leila nikniaz

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is among the most common liver diseases. In recent years, the prevalence of fatty liver disease has been mostly attributed to obesity, an unhealthy lifestyle, and poor eating habits, which, in addition to Western countries, have also been reported in Iran. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of lifestyle modification (physical activity and diet) on the recovery of NAFLD in health insurance staff in Tabriz, Iran.

This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 42 male and female NAFLD patients aged 20 to 55. The participants were randomly divided into intervention (diet along with aerobic exercise) (n=21) and control (without diet and exercise) (n=21) groups. The level of disease recovery was evaluated by measuring the level of liver enzymes (AST and ALT), liver ultrasound (to determine the degree of fatty liver), and body mass index (BMI) before and after three months of intervention. Paired and independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon test were performed using SPSS version 22 software. The clinical significance of the study was estimated using an epidemiological tool known as the number needed to treat (NNT).

No significant difference was observed between the two groups in anthropometric and biochemical parameters, as well as fatty liver grade. However, the decrease in BMI index in the intervention group was insignificant compared to the control group. The degree of liver recovery in the intervention and control groups was calculated to be 69.9% and 33.3%, respectively. Also, the decrease in fatty liver grade in the intervention group was significant compared to the control group (P = 0.028). There was a statistically significant reduction in the severity of fatty liver disease in the intervention group at the end of the research (NNT = 3.5), meaning that for every 3.5 patients with NAFLD treated with diet and exercise for 3 months, one patient showed improvement.

This study showed that lifestyle modifications, such as physical activity and dietary habits, significantly affected fatty liver in NAFLD patients.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases. It is estimated that more than 400 million people will suffer from it by 2025. This study aims to determine the prevalence of asthma in East Azerbaijan and investigate the association between asthma and some environmental and demographic factors.
This is a cross-sectional study based on a major Lifestyle Promotion Project (LPP) conducted in the districts of East Azerbaijan, including 2641 participants aged 15 to 65 years of the general population selected through probability proportional to size (PPS) multistage stratified cluster sampling. We used the World Health Survey questionnaire about doctor-diagnosed asthma to determine the prevalence of asthma. Age, smoking status, physical activity level, socioeconomic variables such as job and education level, and body mass index (BMI) were used as covariates in regression models. A questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic information and smoking status. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to estimate the level of physical activity (IPAQ).
The mean age of participants was 40.9 ± 12.05 years including 1242 (47 %) males and 1399 (53 %) females. The prevalence of asthma was 3.3 %. The frequency of smokers was significantly higher in the asthmatic group compared with the non-asthmatic group (OR=2.33 [1.76-3.31]; p=0.03). There was no significant association between asthma and other demographic and lifestyle characteristics. Obesity has also played a significant role in the development of asthma.
According to the results of this study, obesity and smoking have played a significant role in the development of asthma but there is no statistically significant relationship between socioeconomic and demographic factors.

In the present systematic review, we aimed at reviewing the peer review articles investigating the effect of Ramadan fasting on gastrointestinal disease.

We searched databases of Pubmed, Embase, google scholar, Cochrane library, SID, and Magiran from 1960 to June 2019. Only original research published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, which evaluated the effect of Ramadan fasting on gastrointestinal symptoms and diseases were included.

Using our systematic search, 37 articles met our predefined inclusion criteria.Studies showed that the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding and peptic and duodenal ulcers perfusion in Ramadan were higher compared with the month before and a month after Ramadan. Moreover, studies showed that anthropometric indices, inflammatory cytokines, liver enzymes level, and hepatic steatosis were improved in the fasting group compared with the non-fasting group in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In cirrhotic patients, some studies showed that although Ramadan fasting had no effect on liver function or even improve liver enzymes in patients with disease severity of child class A & B, it was associated with higher risk UGI bleeding in cirrhotic patients. One study investigated the effect of Ramadan Fasting in inflammatory bowel disease patients and showed that in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), the mean score of disease activity decreased after Ramadan and this decrement was significant in male UC patients.In addition, studies indicated that Ramadan fasting does not have an effect on liver function or frequency and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms except for constipation in healthy subjects.  

