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Evaluation of the one-year effectiveness and side effects of rituximab in patients with multiple sclerosis in Kermanshah
Nazanin Razazian, Mansour Rezaei, Poona Ahmadi, Negin Fakhri,
Volume 80, Issue 4 (July 2022)
Abstract
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system. Rituximab (Zytux) is a type of monoclonal antibody against B cells with CD20 antigen that reduces B cells. The present study examined the one-year effectiveness and side effects of Rituximab.
Methods: This quasi-experimental clinical trial was conducted from September 2018 to September 2019 in Imam Reza Hospital in Kermanshah. 44 eligible patients were selected by the available sampling method and entered the study after evaluation in terms of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were treated with rituximab for one year. At the beginning of the study and at the end of the year, the disability score based on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and active lesions based on MRI for patients were evaluated. Also, the patients were followed up in terms of relapse and medication side effects throughout the year. This study was performed with the support of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. The data were analyzed by SPSS-25 software.
Results: 44 patients with MS including 29 (65.9%) female and 15 (34.1%) male were studied. 22 patients had RRMS and 22 patients had progressive-relapsing MS (PRMS). In patients with RRMS, the EDSS score at the end of the study was significantly reduced compared to the beginning of the study (P=0.010) but in PRMS patients EDSS was increased but this increase was not significant (P=0.148). In both RRMS and PRMS patients, the number of MRI lesions at the end of the study was lower than the beginning of the study and this decrease was not significant (P>0.05). More Immediate side effects occurred in RRMS patients (13.6% vs. 4.5%) and more delayed side effects were observed in PRMS patients (54.5% vs. 36.3%).
Conclusion: rituximab caused a greater reduction in EDSS in the treatment of RRMS than PRMS and its use had few side effects.

Development of clinical guideline for early detection of critical congenital heart diseases at birth by pulse oximetry
Alireza Ahmadi , Mohammad Reza Sabri , Zohreh Sadat Navabi, Mehdi Ghaderian , Bahar Dehghan,
Volume 80, Issue 5 (August 2022)
Abstract
Background: Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common type of birth defects. The main screening tests used to identify babies with congenital heart defects include prenatal echocardiography and postnatal clinical assessment. Routine pulse oximetry has been reported as an additional screening test that can potentially improve the early diagnosis of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD).
Methods: This study is a multi-stage evolutionary study that was conducted for 12 months from March 2021 to March 2022 at Pediatric Cardiovascular Research Center in Cardiovascular Institute, Isfahan, Iran. In the first phase, after identifying the topic and aims of the present study, questions were designed through the PICO method including (population, intervention, control, and outcomes). Then conducting systematic searches, the quality of all existing clinical guidelines (CG) of this field were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument and a committee consisting of pediatric cardiologists and neonatologists in the field. Next, based on the opinions of experts, the quality of 1 out of 6 clinical guidelines for early detection of critical congenital heart disease at birth by pulse oximetry was assessed as optimal. Finally, the clinical guidelines draft was evaluated using the Delphi method and the panel of experts. After expert panel meetings and consensus between members, the final version of the guideline for early detection of critical congenital heart diseases at birth by pulse oximetry was developed.
Results: In the present study, criteria of clinical practice regarding the stages of newborn screening by pulse oximetry at birth were determined based on the evidence and health conditions and were presented in twenty-eight recommendations and six sections. The final recommendations were presented in the results section.
Conclusion: The finding of the present study showed that physicians, nurses, and midwives can apply the recommendations of this clinical guideline for the early detection and referral of neonates with critical congenital heart disease.

Ten-year prevalence survey of strongyloides stercoralis in patients referred to Rouhani hospital during 2011-2020 years: a brief report
Hossein Ghorbani, Mohammad Ranaee, Alireza Firouzjahi, Zahra Ahmadnia, Samaneh Rouhi, Farzane Jafarian, Rouzbeh Mohammadi Abandansari , Somayeh Ahmadi Gorji,
Volume 80, Issue 5 (August 2022)
Abstract
Background: Infection with Strongyloides stercoralis is common in tropical and subtropical regions. To prevent and treat these diseases, information on the distribution and frequency of these parasites in different geographical areas is needed. Due to the importance of diseases in the northern provinces of Iran, the present study was performed to determine the prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis.
Methods: From April 2011 to March 2020, stool samples from patients who were referred to Rouhani hospital in Mazandaran province, Babol, were gathered. For stool samples, microscopic detection was performed immediately using the wet expansion method, followed by a formal-ether concentration process. Based on the sample size calculation, the minimum number of patients with Strongyloides stercoralis infection was considered to be 380 patients from the years 2011-2020. Mean and standard deviation indices were used to describe quantitative data and numbers and percentages were used to describe qualitative data.
Results: Out of the total number of 39,800 archived patient files that were reviewed, a total of 420 (1.05%) patients were confirmed for the presence of Strongyloides stercoralis in their feces. The age range of patients was 3 to 89 years. The population of male patients (249 patients) was higher than females (171 patients). In patients with positive Strongyloides stercoralis, disease symptoms were positive in 206 patients and negative in 214 patients. The most common underlying disease in patients was abdominal pain (220 patients). 271 patients received steroids.
Conclusion: Strongyloides stercoralis infection was detected in the northern region of Iran. The prevalence of this parasite was higher in men, the elderly, and people with underlying comorbidities. These results can be used to identify and compare areas where the prevalence of infection is higher. Therefore, revealing the effect of Strongyloides stercoralis infection on public health makes the need for in-depth clinical and diagnostic studies important. People with chronic diseases, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, should be screened for parasitic diseases.

