Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: Cholecystectomy is one of the most common abdominal surgeries and its preferred method is laparoscopy. The difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in diabetic patients is not clear and the preferred method of cholecystectomy in these patients is still under controversy. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in diabetic and non-diabetic patients.
Methods: This retrospective analytical study was performed in Shahid Beheshti Hospital and Forghani Educational and Medical Center from April 2019 to April 2020. Samples were easily selected and 86 people in two groups of diabetic and non-diabetic patients were included in the study. All patient records were reviewed based on inclusion and exclusion criteria for factors such as age, sex, diet, duration of surgery, bleeding, adhesions, and open surgery, and finally, diabetes as a risk factor. It was compared between the two groups. Data were analyzed in SPSS software version 22, an independent t-test was used to analyze quantitative data and the chi-square test was used to analyze qualitative data. In this study, a significance level of less than 0.05 was considered.
Results: Abdominal scar, palpable gallbladder and gallstone were not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.33). But the history of cholecystectomy attacks was significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). Laboratory values were not significant (P>0.05) . Hard operations in diabetic patients were more than nondiabetic
patients and even two cases of open surgery were seen in the group of diabetic
patients, but there was no significant relationship (P=0.09). Intraoperative bleeding was
statistically significant between the two groups (P=0.02), But adhesion during the
operation was not related (P=0.38).
Conclusion: Finally, our study showed that diabetes can be a predictive risk factor for the difficulty of cholecystectomy.

Background: Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that severely affects the perception and relations of individuals. Nowadays, this disease is diagnosed by psychiatrists based on psychiatric tests, which is highly dependent on their experience and knowledge. This study aimed to design a fully automated framework for the diagnosis of schizophrenia from electroencephalogram signals using advanced deep learning algorithms.
Methods: In this analytic study, which is done from April to October 2021 in Tehran, 19-channel electroencephalogram signals from 14 schizophrenia patients and 14 healthy individuals were recorded and pre-processed. Then, the effective connectivity measure using the transfer entropy method is estimated from them and a 19×19 asymmetric connectivity matrix is constructed and represented by a color map as an image. Then, these effective connectivity images are used as inputs to the five pre-trained neural networks of AlexNet, Resnet-50, Shufflenet, Inception, and Xception. Finally, the parameters of these networks are fine-tuned to diagnose schizophrenia patients. All models are fine-tuned based on newly constructed images using the adaptive moment estimation optimizer algorithm and cross-entropy as the loss function. 10-fold cross-validation and subject-independent validation methods are used to evaluate the proposed method.

Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis patients are evaluated during treatment for various inflammatory factors such as C-reactive protein, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, and Disease Activity Score, and other immune system-related factors. In the follow-up of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, hematologic factors associated with the immune system especially Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio and Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio are important. In this study, platelet to lymphocyte ratio and Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio were compared in two groups of patients with and without ocular complications.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 246 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were referred to the rheumatology clinic of Kermanshah from December 2018 to May 2019. This study was carried out in accordance with the approval of the ethics committee (IR.KUMS.REC1397.311) at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Of these patients, 191 had no ocular complications and 55 patients had ocular complications and were matched for age and sex. The blood samples were taken from patients and blood cell count was measured by Sysmex KX-21 hematology analyzer. The Spearman correlation test was used to evaluate the relationship between platelet to lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in both groups of patients without ocular complications and with ocular complications. The Disease Activity Score was compared between the two groups using the Mann-Whitney test.

Background: mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) is a common practice before laparoscopic gynecologic surgeries but the role and efficacy of preparation have been questioned. this study assesses visualization and bowel handling in a group of patients who receive MBP and the control group and thereafter; compares the results.
Methods: We designed and conducted this randomized, single-blinded and controlled trial on patients who underwent advanced gynecologic laparoscopic surgeries. This clinical trial was carried out between July 2020 and January 2021. The patients were enrolled from l the laparoscopic office. 120 women aged 18-65 years undergoing level 2 and 3 benign gynecologic laparoscopic surgeries were randomized to bowel preparation with a normal saline enema (n=60) or non-bowel preparation (n=60) groups. Our patients underwent level 2 and 3 of benign laparoscopic gynecologic surgeries with or without MBP. The visualization and bowel handling were assessed by the primary surgical team and a questionnaire was later obtained. The outcomes included intraoperative surgical view and bowel handling, preoperative and post-operative patient signs and symptoms. The patients were also assessed in respect to discomfort prior and after the surgery, this assessment was obtained using a questionnaire. The gathered data was analyzed using IBM’s SPSS v26 software.