According to the results, Ramadan fasting does not associate with any adverse effect in the healthy population. However, in some gastrointestinal diseases such as peptic ulcers, it may be associated with complications.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a prevalent metabolic disorder with increasing prevalence attributed to extended life expectancy. This study aims to investigate MetS prevalence and its determinants in the East-Azerbaijan population.

Conducted as a cross-sectional study within the East Azerbaijan region, this research is based on a major Lifestyle Promotion Project. The study encompasses 700 participants aged 15 to 65 years, representing the general population and selected using probability proportional to size multistage stratified cluster sampling. MetS diagnoses were conducted using the adult Panel III criteria. Data on socio-demographics, smoking status, and physical activity levels were collected through questionnaires.

Among participants, the mean age was 42.4±12.38 years, and the mean body mass index was 27.69±4.94 kg/m2. The MetS group exhibited higher mean age and body mass index compared to the non-MetS group (P<0.001). The prevalence of MetS in the population was 34.2%, with higher rates in females (37.1%) compared to males (30.5%), though this difference wasn’t statistically significant (P=0.11). Notably, a substantial distinction was observed between the two groups regarding education levels (P<0.001).

The study reveals a significant association between increasing age and higher prevalence of MetS. Furthermore, lower educational levels were linked to an elevated prevalence of MetS. While other socio-demographic factors didn’t demonstrate statistically significant relationships, these findings emphasize the importance of targeted interventions and education in mitigating MetS risks.

Several studies have suggested the positive impact of vitamin D on patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on clinical outcomes and mortality rate of COVID-19 patients.

A comprehensive search was conducted through the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, Embase, Ovid, and The Cochrane Library without time and language limitation, until December 16, 2020. The results were screened, and the outcomes of interest were extracted. Using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools, the remaining results were appraised critically. Statistical analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software version 2.0.

Of the 2311 results, four studies and 259 patients were enrolled, including 139 patients in vitamin D intervention groups. The pooled analysis of three studies, reporting the patients’ survival and mortality rate, showed a significantly lower mortality rate among the intervention groups compared with the control groups (OR=0.264, 95% CI=0.099–0.708, p-value=0.008). Two of the studies reported the clinical outcomes based on the World Health Organization’s Ordinal Scale for Clinical Improvement (OSCI) score for COVID-19, where both of them showed a significant decrease in OSCI score in the vitamin D intervention groups. One study reported a lower rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and one study reported a significant decrease in serum levels of Fibrinogen.

Prescribing vitamin D supplementation to patients with COVID-19 infection seems to decrease the mortality rate, the severity of the disease, and serum levels of the inflammatory markers. Further studies are needed to determine the ideal type, dosage, and duration of supplementation.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common arrhythmia seen in the first days following cardiac surgeries. Recently, there is a growing discussion regarding the link between vitamin D deficiency and POAF development. This systematic review and meta-analysis of the observational studies aimed at evaluating the association between preoperative vitamin D deficiency and Postoperative atrial fibrillation. In this study, using PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Libraries, we searched for records published before July 2020. Two reviewers screened for studies that examined the relationship between preoperative vitamin D levels and the generation of POAF. Data regarding study design, patient characteristics, definition of atrial fibrillation (AF) , type of surgery, vitamin D levels, and measurement methods were extracted. Five studies were included in the meta-analysis. Our primary analysis showed a significant relationship between preoperative levels of vitamin D and POAF development (mean differences (MD) = -2.851, 95% confidence interval (CI) =-5.506 to -0.195; P value 0.035). Our meta-analysis suggested serum vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of POAF development. Further large scale interventional studies are needed to explore whether vitamin D supplementation will prevent POAF.

Group B streptococcus or streptococcus Agalactia is a gram positive beta hemolytic bacteria which is the main factor in neonatal infections. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of GBS in world and clarifying the rate of this infection in Islamic and non-Islamic countries.

We performed a systematic search by using different databases including Medline, Scopus, Science Direct, Psycho-Info ProQuest and Web of Science published up to Feb 2019. We undertook meta-analysis to obtain the pooled estimate of prevalence of GBS colonization in Islamic and non-Islamic countries.