Assessing the status of medical ethics Unit education in Tehran University of Medical Sciences and deterrent factors on its effectiveness
Sepehr Sahraian , Alireza Parsapour, Amir Ahmad Shojaee ,
Volume 80, Issue 6 (September 2022)
Abstract
Background: Medical ethics is an applied branch of ethics that deals with ethical challenges in medical and health environments, and its related topics have a long history, but its education as an academic subject in universities has received a lot of attention in the last 40 years. In recent years, medical universities have made extensive efforts to expand medical ethics education, which has been accompanied by significant progress, but given that the modern medical ethics education system is a growing and nascent structure, more research is needed. Therefore, this study aims to assess the status of the medical ethics education system at Tehran University of Medical Sciences to identify its gaps so that the current situation can be improved with proper planning.
Methods: The type of this research is descriptive quantitative-qualitative and it was collected from December 2018 to September 2019 at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. First, the educational curriculum of 165 educational levels at Tehran University of Medical Sciences was reviewed and described in terms of the existence of a medical or professional ethics course in the educational curriculum. Then, a semi-structured interview was conducted with the 13 professors in charge of teaching this course in all faculties, and content analysis was performed to describe and identify the obstacles in its effectiveness.
Results: The results showed that in 53% of the educational levels, there was no separate medical or professional ethics course in the educational curriculum and the most educational coverage of this course took place in the faculties of medicine, dentistry, nursing and midwifery. The obstacles in the effectiveness of teaching this unit were categorized into five main themes of educational curriculum, hidden curriculum, teaching methods, teachers and education management.
Conclusion: The results show that the content of curricula needs to be revised and education should be inclusive. Creating a coherent educational organization and monitoring the hidden curriculum are other issues that should be considered to increase the effectiveness of this education.

Effect of cardiac rehabilitation on endothelial function in smoker patients with ischemic heart disease
Ahmad Reza Assareh , Marzieh Jafarpor, Mohammad Hossein Haghighzadeh, Nehzat Akiash,
Volume 80, Issue 6 (September 2022)
Abstract
Background: smoking enhances the risk of cardiac events in patients with coronary artery disease. So, it is necessary to evaluate the effects of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation on endothelial function and functional capacity among smoker patients.
Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 56 non-diabetic smokers with a history of percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Imam Khomeini Hospital from May to August 2015. Based on cardiac rehabilitation, patients were divided into intervention and control groups. Before rehabilitation, fasting blood sugar (FBS), lipid profile (LDL, HDL, triglyceride, and total cholesterol), and Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) were measured for endothelial function. Besides, METs were measured based on the Duke activity status index. After 24 rehabilitation sessions (3 sessions of 1 hour each week for 2 months), all values were checked again and compared with the initial values.
Results: The mean age of the subjects in the cardiac rehabilitation and control groups were 61.18 and 52.32, respectively. Before the intervention, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the ABI variables, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, LDL, triglyceride, total cholesterol and FBS; only HDL and  METs showed significant differences. After exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation, the mean rate of ABI changes was +0.078 on the right side of the body and +0.084 on the left side of the body. In the control group, these values were 0.002 and 0.003, respectively (P=0.001). The amount of changes in increasing METs as well as decreasing body mass index (BMI), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the rehabilitation group were statistically significant compared to the control group. In addition, there were no significant differences in terms of FBS and lipid profiles either (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Two months of cardiac rehabilitation with regular exercise was associated with improved ABI as an indicator of endothelial function and prognosis of cardiovascular disease, as well as improved cardiac functional capacity among smoker patients.

