Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis is the most common cause of sporadic encephalitis, with significant morbidity and mortality that are effectively reduced by antiviral treatment. Herpes simplex infection in pregnant women rarely results in encephalitis. The most common symptoms of a pregnant woman with herpes simplex infection are colds and skin vesicles. Herpetic encephalitis occurs during pregnancy in the third trimester in 60% of cases and with less prevalence in the second trimester. Among HSVs most, HSV-1 causes encephalitis. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are important as mortality decreases from 70% to 20-30%. This case report, reviews a pregnant woman with a diagnosis of herpes encephalitis due to seizure and consciousness disorder, which was negative in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and diagnostic studies.
Case Presentation: The patient was a 23-year-old woman with a gestational age of 29 weeks who presented with fever, headache, delirium, and cognitive impairment three days prior to admission following seizure. Early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an increase in the cortical signal in the temporal lobe and PCR assay for the detection of herpes virus was negative. Magnetic resonance venography also showed an increase in the left maxillary sinus with differential diagnosis of herpetic encephalitis. Considering the symptoms of the patient with a strong suspicion of herpes simplex encephalitis, the patient was treated with acyclovir, which was associated with improvement of clinical symptoms. Finally, normal delivery was performed after 36 weeks of gestation.
Conclusion: Given that herpes simplex virus encephalitis is a rare and potentially dangerous and complicated disease, it is imperative for a pregnant patient with atypical symptoms to be identified with an appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic measures.

Background: Nausea and vomiting is one of the most common complications after the strabismus surgery. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of atropine versus ondansetron administration on the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting and duration of recovery stay in patients undergoing this procedure.
Methods: In this case-control study, 90 patients between 3 to 30 years old who were candidates for elective strabismus surgery in Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, from February to April 2019, were randomly divided into three groups (placebo, ondansetron and atropine group). Patients who had taken hypnotic drugs while entering the operating room were excluded. In all patients, after arriving into the operating room and installation of standard monitoring equipment and peripheral vein implantation, anesthesia was induced by receiving 0.05 mg/kg midazolam, fentanyl 1 μg/kg and propofol 2.5 mg/kg. After induction of anesthesia, placebo group was compared with ondansetron group and atropine group that received 0.1 mg/kg ondansetron and 30 µg/kg atropine, respectively. The rate of postoperative nausea and vomiting, duration of recovery stay and satisfaction of recovery nurses were recorded and compared between groups.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of mean age, weight, and gender. It seems that group matching is appropriate and there are no confounding factors for demographic variables. Administration of atropine and ondansetron significantly reduces the incidence of nausea and vomiting postoperatively and in recovery. There was no significant difference in the incidence of nausea and vomiting between the atropine and ondansetron groups. Duration of recovery stay was decreased after ondansetron and atropine administration versus control group. Postoperative laryngospasm and bronchospasm were not observed in any of the three groups after surgery and at the time of recovery. The satisfaction of recovery nurses in both atropine and ondansetron groups were higher than control group.
Conclusion: It seems that the administration of atropine as much as ondansetron can be effective in reducing the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting and the length of recovery stay in patients who undergoing strabismus surgery.

Background: Cervix insufficiency is diagnosed based on a previous history of pregnancy loss in the second trimester, followed by painless cervical dilatation or premature rupture of the fetal membranes. Abnormal cervical tissue structural appears to be the cause of this complication. There are no diagnostic methods for cervical insufficiency before pregnancy, but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), hysterosalpingography, and ultrasound can detect uterine anomalies that are risk factors for cervical insufficiency. Cerclage is known as a common procedure for prevention of the preterm labor, caused by cervix insufficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of cerclage and it’s complications and prognosis based on the patient’s age, history of cervical insufficiency, history of preterm labor, history of miscarriage, curettage, and cervical and vaginal abnormalities.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, including 65 patients, from March 2012 to March 2018, in Valiasr Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Data including the age, history of cervical insufficiency, history of abortion, history of cervix surgery and curettage, gestational age, presence of vaginal and cervical anomaly as well as complications such as bleeding and severe cervical pain and prognosis of cerclage were extracted.
Results: In our study, 65 women who undergone cerclage were evaluated, the mean age of the participants was 28.4 years. Abortion was present in 27.7% of cases, 16.9% once, 7.7% twice and 3.1% three times. In 21.5% of cases, there was a history of curettage and 66.2% had a history of preterm labor. For 4.6% of the subjects, the length of cervix was under 10 mm. Gestational age at the end of cerclage was under 26 weeks in 5.8% of patients. The termination of pregnancy was higher in patients with lower gravida, and the termination of pregnancy was significantly higher in those who were not curetted (P= 0.001). There were no complications, and the prognosis is considered good, in case the termination is above 32 weeks. The birth weight mean was 3041.5 grams. According to our study, the failure of the cerclage is associated with previous history of dilation and curettage (D&C) and higher gravidity.
Conclusion: Putting all the results together, 80% of the cerclage, performed in our institution were successful, without any complications.