Among 3324 papers searched, we identified 245 full texts of prevalence of GBS in pregnancy; 131 were included in final analysis. The estimated mean prevalence of maternal GBS colonization was 15.5% (CI:95% (14.2-17)) worldwide; which was 14% (CI:95% (11-16.8)) in Islamic and 16.3% (CI:95% (14.6-18.1)) in non-Islamic countries and was statistically significant. Moreover, with regards to sampling area, prevalence of GBS colonization was 11.1 in vagina and 18.1 in vagina-rectum.

Frequent washing of perineum based on religious instructions in Islamic countries can diminish the rate of GBS colonization in pregnant women.

Due to the high limitations of gluten-free diet, it seems that the diversity of diet in patients with celiac disease is affected. Therefore, in order to provide specific dietary advices to these patients, it is necessary to conduct a study on the diversity of these patients' diets. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the dietary diversity score in adult patients with celiac disease.

In the present cross-sectional study, 130 celiac patients were selected from the celiac disease (CD) registry database of East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The dietary intake data was obtained by an 80-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. For determining diet diversity score (DDS), food items were categorized in five groups and 23 subgroups. To be counted as a “consumer” for any of the food groups categories, a respondent needed to consume one-half serving. The total score was between 0 and 10 and each subgroup score was between 0 and 2. The higher scores indicate the better diet diversity and the values less than 3, 3-5 and six and over were considered as low, moderate and high diet diversity scores respectively. The data were analysed using SPSS. The DDS was compared between adherences and non-adherents with on-way ANCOVA by adjusting to cofounding factors including age, sex, body mass index, energy intake, disease duration and gluten-free diet duration.

The mean age of celiac patients was 36.74±8.61 years. The mean total DDS was 3.97 ±1.36. The highest DDS was related to the fruit group (1.42 ± 0.68) and the lowest score was related to the meat group (0.40 ± 0.68). The result of covariance test showed that there were no significant differences between adherents and non-adherents regarding the DDS total score and subgroups scoes (P>0.05). The total DDS was less than 3 in 22.5% of patients, was between 3 and 5 in 73.3% of patients and six and over in 4.16% of patients.

According to the results of the present study, the celiac patients had low DDS in all food groups. So, from the practical point of view, necessary educations should be provided to celiac patients to consume the gluten-free alternative to increase their diet diversity.

This systematic review and meta-analysis of the observational studies aimed at evaluating the infertile women’s attitude toward gestational surrogacy.

Published studies until Jan 2019 were searched using PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, Proquest and Google scholar, MagIran, SID and IranMedex. Studies in English or Persian language surveyed attitudes toward surrogacy for infertile women published until Jan 2019. Animal studies and studies with poor methodological quality were excluded from the review.

Six eligible studies including 1359 infertile women were identified. Of these, 559 and 742 women agreed and disagreed with surrogacy respectively. The overall event rate of positive attitude for surrogacy in infertile women was %39.7 (%95 CI=24.5 to 57.1, P=0.245).

The infertile women’s attitude toward surrogacy is not strongly positive. We believe, more studies should be conducted among different socioeconomic, religious and cultural groups.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of betamethasone and dexamethasone on biophysical profile (BPP) parameters. In addition, it was performed in 2017, using several databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane library, ISI Web of science, Proquest, and Google scholar, along with Magiran SID and IranMedex. Eligible studies were selected by two reviewers and the outcomes of interest were extracted as well. Meta-analysis was done using the random effect model. Further, I-square statistic test was used for heterogeneity analysis and the presence of publication bias was also checked. At last, 12 studies were included and a random and fixed effect model was used for analysis. The pooled event rates were 4.5% (95% CI = 0.01-64.3, P = 0.1), 76.8% (% 95 CI = 33.5-95.6, P = 0.21), 71.8% (% 95 CI=38.8-91.1, P = 0.18), 70.9% (%95 CI=38.4-90.5, P = 0.20), and 92.3% (%95 CI=76.0-97.8, P<0.001) for the reduced amniotic fluid volume, baseline fetal heart rate reactivity, fetal breathing, fetal movement, and heart rate variability, respectively. In summary, a significant decrease was observed in heart rate variability following betamethasone and dexamethasone administration. However, further systematic reviews are necessary to differentiate steroid induced changes in the fetal BPP from those due to fetal compromise.

