JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN HEALTH SCIENCES (JRHS)
Year:2017 | Volume:17 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

Background: The estimate of mortality associated with illicit opiate use provides useful information to those directing and monitoring local, national and international policies and programs. This study investigated the epidemiology of mortality due to the illegal consumption of narcotics and psychotropic substances in the Iran to provide evidence-based public health data for useful programs and actions aimed at preventing drug-related mortality. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: The information regarding all cases of psychotropic positive was collected from Legal Medicine Organization, occurred on Mar 2015 to Feb 2016. Demographic and epidemiological data were extracted from recorded documents. Data were then analyzed in Stata software. Results: Overall, 2306 died cases from opioid or psychotropic abuse were evaluated. The mean age of the subjects was 36. 07± 12. 61 yr, they were mostly single male, and 88. 64% of them had Iranian nationality. The mortality rate from opiate and psychotropic abuse in the whole country was 38. 22 per 1, 000, 000 population. The most common location of death was at home or in another private residence. History of overdose, suicide, hospitalization in psychiatric hospital, staying in prison and substance abuse in the family observed in some people who died from drug abuse. Conclusions: Mortality rate from substance abuse is more among unmarried young men aged 30-39 yr with low education level also in self-employed. We suggest policies to prevent this person accessing and using drug.

Background: We evaluated whether different personal responsibilities should influence the allocation healthcare resources and whether attitudes toward the penalization of risk behaviours vary among individual’ s sociodemographic characteristics and health related habits. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: We developed an online survey and made it available on various social networks for six months, during 2015. The sample covered the population aged 18 yr and older living in Portugal and we got 296 valid answers. Respondents faced four lifestyle choices: smoking, consumption of alcoholic beverages, unhealthy diet and illegal drug use, and should decide whether each one is relevant when establishing healthcare priorities. Logistic regressions were used to explore the relation of respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics and health related behaviours in the likelihood of agreeing with the patients engaged in risky behaviour deserve a lower priority. Results: Using illegal drugs was the behaviour most penalized (65. 5%) followed by heavy drinkers (61. 5%) and smoking (51. 0%). The slight penalization was the unhealthy dieting (29. 7%). The sociodemographic characteristics had different impact in penalization of the risks’ behaviours. Moreover, the respondents who support the idea that unhealthy lifestyles should have a lower priority, all strongly agreed that the smoking habit (OR=36. 05; 95% CI: 8. 72, 149. 12), the unhealthy diets (OR=12. 87; 95% CI: 3. 21, 51. 53), drink alcohol in excess (OR=20. 51; 95% CI: 12. 09, 85. 46) and illegal drug use (OR=73. 21; 95% CI: 9. 78, 97. 83) must have a lower priority in the access to healthcare. Conclusions: The respondents accept the notion of rationing healthcare based on lifestyles.

Background: High-risk behaviors are increasing among young adults worldwide. We aimed to identify university students’ subgroups on the basis of high-risk behaviors and to assess the role of age, living alone, religious beliefs, and parental support in the membership of specific subgroups. Study design: A cross-sectional study Methods: The study was conducted in Bushehr (the south of Iran) from November to December 2016. The sample included 977 university students selected through random sampling. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Then, latent class analysis was used to classify the students. Results: Totally, five latent classes were identified as follows: low risk, high risk, somewhat low risk, hookah user, and very high risk. Notably, 7. 7% and 2. 5% of the students belonged to high risk and very high risk classes, respectively. The results suggested the protective effect of familial support and religiosity on high-risk behaviors. Conclusions: This study indicated the co-occurrence of high-risk behaviors. The findings can be used to plan and evaluate interventions by considering risk factors and protective factors in universities.

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is linked to a wide range of maternity services including Cesarean section (CS). The objective of this study was to determine the rate of CS and to examine the effect of SES on CS rate. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: This study included 4308 pregnant women who gave singleton birth in Tehran, Iran in July 2015. To evaluate the effect of SES on CS, logistic regression model was used after adjusting for others variables. Results: The CS rate was 72. 0% and its rate in private hospitals was significantly higher than in public hospitals (91. 7 vs 62. 6%, P<0. 001). After adjusting for demographic characteristics of mothers, obstetrical data and newborn’ s information, economic status (ES) was associated with an increased rate of CS (OR= 1. 22; 95% CI=1. 16– 1. 28). Conclusions: Independently of biological or clinical factors, ES is associated with an increased rate of CS in Tehran, Iran.

