anahita babak

Hypertension is a common and potentially life-threatening disease that affects millions of people worldwide. The purpose of this article is to review the relationship between physical activity and hypertension, highlighting the underlying mechanisms, benefits, and recommendations for incorporating exercise into hypertension management strategies.

Texts were searched with the keywords "hypertension," "physical activity," "exercise," "blood pressure regulation," and "lifestyle modification" from 2019 to 2022 in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar to find the most relevant articles.

Physical activity is recognized as a key lifestyle modification for the prevention and management of hypertension. Regular exercise can lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular health, and reduce hypertension-related complications. Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for at least 150 minutes per week or vigorous-intensity exercise for 75 minutes per week is recommended. Resistance training should be performed at least twice weekly, targeting major muscle groups.

Incorporating physical activity into daily routines should be encouraged as an influential non-pharmacological approach for people with hypertension or those at risk of developing it. Further research is necessary to investigate optimal exercise protocols and long-term adherence strategies for sustainable blood pressure control.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) can impact both the quality of life and the survival of patients. The study aimed to determine the survival rate and associated variables in patients with PBC.

This cohort research comprised 65 patients diagnosed with PBC who were admitted to the pathology section between January 2010 and December 2019. Survival was determined by reviewing hospital medical data and following up with the patients. The impact of demographic factors, clinical, laboratory, and histopathological aspects on patient survival time was investigated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Coxregression.

The average period of follow?up was 6.25 years with a standard deviation of 3.2 years. In surviving patients, the baseline bilirubin level was 2.83, but in deceased or transplanted patients, it was 8.95 (P = 0.002). The baseline albumin level was 3.99 in surviving patients and 3.66 in deceased or transplanted patients (P = 0.024). The incidence of cirrhosis in those who survived was 1.8%, but in patients who died or underwent a transplant, it was 40%. Out of 65 cases, 3 patients (4.7%) died and 7 (10%) had liver transplants. Survival rates of patients vary based on factors such as jaundice (P = 0.002), weariness (P = 0.03), cirrhosis (P < 0.001), and vitiligo (P = 0.033). There were notable variations in the average Mayo score between the two groups of patients who had liver transplantation and survived, with scores of 7.21 and 5.61, respectively.

The study found that aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels, baseline and final bilirubin, albumin, antinuclear antibody, the presence of cirrhosis, and jaundice significantly influenced patient survival with PBC.

The revised program of general medical education was implemented from 2018 based on horizontal integration and device-oriented presentation, especially in the topics of physiology and anatomical sciences. The present study aims to investigate the effect of horizontal integration in the teaching of basic science courses in general medicine.

In this combined study, we compared students' performance in general medical basic science courses before and after the 2022 revision at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. In the quantitative stage, the study included 224 participants using the census method to extract their personal information and indicators related to academic progress.  In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews with the teachers of this program were conducted until the information was saturated and analyzed with the conventional content analysis method.

The average grade point average of the basic science course, the number of conditional semesters, and the number of failed courses of students in different entrances had no statistically significant difference with each other (P > 0.05), but the average grade point average of anatomical sciences was higher after integration (P < 0.001). In the qualitative part of the total interviews, 249 codes were extracted from 2 main floors of university policies and upstream policies and 6 sub-floors including educational planning, faculty members, and students in each main floor.

Except for the increase in anatomical sciences score after the revision, there was no significant difference in other indicators of academic progress. This can be attributed to the entry of more students with weaker ranks in the entrance exam, also to the short time interval between the intervention and the evaluation of the results

In this study, the relationship between involvement by COVID?19 and the recurrence of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was investigated.

This cross?sectional study was conducted on 112 patients with RA with and without a history of COVID?19. The severity and recurrence of RA symptoms were measured and recorded by the Disease ActivityScore in 28 joints (DAS?28) index and clinical evaluations by a rheumatologist.

The results showed that the recurrence of RA in patients with and without a history of COVID?19 had a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). In addition, there was a statistically significant relationship between erythrocyte sedimentation rate, visual analogue scale (VAS), tender joint count, swollen joint count, and DAS?28 and the history of COVID?19 (P < 0.05).