To compare the effects of graded anterior transposition with myectomy in primary inferior oblique overaction (IOOA).

In a randomized clinical trial study, patients entered into two groups: graded anterior transposition (Group 1) and myectomy (Group 2). In the myectomy method, 8 mm of the inferior oblique (lO) muscle was excised in the lower temporal side, and in the graded anterior transposition group, the IO muscle was recessed according to Wright's method. Patients were followed up for at least 1.5 months. IOOA was graded from 0 to +4. Surgical success was defined as reduced IOOA to a grade of +1 or less.

In a randomized clinical trial study, a total of 30 patients (60 eyes) were included in the study (32 eyes in Group 1 and 28 eyes in Group 2). Pre-operation IOOA was 3.18 ± 0.78 and 3.25 ± 0.70 in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Mean IOOA in Group 1 and 2 was 0.95 ± 0.24 and 0.40 ± 0.10 at 6 months after the surgery, which means the mean correction of the overaction was statistically significant in both methods (P < 0.001). The success rate in the myectomy procedure was higher than graded recession. The weakening effect was better in higher grades of overaction (P < 0.001). The overall success rate of Groups 1 and 2 was 75% and 96.4%, respectively (P = 0.029).

In both groups, IOOA significantly decreased after the operation. The success rate of the myectomy procedure was found to be significantly higher than graded anterior transposition.

To compare outcomes of intralesional triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injection and incision and curettage (I&C) in the treatment of chronic chalazion.

Patients with chronic chalazion were randomized in two groups. The patients in the TA received an intralesional injection of TA and patients in the I&C underwent I&C. The patients were followed up 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 45 days after the procedures. We defined success as 90% regression in the size of the lesion.

There were 26 patients in the TA and 25 patients in the I&C enrolled in this study. Complete resolution was achieved in 16 patients (61.5%) in the TA group and 21 patients (84%) in the I&C (P ¼ 0.072). Sex, initial size, and chalazion location did not influence treatment success in either group (P > 0.05). Lesion recurrence occurred in 9 patients (34.61%) in the TA group and 2 (8%) in the I&C (P ¼ 0.04). The average times to resolution were 8.8 ± 5.6 and 5.1 ± 4.5 days in the first and second groups, respectively (P ¼ 0.03). Drug deposition occurred in 24 (92.3%) patients in the TA group, and ecchymosis occurred in 14 (56%) patients in the I&C (P ¼ 0.004) group. Intraocular pressure (IOP) in the TA group and visual acuity (VA) in both groups remained unchanged.

Both TA injection and I&C modalities are effective in the treatment of chronic chalazia. Advantages of I&C in comparison to TA include less recurrence, shorter duration of complications, and a higher success rate.

As dyslipidemia is a preventable risk factor for Coronary heart disease (CHD), precise estimation of its prevalence and determinants is crucial for proper development of health actions. This population-based study aimed at investigating the socioeconomic, dietary and psychological determinants of dyslipidemia in Iran. The data (n=700) for this study were collected in 2015 as a part of the major Lifestyle Promotion Project (LPP) conducted in East Azerbaijan (urban and regional parts). The data for socio-demographic status, dietary information, and physical activity and anxiety levels were collected through validated questionnaires. Then, physical examinations including blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and conicity index were performed. The levels of serum lipids were measured by enzymatic colorimetric methods. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, high LDL-C, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL-C and dyslipidemia was 29.4%, 10.3%, 62.3%, 41.4%, 83.3% respectively. The mean TC (184.3±41.2 vs. 174.5±38.1 mg/dl), LDL-C (94.6±30.3 vs. 88.1±28.7 mg/dl) and HDL-C (46.7±10.4 vs. 39.5±8.0 mg/dl) in women were significantly higher than men (P<0.05). However, the mean of TG (182.3±119.3 vs. 145.1±87.8 mg/dl) was significantly higher in men compared to women (P<0.05). Obesity, family history of dyslipidemia, sedentary lifestyle, smoking habits, salt intake, and anxiety were risk factors for different components of dyslipidemia in men and women. Dyslipidemia is a major health problem in northwest of Iran. Focusing on screening, regular drug intake, proper nutrition, physical activity, and changing lifestyles of patients with dyslipidemia are essential.