Background: Health care associated infections (HAIs) are a class of infections that infect patients during hospital admissions and receive medical services. These infections occurs within 48 to 72 hours of admission and up to 6 weeks after discharge. Surveillance of device-associated infections (DAIs) in intensive care units (ICUs) is substantial in planning healthcare strategies. This study was conducted to determine the device-associated infections' burden and antimicrobial resistance patterns.
Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, three common device-associated infections included central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLA-BSI), ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI), were assessed in intensive care units of Besat Hospital in Hamedan from April 2017 to April 2018. In order to determine the incidence of device-associated infections, the number of device-associated infection cases was calculated during the study period and divided into the number of device-days used. The device-days included all days of exposure to that device (vascular catheter, endotracheal tube (ventilator), or urinary catheter) in all patients in the study population.
Results: Out of 1806 intensive care unit admitted cases, 168 patients (9.3%) were device-associated infection with distribution of 92 cases (55%) of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), 56 cases (34%) of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI) and 20 cases (11%) of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CL-BSI). The incidence of VAP, CA-UTI and CL-BSI was 44.7, 17.5, and 21.61 days, respectively. The most organisms were Acinetobacter (27.4%), Klebsiella (18.3%), Escherichia coli (E. coli) (15.4%). Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) was 75%. Acinetobacter resistance to colistin and carbapenem was 16.8%. About half of Pseudomonas isolates were resistant to meropenem.
Conclusion: According to the present findings of this study, a high incidence of device-associated infections and resistant organisms in our intensive care units were documented, which represents a need to reinforce the preventive and control programs. Various results in different studies can be due to differences in the level of health care in different centers and countries.

Background: Renal calculus with increasing prevalence and incidence in recent decades have the highest burden of urologic diseases. While preventive measures could significantly reduce the rate of recurrence, the amount of compliance with the preventive guidelines is unclear among urologists. This study was designated to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice in kidney stones prevention among urologists for the first time in Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the participants of the 20th Iranian Urological Association Congress. The questionnaires included questions regarding demographics, educational and occupational information, knowledge, attitude, and practice of urologists in the field of kidney stones prevention. The questionnaires were designed according to the latest guideline of the European Association of Urology and previous studies. Scores related to the knowledge and practice were calculated based on the number of questions with correct answers. The response rate was also calculated. The correlation of knowledge and practice with background variables, including age, work experience, and time since graduation were assessed.
Results: The total response rate was 18.08% (64 out of 354 distributed questionnaires). The mean age of the respondents was 47.25±10.20 and the mean work experience was 15.61±11.70 years. The mean knowledge and practice scores were 8.36±1.48 out of 11 and 4.44±1.45 out of 7 scores, respectively. A total of 96.2% and 73.4% of the urologists earned at least half of the knowledge and practice scores, respectively. There was no significant correlation between knowledge and practice scores (P=0.706). Work experience and time since graduation had a negative relationship with the knowledge scores (respectively, P=0.02 and P=0.026), and faculty membership had a positive correlation with the practice scores (P=0.022). Most respondents had an acceptable attitude regarding the effectiveness of stone prevention.
Conclusion: Although the study participants had good knowledge, attitude, and practice pattern regarding urinary stone prevention, their performance score was less than their level of awareness. However, we could not generalize the results to other urologists due to the low response rate of the study.

