زهرا حسن زاده رستمی

Improvement of vitamin D status can lead to cardiovascular health. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate effects of daily consumption of fortified canola oil with 1000 IU of vitamin D on serum concentrations of 25-hydroxy cholecalciferol and lipid profile of adults in Shiraz, Iran. 

In this double-blind randomized trial, a total of 99 adults were randomly categorized to three groups of a) fortified oil (received 25 g of canola oil fortified with 1000 IU vitamin D and placebo daily), b) supplement (received 25 g of plain oil and 1000 IU of vitamin D supplement daily), and c) control (received 25 g of plain oil and placebo daily). Dietary intakes, anthropometric indices, serum concentrations of vitamin D and lipid profiles were assessed at the baseline and after 12 weeks.

Daily vitamin D supplementation significantly increased serum vitamin D concentration, compared to control group (p = 0.002). In participants with normal vitamin D status, vitamin D levels significantly increased in fortified oil and supplement groups, compared to control group (p < 0.001). In contrast, no significant differences were seen in lipid profile concentrations within the three groups.

Consumption of vitamin D fortified canola oil is effective in maintaining vitamin D concentrations in people with normal vitamin D status with no beneficial or detrimental effects on lipid profiles.

The urban family physician program for increase the utilization of health services has been implemented in Fars and Mazandaran provinces since 2012. In this way, this study aimed to determine the benefit level for population covered by the urban family physician program in Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017. Participants on the households covered by the urban family physician program; were selected by random cluster sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of 2 parts: individual variables and benefit level of health services with 33 open and closed questions; its validity and reliability were confirmed.

Among 1768 households with a population of 5628 people, 5521(98.1%) had one type of basic insurance. 0.31% of the people who had supplementary insurance. The average time between the home and the work place for the family physician was 18.6±18.9 minutes on foot and 5.7±5.1 by car. Correspondingly, 75.8% of those who had basic insurance were visited at least once by their family physician. The average family physician visits for participants over 15 years old was 5.14 times per year. Factors such as health records, household size, supplementary insurance, illness, education, occupation, physician replacement, availability time, and familiarity with the Family Physician Program were effective in terms of coverage of the affected population with a meaningful level (P<0.05).

This study showed that all covered individuals did not benefit from the urban family physician program, and a number of individual factors influenced the benefit of the urban family physician program.

In the health service system, if the recipients get familiar with the services provided and the prescribed criteria and have a positive attitude, they can help the health team improve the effectiveness of health interventions while having all the benefits provided. This study aimed to determine the level of familiarity and attitude of the covered by the Family Physician Program about its terms and requirements. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the winter 2016 on the population covered by the urban family physician program; participants were selected randomly by cluster sampling. In each cluster, 10 households and per household one person over 20 years were questioned. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of two parts: individual variables and familiarity with the criteria and terms of the program, including 34 open and closed questions; its validity and reliability were confirmed.
FINDINGS: Familiarity level of 551(31.1%) was low, 695(39.3%) moderate, 523(29.6%) high. 846(56.1%) had a positive attitude and 663(43.9%) had a negative attitude toward the program terms and requirements. Eight personal and social variables at the level of familiarity and six variables were influenced at the level of attitudes. There was a significant relationship between some of the individual and social variables and the level of familiarity and attitude (P<0.05). This study showed that a large percentage of the population did not have enough familiarity and positive attitude with the urban family physician program, and some of the individual and social variables were affected.

Satisfaction of health care recipients is always considered by policy makers and implementers as an indicator of measuring the quality and determining the effectiveness of services. This study aimed to determine the satisfaction of mothers from first level of Iranian network system.
This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the incidence of maternal mortality in six provinces of Iran in 2015. Twenty-four public health centers were randomly stratified and selected. In each center, 15 to 20 mothers who were covered by prenatal care were examined. The data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed, interviews with mothers, and their medical records. SPSS version 17 was used for analysis. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant.
Of 2722 mothers participating in the study, 2187 (80.3%) were satisfied with the condition and facilities of health units and service providers and 535 (19.7%) were dissatisfied. The highest level of satisfaction in mothers was observed in the areas of behavior, complete services, training of health professionals, and adequacy of pharmaceutical products while the lowest level of satisfaction was related to the adequacy of the medical education and the distance between the health unit and home. There was a significant relationship between 16 demographic variables and maternal satisfaction (P This study showed that about one fifth of pregnant mothers are still not satisfied with the first level of network systems in Iran and many factors have an impact on their satisfaction. It is recommended to design and implement interventional programs to increase their satisfaction.

Background and Nowadays, increasing body mass index (BMI) in adolescents that is caused by different factors is a major health threat in communities. This study aimed to determine the BMI of students and associated factors in 5 Iranian ethnic groups.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in high school students aged 12-14 years, from 5 ethnic groups, including Arab, Kurd, Sistani/Baluchi, Turk, and Turkaman. They were selected through random stratified sampling in winter 2015. Data was collected via a questionnaire containing open and closed questions in three sections: demographic, contextual, and dependent variables. The students were classified into four categories: underweight, normal, overweight, and obese according to their BMI. Data analysis was then conducted in SPSS18.
A total of 2444 students was studied of whom 51.9% were females and 56.9% lived in urban areas. The mean BMI of students was 19.7±3.9 kg/m2 and 24.2% were overweight and obese. The highest and lowest rates of overweight and obesity were found in Arabs and Sistani/Baluchi, respectively. In this study, the relationships between BMI and 25 variables were investigated. We observed significant relationships between BMI and ethnicity, having a family car, maternal diabetes, number of children, type of birth, physiological maturity and how to travel between home and school (P According to this study, the BMI in almost a quarter of the students was higher than the normal range. Some personal and family factors could increase students’ BMI. Therefore, interventions to screen and control the BMI in students are needed.