For overcoming the existing problems and finding a pathway for realization of universal health care, health complexes were implemented in the form of a pilot project in Tabriz suburban area. Tabriz Health Complex Project was designed in 2013 in the provincial health center of East Azer-baijan. In terms of execution schedule, this intervention had 4 phases including 1) study phase, 2) planning phase, 3) pilot phase, and 4) implementation phase. Each health complex covers a population of 40,000 to 120,000 in a defined geographic area and consists of a Comprehensive Health Center (CHC) including health centers and a management center, which usually located in CHC. The important features of this project are as follows: people-centered primary health care, special attention to health promotion and prevention and estab-lishment of a referral system within the region (organic connection between the first and second levels). An accountable and responsive health care system has been established to deliver integrated care ser-vices to people in a defined catchment area against identified per capita payment, under district health centre policies and regulations. Each health team consisted of a general practitioner and a family health nurse who covered around 4000 people to deliver prevention, promotion, and treatment services especially in and NCDs field. Health complex as a model of public-private participation and practical solution to address many of the problems in the primary care system of the country􀀑 The project can organize the PHC system and fami-ly medicine program.

This population-based study aimed at investigating the prevalence and associated factors of overweight /obesity and abdominal obesity in Iran. The study population consists of 2818 inhabitant of the urban and regional area of East-Azerbaijan, Iran in 2015. The weight, height and waist circumferences were measured and the body mass index (BMI) and conicity index were calculated. The ANCOVA and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. Prevalence of overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity was 39.6%, 24%, and 76.4% respectively. Women showed the higher prevalence of obesity (32.2%) and abdominal obesity (81.4) than men (obesity: 15.1%; abdominal obesity: 68.6%). Age, marriage and family history of obesity were independent predictors of obesity in the population (P< 0.001). In men and women, nonsmokers (P<0.01) and subjects having more than two kids (P< 0.001) were also more expected to be overweight or obese and abdominally obese respectively. More actions mostly focusing on education and physical activity levels, and changing eating habits are required.

According to the World Health Organization’s report, tobacco use is the first preventable leading cause of deaths in the world.While the prevalence of tobacco use is declining in high-income countries, this prevalence is increasing in the low-income and middle-income countries. Daily, 205 thousand USD and 386 million USD annually spent on cigarette purchasing in Iran, and the health system of the country pays about 1 billion and one hundred and sixty million USD to cure the complications of cigarette smoking. The present study aimed at determination of effective programs and interventions applied in prevention and reduction of tobacco use in societies. Medical databases were searched, related studies retrieved and their content reviewed and classified. According to the results of this study, programs and interventions for prevention and reduction of tobacco use were categorized in six domains including: "studies at different levels of age and groups," "studies in the physical and community environment," "tax and price studies," "electronic cigarette smoking studies," "harm reduction studies," and "interventions facilitating solutions." The results of the study, suggests the followings as appropriate strategies that fit the culture and abilities of the Iranian health system: "culture, the establishment and application of rules", "interventions with a focus on specific groups", "education at all levels and interventions," "organizing training courses and emphasizing the role of the family in protecting adolescents" and “free drug therapy ".

This population-based study aimed at investigating the prevalence and associated factors of overweight /obesity and abdominal obesity in Iran. The study population consists of 2818 inhabitant of the urban and regional area of East-Azerbaijan, Iran in 2015. The weight, height and waist circumferences were measured and the body mass index (BMI) and conicity index were calculated. The ANCOVA and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. Prevalence of overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity was 39.6%, 24%, and 76.4% respectively. Women showed the higher prevalence of obesity (32.2%) and abdominal obesity (81.4) than men (obesity: 15.1%; abdominal obesity: 68.6%). Age, marriage and family history of obesity were independent predictors of obesity in the population (P< 0.001). In men and women, nonsmokers (P<0.01) and subjects having more than two kids (P< 0.001) were also more expected to be overweight or obese and abdominally obese respectively. More actions mostly focusing on education and physical activity levels, and changing eating habits are required.