The present study showed that infection with COVID?19 leads to the recurrence of joint symptoms in RA patients.

Objective :

Hypertension is a chronic disease with increasing prevalence. Psychological health problems can lead to the exacerbation of hypertension. This study aims to assess the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the psychological health of adult women with hypertension. 

Methods :

This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 2019 on 80 women with hypertension in Isfahan, Iran who were randomly assigned to two groups of intervention and control. The intervention group received MBSR at 8 two-hour sessions, once a week, followed by 4 weeks of training at home. The control group received routine care. The psychological health of patients in both groups was evaluated before and one week after the intervention using the depression, anxiety, and stress scale–21 items (DASS-21). The data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 24 using paired t-test, independent t-test, and multivariate analysis of covariance.

Results:

 The mean age of the patients was 55.45±6.19 years. In the intervention group, the mean post-test scores of depression, anxiety, and stress were 11.64±3.4, 10.78±2.72, and 11.75±2.94 respectively, which were significantly lower than in the control group (11.97±2.85, 11.62±2.37, and 12.75±2.86 respectively; P<0.05).

Conclusion:

 The MBSR, as a low-cost therapeutic method without complications, is effective in improving the psychological health (reducing depression, anxiety, and stress) of hypertensive women in Iran.

The aims of this study were to determine the prognosis in heart infarction patients who were also suffering from COVID-19 disease and its relationship with underlying diseases and blood factors and the severity of pulmonary involvement.

This cross-sectional descriptive study extracted data from the medical records of patients hospitalized in Alzahra, Chamran, and Khorsheed hospitals in Isfahan city from 2020 to 2021. Individuals over 18 years old diagnosed with myocardial infarction and positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test placed under angiography were included in the study. Variables studied included age, gender, comorbidities, medications, smoking history, vaccination status, laboratory findings, echocardiography, angiography, and mortality. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the data.

A total of 65 patients were examined. The most common comorbidity was hypertension (55.4%) and the most common symptom was chest pain (84.6%). Left ventricular ejection fraction decreased (38.2%), and this decrease was significant in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (33.5% vs. 43.7%, P = 0.0009). Thrombosis was observed in 14 patients, which was more common in the ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) group than in the non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) group (30.8% vs. 7.7%, P = 0.03). The most involved artery was LAD (60%). There was no significant association between the severity of COVID-19 and myocardial infarction subtypes. Moreover, these subgroups did not show a significant association with mortality rates.

No significant association was found between the severity of COVID-19 and myocardial infarction subtypes in our study.

Hypertension is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular diseases. Patients with hypertension have a lower quality of life. We aimed to evaluate the effects of mindfulness meditation on blood pressure, mental health, and quality of life in patients with hypertension.

This randomized clinical trial was performed in 2019 in Isfahan. Eighty adult women with Stage I or II hypertension were included and assigned randomly to 2 groups: 12 weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and routine care. At baseline and 1 week after the end of the intervention, blood pressure, stress, depression, anxiety, and quality of life of the studied participants were measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) questionnaires. The data were analyzed using the independent t-test, the paired t-test, and the MANCOVA test.

After the intervention, the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased significantly in the intervention group compared with the baseline (142.82±11.01 mmHg vs 133.7±510.43 mmHg for systolic pressure and 86.12±8.24 mmHg vs 79.15±6.26 mmHg for diastolic pressure) and the control group (140.18±14.27 mmHg vs 142.15±10.23 mmHg for systolic pressure and 84.62± 9.22 vs mmHg 88.51±8.54 mmHg for diastolic pressure; P=0.001). There was also a significant increase in quality of life, stress, anxiety, and depression scores in the intervention group (P<0.05).

The 12-week MBSR program resulted in a significant reduction in the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures and improvement in mental health and different aspects of quality of life.

Placenta adherent abnormality (PAA) is abnormal attachment of the placenta to the myometrium. This abnormal placenta binding has severe clinical consequences for the mother and the fetus. We investigated the outcomes of hypogastric arterial ligation (HAL) before hysterectomy compared to hysterectomy alone in pregnant women with PAA.