Background: TRX training is a new training method that has beneficial effects on improving balance and strength. However, the role of these types of training on the factors associated with function and mitochondrial biogenesis is not understood. Therefore, the purpose of present study was to determine the effect of eight weeks of TRX training on serum levels of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) and citrate synthase in overweight women.
Methods: All subjects gave written informed consent after a detailed description of the study procedures. The protocol of this study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Sport Sciences Research Institute (SSRI) in Iran. The present study was experimental and was conducted in Shahid Ghaffari women's club in Tehran under the supervision of Alzahra University from May 2018 to January 2019. For this purpose, 30 overweight women after primary alignment on basis of body mass index (25-30 kg/m2) were divided into two groups: control (n=14) and TRX training (n=16). The TRX training protocol was performed for eight weeks and 3 sessions per week, which included 6 main movements (squat, rear deltoid row, biceps curl, chest press, low row, rotational ward) that lasted 60 minutes per session. According to consideration the physical condition of each person, the subjects were free to modulate the exercise intensity by changing the body inclinations. Each exercise provided 4 sets of 12 repetitions separated by one-minute rest. Blood sampling was performed in two stages of pre-test and 48 hours after the last session of the exercise in overnight fasting state. After collection of serum samples, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to measure serum levels of PGC-1α and citrate synthase.
Results: The results showed that TRX training caused no significant change in the body weight and body mass index compared to the control group. In addition, TRX training increased significantly the serum levels of PGC-1α and citrate synthase compared to the pre-test and the control group.
Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicated that eight weeks of TRX training could increase serum levels of PGC-1α and citrate synthase in overweight women.

Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a rare set of inherited neurodegenerative disorders with abnormal accumulation of iron in basal ganglia. It is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder that is characterized by movement disorders, dystonia, dysarthria, Parkinsonism, intellectual disability, and spasticity. The age at onset varies from childhood to adulthood and the rate of progression is different among affected individuals. Although there is no information about the exact prevalence of NBIA in the world-wide, it is estimated less than 1/1,000,000 in population. NBIAs are inherited in autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant or X-linked fashions. Until now more than 10 genes have been identified for this group of disorders. Among these, only two genes encode proteins that directly involved in iron metabolism. Therefore, how iron contributes to the pathogenesis of NBIA remains unknown. The remaining NBIA-causing genes participate in lipid metabolism, lysosomal functions or autophagy process, and the roles of some of them remain unknown. NBIA is categorized based on the genetic cause of the disease. PKAN, PLAN, MPAN, and BPAN are the most common forms of the disease result from mutations in the PANK2, PLA2G6, C19orf12, and WDR45 genes, respectively. The diagnosis of NBIA is usually based on clinical features and a specific pattern of brain MRI which results from the abnormal accumulation of iron. For example, the pattern of “eye of the tiger” is observed in the brain MRI of PKAN cases. Since, clinical evaluations and neuroimaging have failed in the diagnosis of the disease in some NBIA cases, genetic testing will be helpful. Development of whole-exome sequencing (WES) has facilitated the identification of disease-causing genes but it seems some of NBIA-genes have remained unknown, yet. Identification of novel genes and molecular pathways will enable a deeper understanding of the underlying molecular bases and our knowledge about the pathogenesis of the disease. There is currently no comprehensive study about the NBIA in Iran, however, the latest discovered NBIA gene, GTPBP2, has been identified in an Iranian family.

