sayed hamid mousavi

Hypertension is a significant public health problem. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of hypertension self-management behaviors promotion programs among patients in southwest Iran.

The present study was a quasi-experimental study performed among patients with hypertension in the villages of Shadegan County, in southwest Iran, from May to October, 2019. The participants were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups (n=355 per group) and were followed up for three months. The educational intervention was developed based on the constructs of the theory of planned behavior. Data were collected using interviews with participants in the form of a written questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software version 16 using independent sample t-test, chi-squared test, and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA).

The findings of MANCOVA analysis showed that the program implementation had a significant effect on attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, behavioral intention, and hypertension self-management behaviors of the patients in the intervention group (p<0.001).

The implementation of an educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior among patients with hypertension effectively promoted self-management behaviors such as hypertension control.

In order to explain the factors affecting foreign policy decision-making of Iran during the Pahlavi II period, the author examines the reasons for the adoption of some decisions in this period. According to James Rosena’s Model, the present research investigates five factors, namely, individual, role, government, social and international during the Pahlavi II period. In this regard, the four important and influential decisions of this period, namely de-escalation of tensions with the Soviet Union, the crisis in Bahrain and its transfer, Iran's behavior in the oil crisis of 1967 and 1973 and Iran's military action in Oman as indicators, selected, reviewed and the impact of each of the five variables discussed above are examined. According to the author, in this period, foreign policy decisions were influenced by cognitive elements and were generally made by the Shah himself. The cognitive system has been mainly influenced by the personality and temperaments of the Shah and in order to achieve the specific intellectual design of the person, among the variables involved, the individual variable and then the international system variable had the greatest impact on foreign policy decisions.

Hamstring graft tendon for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a common approach worldwide. Tibial side graft fixation to achieve appropriate stability is a serious concern, worldwide. The current study aims to compare the outcomes of mere use of interference screw for fixation of hamstring tendon graft versus the use of interference screw plus supplementary staple.

This is a randomized clinical trial conducted on 53 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction from 2016 to 2018. The study population was randomly divided into two groups: graft fixation with interference screw only and interference screw plus supplementary staple. Postoperative recovery time, postoperative clinical examinations, and the scale of the International Knee Documentation Committee were assessed for participants and compared between two groups.

Comparison of two groups regarding demographic information, including age, gender distribution, postoperative recovery time, and body mass index, showed no statistical difference (P > 0.05). Postoperative Pivot test was insignificantly positive in 4 (16.7%) cases of screw interference with supplementary staple while it was positive in 3 (10.7%) cases with screw interference only approach (P = 0.98). IKCD index was not statistically different between two groups postoperatively (P = 0.72), while IKCD scores changed significantly following the surgical procedure, regardless of the type of the surgical procedure (P < 0.001).

Use of supplementary staple beside interference screw was as successful as mere use of interference screw for fixation of hamstring tendon autologous graft of the ACL reconstruction, regarding force withstanding. The comparison of the two approaches revealed no remarkable difference.

Hemophilia is a rare inherited disorder associated with abnormal repeated bleeding and debilitating joint pain due to deficiency in coagulating factors VIII and IX. This study aimed to provide an updated account on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with hemophilia in Afghanistan. This cross-sectional study included 65 randomly selected hemophiliacs out of 350 children registered with the Afghanistan Hemophilia Patient Association (AHPA). The patients were 8–16 years old and voluntarily entered the study. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire and a Persian version of Haemo-QoL Questionnaire (short version) for children aged 8-16 years. The patients’ age averaged 12.9 ± 3.9 years with a mean QoL score of 75.9 ± 17.4. The patients were suffering from hemophilia A, mostly the severe type (80%). They were born to low income families (95 %) with high illiteracy rates (>50%) and hemophilia family history (90%). Spearman test showed a significant correlation between age and QoL scores (r = 0.8, P = 0.02). One-way ANOVA indicated no significant difference between QoL scores of patients categorized based on hemophilia severity (P = 0.2, F = 1.3), family incomes (P = 0.9, F = 0.01) and parents’ levels of education (P = 0.2–0.4, F = 0.82–1.3). The Cronbach alpha for the instrument was 0.82. Regardless of hemophilia severity, Family and Sports were the most impaired domains of QoL. Herein, we have presented the first reliable and updated data on hemophiliacs’ demographic characteristics and their quality of life in Kabul.

  Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses infect millions of people around the world. People who use drugs (PWUD) are at high risk of such viral diseases and could be the source of these infections to other people. Shared needle, unsafe extra-marital sexual contact, skin popping and other risky behaviors are well-known risk factors for the prevalence of these infections among PWUD worldwide. There is no valid information regarding the danger and rate of the above-mentioned viral infections and associated risk factors among PWUD referred to healthcare facilities in Kabul, Afghanistan for the treatment and support. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of HBV, HCV, and HIV among PWUD in Kabul, healthcare facilities. This study was conducted in 7 public and private healthcare facilities at the primary care level in Kabul, which provides social support and medical care to PWUD. All patients who referred to the healthcare facilities from May 2016 to October 2016 and signed the consent were included in this study. Out of 410 PWUD, 15 (3.7%) were positive for the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), 45 (11%) were positive for HCV antibody, and one (0.2%) was positive for HIV antibody. Among the risk factor variables studied, the administration of drugs by injection was considered the most important for HCV (OR = 3.80, P < 0.01) and viral infections among PWUD (OR = 5.40, P < 0.01). This study draws attention to the high prevalence and spread of viral hepatitis among PWUD in Kabul, Afghanistan. The prevalence of HCV and HBV was higher among PWUD compared to general populations, and drug use via injection was an important risk factor for transmitting viral infections. Based on our results, active preventive programs focusing on educational campaigns targeted at the youth populations should be undertaken in Afghanistan. Further studies, especially among PWUD living without shelter in Kabul and other major cities of Afghanistan, are recommended in order to better analyze the dangers among drug addicts in Afghanistan.

Scorpionism is one of the public health problems in Iran especially in southern and western part of the country. In these regions many people especially children are being stung by scorpions and consequently serious injuries or even death occurs. The aim of the current study was to assess the geographical distribution of scorpions with a focus on Hemiscrorpius leptorus. The study was conducted using published articles and books since 1979 to 2013. Southern and western provinces of the country are habitat of the Hemiscorpius scorpions. Sting of these scorpions can cause severe complications and even death of the injured individuals. People in most communities and health personnel have low information about Hemiscrorpius leptorus. Therefore, it is necessary to perform further studies on the distribution, diagnosis of symptoms, and problems associated with scorpionism.