In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 70 patients were randomly allocated to HAL along with hysterectomy and hysterectomy alone groups (35 in each Group). The total amount of intraoperative blood loss, the need for intraoperative blood products transfusion, frequency of deep vein thrombosis, duration of surgery, duration of hospitalization, and visceral trauma were compared between2 Groups.

Finally, 64 patients completed the study protocol with mean age of 33.84 ± 4.25 years. The study groups were comparable in terms of basic baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. Visceral trauma was less frequently occurred in HAL group compared to hysterectomy alone (0% vs. 15.6%; P = 0.02). Intraoperative blood loss (1525 ± 536.41 cc vs. 2075 ± 889.36 cc; P = 0.001) and were significantly lower in HAL group compared to hysterectomy alone. Duration of operation (179.06 ± 36.28 vs. 197.66 ± 39.47; P = 0.05) and hospitalization (4.97 ± 2.20 vs. 6.10 ± 2.39; P = 0.03) also were significantly lower in HAL group.

Our findings suggest that prophylactic HAL has a protective effect on the reduction of blood loss and less visceraltrauma in pregnant women with PAA.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic diseases in adults that is related to many factors including nutrition habits. In this study, we aimed to compare the frequency of nutritional behaviors between diabetic and healthy adults.

This cross-sectional study was performed on middle-aged people (30-59 years) referred to primary health care centers in Isfahan city between 2015-2016. Two groups with 245 diabetics and 735 non-diabetics were included through convenient sampling and their nutritional behaviors were compared between them.

The desirable consumption of dairy products is less common among diabetic patients. According to the multiple logistic regression analysis, undesirable consumption of fruit &vegetables, dairy products, fatty acids, and carbonated beverages are significantly associated with increased chances of diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.97, 26.97, 4.6, 2.01 respectively).

The change in nutrition pattern in the communities can increase the chance of developing diabetes mellitus, however further studies are needed to evaluate risk factors in diabetic patients.

Hospital personnel are susceptible to sleep disorders due to their occupational nature, which has a negative impact on their behavioral and cognitive function and can decrease their ability to work. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between daytime sleepiness and its affecting factors and work ability index.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 384 personnel of different departments of Al-Zahra hospital in Isfahan who were selected by quota sampling based on the ratio of number of staff of each job title to the total number of hospital personnel. For participants a checklist of demographic and occupational variables and two questionnaires: ESS (Epworth sleepiness scale) and WAI (Work Ability Index) were completed. Scores 13 and more for ESS questionnaire were considered as daytime sleepiness, and scores 28 and less for the WAI questionnaire were considered as poor performance.

48% of participants were male and 52% were female. The mean age of the participants was 35.79±7.65 years and their mean working experience was 10.48±7.24 years. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between daytime sleepiness and demographic and occupational variables other than gender and educational level. Regarding the work ability index a significant relationship was seen with the above variables except gender, educational level and job title. A strong reverse and significant relationship was observed between daily drowsiness and the work ability index.

The relationship between WAI and ESS in hospital personnel indicates that the ability to work can be increased by improving sleep status and controlling the factors that lead to daytime sleepiness.

 Psychosomatic medicine is a systemic model of care based on the biopsychosocial model in which the physical, emotional, and social aspects of clinical conditions are considered. Family Medicine (FM) and psychosomatic medicine have many similarities in their community-based and family-based approaches. Studies have shown the necessity and effectiveness of psychosomatic medicine training for general practitioners ‎(GPs) and family physicians.

 We designed a psychosomatic course for FM residents. This semi-experimental study was performed at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2018. The target population included 11 FM residents. A compact 20-hour module (4 days, 5 hours each) was designed for the training. The Knowledge and Practice of Psychosomatic Medicine Questionnaire (self-administered) for the concepts and skills of psychosomatic medicine was filled out by each of the FM residents before and after the intervention. For each resident, caring for patients was monitored and a Performance Appraisal Checklist was completed by the supervisor. Finally, the questionnaire scores before and after the intervention were compared using paired t-test.

