saeid sadeghieh ahari

Poisoning is one of the common causes of hospital emergency department referrals, especially in adolescents and young people; therefore, knowing the pattern of poisoning will be helpful in identifying risk factors and early detection of poisoning. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of acute poisoning in adults referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil from 2017 to 2020.

In this descriptive-analytical and retrospective study, 755 cases related to poisoned patients referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil from 2017 to 2020 were reviewed. The extracted data include ward, gender, age, marital status, place of residence, general status, cause of poisoning, and time of referral, were recorded on the checklist. Obtained Data were analyzed by Chi-square test and SPSS25 software.

The results showed that drug poisoning, opium (opium and its derivatives) and pesticides were the first to third ranks of the most poisoning agents. Most of the poisoned patients were men, married, in the age group of 21 to 30 and living in urban areas. Most of the poisonings were intentional and 33 deaths (4.4%) happened due to poisonings. The cause of poisoning had a significant relationship with age, sex, marital status, place of poisoning (p<0.05) but had no significant relationship with the general condition and time of patients' referral.

Acute poisoning is a major health problem in Ardabil province. The results show that the three agents of drug poisoning, opium and pesticides are the main means of poisoning in adults. Most cases of poisoning occurred in young and adult groups and were in the age range of 21 to 30 years. Poisonings occurred in people aged 31 to 40 were more due to amphetamine. Poisoning with aluminum phosphide tablets had increased compared to before. Consumption of aluminum phosphide is one of the problems of today's societies and it was one of the main causes of death in this research, so it is better to provide necessary measures for management and training for its correct use. Also, by limiting the use of these agents and replacing other methods and techniques, poisoning with these agents can be reduced.

To evaluate the effect of opposite clear corneal incisions (OCCI) with 4 mm incisions on the steep meridian on postoperative astigmatism.

This study was performed on 64 eyes of 55 patients with keratometric astigmatism of ≥ 1 diopter (D) undergoing phacoemulsification. Patients were divided into two groups, with‑the‑rule (WTR) astigmatism and against‑the‑rule (ATR) astigmatism. Initial incisions in the WTR group were performed on the temporal side with 3.2 mm keratome and paired stab incisions were performed on the steep meridian. At the end of the surgery, stab incisions were enlarged to 4 mm. Follow‑up visits were scheduled at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, which included refraction and keratometry.

It was found that the mean preoperative keratometric astigmatism was 2.06 ± 0.86 D. The postoperative mean keratometric astigmatism was 1.3 ± 0.7 D after 1 month and 1.2 ± 0.7 D after 12 months. The mean astigmatism correction between the preoperative measure and that taken at 1 month was statistically significant (P = 0.001), but there was no significant change in the severity of astigmatism afterward. The mean surgically‑induced astigmatism was found to be 1.99 ± 0.9 D. The 12‑month changes of mean absolute astigmatism were: 1.06 ± 0.7 D in the WTR group, and 0.53 ± 0.7 D in the ATR group. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.02).

Based on our findings, we posit that paired OCCI on the steep axis, using 4 mm incisions is an effective technique to correct preoperative astigmatism.

The present study was done to compare serum heart type-fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) levels in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and healthy subjects and address the correlation of this marker with airflow limitation and health-related quality of life using the COPD assessment test (CAT).

In this cross-sectional study, we measured serum H-FABP levels in 50 patients with stable COPD and 34 healthy controls and compared them in terms of smoking history, airflow limitation according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria, and CAT score. We also tested the association between serum H-FABP level and the COPD patients’ clinical parameters. For statistical analysis, we used the Student's t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson’s (or Spearman’s rank -order) correlation test.

Serum H-FABP level increased in the COPD patients compared with the control group (P<0.01). Although there   was no association between serum H-FABP levels and disease severity based on the GOLD criteria, FABP levels increased in the subjects with a history of smoking in compared with the non-smoker control subjects (P< 0.01). In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between serum H-FABP level and smoking history (r = 0.367, P = 0.001).

The serum H-FABP level increased in both the stable COPD patients and healthy subjects with smoking history. However, no   correlation was found between serum H-FABP and the severity of airflow limitation based on the GOLD criteria.  Based on the results, it is unclear whether the H-FABP level is a causative factor in COPD patients or healthy smokers.

