Iranian Journal of War and Public Health
Volume:14 Issue: 57, Autumn 2022

Veterans may have improper eating behaviors and food habits. This study aimed to investigate the eating behaviors and food habits of veterans via the nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practices model in Zahedan City.

In a descriptive, cross-sectional study, 369 veterans admitted to the Veterans Foundation in Zahedan were selected. After recording demographic characteristics, we assessed participants’ eating behaviors, nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practice through a questionnaire. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS 21 software.

Most participants consumed 3 meals (51.20%), and salty foods, fried potato, eggplant and vegetables in golden form or roasting, respectively. The most intake oil was liquid as frying oils. They mostly stored raw meat and bread in plastic containers and consumed tea, coffee and watery foods in warmish form. 72.90%, 63.40%, and 19.80% of nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practices were in good status, respectively. There was a negative correlation between age and knowledge (r=-0.12, p= 0.02) and a positive correlation between family size and practice (r=0.15, p=0.01).

The veterans of the study use suitable and acceptable methods in the processing of different foods, including the use of liquid oil and stored meat. Nevertheless, they also consume salty foods and use more plastic containers. The level of their knowledge and attitude is appropriate, but the level of practice in the participants is not optimal.

Synthetic drug-induced liver injury is the main concern of many pharmaceutical companies to obtain drugs with high safety level through continuous development in the international clinical treatment industry. Carbamazepine is one of the safest drugs for its users, but it has been found that some of these patients may develop cases of acute hepatitis. This study aimed to investigate the side effects of carbamazepine in liver injury and to elucidate the mechanism of liver toxicity caused by carbamazepine in mice.

Twenty-four mature male Balb-C mice (Mus musculus) were divided into three groups, each group containing 8 animals: The control group was given 1 ml of normal saline for 30 days, Group II received 2.85 mg/kg/day of Carbamazepine for 30 days, and Group III received 5.7 mg/kg/day of Carbamazepine during 30 days. Then, histological and enzymatic changes were evaluated. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and LSD test.

Histological evaluation showed severe liver damage and acute inflammation of the liver tissue in mice that received oral carbamazepine. The serum level of liver enzymes and coenzymes showed a significant increase compared to the control group (p≤0.05).

Biomarkers can be used as a warning about the pre-sensitivity of some patients to carbamazepine. Also, carbamazepine treatment may change the capacity of the liver to detoxify many toxic compounds.

A significant number of chemical events happen every year in Iran, which may require admission and management of victims in the hospital. The results of studies have shown that Iranian hospitals, like many developing countries, are not sufficiently prepared for these events. The aim of this study was to explain the challenges of hospital preparedness in chemical events in Iran.

This qualitative research was conducted with the content analysis approach in Tehran. Ten participants were enrolled using purposive sampling. Data collection was through in-depth and semi-structured interviews and continued until reaching data saturation. The selected interviewees consisted of physicians, nurses, members of the Hospital Risk Management Committee, and experts of Health in Emergencies and Disasters, who had experience in responding to and treating chemical casualties. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, imported into the MAXQDA 10 software, and analyzed using the Graneheim and Lundman method.

The main theme was “Lack of priority of chemical events for policy makers”. Five categories and eleven sub-categories were extracted. Categories relating to challenges of hospital preparedness in the management of chemical casualties included "Lack of updated plans and protocols", "Ineffective training", "Organizational challenges", "Lack of legal and financial support", and "Lack of infrastructure and decontamination equipment".

Iranian hospitals are facing challenges to acquire and maintain preparedness in response to chemical events. Therefore, national standards for hospital response to chemical events should be agreed upon by policy makers, and their implementation should be evaluated in hospital accreditation.

Obesity is associated with many diseases. Fat cells secrete biologically active substances known as biomarkers. This study aimed to assess the concentration of some biomarkers and take them as predictors of metabolic syndrome.