The promotion and development of traditional medicine, along with conventional and modern medicine has encountered different achievements and challenges in different societies. This study aimed to assess the achievements and challenges of promoting and developing the use of traditional medicine in the Iranian Family Physician Program from the viewpoint of managers and administrators.

This cross-sectional study was conducted by holding 16 panels of experts within 2017. The research population included the managers and executers of the implementation of the urban family physician program in 28 cities of Fars province; selected by census. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire and its validity and reliability were confirmed. Data were analyzed by SPSS-23 software at a significance level of Findings: Among 347 people, 188 (54.1%) were male, most of them had a bachelor's degree. The subjects reported a total number of 341 achievements, and 415 challenges. The most mentioned achievements included reducing the cost of treatment(65cases), reducing the use of industrial medicines(52), reducing drug complications(50cases), increasing popularity and people's satisfaction(42cases); and the most mentioned challenges included the lack of necessary infrastructure(63cases) and lack of knowledge of doctors(38cases), Physician opposition(24cases). There was a significant relationship between the number of achievements and challenges with some of the individual variables(P

This study showed that the managers, while hoping for the promotion and development of the benefits of traditional medicine in the family physician program, also have many concerns about misuse and lack of infrastructures required for this program.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of addition of soymilk on physicochemical, microbial, and sensory characteristics of milk fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus. Soybeans were blended 1:5 w/v with distilled water. The prepared soymilk was added to milk in combinations of 20%, 40%, and 60%. Milk was used as the control. All the samples were sterilized and fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 as probiotics. Then, they were kept at 5ºC for 14 days. Microbial count, titratable acidity, pH, syneresis, color parameters and sensory evaluation were performed during the storage time. Results showed that all the samples possessed minimum effective dose of LA-5 on day 14, although a significant decrease in LA-5 was observed in the sample with 60% soymilk. In each experimental day, there was a noticeable decrease in the pH of the samples. Addition of soymilk to milk also significantly increased syneresis, particularly in samples with 60% soymilk. Sensory evaluations showed that scores of texture, mouth sense, aroma, and flavor of the samples with 40% and 60% soymilk were significantly lower than other samples. With respect to color, “L” value decreased significantly in the fermented product with 60% soymilk and the decrease was more pronounced with longer storage times. In conclusion, addition of 20% soymilk did not substantially alter physicochemical and sensory characteristics of milk while providing an appropriate growth culture for LA-5. The mixture of milk-20% soymilk can be introduced as a good probiotic product with lower lactose content and additional nutritional benefits.

Magnesium is an essential mineral in bone formation. This nutrient incorporates in bone metabolism and enhances bone mineralization. This study was designed to assess the effect of magnesium supplementation on alkaline phosphatase، osteocalcin، and also callus formation in women with long bone fracture. In this double-blind randomized placebo controlled trial، 32 women with long bone fracture، aged 20-45 years old، were randomly divided into the Mg group and control، receiving 250 mg magnesium oxide daily and placebo respectively for 8 weeks. Serum alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin were measured at the beginning and the end point، and also callus formation was checked at the end of study. P value < 0. 05 was considered as the significant level. There was no significant difference between two groups in alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin levels at the beginning and the end of study. Serum alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin levels were increased in both groups، but they were not statistically significant. Furthermore، the callus formation، which revealed the fracture healing، was not different between 2 groups. This study concluded that Magnesium supplementation did not change the serum markers of bone formation and fracture healing; however، further studies need to approve this finding.

Phytoestrogens enhance bone integrity through prevention of bone loss and stimulation of bone formation، and also facilitation of bone healing. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of vitex agnus castus extract، as a source of phytoestrogen on alkaline phosphatase and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and also callus formation in women with long bone fractures. In a double-blind randomized placebo controlled trial، 32 women with long bone fracture، age 20-45 years old، were randomly divided into the VAC (vitex agnus castus)، receiving 1 Agnugol tablet (containing 4 mg dried fruit extract of vitex agnus castus) -daily for 8 weeks or a placebo group. Serum alkaline phosphatase and VEGF were measured at the beginning and the end point، and also callus formation was checked at the end of study. Serum alkaline phosphatase was increased in both groups compared to the baseline. Although the elevation of ALP (Alkaline phosphatase) in placebo group was not significant، in treatment group، ALP was considerably increased (p=. 05). Comparison of the change of VEGF showed that، only in VAC group، VEGF level was significantly increased (p=. 01). The callus formation which revealed the fracture healing، in VAC and control groups was 71. 4% and 53. 8%، respectively. Treatment with vitex agnus castus extract for 2 months could enhance the VEGF level، however، further studies are need to show the effects of vitex agnus castus extract on alkaline phosphatase level and callus formation.