 The total knowledge and practice score increased significantly after the intervention (258.5 ± 40.3 vs. 174.6 ± 62.9; P = 0.002). There was also a significant increase in the mean psychosomatic care performance scores after the intervention (28.65 ± 3.52) compared with baseline (21.18 ± 5.94) (P = 0.001).

 This study showed that basic psychosomatic care training for family physician residents, even in short courses, can have a positive effect on their clinical knowledge and performance.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the major health problems in the world. Stress and mental illnesses adversely affect glycemic control. In most patients, a multidisciplinary approach including physical activity, healthy diet, and stress management is required for glycemic control. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a structured group program that reduces emotional distress through self-awareness and assuming the responsibility for individual choices, and results in increased effective health behaviors. Here, we aimed to evaluate the effects of mindfulness meditation on glycemic control and mental health in patients with type 2 diabetes.

This randomized clinical trial study was performed in 2018 in Isfahan city. A total number of 108 patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 were selected and allocated randomly to two groups, intervention (12 weeks MBSR program) and control (routine care). Depression, anxiety, and stress scores regarding to depression, anxiety, and stress Scale - 21 questionnaire and also amounts of fasting blood sugar (FBS) and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) were assessed and analyzed using independent t-test, paired t-test, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Chi-square, before and 13 weeks after educational programs.

The means of HbA1C, FBS, and depression, anxiety, and stress scores improved significantly after intervention in the MBSR group. Except FBS levels, all outcome variable scores' mean change was significant between the two groups.

In general, this study revealed that mindfulness meditation could be helpful in improving the quality of mental health and lowering glycemic control indices in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Regarding the increasing importance of influenza, especially in those at risk, this study aimed to explore the effectiveness and the effective factors of influenza vaccination acceptance among the staff of Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran

This cohort study was performed in Alzahra hospital for 9 months from September 2018 to May 2019. The staffs of different occupations who received influenza vaccination considered as treatment (vaccinated) group, and equal numbers of staffs who did not receive vaccination were selected as the control (unvaccinated) group. In both groups, a questionnaire of knowledge and attitude to vaccination and a checklist of demographic and occupational variables, vaccination acceptance or rejection factors, and influenza infection rate were completed in the study.

During the study, one case in exposed group, and 3 cases in control group got the influenza, and there was no significant difference between two groups (P = 0.130). The relative risk of influenza was 0.33. There was a significant difference between the two groups based on vaccination in previous years (P = 0.001). Moreover, the knowledge and attitude in the vaccinated group was higher than the non-vaccinated group (P <0.050).

 Increasing awareness and attitude to influenza and its vaccination, as well as the availability of vaccination at the right time, can be effective in health care workers’ tendency for influenza vaccine.

The aim of this study was to investigate the sick leave and its causes among the health care workers in Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran.

 The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted at Alzahra hospital in 2018. Subjects were staff of hospital that referred to trusted forensic physician for sickness certification confirmation by census method in one year. After obtaining informed consent, a checklist of demographic and occupational variables, causes of sick leave and confirmation or not was completed by forensic physician. The data were entered into SPSS software, and analyzed using chi-square and independent t tests.

 192 sickness certifications were enrolled the study. The most prevalent sick leave causes of hospital staff were respiratory (21.4%), musculoskeletal (18.8%), gynecology (16.1 %), gastrointestinal (15.1%), and accidents (cuts and fracture) (8.9%) causes, respectively. There was a significant relationship between gender and work experience with the reasons of sick leave (P < 0.05). There was no significant relationship between age, marital status, number of children, education, type of job, type of shift, department, and duration of sick leave with the causes of sick leave (P > 0.05).

The most prevalent sick leave causes among Alzahra hospital staff were respiratory and musculoskeletal disorders. The male staff suffered mainly from musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal problems, hence female staff often suffered from respiratory and gynecological disorders. The least prevalent sick leave causes were accidents (cuts and fracture), and ophthalmological and cardiovascular diseases.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease with an increasing prevalence that has many complications such as depression. The comprehensive management of the disease requires assessment and treatment of mental problems. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of stress management based on positive psychology on mental health and glycemic control.