The Lifestyle Promotion Project (LPP) is a long-term community-based project for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In this project, the healthy lifestyle promotion plan will be implemented by the health policy agenda of East Azerbaijan Province, Iran.
The study design included two phases: phase I was a cross-sectional prevalence study of NCDs and the associ­ated risk factors implemented from Feb 2014 to Apr 2014. Phase II is a prospective follow-up study currently ongoing. The healthy lifestyle promotion intervention consists of five core strategic plans. These programs was implemented by the health policy agenda of East Azerbaijan Province. Overall, 3000 participants aged 15-65 yr were enrolled to evaluate the impact of healthy lifestyle interventions in phase II of project.
The experience of the LPP in Iran may support the idea that a well-organized, fully evidence-based, and well-developed community-based program could be affordable to prevent non-communicable disorders in developing countries.
The results of this survey will be presented as research articles and reports for policy makers.

We aimed to evaluate the household food security status and associated factors in East-Azerbaijan, Iran (urban and regional areas).
Data (n=1385) as a part of the major lifestyle promotion project conducted in northwest of Iran were collected in 2015, by short form of the Household Food Security Scale consisting six questions. The Chi-square and Logistic regression were used to for statistical analysis.
The prevalence of food insecurity was 58.4%. The rate of food insecurity in the residents of capital city (59.7%) was higher than those of residents of regional cities (57.18%), however, this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.36). The respondents with family size more than 3 (P=0.01), unemployed (0.001) and married (0.01) respondents and the ones with lower education levels (P Family size, employment status and educational level of the head of the family were significant predictors of food insecurity. Policymakers should focus on increasing minimum education levels and employment situations to decrease food insecurity.

Alcoholic beverages consumption affects all body organs and causes wide range of diseases such as cancers, psychopathy and violent behaviors. There is no precise statistics on alcohol consumption prevalence in Iran. Nevertheless, it is estimated that there are more than one million abusers of alcoholic beverages in the country. Various programs and interventions have been conducted to prevent and reduce alcohol consumption in different nations. The current narrative review study aimed at determining the effective strategies and programs applied in other societies and identifying appropriate approaches to the current situation of Iran. National and international databases were assessed by the research team and related studies were retrieved and categorized after quality assessment. Results of this study indicated that effective programs in prevention and reduction of alcohol consumption can be categorized in six general parts as follows: education and training, health-sector programs, community programs, regulations and policies regarding driving under the influence of alcohol, access-related policies and harm-reduction programs.

This study aimed at evaluating knowledge and awareness of hypertension and the risk factors for hypertension among hypertensive patients.
In this study, 110 hypertensive patients were enrolled and filled out two self-administered questionnaires. The first questionnaire was about the demographic characteristics and the second one was about the knowledge (n = 10), attitude (n = 9) and practice (n = 8). The internal consistency and the stability of the questionnaires were approved. The Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis.
Seventy-three percent of participants know the normal range of hypertension. Most of the participants truly knew that stress (87.3%), obesity (70.9%) and aging (48.2%) are risk factors for hypertension. About 60% of participants knew the complications of uncontrolled hypertension. About 82.7% of participants believed that after adaptation of body to hypertension, there is no need to use antihypertensive drug. About 13.6% of participants measured their blood pressure daily and 11.8% of them measured it once a month. The educational level of participants was significantly associated with knowledge score (P = 0.01). There was a significant correlation between knowledge (P These findings have important implications for developing proper and continuous self-management hypertension education programs in Iran which should mostly emphasize on the practical information about control and prevention programs.

