Tehran University Medical Journal

Results: According to the predefined criteria, a total of ten studies (parallel group or cross-over trials, and case-control studies) were included and screened for data extraction by two reviewers, separately. The preliminary results extracted from meta-analysis have shown that pentoxifylline can significantly increase transferrin saturation (SMD: 0.348; CI95%: 0.008, 0.688), but there were no conclusive effects of pentoxifylline on hemoglobin (SMD: 0.171; CI95%: -0.390, 0.732), hematocrit (SMD: 0.466; CI95%: -1.426, 2.357), ferritin (SMD: -0.010; CI95%: -0.346, 0.326), and administered dose of erythropoietin (SMD: 0.114; CI95%: -0.232, 0.460), in pooled analyses.
Conclusion: There is uncertainty about therapeutic effects of pentoxifylline on anemia of CKD patients. Since these patients has many diverse complications and receive multiple drug therapy, the results of such meta-analysis regarding outcomes of pentoxifylline therapy may have beneficial effects on rational drug prescription.
 

Results: The prevalence of medical errors was reported in 9 studies and prevalence rate ranged from 0.06% to 42%. Most studies used reporting forms completed by hospital employees for determining the prevalence of medical errors (67%). Only three studies collected data by reviewing patients’ medical records. Accordingly, the overall prevalence of medical error in Iran's hospitals based on the nine published articles was 0.01% (95% Cl 0%-0.01%) during 2008 to 2017. The highest medical error was recorded in a hospital in Shiraz, 2.1% (95% Cl: 1.4%-2.7%) in 2012. A significant statistical correlation was observed between medical errors and sample size (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The prevalence rate of medical error in Iran is low. It is strongly recommended to use more advanced and valid methods such as occurrence reporting, screening, and the global trigger tool for examining medical errors in Iranian hospitals. Proving adequate education and training to patients and employees, simplifying and standardizing hospital processes, enhancing hospital information systems, improving communication, promoting a safety culture, improving employees’ welfare and satisfaction, and implementing quality management strategies are useful for reducing medical errors.

Results: Based on the search strategy carried out at PubMed, Scopus and Science Direct databases, 106 studies were found, which resulted in 24 articles being analyzed based on inclusion and exclusion criteria of which three were conducted in China, 18 in Turkey and one in Sweden, Egypt, and France. Finally, 24 articles were analyzed and the results showed a direct and effective relationship between diabetes mellitus and CAE (OR=1.19, CI: 0.94, 1.51).
Conclusion: Based on these results, the risk of CAE in subjects with diabetes mellitus was 19% higher than in subjects without diabetes mellitus.

Results: In a survey of 33 studies and 97205 participants in the age range of (3-18) years, the general prevalence of asthma in this study based on meta-analysis was 5.1% (CI95%: 4-6.5%). The highest prevalence of asthma was among children from Babol which was 19% (CI95%: 17.8% -20.3%) in 2014 and the lowest prevalence of asthma was among children from Isfahan with 0.7% of prevalence (CI95%: 0.5-1.1) in 2001. Also, with the increase of research years and overall sample size in each study, asthma in children shows increasing and decreasing levels, respectively; and the differences were statistically significant.
Conclusion: Based on what was reported in this study, the prevalence of asthma among Iranian children is lower compared to children of developed countries.

                                                                        
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Background: Parkinson's disease is one of the chronic neurological diseases. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's, affecting 7.5 million people worldwide and its rate is expected to increase by 20% by 2020. three symptoms of tremor, muscle stiffness and movement disorders are among the main diagnostic symptoms of the disease. The prevalence of Parkinson's worldwide varies between 18 and 418 cases per 100,000 people per year. It is generally estimated that the prevalence of this disease in the general population is 0.3%. A systematic review study was performed to determine the factors associated with Parkinson's disease.
Methods: This study was a systematic review that was conducted by searching national and international databases until February 2020. Initially, all articles which had mentioned Parkinson-related factors were collected and accepted by researchers based on studies. Entry and exit criteria were met. Exclusion criteria included irrelevant items, duplication of studies, unclear procedure, and lack of access to the full text of the study. To reduce bias, articles were evaluated independently by two researchers, and the quality of articles was assessed using the STROBE checklist. All final articles submitted to the systematic review process were prepared by a template checklist. Checklists included article title, first author’s name, year of publication, place of study, risk factors, protective factors, and ineffective factors or the ones which their effects have not yet been determined, and the average age.
Results: In these studies, the following risk factors were reported: family history, agricultural occupation, literacy, stress, well water consumption, aging, environmental factors, genetic factors, pesticide exposure, and alcohol abuse. On the other hand, factors such as smoking and oilseeds, high levels of B-complex vitamins, female estrogen hormones, and selenium have been reported to protect against Parkinson's disease.
Conclusion: Considering the results of the present study and although there is no definitive treatment for this disease, protective factors and risk factors should be seriously considered by health policymakers for preventive measures.