Background: We aimed to assess the effect of a theory of planned behavior (TPB)-based educational intervention on attitude, norms, parental control, behavioral control, and intention in high school girls in Tehran, Iran. Study design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: This study was conducted among 578 high school girls, 12 to 16 yr, in Tehran, Iran in 2016. The subjects were randomly assigned to the experimental (n=289) and control (n=289) groups using multistage random cluster sampling. TPB is the basis for both education and evaluation; therefore, the TPB-based questionnaire was used before and after the intervention. The intervention included three months education and six months follow up. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 through statistical tests and analysis of covariance. Results: Significant improvement in attitude (difference=16. 8; 95% CI: 15. 3, 18. 3), subjective norms (16. 4; 95% CI=14. 83 to 18. 11), perceived behavioral control (18. 0; 95% CI: 16. 6, 19. 4), perceived parental control (17%; 95% CI: 15. 1, 18. 9), behavioral intention (18. 4%; 95 CI: 14. 8, 18. 3), and behavior (18. 5; 95% CI: 16. 8, 20. 2) was observed in experimental group compared to control group (P<0. 001). Conclusions: Theory-based educational intervention in sexual and reproductive health can effectively reduce the high-risk behaviors related to sexual and reproductive health in adolescent girls. Health and education policy-makers are advised to review the current education programs and replace them with new influential education programs related to sexual and reproductive health in the school system.

Background: The Arg213His (rs9282861) polymorphism of Sulfotransferase Family 1A Member 1 (SULT1A1) gene has been reported to be associated with risk of breast cancer in some epidemiological studies. However, the results of these studies are conflicting and inconclusive. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the association of SULT1A1 Arg213His (rs9282861) polymorphism with susceptibility to breast cancer. Study design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A comprehensive literature search for eligible studies was conducted in PubMed, Elsevier, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar databases up to October 5, 2017. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of the association using fixed effects models and random effects models. Results: A total of 20 relevant case-control studies involving 11, 077 cases and 14, 798 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, there was a significant association between the SULT1A1 Arg213His (rs9282861) polymorphism and risk of breast cancer in the allele mode (A vs. G: OR=1. 117, 95% CI: 1. 011, 1. 233, P=0. 029) and the homozygote model (AA vs. GG: OR=1. 288, 95% CI: 1. 036, 1. 601, P=0. 022). Subgroup analysis based on ethnicity suggested SULT1A1 Arg213His (rs9282861) polymorphism had a subtly increased breast cancer risk among Asian population, but not Caucasians. Further, subgroup analyses, significant associations were observed in hospital based group, RFLP-PCR group, and high quality studies subgroups. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggested that SULT1A1 Arg213His (rs9282861) polymorphism might be associated with breast cancer risk, especially among Asian population. Moreover, the SULT1A1 Arg213His polymorphism is of high clinical relevance by ethnicity and would be a useful marker to identify patients who are at higher risk for breast cancer

Background: Chemical stabilizers are added to live attenuated vaccines for enhancing the virus stability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of various stabilizers on preserving immunogenicity of lyophilized mumps vaccines. Study design: An experimental study. Methods: Three mumps vaccines with different formulations were inoculated to three groups of Guinea pigs. Sterile water was injected to eight Guinea pigs as a control group. Blood samples were collected before inoculation and on 14, 28 and 42 d after vaccine injection. Mumps antibodies in the sera were measured using hemagglutination inhibition assay (HAI). Results: All three formulated mumps vaccines induced antibody in Guinea pigs after two weeks. Formulation 1 containing trehalose dihydrate and formulation 2 comprised human serum albumin stimulated antibodies in the higher level than Razi routine formulation. Conclusions: Various stabilizers have different preservation potencies that differently affect immune response against virus. More stable and more immunogenic vaccines can be produced using stabilizers containing trehalose dihydrate.

Background: Occupational exposure to halogenated hydrocarbons has been associated with halothane hepatitis, an increase of liver enzymes, and congenital malformations. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether bromide, a urinary metabolite of halothane, could be used as a biological marker of exposure to this anesthetic gas and assessment of associated exposure to halothane with any significant changes in conventional parameters of liver function (serum aminotransferase activities). Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: Seventy-five anesthesiologists, anesthesia nurses, operating room nurses, and surgeons (exposed group) and 75 matched unexposed individuals (reference group) were selected randomly from two public hospitals in Hamadan City, west of Iran. Atmospheric concentrations of halothane in the breathing zone of the exposed subjects and urinary bromide levels were measured by headspace gas chromatography. Similarly, serum activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured by the enzymatic method using an automatic Prestige instrument. Results: Mean atmospheric concentrations of halothane and urinary bromide levels for exposed subjects were 1. 49 ± 1. 36 ppm and 0. 83 ± 0. 29 mM, respectively. A relatively good correlation was found between exposure to halothane and urinary bromide levels (r=0. 38). The chi-squared test results showed that the proportions of the subjects with abnormal ALT and AST among the women exposed were significantly higher than those of reference individuals (P<0. 05). Conclusions: Urinary bromide can be used as a potential biomarker of exposure to halothane, although additional studies are necessary to further validate these initial findings.