In the present, 88 blood serum samples were collected from male volunteers who have metabolic health in Basra Province, Iraq. 28 samples were taken from men with normal weight, and 60 samples from obese men. 5mm of venous blood was taken from each donor, and the concentration of biomarkers including paraoxonase enzyme-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, oxidized low-density lipoprotein and endothelin-1 were measured. Then, the effect of BMI and waist circumferences on the concentration of biomarkers was investigated.

A significant decrease in paraoxonase-1 concentration was observed in the obese group (p≤0.01), while plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 was significantly higher in the obese group compared to the normal weight group. There was no significant difference in the concentration of oxidized low-density lipoprotein and endothelin-1 between the two groups. There was a significant increase in the levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and endothelin-1 in the group with BMI>40 compared to the group with 40≥BMI≥35. There was no significant difference in the concentration of all biomarkers between the two waist circumference groups.

Obesity is a major cause of the metabolic syndrome, and abnormal levels of paraoxonase-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 associated with obesity are early warning signs of metabolic syndrome.

Based on cross-cultural studies, the experience of subjective well-being may be different in distinct populations. The findings of recent studies do not provide empirical evidence on subjective well-being in Iran. This study aimed to identify the most important components of subjective well-being in an urban Iranian population using a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach.

Sixty Iranian men and women aged 18 to 65 with different economic, social, and educational backgrounds voluntarily participated in semi-structured interviews, which focused on their experience of subjective well-being. The participants were selected based on purposeful sampling, and the data analysis was performed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method.

The analysis revealed several main themes about subjective well-being from the studied sample as follows: fulfillment of basic needs and welfare, positive relationships with family and community, having positive emotion, and orientation about persistency, contentment, and spirituality. Although these themes are usually stated in subjective well-being research, the expression of these themes and subthemes was unique in the Iranian culture.

The findings of this study enhance the current subjective well-being literature and understanding of this experience in the Iranian culture and contribute to the limited knowledge about well-being in this nation with its unique culture.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of hypoxic encephalopathy in patients with COVID-19 and its relationship with in-hospital mortality.

A multicenter prospective study was conducted on 1277 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. All patients were evaluated based on age, severity of disease course, presence or absence of typical symptoms of COVID-19, presence of exacerbating chronic conditions, and presence of developed acute neurological complications. Patients with signs of encephalopathy were identified among patients with acute neurological complications, and a differential diagnosis was carried out to identify hypoxic encephalopathy. The data relating to severe patients with hypoxic COVID-19-associated encephalopathy was studied thoroughly for the chronology of the onset of symptoms, detection of the SARS-CoV-2, the similarity of test results, and diagnostic clinical examinations.

Hypoxic encephalopathy was identified as the most severe complication among patients with neurological disorders. Most often, older patients had a severe course of the disease. 20% of patients had obtained disorders of the nervous system. 92% of them were diagnosed with hypoxic encephalopathy, which led to death in 95% of cases.

SARS-CoV-2 hypoxic encephalopathy may lead to a poor prognosis for the course of the disease in the vast majority of patients with neurological complications. It means that this serious complication should be investigated more carefully for possible prevention, early diagnosis, effective treatment, and long-term rehabilitation for patients with COVID-19.

Chemerin abnormal level represents a risk indicator of visceral fat increase. It has a role in the incidence of inflammation, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes. This study aimed to evaluate Chemerin level in diabetic type 2 patients with metabolic syndrome in both Genders. 

 This study was carried out on the patients referred to the Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in 2021-2022. 88 participants were selected by random sampling method and were divided into two groups including T2DM patients with metabolic syndrome in the experience group (n=55) compared with healthy subjects in the control group (n=38). Triacylglycerol (TG), High-Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL-c), Obesity (BMI), serum Chemerin, Hypertension (SBP), age, Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), and Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1C) were measured in the two studied groups. Data were analyzed using T-test through SPSS 21 Software.