This randomized controlled clinical trial study was conducted in Imam Ali Health Care Center, Isfahan City, Iran, in 2018. 80 women with diabetes mellitus were selected from the health center using convenience sampling method, and were assigned randomly to two groups of control (n = 40) and intervention (n = 40). Both groups were under routine health care. In addition, the intervention group received 8 sessions of positive psychological education and 4 sessions of homework. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) were evaluated before and after the intervention.

There was no significant difference in HBA1C and FBS between the two groups before intervention, but after it, the mean of HbA1C in the intervention group was significantly lower than that of the control group. Moreover, depression, anxiety, and stress scores significantly decreased in the intervention group, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. By modulating the effect of mental health score, there was no significant difference in HbA1C after intervention within the two groups.

Positive psychology is effective in decreasing depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as controlling HbA1c in women with diabetes mellitus.

Dyslipidemia is an important cause of cardiovascular diseases with increasing rates among adult populations. Nutrition and physical activity are known to have impacts on degrees of dyslipidemia. In this article, we had a study on nutritional behaviors and physical activities among middle- aged adults with and without dyslipidemia.

In this case control study 200 middle- aged adults were entered. 100 adults with dyslipidemia and 100 normal adults were included in this study. Data regarding desirable or undesirable use of fruits, vegetables ,dairy, saturated fatty acids, fast foods, carbonated drinks and extra salt intake with every  meal were collected. Intensity and duration of physical activities were also collected from our data bank and analyzed with SPSS software.

Our results indicated that people with dyslipidemia had a significantly increased usage of fast foods and saturated fatty acids while the normal population had increased usage of vegetables and dairy. There were also significantly increased in intensity, duration per day and weekly days of physical activity in healthy groups. Logistic regression indicated that undesirable consumption of fast foods, dairy, fatty acids, vegetables and undesirable physical activity increase the risks for dyslipidemia (OR= 8.2, OR=16.2, OR= 8.2, OR= 18.3 and OR= 25.3 respectively) (P<0.05).

This article emphasizes the role of proper nutritional behaviors and higher physical activities in decreasing the risks of dyslipidemia and we suggest that further preventive interventions could be made based on the results of our study.

Overweight and obesity are major problems with increasing rates among adult populations. Nutritional behaviors and physical activity are the most important influencing factors. In this article, we conducted a survey on the nutritional behaviors and physical activities among normal-weight and overweight/obese adults.

We conducted a survey on some of the nutritional behaviors and physical activities of 729 middle-aged adults. Data regarding desirable or undesirable use of fruits, fish, dairy products, oil, fast foods, and carbonated drinks and the intensity and duration of physical activities were collected from our data bank and analyzed using the SPSS software.

Our results indicated that overweight/obese people had an improper usage of fruits, oil, fast foods, and carbonated drinks and had lower physical activity. There was also a significant increase in intensity, duration per day, and weekly days of physical activity in healthy groups. Logistic regression analysis of nutritional behaviors, physical activities, and obesity also indicated that undesirable usage of oil, fast foods, and carbonated drinks and undesirable physical activity are associated with risks for overweight/obesity (odds ratio [OR] =10.70, OR = 7.45, OR = 7.48, and OR = 2.16, respectively) (P < 0.05).

This article puts emphasis on the role of proper nutritional behaviors and higher physical activities in decreasing the risks of developing obesity, and we suggest that further interventions could be made based on the results of our study.

Regarding the increasing importance of influenza, especially in those at risk, this study aimed to explore the effectiveness and the effective factors of influenza vaccination acceptance among the staff of Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran

This cohort study was performed in Alzahra hospital for 9 months from September 2018 to May 2019. The staffs of different occupations who received influenza vaccination considered as treatment (vaccinated) group, and equal numbers of staffs who did not receive vaccination were selected as the control (unvaccinated) group. In both groups, a questionnaire of knowledge and attitude to vaccination and a checklist of demographic and occupational variables, vaccination acceptance or rejection factors, and influenza infection rate were completed in the study.