The effect of different doses of tamsulosin on lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia
Ramin Haghighi, Hossein Bavandi , Ahmad Kameli, Abdullah Razi, Hossein Zeraati ,
Volume 80, Issue 6 (September 2022)
Abstract
Background: The prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men increases with age. Alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonists are first-line drugs for the treatment of LUTS, and tamsulosin is the drug of choice. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of tamsulosin 0.4 mg and 0.8 mg on lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Methods: This double-blind clinical trial was conducted in the Urology unit of Emam Hassan Hospital in Bojnurd from May 2019 to Feb 2020. In this study, 92 patients with LUTS due to BPH were selected according to available method and randomly assigned into two groups of intervention. In the first group, patients received tamsulosin 0.4 mg and in the second group, tamsulosin 0.8 mg once daily for 8 weeks. The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated using IPSS criteria before and 8 weeks after treatment. According to a checklist, side effects were evaluated during treatment. Data was analyzed based on independent t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA by SPSS software version 22. A significance level of 0.05 was considered.
Results: The results showed that the two groups were not significantly different in age and duration of symptoms. According to the statistics test, there is a significant difference between the two groups in the post-treatment phase. Also, based on analysis of variance with repeated measures statistical test, there was a significant difference between and within two groups in IPSS criteria at different stages of evaluation. The prevalence of complications was (8.6%) in the first group and (11.9%) in the second group. The prevalence of complications was not significant between the two groups.
Conclusion: Tamsulosin is effective in reducing lower urinary tract symptoms and Tamsulosin 0.8 mg is an effective treatment regimen for the treatment of LUTS secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia in those who have not responded to 0.4 mg treatment. Drug side effects were well tolerated in patients.

The effect of body indexes on presence of ocular symptoms in covid-19 patients
Mansour Babaei, Mehran Shokri, Seyed Ahmad Rasoulinejad ,
Volume 80, Issue 7 (October 2022)
Abstract
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the presence of ocular symptoms was common in COVID-19 patients, which can cause secondary complications in the treatment of ocular diseases. On the other hand, obesity can cause secondary symptoms in infectious diseases by impairing the function of the immune system, which indicates the relationship between involvement of different tissues and dysfunction of the cellular immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body indexes (i.e., age, height, weight, and BMI) and the presence of ocular symptoms in patients with COVID-19.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study (from March 2021 to May 2021), ocular symptoms (including blurred vision, epiphora, photophobia, discharge and exudate, redness, pain, and itching of the eyes) and body indexes (age, height, weight and BMI) were evaluated in 108 patients with COVID-19, who were referred to Ayatollah Rouhani hospital, Babol, Iran. The independent t-test and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests were used to examine the data relationship in SPSS software.
Results: The results showed that the mean body weight in COVID-19 patients with blurred vision was significantly higher than COVID-19 patients without blurred vision (P=0.003, t=-3.056). The mean height of COVID-19 patients with epiphora was significantly lower than the mean height of COVID-19 patients without epiphora (P=0.018, t=2.398). Also, the BMI of COVID-19 patients with epiphora was 30.00 ±4.07 kg/m2, while the BMI of COVID-19 patients without epiphora was 27.68±4.42 kg/m2 (P=0.047, t=0.026). In COVID-19 patients with at least one ocular symptom, height was significantly lower than heigh of COVID-19 patients without any ocular symptoms (P=0.001, t=3.397).
Conclusion: Our results indicate the essential role of obesity in the occurrence of eye symptoms in COVID-19 patients. In this study, it was found that blurred vision, epiphora and the presence of at least one eye symptom in COVID-19 patients were significantly associated with the upward trend of BMI (as an index of obesity).

Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal metaplasia in patients with dyspepsia
Mehdi Ghobakhlou, Hamidreza Ghasemi Basir , Ahmad Jahdari , Elnaz Ataei, Ali Saadatmand,
Volume 80, Issue 9 (December 2022)
Abstract
Background: Intestinal metaplasia in the stomach is one of the precancerous lesions of gastric tissue. If the lesions are diagnosed early before invasive cancer develops, it is possible to prevent the progression to malignant lesions. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of intestinal metaplasia in patients with dyspepsia.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on patients who were referred to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Hamadan, Iran from the beginning of 2019 to the end of 2020. A total of 250 patients over 16 years of age who complained of dyspepsia for at least more than three months were included in the study. Examination was performed for patients along with the completion of a pre-designed questionnaire including demographic information and metaplasia risk factors. Also, endoscopy and biopsy specimen of gastric mucosa were performed for histological examination. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 with related statistical tests.
Results:  There was no significant relationship between job type, level of education, marital status and family history of gastric cancer, smoking, alcohol, high salt, dairy products and high-nitrate diet with the disease. There was a significant relationship between body mass index and the presence of intestinal metaplasia in men (P=0.032). The average age of men with metaplasia was about 13 years older than those without the disease. Also gastric ulcer (84%) and pan gastritis (40.4%) were the most common cases in endoscopic results. The number of female patients with epigastric pain was about 14% higher than male patients. Gastric ulcer was significantly associated with gender, with about 12% more gastric ulcers observed in men than women (P=0.014). Also, no significant relationship was observed between the presence of Helicobacter pylori and the severity of its colonization with intestinal metaplasia. (P=0.230)
Conclusion: In this study, no significant relationship was observed between the presence of Helicobacter pylori and the severity of its colonization simultaneously with intestinal metaplasia. Apart from the two factors of increasing age and type of sex, no serious risk factors for intestinal metaplasia were seen.