In recent years, the hypothesis of using anti-androgens has been increasingly addressed in the treatment of acne in women. One of these drugs is flutamide, which there is no strong evidence of its efficacy in treatment of acne in women. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of combination therapy of flutamide-cyproterone compound with flutamide-doxycycline in severe type of acne in women. In an interventional study, patients were divided in to two groups. One group (n=30) received flutamide - cyproterone compound and another group (n=30) received flutamide-doxycycline which were followed for six months. Both groups also received 1% topical clindamycin twice a day. Counting the number of lesions, changes in severity index and grading of acne were used to evaluate the patients. Patient satisfaction was also evaluated. The mean age in the flutamide-doxycycline group was 19.4±4.67 and in the flutamide-cyproterone compound group was 19.06±11.3. This difference was not statistically significant. The mean of the acne severity index at the onset of intervention between the two groups was not significant (p= 0.7). The mean of the acne severity index at the start of treatment in the flutamide-doxycycline group was 306.07±155.46 and at the end of treatment reached to 19.18±19.5, and also in the flutamide-cyproterone compound group, decreased from 293.21±15.21 to 10.5±21.8 at the end of treatment. This difference was not statistically significant (p=0.1). Both therapeutic regimen were effective in the treatment of severe type of acne and can possibly be used as an alternative treatment for severe acne.

Some of the causes of preterm delivery almost are known but its biological mechanisms are unknown. There is evidence that shows preterm delivery is related with different seasons of the year. Finding environmental factors affecting biological mechanisms is important steps to reduce preterm delivery. This study aims to determine the seasonal distribution of preterm delivery in Ardabil County.
Material & This research has been done as a descriptive-analysis with a retrospective approach, using hospital cases and climatic data at Sabalan hospital in Ardabil County has analysed 759 pregnant women (n= 10860) who had preterm delivery complication during the weeks 20-36 over the time from March 2011-Feburury 2016. In this study, statistical data analysis using descriptive statistical methods and correlation relations were carried out by SPSS software 20.
There were% 6.98 preterm delivery among 10860 natural birth. Maximum preterm delivery outbreak was in winter (% 7.95) (P Preterm delivery followed seasonal pattern according to research findings in Ardabil County.

Head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) is one of the common health problems of the children in elementary schools. The aim of this study was to determine risk factors associated with head lice (Pediculosis) infestation among elementary school students in Meshkinshahr County, Northwestern Iran.
This descriptive-analytic study is done over 1,950 students (1,055 girls and 895 boys) in Meshkinshahr County, North West of Iran that were selected two-stage cluster. Data collection was conducted using researcher-made questionnaire. In addition, the suspected cases were confirmed via physical examination for the presence of adult lice, and eggs. Head examinations were done by general physicians and medical entomologist experts. For data analysis, Chi-square and Regression Logistics tests were used.
In total, out of 1,950 students of primary schools, 200 students (10.25%) were infested with pediculosis. A total of 131 (12.42%) of girls, and 69 (7.71%) of boys were head lice infested. Most of head lice infested students 145 (72.5%) were in the classrooms with capacity of more than 20 students. Also, one hundred sixty-one (80.5%) of the cases were in the schools with capacity of more than 100 students. This study revealed significant differences among student’s family size, students and their parent's history of infestation, type of bathrooms, history of use shared hygiene items and head lice infestation (P The prevalence of head lice infestation in Meshkinshahr County was relatively high in comparison to other studied areas of Iran. It seems family size, students and their parent's history of infestation, type of bathrooms, and history of use shared hygiene items were probably risk factors associated with head lice infestation among students of primary schools.