Background: Vesicoureteral reflux (urinary reflux) is one of the most common congenital anomalies in children. This study aimed to compare the ureteral opening distance from the midline in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and healthy children
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on the children with pyelonephritis who were referred to Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman, Iran from August 2019 to August 2020. Twenty children with vesicoureteral reflux (urinary reflux) and twenty healthy children were randomly selected. Then children with vesicoureteral reflux (urinary reflux) and healthy children were divided into two groups. The distance from the ureter to the midline in these children was then measured by a radiologist with a Philips affinity 70 ultrasound machine.

Background: Neonatal seizures can have many causes. Determining the underlying cause of neonatal seizures is very important in determining the prognosis, outcome, and treatment strategies. In this study, we have evaluated the frequency of Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in neonates younger than 6 months who had been referred to Shiraz Namazi hospital with seizures to determine the prevalence of various causes of seizures.
Methods: This was a retrospective study, that was performed on 199 neonates younger than 6 months of age who were hospitalized due to seizures in hospitals affiliated with Shiraz medical sciences from 21^st March 2018 to 20 March 2019. Patient data were extracted by statistics and health information system and imaging data and its reports were extracted from picture archiving and communication system. The data were statistically analyzed by SPSS V26.
Results: In this study, 199 infants under the age of 6 months were examined, of which 124 (62.3%) were boys and 75 (37.7%) were girls. 97 infants (48.7%) were less than one month old and 102 ones (81.3%) were in the age group of 1-6 months. It should be noted that in terms of gender, 57.3% (71) of male infants and 49.3% (37) of female infants had abnormal MRI findings. 54.3% of patients had abnormal MRI findings and 45.7% had normal MRI. The most common abnormal finding was hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which was the most common cause of seizures in 21.1% of neonates, followed by infection with 12.5% and cerebral hemorrhage with 11% of prevalence. Other important abnormal findings included hydrocephalus, structural abnormalities, venous sinus thrombosis, brain atrophy, developmental abnormality, etc. There was a combination of radiological findings in 18.56% of neonates.

Conclusion: This study showed that hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is the most common cause of neonatal seizures. Considering that in this study, a significant percentage (54.3%) of the neonates had abnormal brain MRI, this finding indicates the importance of performing this radiological procedure in the diagnosis, prognosis, and duration of treatment in neonatal seizures.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disease that involves skin, joints and different organ systems. It is associated with Multiple morbidities such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Due to the high importance of the association between psoriasis and CKD which results in major side effects the aim of this study was to evaluation of CKD and associated factors in Psoriasis patients at Razi Hospital, Tehran, Iran.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted as a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study to evaluate the frequency of CKD and associated factors in psoriatic patients admitted to the Razi Hospital whose last time of admission was from June 2018 to January 2019. According to the K/DOQI guideline, CKD is defined as the GFR<60 mL/min/1.73 m² during at least a period of three months. GFR was calculated based on the MDRD formula. The sample size was equal to 265. The hospital documents of inpatients who have been admitted to Razi Hospital wards or follow-up clinics during 2017-2019 were used for collecting information and data. This information has been extracted based on the initial checklist for data collection. Collected data has been analyzed and performed by using SPSS 25 software.
Results: The study found that 18 (6.8%) of psoriasis patients had CKD. Patients were in the age range of 3.5-92 years, the majority of them were in the age range of 18.65–79.7 years. 171 (64.5%) patients were male and 94 (35.5%) were female. 41 (15.5%) patients had diabetes, 94 (35.5%) had hyperlipidemia and 41 (15.5%) had hypertension. History of NSAID, Methotrexate, Cyclosporine, Acitretin, Infliximab, and Adalimumab medication use among 9 (3.4%), 205 (77.4%), 56 (21.1%), 147 (55.5%), 30 (11.3%), and 28 (10.6%) patients were observed, respectively. Also, 54 (20.4%) had a history of phototherapy. 217 (81.9%) of the psoriatic patients had CPP (Chronic Plaque Psoriasis) and 48 (18.1%) had PP (pustular Psoriasis) and finally, 21 (7.9%) of the patients had psoriatic arthritis.

Conclusion: The prevalence of CKD was shown to increase by age. The other correlated factors are diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. On the other hand, there was not found any significant correlation between drugs (NSAIDs, Methotrexate, Cyclosporine, Acitretin, Infliximab, Adalimumab) and CKD prevalence. There was also no significant correlation between phototherapy, psoriasis type and psoriatic arthritis, duration of psoriasis and CKD prevalence.