During the study, one case in exposed group, and 3 cases in control group got the influenza, and there was no significant difference between two groups (P = 0.130). The relative risk of influenza was 0.33. There was a significant difference between the two groups based on vaccination in previous years (P = 0.001). Moreover, the knowledge and attitude in the vaccinated group was higher than the non-vaccinated group (P <0.050).

Increasing awareness and attitude to influenza and its vaccination, as well as the availability of vaccination at the right time, can be effective in health care workers’ tendency for influenza vaccine.

Metabolic syndrome is a physiologic and biochemical disorder. Due to the possible important role of smoking in metabolic syndrome, we aimed to assess this role.

This cross-sectional study was performed on the data of middle-aged patients’ health records in Isfahan City, Iran, in 2018. According to diagnostic criteria of metabolic syndrome, 246 involved patient and 246 healthy people were selected using convenience sampling method. Smoking status and other demographic information were collected and analyzed using chi-square and multiple logistic regression methods.

Using water pipe (hookah) is significantly more prevalent among the patients with metabolic syndrome (57.7%) compared to healthy population (16.3%) (P < 0.001). We also indicated that smoking [odds ratio (OR) = 5.55, P = 0.006] and low education were associated with increased odds of developing metabolic syndrome, whereas being married reduced the odds (OR = 0.15, P < 0.001).

 As shown by this study, using hookah is more prevalent among the patients with metabolic syndrome compared to healthy population; smoking is associated with increased odds of metabolic syndrome as well.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the common chronic diseases in societies that has been associated with many psychological disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of psychological disorders in middle-aged women with and without diabetes mellitus in Isfahan City, Iran, during the years 2015-2016.

In this cross-sectional study, 246 women with diabetes mellitus and 246 healthy women were randomly selected from patients referring to comprehensive urban and rural health centers. Psychological evaluation, mental illness, epilepsy, and suicidal thoughts were assessed based on Iranian Woman Health Form.

The frequency of psychological disorders such as anxiety, restlessness, frustration, sadness, and being motiveless for doing daily tasks, as well as overall frequency of psychological disorders, and the frequency of suicidal ideation, epilepsy, and history of mental illnesses was significantly higher in those with diabetes mellitus compared with healthy subjects (P < 0.001). Based on the multiple logistic regression model, patients with psychiatric disorders were 5.32 times more likely to develop diabetes than healthy controls [odds ratio (OR) = 5.32; 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 3.30-8.62).

There is a positive correlation between psychiatric disorders and diabetes mellitus; so people with psychological illnesses should be screened for diabetes.

Poisoning is one of the serious underlying causes of loss of consciousness. Due to the relative lack of preserving factors of respiratory tract, risk of aspiration pneumonia would be increased. We evaluated factors associated with aspiration pneumonia in patients admitted with acute drug intoxication.
A retrospective cohort randomized study conducted on 206 patients admitted at clinical toxicology department. Based on the diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia, patients were divided into two groups of with and without aspiration pneumonia. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed for aspiration pneumonia prediction factors.
Findings: Age, gender, ingested toxin, vital sign, the level of consciousness on admission, gastric lavage, past history of smoking and pulmonary disease, seizure, vomiting, endotracheal intubation, and length of hospital stay were significantly different in patients with and without aspiration pneumonia (P Seizure, age, male gender, pulse rate, vomiting, and endotracheal intubation should be considered as important factors in predicting aspiration pneumonia when managing poisoning cases.