Background: Premature infants undergo a lot of stressors during treatment procedures in the neonatal intensive care units which causes significant physiological changes in these neonates. Multi-sensory stimulation is a broad category of interventions designed to improve the evolutionary and physiological outcomes of premature infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit to minimize stress in this environment. So, the study aimed to evaluate the effect of multi-sensory stimulation on physiological parameters in preterm infants.
Methods: This double-blind clinical trial conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit of Shahid Motahari Hospital in Jahrom from April to December 2016. In this study, 80 preterm infants with a gestational age of 34 to 36 weeks were selected by non-probability sampling method and were randomly divided into two groups of multi-sensory stimulation and control. Neonates in the intervention group received a multi-sensory stimulation program for 60 minute. The multi-sensory stimulation program was included a combination of auditory, tactile, motor and visual stimulation. The preterm infants in the control group received only usual care. The data collecting tool was a questionnaire and checklist for physiological parameters of preterm infants.
Results: The results showed that the two groups were homogeneous in terms of fetal age, birth weight, the height of birth, first and fifth minute Apgar score of birth. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the mean of physiological indexes in the two groups before the intervention. Statistical tests showed that there was a decreasing trend in the average of all physiological indices during the intervention (first and second half during the intervention) (P<0.001), However, these changes were not significant in the control group (P<0.05). Also, analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures showed that there was a significant difference between changes in physiological variables between the two groups at different stages of evaluation (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Multi-sensory stimulation leads to a decrease in heart rate and respiratory rate and the stability of blood pressure in preterm infants.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by the proliferation of myeloid precursors and abnormal differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells, which results in the accumulation of immature cells in the bone marrow (BM). The accumulation of these cells in the bone marrow causes molecular and cellular changes in the microenvironment of the bone marrow. The adiponectin hormone originates from adipose tissue of the bone marrow, which in addition to effective functions in cellular metabolism, suppresses cancer through various mechanisms, including inhibition of metastasis, angiogenesis, and proliferation. In the bone marrow sample, patients with acute myeloid leukemia are associated with different subtypes of the disease.
Methods: In this basic-fundamental research, a total of 40 BM samples from de novo AML patients and 15 BM samples from healthy volunteers as the healthy group referred to the Stem Cell Transplantation Laboratory and Cell Therapy of Taleghani Hospital and with assisting the Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, from March 2015 to February 2017, were entered into the study. Then used the Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method for diagnosis level of adiponectin gene expression in BM samples patients and the healthy group.
Results: The results of the present study showed that the level of adiponectin gene expression in the BM sample of patients was significantly decreased in comparison with the healthy group (P=0.002). While, there was no significant difference (P<0.05) in adiponectin gene expression in AML subtypes myeloblastic, promyelocytic, and myelomonocytic/monocytic.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that there was a decrease in adiponectin gene expression in the bone marrow of acute myeloid leukemia patients compared to healthy controls. This decrease in adiponectin expression may be due to myeloid hyperplasia and a decrease in bone marrow adipocytes. In fact, The nutritional, metabolic, and mechanical stresses associated with myeloid cells accumulation cause alterations in bone marrow microenvironment structure and destruction of bone marrow adipose tissue. Therefore, reduced adiponectin gene expression in AML patients is one of the key indicators of bone ‎marrow microenvironmental changes in AML patients.‎‎

Background: The supratrochlear foramen (STF) is an important and relatively common anatomic variation in the lower end of the humerus in humans. In recent years it has become clear that STF should be emphasized because anatomical knowledge of STF is useful for anatomists, anthropologists, orthopedic surgeons, and radiologists. The anatomical structure of the humerus may play an important role in the intramedullary fixation thereby stressing the need of prior anatomical knowledge and preoperative planning in the presence of variations like STF in the distal end of the humerus. This study focuses on STF in the distal of the humerus bone and as well as the intertubercular sulcus (ITS) in the Iranian population.
Methods: This study was performed on 57 adult human humeral bones regardless of their gender at Arak University of Medical Sciences in Iran that it was done from October 2014 to March 2015. A total of 57 dried humerus (27 right side and 30 left side) were examined to determine the presence of supratrochlear foramen and septum. They were free from any pathological changes and fractures. The STF was analyzed for morphology and morphometric correlation.
Results: STF was found in only four cases (6.8%) of the humerus bones, two cases (3.4%) on the left and two cases (3.4%) on the right. The shape of the STF was oval, round and triangular. The mean STF transverse diameter in the right bones was 2.60±2.68 mm and in the left bones 0.57±0.31 mm and the mean vertical STF diameter in the right and left bones were 1.75±1.76 mm and 0.55±0.07 mm, respectively.
Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the shape of the STF and its number in the right and left bones. Twenty-seven bones (47%) out of 53 bones without supratrochlear foramen (STF) had septum.

Background: Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in the world which is mainly caused by epigenetic and environmental factors. Among these epigenetic factors, gut microbiota is an important one. Although it has not been proved a unique group of bacteria correlated with colorectal cancer, these findings have generally demonstrated differences between healthy and disease gut microbiome in population. Actually, the identification and investigation of intestinal microbiota in early detection of colorectal cancer have been highlighted in new researches and studies. Herein, in the current study, we aimed to evaluate the number of selected gut bacteria including Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli and Prevotella in the fecal specimens of adenomatous polyposis patients, colorectal cancerous cases in compared to normal participants in terms of estimating important role of gut microbiota during colorectal cancer initiation and progression.
Methods: The current research was a case-control study. Fecal samples were provided from 31 healthy individuals, 42 adenomatous polyposis patients and 20 colorectal cancer cases that were referred to Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from August 2016 to August 2017 for colorectal cancer screening tests. Fecal samples were collected to analyze intestinal bacteria including, Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli, and Prevotella by absolute quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The number of these gut bacteria was precisely determined by this method of real-time PCR.
Results: Higher number of Prevotella with 24.6 CT number (P<0.005) and E.coli with 20.4 CT number (P<0.015) were achieved in colorectal cancer cases and adenomatous polyposis patients in contrast to samples from normal individuals. On the contrary, the opposite range was observed for the quantification of Lactobacillus and greater numbers of bacteria (CT=28.6) were detected in normal, compared to the colorectal cancer cases and adenomatous polyposis (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The gut microbiota composition of individuals with colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyposis differs from that of healthy individuals, and the higher numbers of pathogenic microbiota versus beneficial microbiota present in those with colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyposis. In contrast, healthy individuals have higher numbers of beneficial gut microbiota than pathogenic microbes. These findings need more experimental analysis and investigation to better clarify.