Conclusion: Results of this study showcased the importance of TNF-α in disease progression and treatment failure. Further future studies regarding this relationship can provide vital information in AIDS treatment research.

Results: Out of 98 subjects, 24 (24.5%) had positive rectovaginal culture. Individuals treated with antibiotics based on positive culture results did not show a significant difference in terms of observed pregnancy outcomes compared with the control group. Conclusion: The prevalence of GBS colonization was significantly higher in patients with a history of vaginal discharge than in those without a history. Due to the small number of studies conducted in Iran, it is recommended to conduct studies with a larger sample size in order to explain a more appropriate protocol in terms of effectiveness and economics.

The vagus nerve (VN), the longest cranial nerve and an essential part of the parasympathetic system, connects the central nervous system to respiratory, cardiovascular, immune, gastrointestinal, and endocrine systems and is involved in the maintenance of homeostasis by controlling these systems. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is related to any method that would stimulate the vagal nerve via electrical stimulation. VNS is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for medication-resistant depression, drug-resistant epilepsy, and migraine. However, VNS has also been studied for various other conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and tinnitus, by targeting the VN in the neck and ear. Currently, there are two methods for VNS: a) invasive-VNS (iVNS), which requires surgical implantation of a pulse generator under the anterior chest wall, that is linked through a wire to an electrode cuff that wraps around a cervical vagus nerve, b) non-invasive transcutaneous VNS which is separated into cervical transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (ctVNS) and auricular transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (atVNS). The non-invasive transcutaneous VNS techniques are well tolerated and have no significant side effects, making them effective in clinical research for brain diseases. Because with these newer methods, the electrical stimulation is carried out through the skin.
The results of this study were collected using the advanced search in Scientific Information Database (SID), Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus between 2011 to 2021. Out of 671 articles surveyed, we used 53 articles in the study after the evaluation. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and Keyword Searching was carried out through the MeSH database. VNS has been shown to alter neural activity in multiple areas of the brain related to the regulation of the affective states. However, the precise mechanism of VNS action on the clinical consequences is still unknown. This study aimed to review the therapeutic effect of both methods of VNS in neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders such as depression, migraine, seizure, tinnitus and Alzheimer's disease and discuss several hypotheses on the mechanism of VNS, as a new approach, in the treatment of such disorders. It considers that a brain-mapping approach is needed to discover the therapeutic mechanisms of VNS in brain diseases.

Background: In Iran, a combination of three methods of budget payment, fee for service and case-based payment (known as the global payment system) is used to reimburse the cost of hospital services. The aim of this study was to investigate the costs of 90 services of the Global Hospital Reimbursement System at Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional applied study was performed from March  2017 to March 2019 in the hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The billing and record data of all patients whose services were reimbursed on a global payment system basis were extracted from hospital information systems. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency mean. std deviation, maximum & minimum) in SPSS 21 and Excel 2016.
Results: During two years in TUMS, the costs of services provided to 143,866 patients have been reimbursed based on the global payment system., which had a cost of 2300 billion rials. 80% of the total services and costs were related to 10 services. 78.46% of the cases were related to two specialized groups of ophthalmology and obstetrics and gynecology. 83.17% of the total costs of services reimbursed globally at the TUMS were related to these two specialized groups. The average cost per service was about 16 million Rials, but varied greatly for different services, ranging from about 1.8 million Rials to 67 million Rials. On average, for a global service, the share of each of the cost subgroups of diagnostic services, hoteling and nursing services, medicine and consumables, operating room and surgery, physician's visit and consultation, respectively 3.1%, 11.6%, 21.4%, 49.9% and 13.9%.

Conclusion: Managers need to focus on high-frequency and high-cost services to reduce the cost and financial losses for services that are under the global payment system. Depending on the specific cost pattern of each service, the strategies adopted to control the costs of that service should also be different.

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.

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.

Background: The image quality is paramount in interpreting the hepatic dynamic CT scan. A poor quality image results in repeating the procedure, which is very time-consuming for the patient and staff, and besides, it is not cost-efficient. This study intended to determine the correlation between image quality and the Hounsfield unit (HU) of the liver and its vessels in the arterial and venous phase to define the acceptable range of HUs for hepatic CT images.
Methods: The image quality of 146 dynamic CT scans was assessed by qualitative and quantitative methods at Namazi Hospital of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences from September 2019 to August 2021. Two radiologists performed the qualitative evaluation. They categorized the image qualities into three groups; poor, acceptable, and high quality. For quantitative assessment of image quality, the Hounsfield unit of the aorta, hepatic vein, main portal vein, right anterior, right posterior, and left lateral lobe of the liver were evaluated in both arterial and venous phases.