 A significant difference was observed between the levels of BMI, SBP, FBG, TG, HDL-c, Chemerin weight, DBP, and HbA1c in the studied groups (p=0.05). The rate of WC and HDL-c was higher in the females than in males in the experience group. While, there was a significant increase in the rates of SBP, FBG, TG, and Chemerin in males than females. A positive correlation coefficient was observed between age, SBP, WC, BMI, FBG, TG, and HbA1c with Chemerin level in the experience group.

 An increase in Chemerin level is associated with a high level of triglycerides during the onset of symptoms of metabolic syndrome, age, and gender, which affect the increase of adipokine.

This study aimed to describe a new method of plastic surgery for deformities of the cranial vault. The focus of the study was an analysis of the results of conventional and developed by authors techniques for the plastic surgery of post-burn scars and defects of the cranial vault.

The patients were divided into two groups: the main group, which used the newly developed method of plastic surgery (n=36), and the compared group – the conventional method of local plastic surgery (n=33). The investigation presented the surgical technique using a clinical case study.

The authors developed a technique, which includes intraoperative balloon dermotension of the tissues surrounding the defect and an improved method of wound closure (“figure-of-eight suture”).

The advantages of the new technique are the relative simplicity of the procedure, the option of using local anesthesia, a low rate of postoperative complications, and a short postoperative period. In addition, the method used allows for good aesthetic results in the long term.

The present study aimed to evaluate and analyze the postoperative complications in patients with open urethroplasty.

In this study, the clinical data of the medical histories of 147 patients with long urethral strictures and obliterations were retrospectively evaluated. All patients were male and between 13 and 85 years old. The observation lasted from 6 to 18 months. Patients were examined under the accepted standards of providing urological care. To evaluate the results and postoperative complications of surgical corrections of urethral strictures and obliterations, all patients were divided into three groups. The difference between the mean values was analyzed using the student t-test.

Regardless of the length and etiology of urethral stricture, reconstructive surgeries using a skin-fascial flap were likely to have a higher rate of recurrence (56%) than patients who underwent urethra-urethra- or urethra-prostate anastomosis (27%) and buccal urethral anastomosis. Out of 147 patients who underwent surgery to correct urethral stricture and obstruction, 84% had urethra-urethra- or urethra-prostate anastomosis.

During the patient's initial request for medical help, it is important to conduct a maximum examination to choose a rational method of surgical treatment, according to modern standards, with a minimum probability of recurrence. However, early and late postoperative complications and recurrence after surgical treatment are not prevented.

West Java has the second highest incidence of hypertension in the country, with a prevalence of 36.79% in the city of Bandung. The elderly have the highest rate of hypertension among all age groups. This study aimed to investigate non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors, as well as the most common risk factors related to hypertension in the elderly.

In this cross-sectional, all patients who visited and received treatment at the general polyclinic and were registered in the Neglasari Health Centre’s report registration were investigated. There were 245 respondents in this survey. A basic random strategy was used to collect samples. Data were collected using questionnaires and observation sheets and analyzed by Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression.

Age (p=0.000), family history (p=0.015), obesity (p=0.0001), physical activity (p=0.003), stress (p=0.000), excessive salt consumption (p=0.007), alcohol drinking (p=0.0001), and inadequate fiber consumption (p=0.0001) were risk factors for hypertension in the elderly. The degree of stress was the most important risk factor for the occurrence of hypertension in the elderly (OR=4.2).

Both non-modifiable (age and family history) and modifiable (obesity, physical activity, stress, excessive salt consumption, alcohol consumption, and low fiber consumption) factors can influence the occurrence of hypertension. Stress is the most significant factor linked to hypertension.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on increasing psychological well-being, perceived social support, and psychological capital in daughters of veterans of the Iran-Iraq imposed war.