Inappropriate nutrition, and obesity in children have become a global problem. Eating behaviors are considered as one of the factors affecting childhood obesity. Breakfast and snack meals are among the important eating behaviors. This study aimed to assess eating behaviors among children and adolescents in Isfahan Province, Iran, in the year 2015.
In this study, 2305 students of elementary and guidance schools were evaluated using questionnaires about their eating behaviors.
Findings: 92.3% of students had breakfast meals. 91.8% of the students consume snack meals in addition to breakfast meal. Different routes of snack meals preparation consisted of home supplied (78.5%), school store (12.1%), near-school shops (7%), and huckster (about 1%). Students’ mothers were the major responsible for providing snacks.
Our findings indicate inappropriate quality of eating behaviors among children and adolescents in Isfahan Province, especially for snack meals, despite acceptable knowledge among families. Families play a key role in selecting these behaviors, showing the necessity to pay more attention to the role of the family in this field.

Although aging population is a positive result of development, many negative consequences may occur if policy makers are not prepared for the related changes. Therefore, the researchers decided to determine the health status indices in Isfahan elderly for future interventions.
This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 4321 individuals. The subjects were selected through random stratified multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Iranian Elderly Lifestyle and Health Status Questionnaire with approved reliability and validity. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test in SPSS software.
Findings: In the present study, 78.5% of the subjects had a chronic disease; 62.8%, 44.1%, and 43.6% sleep disorders, hypertension, and forgetfulness, respectively. With mean scores of 143.5 and 58 in healthy lifestyle and quality of life (QOL), respectively, men had a better health status compared with women.
Chronic diseases are prevalent among the elderly. Therefore, policy makers should pay more attention to the health demands of this age group. In addition, the lifestyle and QOL scores of the elderly was higher than average; thus, more comprehensive and detailed healthy lifestyle education and health care programs can improve their QOL and health status.

Increasing the life expectancy was the major issue of public health during the 20th century, while living with better quality is the goal of 21th century. Psychological and physical situations are important factors that affect quality of life in elderly. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the quality of life among the elderly and its relationship with depression and body mass index (BMI) in Isfahan province, Iran.
A total of 637 elderly were included in this analytical observational study using a random and multistage cluster sampling method. Quality of life and depression scores were collected using Geriatric Depressions Scale (GDS) and Quality of Life Short Form-36 (SF-36) Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using t, one-way ANOVA, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients statistical tests.
Findings: The mean score of quality of life was 54.64 ± 20.60. Quality of life and some of its dimensions had a direct relationship with lower age, being male and high level of education. We found no significant correlation between the depression score and quality of life or its dimensions. In addition, assessment of the correlation between body mass index and quality of life showed that body mass index had significant negative relationship only with physical functioning among all of the dimensions.
Results of the present study showed that lower quality of life is associated with increasing of the age, being female and low level of education. Furthermore, we found no relationship between the dimensions of quality of life and depression that might be due to the effects of several variables on quality of life among elderly.

Considering the importance of anger, aggression, violence and other misbehaviours in schoolchildren education, the present study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and practice of students in Isfahan province regarding violence, in order to figure out the required interventions for violence‑reduction. In a survey during 2008-‑2009, 5500 junior and senior high school students of Isfahan province were assessed in a multistage sampling process to determine their level of knowledge about various types of violent behaviors, causes of violence, its consequences, and preventive behaviors. Validity and reliability of the data collection tool (questionnaire) were assessed. The study revealed that the mean scores of violent behaviors knowledge, knowledge of violent behavior outcomes, and knowledge of violence preventive behaviors, were 6.6 ± 2.1, 5.5 ± 1.9, and 4.7 ± 1.3, respectively. Sources of violent behaviors in 92% of urban students and 89% of rural students were personal reasons and family behaviors, and 85% of urban and 88% of rural students considered mass media and computer games blameworthy, and the differences were statistically significant in all cases (P < 0.0001). In terms of practice, overall, 69.7% of girls and 84.2% of boys had violent behaviors. Physical and verbal violence were 31.3% and 40.7%in girls, and 66% and 52.8% in boys, respectively (intersexes P values were P < 0.001 and P = 0.7 respectively, and intra‑sex P value was P < 0.0001). Results showed that girls and city dwellers were more aware of recognizing violent behaviors, outcomes, and causes, compared with boys and villagers, and in terms of general practice, violence was observed among boys more than girls. Further complementary studies in this area seem required.