Background: Cataract is one of the most common eye diseases especially in elderly patients and most of these patients require surgery. In the process of sedation, different drugs are used, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Dexmedetomidine is one of the drugs that has recently received special attention for sedation. In this study, we compared the drug combination of dexmedetomidine-fentanyl with midazolam-fentanyl in cataract surgery.
Methods: In a case-control study, the patients who underwent cataract surgery by a surgeon with topical anesthesia and sedation techniques were included in the target group. Seventy patients were divided into two groups of 35 according to a random number table. One group received dexmedetomidine-fentanyl (dexmedetomidine group) and the other received midazolam-fentanyl (midazolam group). Age, sex, weight, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, patient sedation, surgeon satisfaction, recovery nurse satisfaction, and postoperative nausea and vomiting were compared between the two groups. The study was performed in the Farabi Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from October to November 2019.
Results: Patients in the two groups were similar in age, sex, weight, and preoperative hemodynamic variables. There was no significant difference in preoperative systolic and diastolic blood pressure between the two groups (P=0.150). However, those who received dexmedetomidine had significantly lower intraoperative heart rate (P<0.001). The difference in postoperative systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as postoperative heart rate was significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group (P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in postoperative sedation (P=0.93). The surgeon’s satisfaction was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.17). Also, the rate of recovery nurse satisfaction was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.21). The incidence of nausea and vomiting was similar in both groups (P=1.00).
Conclusion: Sedation with dexmedetomidine decreases blood pressure and heart rate. Therefore, it is recommended to use dexmedetomidine more cautiously in patients with unstable hemodynamics and especially in short surgical procedures.

Background: Uremic pruritus is one of the important problems in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Causing the mechanism of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients is complex and multifactorial. Almost 60 percent of hemodialysis patients suffer from uremic pruritus. Oral hydroxyzine is a common treatment for uremic pruritus of this patients. This study aimed to survey effect of hydroxyzine on uremic pruritus of hemodialysis patients.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study (pre and post design) performed on 40 patients with eligible criteria. All of the hemodialysis patients who suffer from pruritus received a tablet of hydroxyzine 25 mg daily for 6 weeks. In this time, drugs and the plan of hemodialysis were constant. Pruritus score of patients, evaluated with 5-D pruritus scale that had 8 items with 5-score Likert scale and evaluate duration, direction, disability, and distribution of pruritus. Severity scores of pruritus before and after treatment with tablet of hydroxyzine were compared. This study was conducted on hemodialysis patients in the Soodeh Center of Hemodialysis in the south of Tehran, Iran, from September 2016 to February 2017.
Results: The findings of this study showed that most of the patients in this study were male (55%) with mean age of 55.97±11.59 years. The most cause of chronic renal failure in these patients was diabetes (37.5%). This study showed that 32.5% of the hemodialysis patients had moderate to severe uremic pruritus. The mean score of pruritus before the treatment with hydroxyzine was 16.73±3.4 and the most effect of this drug was in the social activity item (2.47±0.6). After treatment with hydroxyzine, the mean score of pruritus in the patients was 9.65±2.15 that was decreased significantly (P<0.001). The findings showed that there was no significant relationship between decrease of pruritus and characteristics of patients.    
Conclusion: This study showed that uremic pruritus is still a challenge in hemodialysis patients. According to this study use of hydroxyzine, regardless of uremic pruritus mechanism, could be decreased uremic pruritus of hemodialysis patients.