Cor pulmonale or right ventricular (RV) enlargement is cardiovascular complication of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, hypercapnia, acidosis and pulmonary vascular remodeling are suggested as possible mechanisms of cor pulmonale. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the correlation between acidosis and hypercapnia with corpulmonale in patients with COPD.
In this cross-sectional analytical study, 100 patients (56 men and 44 women with mean age of 66.53 ± 10.63 years) with moderate to severe COPD exacerbation were included. Complete history taking and physical examination as well as atrial blood gas, pulmonary function test (PFT) and echocardiography were performed. Disease severity was defined according to global initiative for obstructive lung disease (GOLD), Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) and COPD Assessment Test (CAT) criteria. Patients with cor pulmonale were defined and findings were compared between patients with and without cor pulmonale.
Forty-two patients had cor pulmonale. There was no significant difference in hypercapnia between groups. Cor pulmonale patients, compared to non-cor pulmonale, had significantly lower forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) (P = 0.020), higher tricuspid regurgitation (TR) (P = 0.001) and pulmonary hypertension (P = 0.020). There was significantly negative correlation between RV thickness with FEV1/forced vital capacity (FCV) (r = -0.239, P = 0.010) and RV size with FEV1/FVC (r = -0.312, P = 0.002) and positive correlation with partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) (r = 0.312, P = 0.002) and bicarbonate (HCO3) (r = 0.258, P = 0.009).
Cor pulmonale in the course of COPD accompanies with adverse outcome. These patients have worse spirometry and left ventricle echocardiographic findings, but have no difference in arterial blood gas (ABG) findings.

Acne vulgaris has a multifactorial pathogenesis; however, the exact role of genetic predisposition is not clear. Some studies have reported an association between familiy historyof acne and moderate to severe acne. In this study, we investigated the relationship between familiy history and prevalence of acne vulgaris in girls 8 to 13 years of age.
This case-control study enrolled 400 students. The participants were divided into two groups, case and control, with 200 students per group. The case group consisted of students with acne vulgaris and the control group included those without acne. The severity of acne was determined based on the Global Acne Grading Score (GAGS). The presence of acne in close relatives (father, mother, sister, brother) was determined through face to face interviews with participants’ mothers and phone contacts with other family members. All collected data were analyzed by SPSS software.
The case participants had a mean age of 10.62±1.71 years and those in the control group had a mean age of 10.54±1.70 years, which was not statistically significant. The mothers with acne vulgaris had the highest odds ratio (OR: 2.719, 95% CI: 1.788-4.133) between the case and the control groups. The ratio of encountering the probability with both parents developing acne vulgaris between the two groups was 2.346 (95% CI: 1.571-3.503).
This study revealed a significant relationship between positive familial history of acne and prevalence of acne vulgaris.

One of the most proven trajectories for analyzing the drug consumption patterns in the community is to assess the prescriptions. Using the antibiotics for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases not only leads to the loss of pathogens but also causes various complications, the most important of which is the drug resistance. The aim of current study was investigating the different antibiotics prescript by general practitioners (GPs) for outpatients in Ardabil city.
This study is designed based on the cross-sectional method. The number of 2,000 copies (according to Morgan) from total of 526000 copies sent to Ardabil health insurance during the 4 seasons of 2013 were randomly evaluated. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, ANOVA and T-Test using SPSS software. The P ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.
In this study the average drug per prescription was 3.6 and 54.9% of the prescriptions included antibiotics so that the cefixime, azithromycin, Co-amoxiclave and penicillin 6.3.3 were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics, respectively. The highest prescriptions belonged to penicillins (39.4%) cephalosporins (27.7%) and macrolides (18.3%). The most expensive antibiotic was cefixime tablet (32% of the total cost). The most of the antibiotics were prescribed to be taken orally (tablets or capsules). The mean price of each prescription was 74539±71050 Rials. The highest rate of antibiotic prescription was related to the autumn and then winter and there was a significant relationship between the the number of antibiotics in different seasons of the year (p = 0.005).
The average drugs of each prescription are in accordance with local statistics, but much higher than the global figures. The frequency of antibiotics prescription was higher than the global, several Middle Eastern and even African countries’ indices but was lower than the average level of some regions in the country. The pattern of prescribing antibiotics among the Ardabil GPs shows the more drugs in number and expensive broad-spectrum. The average price of prescripts was higher than the national average. These findings suggest that prescription and using antibiotics is not desirable in Ardabil.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of amblyopia screening in Ardabil Province in three examination levels by kindergarten teacher, optometrist, and ophthalmologist.
In a cross‑sectional study, the results of the national amblyopic prevention program in 2–6 years old children in Ardabil Province were investigated in 2012. The results pertained to the examinations of children participating in this research were collected in the national approved forms. The data were entered into the computer and were analyzed using statistical methods in SPSS 18.
Around 38,844 children (51.7%) out of 75173 with 2–6 years old qualified children participated in the screening program in Ardabil Province. In the first stage of screening, 1068 children (33.1%) are visually impaired in one eye and 2160 children (66.9%) are visually impaired in two eyes. In the second stage, the results related to the examinations by optometrists indicated that the prevalence of refractive errors, strabismus, and others were 70%, 27.8%, and 2.2%, respectively. Refractive errors problem was most prevalent in Ardabil city (72.6%).The prevalence of refractive errors, strabismus, and other reasons in amblyopic children was 51.3%, 23.9%, and 24.8%; respectively.
The present investigation showed that coverage of amblyopia screening program was not enough in Ardabil Province. To increase the screening accuracy, standard instruments and examination room must be used; more optometrists must be involved in this program and increasing the validity of obtained results for future programming.