The relationship between iron deficiency anemia and febrile seizures in children aged 6 months to 5 years referred to imam sajjad hospital in yasouj
Reza Abbasi, Ahmad Mokhtari, Farnaz Sadat Javanmardi ,
Volume 80, Issue 11 (February 2023)
Abstract
Background: Febrile seizures (FS) are the most common cause of seizure in children. In order to prevent FS and their recurrence, the recognition of the related factors to recurrence of FS is important. According to the high prevalence of FS and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in children and that IDA is a possible risk factor for FS, as well as controversies in previous studies in this field, in this study, the relationship between iron deficiency anemia and FS in children was investigated.
Methods: This is a case-control study that investigates the relationship between febrile seizures with anemia in 150 patients aged six months to five years with fever who were admitted to Imam Sajjad Yasouj Hospital, from April to August of 2014. In this study, 75 patients with febrile seizures (case group) and 75 febrile patients without seizures (control group) were compared. Cause of fever (urinary infection, gastrointestinal infections, upper respiratory infection, lower respiratory infection and other causes), Information about blood cell count (white blood cell (WBC) and red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (HB), mean red blood cell volume (MCV) and serum ferritin level in patients with hemoglobin below 11 were recorded.
Results: The mean age of the study population was 21.4 14 months. 34.7% of the study population were girls and 65.3% were boys. In this study, 10.7% of the cases and 8% of the controls had IDA. Although the prevalence of IDA was higher in the FS group, this difference was not significant (P=0.58). Also, HB and MCV were not significantly different in the two groups (P=0.49, P=0.69). In addition, the mean serum ferritin level in the FS group with anemia and the FS group with anemia did not show a statistically significant difference (P=0.94).
Conclusion: According to the result of this study, IDA is not a risk factor for seizures in febrile children.

Evaluation and comparison of statistical models of hemodialysis adequacy in hemodialysis patients in two groups (fistula and permanent catheter) in Arak dialysis center
Kowsar Sadat Ashrafi, Nasser Saeedi, Parvin Soltani, Ali Sadough Abbasian , Mohammad Rafiei, Fereshteh Nejati, Mahdieh Gholamzadeh, Mojtaba Ahmadlou,
Volume 80, Issue 12 (March 2023)
Abstract
Background: Adequacy of dialysis is a very important issue in dialysis patients, so comparing the adequacy of dialysis in different dialysis methods is very important. Therefore, due to the fact that the number of people undergoing dialysis  through fistulas and catheters varies in different centers, and depending on different centers, there is a possibility of decreasing or increasing the adequacy of dialysis, so we decided to do this comparison in Arak support center.
Methods: In this analytical-cross-sectional study, the dialysis patients of Hami Arak Center from April 2019 to September 2019 were divided into two groups (the first group with permanent catheter, the second group with arteriovenous fistula) based on vascular access. The both groups were matched in terms of age, sex, weight, pump speed, filter size and also the duration of dialysis. All patients were dialyzed with the same type of dialysis machine, and the duration of hemodialysis for all samples was 4 hours in each session. To confirm the reliability of the device, it was calibrated before each use and the same setting was used for all samples. The blood samples were taken from the arterial route before dialysis and starting the dilution with heparin or normal saline. Statistical models of dialysis adequacy of patients in two groups were measured using the Kt/V criterion, SPSS and AMOS data analysis was performed.
Results: In the analysis of covariance of BUN before dialysis, there is a statistically significant difference in the studied groups (P<0.05), also in the UF and URR variables, dialysis time and the number of times of dialysis in three consecutive repetitions, there is a statistically significant difference in the studied groups. (dime fistula and catheter) are not present (P<0.05).
Conclusion: In this study, during repeated repetitions, 22% of the dialysis adequacy in the two groups did not have good adequacy, and 78% of the patients in the two groups had appropriate dialysis adequacy.

