their views and perceptions of how they processed allocation decisions in complex systems and what factors they applied. Data saturation was reached if an exaggerated response was found during analysis of the interview, and the response was removed from the sample.. The collaborative, authority submission and consultative decision-making styles were the most widely used among Iranian health system managers. The most widely used information sources for decision-making were official information, internal experts’ opinions, mental background and regulations, and upper level documents. Furthermore, 16.7% of the managers believed that they always had freedom in decision-making. There was no significant association between managers’ decision-making model and their position levels in the system, or their level of education.. Crisis from inside or out-side the organization can affect health system managers’ decision-making processes. During the decision-making process, the most common restrictions can be attributed to a shortage of manpower and other sources..

Mobile Health (mHealth) is an evolving and rapidly developing field which has the potential to play a part in the transformation of healthcare and increase its quality and efficiency. Shiraz International mHealth Seminar brought together researchers, policy makers, information, communication and technology programmers, academics and civil society representatives for two days synergy meeting in Shiraz city, Iran, to review regional and global evidence-based mHealth research, review mHealth technologies and develop a framework for scale-up of evidence-based mHealth interventions in Iran. The workshop was held in May 2015 in Shiraz and was hosted by the health policy research center, Shiraz university of medical sciences..