Self-care in adolescents is considered as an effective measure in line with the promotion of health in each community. In this regard, the role of health promoting schools is of great importance. Furthermore, health literacy, as one of the basic tools for promoting community health, has been given much attention by policymakers. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the health literacy, perceived self-efficacy and self-care performance of female senior high school students in the health promoting schools of Miyaneh in 2016-2017.
In this descriptive-correlational study, 320 female senior high school students were selected randomly using the multi –stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by using the questionnaires of Health Literacy Measure for Adolescents (HELMA), General Self-efficacy Scale, and the Adolescent Health Promotion (AHP) scale. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 21) using the statistical tests of Pearson correlation coefficient and Multiple Regression (ENTER method).
The results showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the health literacy and perceived self-efficacy and the self-care performance of female students in the health promoting schools, as well as between the components of health literacy and self-care components. No significant relationship was found between the component of health literacy calculation and the self-care components of nutrition, responsibility for health, spiritual growth, and physical activity. The results of regression analysis indicated that the dimensions of self-efficacy, use and correlation of health literacy are good predictors of self-care performance (R2 = 0.605). Moreover, the health literacy and the perceived self-efficacy can predict the self-care performance of students by 51 percent.
The results of the present study indicated that a student with high levels of health literacy and the perceived self-efficacy has better self-care performance. Therefore, in order to improve the self-care performance of students, it is recommended that their health literacy and self-efficacy be improved at schools.

The Life style promotion project (LPP) is a long term community-based project for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The design consisted of two stages; phase I was a cross-sectional prevalence study of NCDs and the associ ated risk factors. Phase II is a prospective follow-up study in which data recollection will be performed every 2 years after the intervention initiated. In this study¡ 1¡500 households residing in Tabriz¡ Marand¡ Bonab¡ Oskoo¡ Varzeghan¡ Khodafrin (150 clusters of 10 households) cities which in terms of socio-economic variables¡ distance from the center¡ population and access to medical facilities are in the same category of other cities of province will be examined. A total of 3000 patients (15-65 years) living in East Azerbaijan province will be randomly enrolled. After obtaining informed consent from all participants¡ weight¡ height¡ waist circumference¡ hip circumference and blood pressure will be measured with standard tools. Fasting blood sugar¡ total cholesterol¡ LDL-C¡ HDL-C¡ TG¡ serum vitamin D¡ ALT¡ AST¡ Hb and serum ferritin will be assessed. The questionnaires related to socioeconomic status¡ dietary intake¡ physical activity¡ angina (Rose)¡ asthma¡ anxiety¡ smoking¡ food security and safety will be completed. Necessary data in other variables such as age¡ gender¡ menopausal status¡ medical history and medication use will be collected using questionnaires. The results of this study can be used in formulating long term health programs for the prevention of non-communicable diseases.

Determination and comparison of the effect of infusion time on the antioxidant activity and total polyphenol contents of bagged and loosely packed black teas.
For twenty loosely packed and eleven bagged tea samples, the antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content were analyzed using FRAP and Folin-Ciocalteau methods, respectively. The ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test and independent t-test were used for statistical analysis.
The antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of various brands of tea samples were significantly different. There were significant differences in the antioxidant activity of loosely packed teas between 5, 15(p=0.03), 30(p=0.02) and 60(p=0.007) minutes of brewing times. Besides, there was a significant difference in antioxidant activity of bagged samples infused for 1 minute with four other infusion time points (p The infusion time and the form of tea (loosely packed or bagged) were shown to be important determinants of the antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of black tea infusions in addition to the variety, growing environment and manufacturing conditions.

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is an ancient perennial shrub of South American used since ancient times for various purposes throughout the world. Stevia extracts contain high levels of sweetening compounds called steviol glycosides which besides sweetening (300 times sweeter than sacarose) possess antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifungal activity. Stevioside and rebaudioside A are the main sweetening compounds of this plant which are thermostable even at temperatures of up to 200 °C, making them suitable for use in cooked foods. Preparations of steviol glycosides are reported to be used principally as sweeteners in fruit and milk-based drinks, desserts, yoghurts, confectioneries, and pickles. The use of Stevia extract as a table-top sweetener is well known. The leaves of Stevia has functional and sensory properties superior to those of many other high-potency sweeteners and is likely to become a major source of safe and high-potency sweetener for the growing natural food market in the future.