The effect of curcumin capsule on quality of life and symptoms of patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a double blind clinical trial
Negar Sahba, Alireza Amani, Mohammadreza Rohani, Rahmatallah Moradzadeh , Azim Forouzan, Mojtaba Ahmadlou,
Volume 81, Issue 1 (April 2023)
Abstract
Background: Improving the quality of life of patients is the main goal of therapeutic interventions in chronic diseases. One way to achieve this is to decrease the severity of symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of curcumin capsule on quality of life and symptoms of patients with irritable bowel.
Methods: This clinical trial study was performed on 60 patients with irritable bowel syndrome referred to Amir al-Momenin Hospital in Arak city from April to September 2018, using convenience sampling and Extra-intestinal symptoms severity scale and WHOQOL_BREF tools. The patients were divided into two groups of intervention and control, curcumin capsules were used in the first one, and in the second one, placebo capsules were used twice a day after lunch and dinner for four weeks. All patients were examined at the beginning of the study, the fourth week and three months later, in terms of quality of life, severity and frequency of symptoms and possible complications. During this period, the patients were followed up on a monthly basis through phone calls, and the contact number of the researcher was provided to the patients to call in case of any problems or questions.
Results: The average age of the curcumin group was 35 years and for the placebo group was 36.43 years. There was no significant difference in the quality of life between the curcumin and placebo groups after the intervention (P>0.05). Significant were found between the curcumin and placebo groups after the intervention (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that there was a significant difference between curcumin and placebo in improving the clinical symptoms of patients, but the quality of life of patients in both curcumin and placebo groups did not change significantly after the intervention.

Investigating the results of breastfeeding counseling in mothers referred to the breastfeeding counseling clinic of the health centers
Zeinab Khazaeeshir , Kobra Mirzakhani, Golnaz Sadat Ahmadinezhad, Fatemeh Sadat Naderi, Nahid Jahani Shoorab ,
Volume 81, Issue 1 (April 2023)
Abstract
Background: The rate of exclusive breastfeeding in Iran at the ages of 3 and 6 months is estimated to be 44% and 27%, respectively, which is still far from the optimal index of the World Health Organization until 2030 (70% in the first six months). In order to monitor breastfeeding counseling centers, which have been set up with the aim of promoting breastfeeding and supporting mothers who have problems with breastfeeding.
Methods: This is a descriptive-retrospective study and all the mothers who were referred to the Health and Treatment Center No. 2 in Mashhad between April 2019 and March 2019 were examined. This health center has two active counseling clinics and the collection of information is based on documents registered in offices and computers. The inclusion criteria for study were not having breast diseases, having an infant child, being able to read and write and living in Mashhad city. The exclusion criteria were also the unwillingness to participate in the study and the newborn suffering from diseases that are incompatible with breastfeeding. Therefore, census sampling was done. The data were analyzed using SPSS 16 software and the significance level was less than 0.05.
Results: In 42.8% of cases, mothers had started feeding combined formula with breast milk before visiting, and in 28.1% of cases, when referring to counseling milk clinics, it was reported that the baby was fed only with formula. After breastfeeding consultations and follow-ups at the end of six months, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding is 34.1% (12% increase compared to the initial reference) and combined formula feeding with breastmilk is 27.8% (a 22% decrease compared to the first visit). And feeding with powdered milk alone was calculated to be 36.5% (an increase of 8.4% compared to the first visit).
Conclusion: The positive role of breastfeeding counseling center in reducing the cases of artificial feeding is clear, and it is recommended to prepare written instructions based on the challenges in breastfeeding for breastfeeding counseling in the first month after delivery.

Investigating the type and frequency of errors in the medical diagnostic laboratory in a medical center in Tehran, Iran: a medical-laboratory experience
Mohammad Hossein Kalami , Zeinab Borjian Boroujeni , Peghah Ardi, Ahmad Abolfathi, Mohsen Babaei, Ali Asadi, Mahdi Zareei,
Volume 81, Issue 1 (April 2023)
Abstract
Background: Medical Laboratories have a great impact on patient safety and 80-90% of medical diagnoses are based on the results of laboratory tests. Medical procedures from the initial diagnostic steps such as a test or a simple injection to specialized treatment steps may be erroneous. The aim of this study was to determine the type and rate of human error, equipment, materials and procedures in all stages including before analysis, during analysis and after analysis to analyze the causes and find logical solutions to reduce of them.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed in a medical center in Tehran, Iran during the years 1400-1401. Data collection was considered in accordance with the instructions of the Laboratory Affairs Department of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education regarding the type of errors in the field of job description in each of the technical and non-technical sections. Data was analyzed by IBM SPSS software, version 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) software.
Results: During the period of study, the number of  referred patients was about 45,000 and the number of tests 594,000. The total number of errors was 837. The ratio of errors to the patients was 1.9% and to the tests 0.15%. The 37 types of errors were identified and reported in this study. Of these, 11 types of errors were in the pre-analysis, 14 types during the analysis and 12 types of errors in the post-analysis stage. The frequency of errors in the three stages was 180(21.5%), 312(37.3%) and 345(41.2%), respectively that the errors rate did not have a normal distribution and a significant difference was observed (P<0.05, df=2).
Conclusion: Due to the variety of reported errors and the importance of their role in other stages of diagnosis and treatment, it is necessary that all human, equipment and process errors in all stages of laboratory analysis be carefully recorded and corrective and preventive measures be taken to minimize them.

Impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on renal function: a review article
Pegah Khales, Sara Minaeian, Ahmad Tavakoli,
Volume 81, Issue 2 (May 2023)
Abstract
COVID-19 is a major worldwide health concern that is linked to severe morbidity and mortality. In contrast to the majority of COVID-19 patients who experience moderate symptoms, about 5% of the patients experience serious manifestations such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock, and fatal organ failure. Although pneumonia is the main symptom of COVID-19, other organs, such as the kidneys, might also be affected by the condition. Acute kidney injury is one of the most frequent extrapulmonary symptoms of severe COVID-19. Indeed, it has been suggested that COVID-19 affects the kidney as the second most common organ after the lungs. This is due to the fact that the virus attaches to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, which have significant expression in the kidney, before entering the host cells. It is important to follow up and monitor patients with COVID-19 for the occurrence of kidney damage, as timely treatment measures will lead to better clinical results and lower patient mortality. Even minor renal function impairment is a distinct risk factor for COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death. Furthermore, SARS-CoV-2 infections can raise mortality for those with underlying renal disorders as well as make it more difficult to treat and care for them. It can also produce new kidney damage. Kidney tubular damage is the predominant symptom of SARS-CoV-2 infection's impact on the kidney, with proteinuria as the primary clinical symptom. The pathogenesis of kidney and damage in COVID-19 patients is varied and complicated. In COVID-19 patients, the virus has the ability to infect renal tubular epithelium and podocytes directly, which is linked to Bowman's capsule protein leakage, acute tubular necrosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and collapsing glomerulopathy. Other causes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in COVID-19 patients, including cytokine storm, lymphopenia, and macrophage activation syndrome, have been caused by SARS-CoV-2-induced immune response dysregulation. Interactions between organs, endothelial dysfunction, hypercoagulability, sepsis, and rhabdomyolysis are considered other major AKI mechanisms. In the present review, we focus on the role of each of these factors involved in AKI in COVID-19 patients.

Evaluation of the cerebrospinal fluid analysis parameters in children with febrile seizures
Reza Abbasi, Ahmad Mokhtari, Farnaz Sadat Javanmardi ,
Volume 81, Issue 2 (May 2023)
Abstract
Background: Febrile seizures are the most common cause of seizures in children under 5 years of age. Central nervous system infections are an important differential diagnosis of febrile seizures. Apart from infections, CSF characteristics are affected by many factors including the cause, type and duration of seizures. This study was designed to determine the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) indices, including white blood cells (WBC), polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) count, and levels of protein and glucose in the CSF of children with fever-induced seizures.
Methods: The present study is a descriptive study that evaluated the results of CSF analysis in 56 children with febrile seizures admitted to Imam Sajjad Hospital in Yasouj from March 2012 to 2013. In the present study, CSF analysis was performed in children with a diagnosis of febrile seizures. In order to collect information from a pre-designed form that includes demographic information (age and gender), degree of fever, and information related to CSF indices including WBC, PMN and levels of protein and glucose in CSF, which have been extracted and recorded, statistical methods are used in this study to express descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, number, percentage, etc.
Results: 56 children with a diagnosis of convulsive fever with a mean age of 21.4±14 months were evaluated. 37.5% (21 individuals) of the study population were females and 62.5% (53 individuals) were males. Among them, 33 individuals had low-grade fever and 23 individuals had high-grade fever. In 10.7%, the number of WBCs was more than 5. The amount of protein obtained was in the normal range, between 20 and 50 mg/dl, in 57.1% of cases. However, a significant percentage (39.3%) of CSF liquid protein was below 20 mg/dl. CSF fluid glucose levels were within the normal range at 91.1%.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, febrile seizures may be associated with low protein levels in the CSF. However, due to the limited sample size in our study, similar studies with higher sample sizes are recommended.