Background: Despite exist several centers of excellence in the various medical field in the country, most of them lack a single procedure and organizational structures in their functioning, organizing, targeting, etc. So the study aimed to design an organizational model that meets the goals and mission of them in the field of medical sciences.
Methods: This qualitative and applied research was conducted in two comparative and analytical stages from May 2016 to February 2017 in Iran. The location of the study includes a university, research institute, health center, or research center known as a center of excellence. In the analytical stage, 10 experts and managers of the top centers were selected through a targeted sampling method as a study sample. In the comparative section, all 50 centers of excellence and similar specimens in the world were selected. The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview in the analytical section and the ministry of health's documents. In comparative section data, bases and official sites of the centers were analyzed.

Background: Cataract surgery is one of the most common surgeries in the world, especially in elderly patients, and often performed topically with sedative agents. Ketamine is one of the most commonly used agents and the effect of different doses on intraocular pressure is in dispute. The present study investigates the effect of a low dose of ketamine on intraocular pressure in patients undergoing cataract surgery.
Methods: This case-control study was performed in Farabi Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences from January 2020 to February 2020. In this study 92 patients undergoing cataract surgery were randomly divided into two groups of 46 patients. Patients' intraocular pressure and blood pressure were measured at baseline, and then all patients received 1 mg midazolam and 1 μg/kg fentanyl before initiation of the study. In the case group, 0.15 mg/kg ketamine was injected intravenously. Intraocular pressure and blood pressure of all subjects were measured three minutes after injection of sedation. Also, postoperative pain, need for opioids and, postoperative nausea and vomiting were compared between the two groups.

Background: Currently many hospitals around the country face increasing demands of their patients and readmission.The rate of readmission is a useful indicator for determining the performance of healthcare system and it shows the quality of services in the medical institutions. Readmissions have high economic, social and financial impact and studying the related factors seems to be high priority for healthcare systems.
Methods: This qualitative study performed by phenomenological method in three educational hospitals in Kerman from April to September of 2017. Data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews using targeted sampling among all patients who were hospitalized at internal medicine wards, nurses who were working in those wards, and in charge physicians. In total twenty patients, fifteen nurses, and five physicians were selected for interviews. The including criteria were for patients, the history of hospitalization at least once, during one month after the initial hospitalization, and for service providers, familiarity with the subject, work experience in the relevant department of at least three years for nurses and five years for physicians. A seven-step clustering method was used to analyze the data.
Results: The analysis of the interviews led to the identification of three main themes and 11 sub-themes. The main themes included patients' characteristics, manpower and clinical factors, hospital, and environmental factors. Some of the sub-codes included economic and living conditions, marriage status, insurance coverage, patients' beliefs and expectations, the presence or absence of underlying disease, education, lifestyle habits, dietary beliefs of hospitalized patients, lack of trust in medical staff, communication and cultural barriers, ignorance of service providers in treatment, lack of facilities, lack of motivation in medical staff, stressors and finally lack of hospital equipment.

Background: Childbirth is a natural phenomenon without the medical intervention but someone a cesarean section is necessary when a vaginal delivery might put mother and baby at risk. Given the increased rate of cesarean section and post-operative complications, prolonged recovery, high cost of labor through surgery, Childbirth education classes can prepare parents for normal or complicated labor and delivery. This study aimed to investigate the effect of delivery preparation classes on choosing a delivery method.
Methods: This study compared the experimental and control groups of pregnant women who were referred to Zabol health centers and it was performed from May 2017 to November 2017. The statistical population included 70 pregnant women of which 35 cases were selected as the experimental group and 35 cases as the control group. For the experimental group, 8 sessions of counseling and training for natural childbirth were held. Data in two stages were collected. Up until the end of pregnancy, both groups were followed and the method of delivery was evaluated. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test in SPSS software, version 23 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

Background: Sore throat after endotracheal intubation during general anesthesia is a common complaint of patients especially in children. Strabismus surgery in one of the common procedures in child patients. The present study investigates the use of intratracheal ketamine administration in reducing sore throat after strabismus surgery.
Methods: This study was performed on 60 patients undergoing elective strabismus surgery under general anesthesia from December 2019 to February 2020 in Farabi eye hospital, Tehran University of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran. These cases were referred to our center for strabismus operation from other centers of our country. Patients were randomly divided into two equal groups. After sufficient depth of anesthesia with sevoflurane and injection of fentanyl, endotracheal intubation was performed. In the control group, the endotracheal tube was inserted and 2 ml of ketamine solution at a concentration of 5 mg/ml were administered in endotracheal tube. The severity of sore throat, length of stay in recovery, incidence of delirium in recovery, satisfaction of recovery nurses and their parents and other complications were compared between the two groups.