The present study is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design in two groups. Based on the Cochran formula, 50 women of Bushehr Payame Noor University students with veteran fathers were selected purposefully and randomly divided into two experimental (n=25) and control (n=25) groups. A 12-session schema therapy was performed for the experimental group. Three questionnaires of psychological well-being, perceived social support and psychological capital were completed in both groups in the pre-test and post-test. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

The effectiveness of schema therapy in increasing the scores of the dependent variables of psychological capital (F=148.705), psychological well-being (F=115.69), and perceived social support (F=60.82) was significant (p=0.0001).

Psychological intervention in the form of modification and repair of the initial maladaptive schema leads to an increase in psychological well-being, psychological capital, and perceived social support in girls with veteran fathers.

Smart wearable provides a significant advantage to medicine and health, leading to a better quality of life for people who suffer from various chronic diseases and physical, motor, and mental limitations. But the use of smart wearables is accompanied by challenges. The present study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the use of smart wearables for veterans.

This study was qualitative research and implemented by a content analysis method. The research sample was ten veterans, trustees, and manufacturers related to smart wearables, and data collection was done by the semi-structured interview method. Data analysis was done using the content analysis method and MAXQDA 2022 software.

Three categories (stewardship, producers, and consumers) and 18 sub-categories (policymaking, economics, needs assessment, industry support and encouragement, internal and external communication, notification system, investment, product feature, product approval, processor, responsiveness, improving the quality of life, attitude of veterans, ability, security, education, convenience and durability, and veterans' organizations) were extracted.

Stewardship, developers, designers, and manufacturers in the field of wearable technology should have a deeper understanding of consumer behavior and thus facilitate the use and social acceptance of smart wearables for veterans.

The political-economic sanctions imposed on different countries can have devastating effects on the country's health status, especially on patients with chronic diseases. Given the chronic and debilitating nature of multiple sclerosis, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship of Iran sanctions with the health costs of MS patients in Iran.

This comparative study was conducted on 300 MS patients residing in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran, performed in April-May 2018 (pre-sanctions) and April-May 2019 (post-sanctions). All participants had a health record, and their treatment had started at least one year ago. The study used a validated questionnaire containing demographic/background variables, household income, costs, various imposed costs for accessing healthcare, and patients' perspectives regarding financial pressure by health costs. The rates of catastrophic health expenditures and poverty caused by the disease were calculated based on at least 40% and 50% of non-food costs spent on treatment.

The sanctions increased catastrophic health expenditures by 15% and the poverty index by 14%. In both pre-and post-sanctions phases, such background variables as occupational status, having supplemental insurance, and being native had a significant impact on the amount of out-of-pocket payments, catastrophic health expenditures, or poverty caused by disease costs (p<0.05).

Political-economic sanctions result in widespread negative health impacts against the sanctioned countries' citizens. They lead to increased out-of-pocket payments and decreased ability to pay for patients with multiple sclerosis and households.

The stress caused by war is not limited to the war period, but after the war, it creates chronic and acute reactions, which are characterized by psychological and physical injuries and a decrease in happiness. This study aimed to predict happiness based on anxiety, depression, and cognitive flexibility with the mediation of spiritual intelligence in the prisoners of Iran-Iraq war in Tehran.

The current study is descriptive-correlation research (structural equations). The statistical population consisted of all the prisoners of the Iran-Iraq war in Tehran in 2021-2022, of which 178 prisoners of war entered the research through non-random and voluntary sampling. Data were collected using Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, and Spiritual Intelligence Scale.

Anxiety indirectly affects happiness through the mediator variable of spiritual intelligence, with a standardized coefficient of -0.033 (p<0.05). Depression indirectly affects happiness through the mediator variable of spiritual intelligence, with a standardized coefficient of -0.040 (p<0.01). Cognitive flexibility indirectly affects happiness through the mediator variable of spiritual intelligence, with a standardized coefficient of 0.133 (p<0.05).

Happiness is predicted based on anxiety, depression and cognitive flexibility with the mediation of spiritual intelligence in prisoners of war.