Recurrence and survival in early breast cancer subtypes
Ali Taghizadeh, Leila Pourali, Mona Joudi, Bahareh Makvandi , Elahe Hasanzadeh, Saeideh Ahmadi Simab , Golshid Nouri Hosseini , Mehrdad Gazanchian,
Volume 81, Issue 3 (June 2023)
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in many countries, accounting for over 18% of all cancers in females. There are more than one million new cases of breast cancer each year. Most women diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50, but younger women can also get breast cancer. About one in seven women are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. There's a good chance of recovery if it's detected at an early stage. In Iran, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, making up 21.4% of all female cancers. The mortality rate of this cancer is 4.33 for every 100,000 people. The purpose of this research is to see how often different kinds of early breast cancer come back and how long people live after being diagnosed.
Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the medical records of 500 breast cancer patients at two hospitals in Mashhad, Iran during April 2006 to March 2016. We used SPSS software, version 16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) to analyze data. A P value less than 0.05 means that the results are considered statistically significant.
Results: We included 230 women with breast cancer. The average overall survival was 130.7 months, with 83.2% of people surviving for five years and 78.8% surviving for 10 years. The stage of the disease is strongly linked to the recurrence (P=0.000). Additionally, the specific type of disease is also strongly related to disease recurrence (P=0.01) or metastasis (P=0.01). Patients who have the triple-negative subtype had the highest chance of the cancer spreading and recurrence compared to patients with other subtypes.
Conclusion: The different types of breast cancer are strongly linked to the disease recurrence or metastasis. Patients with triple-negative subtypes had the most cases of cancer spreading to other parts of the body and coming back again, compared to other subtypes. Our findings also showed that patients with the triple-negative disease had the worst overall and disease-free survivals.

Investigating the relationship between types of breast tumors and menopause in women
Ahmad Kachoei, Monireh Mirzaei , Amrolah Salimi, Mostafa Vahidian, Shima Rahimi, Ali Ghalehnoie,
Volume 81, Issue 7 (October 2023)
Abstract
Background: Considering the high prevalence of breast masses and the importance of screening and follow-up for malignancies in women, and since age and hormonal changes during menopause play a role in determining the type of pathology and prognosis of the masses, the purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between menopause and mass pathology.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional-analytical study that was conducted in order to investigate the types of pathology of breast masses and their relationship with the age of menopause in women referred to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Qom between April 2013 and April 2019. The inclusion criteria include: having sufficient file information and having a contact number to complete personal information, no history of cancer in other parts of the body and simultaneous malignancies, and the exclusion criteria also include: samples that were taken by cellular aspiration sampling, There were women who had a history of first-degree breast malignancy and were previously diagnosed with breast cancer and there was a possibility that the new mass under study was metastatic. Finally, the patients' information was extracted from the files and recorded in pre-prepared checklists. And the supplementary information of the incomplete files was asked and completed using the contact information of the patients. After collecting the information, using SPSS software version 26 and with chi-square and t-test statistical tests and considering the significance level of 0.05 the data was analyzed.
Results: He prevalence of malignancy in postmenopausal women was higher than in premenopausal women. Also, a significant difference was found between tumor size, the presence or absence of metastasis, and menopause (P<0.05), but no significant difference was found between tumor location and menopause (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Breast malignancies (invasive ductal carcinoma, invasive mixed carcinoma, mucinous, medullary, and papillary carcinoma) were more common in postmenopausal women than non-menopausal women. In both groups, ductal dilatation and chronic inflammation were the most benign findings, and fibroadenoma was found at a much lower rate in menopausal women than in non-menopausal.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of colonoscopy compared to sigmoidoscopy for colorectal cancer screening in high-risk individuals in Iran
Ahmad Tahmasebi-Ghorrabi , Zahra Heydarifard, Behrouz Nemati, Majid Davari, Alireza Delavari, Hamideh Salimzadeh , Ali Akbari Sari ,
Volume 81, Issue 9 (December 2023)
Abstract
Background: Screening is a cost-effective method for prevention, early detection of the disease and reducing the burden of the third deadliest cancer in the world, i.e. colorectal cancer. This study aimed to analyze the cost-effectiveness of colonoscopy screening compared to sigmoidoscopy for colorectal cancer in high-risk individuals in Iran.
Methods: This economic evaluation study was conducted using the cost-effectiveness method between July 2016 and February 2017. Evaluation of the effectiveness of screening methods was done using a systematic review. Cost evaluation was also done using the costs obtained from the tariff approved by the Iranian Ministry of Health in 2015 for colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. Finally, the combined model of decision tree and Markov was used to evaluate the cost effectiveness. Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) formula was used for cost effectiveness analysis considering the final outcome of 5-year survival of high-risk individuals. Excel and TreeAge software were used for data analysis.
Results: The effectiveness of sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy in increasing 5-year survival is 11 and 15.7%, respectively, and colonoscopy screening is 4.7% more than sigmoidoscopy. The cost of colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy screening was calculated as 1000 and 19920 billion Rials, respectively. Based on cost-effectiveness analysis, the cost of treating patients in the case of screening with colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy is lower than without screening. The ICER ratio of colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy compared to no screening was -4/441/389/160 and -4/757/954/940 Rials respectively, and colonoscopy compared to sigmoidoscopy was -3/699/785/880 Rials, respectively. Finally, the use of colonoscopy leads to spending 3/699/785/880 Rials less in exchange for obtaining 4722 additional survivals with the prevention of colorectal cancer compared to sigmoidoscopy.
Conclusion: Screening by colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy methods are effective in reducing the incidence and death of colorectal cancer compared to no screening. Screening by colonoscopy is a dominant option for the high-risk population in Iran. Colonoscopy screening is more cost effective compared to sigmoidoscopy. However, decisions about colorectal cancer screening and screening methods depend on local resources and personal preferences.