Results: According to the results of the qualitative evaluation of image quality, 59.6%, 17.8%, and 22.6% of triphasic CT scans had good, acceptable, and poor quality, respectively. There was a significant relationship between image quality and Hounsfield units of all ROIs in the arterial phase (P<0.005). Also, a significant relationship was observed between the Hounsfield units of the portal vein right on the anterior and posterior segments of the liver (P<0.03) in the venous phase. Conclusion: In a high quality triphasic CT scan, the Hounsfield unit of different parts in the arterial phase should be as follows: aorta 310±78, portal vein 150±40, hepatic vein 44±7, right posterior and anterior and left lateral segments of liver 77±11, 77±7 and 78±12. Hounsfield units of the portal vein, hepatic vein, and right posterior and anterior segments of the liver in the venous phase should be 155±27, 167±30, 111±19, and 112±16, respectively.

Background: Based on the studies, variation in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in peripheral blood leukocytes is associated with increased susceptibility to diseases including cancer. Opiate abusers are at high risk for diseases. In this study, we measured the mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood leukocytes in a group of opiate abusers compared with those in healthy individuals.
Methods: In a case/control study, three groups were selected consisting of 32 opium abusers, 24 heroin addicts and 25 healthy individuals. The amount of 5 ml of whole blood was collected from each individual who participated in the study and stored at -20 centigrade. The sample collection was performed from November 2018 to February 2020. Case groups were recruited from the Methadone maintenance therapy center. Contro group had no history of drug use and cigarette smoking. DNA was extracted from the whole blood samples using the salting out method. The DNA from a mitochondrial gene, dehydrogenase subunit1 (-ND1 gene) and a nuclear gene, human globulin (HGB gene), were quantified by a real-time PCR-based method to measure the relative mtDNA copy number of each group number.
Results: There was no significant difference in demographic characterization between the three study groups, opium abusers, heroin addicts and healthy individuals. We found that opium users had a higher mean of mtDNA copy number than those in the healthy control group (P=0.11). Heroin addicts had also higher mean of mtDNA copy number than those in healthy group (P=0.21). The mean mtDNA copy number in opium abusers was higher than that in heroin addicts (P=0.22), although the difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that mtDNA copy number increased in a group of opiate abusers. Considering that alteration of mtDNA copy number is associated with increased susceptibility to several diseases including cancer, further research on mtDNA copy number with a high number of volunteers of opiate addicts may clear the effect of opiate abuse on the human genome.

Background: Vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the most well-known disorders due to long-term use of metformin due to interference with its absorption.
Methods: This double-blind randomized trial was conducted from June to October 2016 at Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Qom on 60 patients in the age group of 30 to 60 years with a history of type 2 diabetes for one to two years and taking metformin in the amount of one to two grams. Patients were divided into two groups of 30 people. The intervention group received metformin with 1 gram of calcium carbonate daily, and the control group received metformin without calcium. Each of the patients in the intervention group was given 200 calcium carbonate tablets. Vitamin B12 levels of the patients in both groups were measured before the start of the intervention, and they were evaluated in terms of neuropathy according to the Michigan questionnaire. Vitamin B12 of patients and neuropathy in two groups were measured before the intervention and after three months.
Results: There was a difference between the two groups in terms of gender, and no significant difference was observed between the mean ages in the two groups. The mean level of vitamin B12 before receiving calcium in group A (intervention) was lower than group B (control) (P=0.036) and after receiving calcium, the level of vitamin B12 in the intervention group increased (P=0.002). In the control group, the level of vitamin B12 decreased (P=0.030). (P=0.006), and in the control group there was no significant difference in the examination of neuropathy (P=0.2).