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of death from cancer worldwide. This study aims to assess the epidemiology of gastric cancer in Ardabil Province, Iran. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study performed on 1056 patients with gastric cancer registered in the Ardabil Cancer Registry. Data were collected by a checklist and analyzed by statistical methods in SPSS version 19. Out of 1056 cases, 37% were smokers and 80.9% were illiterate. There were 73.1% male cases. Adenocarcinoma was the most common (89.5%) type of cancer and prevalent in males. The tumors were mostly located in the gastric cardia. Most cases were from rural areas. Results showed that the incidence of gastric cancer in Ardabil Province was higher in males compared to females. Compared to the country standards the incidence of gastric cancer was higher.

Epidemiological and experimental evidences suggest that oxidative stress is elevated in children with Down syndrome (DS). Some studies show that consumption of diets with a high content of fruits and vegetables results in a significant reduction in markers of oxidative stress. We investigated the frequency of fruits and vegetables intake in children with DS and the influence of variations in the level of this consumption on biomarkers of oxidative stress. Frequency of consumption of fruit and vegetables by children with DS were recorded by interview with the children’s parents. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were also measured as biomarkers of oxidative stress. Data analysed using ANOVA and Student’s t-tests. Mean consumption of fruits and vegetables was 4.6 and 0.74 servings per week, respectively. No significant relationships were found between consumption of fruits and vegetables with markers of oxidative stress. Based on our findings, the 65.9 % of the children did not eat any vegetables and the rest of the children consumed less than one serving per day. There was a significant correlation between the frequency of fruits and vegetable consumption (r=0.212; p <0.04). There wasn’t any significant relationship between fruits and vegetables consumption and indicators of oxidative stress in children with DS. This lack of correlation could be due to low consumption of fruits and vegetables in children with DS.

Establishing centers to stop addiction in our country is one of the measures taken to confront this problem. Unfortunately, it has been shown that about 80% of the addicted people who refer to these centers relapse. The present study set out to investigate the possible causes of this problem. This is a case control study in which a questionnaire was used to collect the required data. The subjects were all addicted people who referred to Shahid Mellat Doust and Shahid Family treatment centers in 2000. The criterions for entering the study in case group were the last record of the addicted person ’ s abandonment in Tehran ’ s welfare center (based on the patients ’ records) and using narcotics at the present time. The control group subjects, on the other hand, had abandoned using narcotics at least four months before and had never used any substance so far. The mean age for case group was 35.99 and that of the control group was 35.09. Regarding the age distribution 98.59% of the case group and 100% of the control group were men. 88.7% of the case group and 97.2% of the control group were urban residents. Considering the job, 40.8% of the case group and 19.4% of the control group were unemployed. 52.1% of the case group and 61.6% of control group were living with their spouses. Opium was the most commoly used narcotics in both groups. In studying the relationship between the variables under study through logistic regression the job was not a main factor in the relapse. The duration of time being away from addiction had a deductive effect on the relapse, and this effect was statistically meaningful (p=0.001). Adding one month ’ s time to the period of being clear (not using the narcotics) caused 98% deduction in returning to narcotics. Because 80% of the patients who referred to the related centers began using narcotics again during the first 6 months after abandoning, it is necessary to improve the preventive measures to help the patients pass this critical period.