Investigating the association between K589E polymorphism of EXO1 gene with the susceptibility lung malignancy as a prognostic marker in the Iranian population
Jamshid Ansari, Milad Pezeshki, Azam Ahmadi, Ali Chehrei,
Volume 81, Issue 9 (December 2023)
Abstract
Background: Lung cancer has the highest incidence and mortality rate of all cancers worldwide. In Iran, it is one of the commonly diagnosed malignancies, and its frequency is increasing rapidly. Genetic variants in DNA repair genes are linked to differences in efficiency of repairing DNA damage, which can influence lung cancer susceptibility. EXO1 is a key gene involved in the mismatch repair pathway. The K589E polymorphism in EXO1 may alter the DNA repair activity of the encoded protein and impact lung cancer risk. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between the K589E polymorphism in EXO1 and lung cancer risk in the Iranian population, and evaluate its potential as a prognostic biomarker.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted to investigate EXO1 K589E variant with susceptibility to lung malignancy in the Iranian population. One hundred patients with lung cancer as a patient group and 100 healthy individuals from Khansari Hospital located in Markazi province were studied, from January 2020 to May 2022. DNA extraction from blood samples of participants was done using a kit.  Genotype determination of both patient and control groups was done using PCR-RFLP technique. Finally, statistical results were analyzed using SPSS software and the logistic regression method.
Results: Genotype and allele frequency  analysis showed the AA genotype (P=0.004, OR=5.391, 95% CI: 1.690-17.200) and A allele (P=0.010, OR=2.851, 95% CI: 1.291-6.300) were correlated with susceptibility to lung cancer. On the other hand, people carrying the G variant allele had a lower risk of lung cancer.
Conclusion:  In summary, this study found the AA genotype and A allele of K589E in EXO1 are correlated with risk of lung cancer in Iranians, while the G allele has protective effects. The K589E polymorphism may serve as a prognostic biomarker for lung cancer susceptibility, but more studies with high population size are required.

Evaluating the Correlation between Liver Size and Fatty Liver Progression in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Maryam Behmaram, Mohammad Ghasem Hanafi, Ahmad Fakhri Zadeh , Mahsa Akhavan Sabagh , Elham Farhadi,
Volume 82, Issue 1 (April 2024)
Abstract


Background: Increasing the prevalence of non-contagious and chronic disorders such as Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) takes the attention of researchers. NAFLD recognized by abnormal accumulation in the liver tissue. The aim of present study is investigating the association between liver size liver enzymes and degree of fatty liver in patients with NAFLD.
Methods: Based on the inclusion criteria, 100 Patients were selected from those referred to the radiology and ultrasonography clinic in Golestan Hospital, Ahvaz, for fatty liver evaluation. The study was carried out during May 2022 to April 2023. Liver enzymes, including alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), were measured. Based on the ultrasonography results, patients were divided into four groups: healthy, mild fatty liver, moderate fatty liver, and severe fatty liver. Ultrasonography was carried out by an experienced expert. All demographic information of patients was collected. Data were analyzed by SPSS (V25).
Results: According to ultrasonography results, the mean of span was 148.4 ± 14.7 cm, which was significantly higher in patients with grade II of NAFLD (P<0.001). Further analysis revealed the highest difference between grades I and II (P<0.001). Also, a significant difference between grades II and III and grades III and I were found  (P<0.001). Our data showed a significant relationship between body mass index (BMI) and NAFLD grades (P<0.001). The mean of BMI in grade I was significantly lower than in grades II and III (P<0.05). Our findings demonstrated that the mean of ALT in grade I was significantly lower than in grades II and III (P<0.05). In this line, the highest AST level was seen in grade III (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Our study showed that as NAFLD progresses, the enzymes and size of the liver increase. Based on ultrasound findings, the increasing liver size suggests NAFLD grade II, while the rise in AST and BMI suggests NAFLD grade II -III and progression of cirrhosis.

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