Conclusion: Oral calcium daily intake increases vitamin B12 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and calcium may be able to moderate the decrease in serum vitamin B12 levels induced by metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background: The aim of this study was to find the causes of failure of natural childbirth in late-term pregnancy that can be useful for managing childbirth in these pregnant mothers and to design a solution to increase natural childbirth.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the community of pregnant women with a late-term pregnancy of more than 41 weeks. The studied sample includes 148 pregnant mothers who were referred to Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital in Babol from March 2018 to February 2020. Mother's age, Body Mass Index, gestational age, number of pregnancies, number of deliveries, length of hospitalization, the state of the cervix and preparation method of the cervix for termination of pregnancy were extracted and recorded from patients' files. Data were compared in two groups of pregnancy termination methods (natural childbirth and cesarean delivery). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software, version 22 (IBM SPSS, Armonk, NY, USA) and Chi-square test and Student’s t-test statistical tests and logistic regression model fitting. P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: In this study, 167 pregnant women with late-term pregnancy were studied. The age of pregnant women is reported with mean of 26.03 and standard deviation 5.98 of years. The high Bishop variable, with odds ratio of 0.44, is a variable protective factor for cesarean delivery (P=0.001). Higher body mass index with odds ratio of 1.09, is also known as a risk factor for cesarean delivery (P=0.01), so that for each unit of increase in Bishop score, the chance of cesarean delivery decreases by 56% and for each unit of increase in body mass index, the chance of cesarean delivery increases by 9%. Conclusion: This study showed that nearly half of cases of late pregnancies lead to normal delivery. High body mass index reduces the chance of normal delivery in late term pregnancies. But a higher Bishop score can be effective in the success of natural delivery.

Background: Although cervical cancer in adult women with early diagnostic tests has better treatment ability and disease management, precise and fast diagnosis of any signs of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I-III and high-risk dysplasia is vital. If any precancerous/abnormal suspicious cells are not detected in the routine diagnostic process (pathology), they cannot be treated before the lesion turns into cervical cancer, consequently help increasing the patient’s survival rate.
Methods: In this clinical study, the efficiency and diagnostic accuracy of the electrochemical measuring device of glycolysis metabolism in cancer cells (HEA: Hypoxia electrochemical assay) on in-vitro human fresh cervical samples were studied. The samples were prepared from 40 candidates of conization through a history of abnormal cell presentation in their pap smear results. The study was conducted at the Gynecology Department, Yas Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and assistant hospitals from August 2018 to June 2021. Patients provided consent according to an ethically approved protocol. A CIN-based scoring of HEA responses was proposed by considering the pathology reports of HEA-tested regions.

Results: The diagnostic calibration of the sensor was achieved by comparing the ROS/H2O2 electrochemical current related to cell glycolysis with the presence of cancer cells in the samples' histology. The current diagnostic threshold obtained by the sensor to differentiate cancerous areas from others showed an accuracy of 95% (P<0.0001). The accuracy and sensitivity of the sensor were 95% and 100%, respectively. Therefore, a matched clinical diagnostic classification between the pathological results of tested tissues and the sensor's electrochemical ROS/H2O2 response was proposed based on CIN categorization.

Background: Given the limited resources of health system, economic evaluations studies can provide appropriate evidences for resource allocation by clarifying the possible consequences of a decision. Present study aimed to evaluate the implemented approaches for economic evaluation studies of pharmacoeconomic in Iran.
Methods: This study was carried out using the critical review method. All studies related to economic evaluation studies of pharmacoeconomic in Iran, indexed in PubMed and SID databases and Google Scholar search engine, were searched by using appropriate keywords and search strategies until 2021. Further, published papers from Iranian researchers in the field of health economics and pharmacoeconomics and pharmaceutical administration were extracted with the scientometric system of the Health Ministry. Then, retrieved papers were screened by title, abstract, and the whole text. Finally, papers were evaluated by applying the Drummond quality assessment checklist, and finally appropriate ones were selected. Finally, 29 papers were selected and analyzed.

Results: Out of total available papers (n=1324), 29 papers had inclusion criteria to evaluate. The selected papers were analyzed based on 10 parameters, including type of analysis, type of comparator, source of clinical effectiveness, time horizon, used model, perspective of the analysis, measured expected outcomes, discounting of costs and outcomes, sensitivity analysis, and subgroup analysis. Most studies have used cost utility analysis. Shortcomings were found in some aspects as follows: some studies did not mention the applied model, or the time horizon. Moreover, some studies had time horizon more than one year, while the cost and consequences were not discounted. Conclusion: In recent years, economic evaluation studies in the field of pharmacoeconomic in Iran have been center attention in line with global trend. In order to make a decision regarding the allocation of resources based on the findings of economic evaluation studies, these studies should be conducted with the systematic and transparent approach. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a standard framework for implementing and reporting the results of economic evaluation studies in Iran.