Journal of Ilam University of Medical Sciences
Year:2010 | Volume:18 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Introduction: At the beginning of the third millennium, many organizations are responsible of protecting and promoting health as well as preventing and treating mental and physical illnesses. In spite of the modern advances in medical sciences, one of the current concerns in health is the increase in mental disorders among the youth. This study aimed to determine the relationship between clinical features of university students and its demographic correlates.Materials & Methods: This was a descriptive–analytical sort of research. The aimed population of the study included all the university students studying at Ilam Islamic Azad University during 2007-8, of whom 478 students were selected based on Morgan’s sampling table and using stratified sampling model. The two used means in our study to collect the data included: a GHQ28 Questionnaire and a personal plus demographic questionnaire containing six items.Findings: 43.3% of the investigated sample got a mark lower than the cut–off point, whom were considered "healthy"regarding the clinical features. 56.7% of the samples scored more than the cut–off point, whom were suspected to have a sort of mental disorder. Among the subscales, most the symptoms were reported to be related to “anxiety" and “physical symptoms” of female students, with “depression” and “disorder in social performance“ ranking the third and forth, respectively. Comparing their average points of mental health, a significant difference was found between the male and female students in A and B subscales, that is the physical symptoms and anxiety, and there was no significant difference in C and D subscales, that is “disorder in social performance and depression“. The results obtained from MANOVA indicated a significant difference between the students with different majors in A, B, and D subscales and there were no differences among them in C subscale. In addition, there was a significant relationship between the gender and health. However, no significant relationship was found between age, marital status, major, and locality of the students.Discussion & Conclusion: Students are the cornerstones of universities as well as the major cause of development and progress. Thus, they can manage in their responsibilities just, if they enjoy the necessary general good health. The finds of our research reveals that more than half of the students suffer from psychological disorders. Undoubtedly, progress and development are termed to educational concepts, the strategies that enable individuals to control their own health and growth.

Introduction: Depression is a considerable problem all around the world. Estimations show that 15%-20% of adult people suffer from different complications and symptoms of depression. Although noticeable improvement in neurological science and determining the neuro-chemical basis of depression created an expectation to change the medical attempts toward pharmaceutical therapy in early 21st century, various kinds of non-pharmaceutical therapies and psychotherapies are still applied widely in therapeutic interventions to treat depression. Different types of art therapies such as poetry therapy have found a unique situation in psychotherapy during recent decades. The effect of poetry therapy on depression symptoms relieving has been examined in this study.Materials & Methods: A pre-post-test approach with control group was used in this quasi-experimental study. The participants included 29 undergraduate female students of Shahid Beheshti University selected by depression screening, whom were assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group covered 14 and the control 15 students. The experimental group received seven 90-120 min poetry therapy sessions, while the control group was in waiting list. All the participants completed the Bech Depression Inventory (BDI). The data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test along with SPSS software.Findings: The finds showed that the students in the experimental group reported less symptoms of depression, after intervention, as compared to those in the control group, (p<0.001).Discusion & Conclusion: Results showed that poetry therapy plays a significant role in reducing the symptoms of depression (as shown by significant reductions in scores on BDS): thus, the previous researches conducted in the field were confirmed and supported by our finds.

Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is considered an important health problem in many parts of Iran, especially in Mashhhad. Various species of leishmania are causing the disease. Identification of leishmania is helpful for the control and prevention of the disease. Althought epidemiological and clinical findings are necessary, they are not sufficient for identification of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Difficulties in identification of these parasites, due to the similar morphology of amastigote and promastigote in different species, have been solved by using molecular techniques such as PCR amplification of kDNA. In order to identify leishmania species causing CL in Mashhad by a definite molecular technique (PCR method), a study was undertaken over a 12 months period (Apr. 2004- Feb. 2005) in department of Parasitology, Ghaem hospital, and Bu-Ali Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.Materials & Methods: A total of twenty one patients were recruited and samples were isolated and cultured in N. N. N medium followed by sub-cultur in RPMI- 1640. Then, DNA was extracted by protein as k and amplified by specific primers of kDNA. The PCR product was analysed by gel electrophoresis using 2% agarose. The gel was stained with ethidium bromide and visible band with the presence of 620 bp fragment indicates of leishmania major and 800 bp indicates of leishmania tropica.Findings: The results indicated that 19 of the isolates were identified as L. tropica and the other two were identified as L. major.Discussion & Conclusion: As demonstrated by previous investigations, Mashhad had been known as an endemic focus for anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL); however, it is now concluded that both ACL and zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) are present in Mashhad and L. tropica is the dominant species.

Introduction: The iron deficiency anemia is one of the most common anemias in children with poor diets. Appetite in infants with abnormal growth is more affected by iron deficieny anemia, aggrevating the anemia in such situations. Anemia can cause depletion of iron deposits and, as a result, the level of iron in serum will decrease. MCV, hemoglubin and the level of ferritin will also decrease. Materrials & Methods: This prospective analytical study was carried out on 195 children (86 males & 94 females) using Gomes method for analysis of weight, height and growth abrormealities. Data were collected using questionaires, physical examinations by physicians, laboratory tests for MCV, iron, Hb and level of ferritin in serum.Findings: 145 (80.6%) out of all the 195 cases showed low levels of wasting, while 27 ones (15%) had moderate, and only 4. 4% people were diagnosed with servere wasting. According to Hb level, 97 (67%) out of 145 were among patients with mild wasting, 20 (73%) out of 27 among children with moderate wasting, and 3 (75%) out of 4 amongst those with servere wasting showed iron deficiency anemia. Concerning ferritin level in serum, 123 (84.8%) out of 145 individuals with midwasting, 26 out of 27 (96.3%) among those with moderate wasting, and finally 3 (75%) out of 4 of those with servere wasting demonstrated a decrease, (P=71). The iron deficieny anemia using MCV index was detected in 40% of mild wasting infants and 48% of moderate wasting children and finally in 75% of those with servere wasting.Discussion & Conclusion: As the correlation between MCV levels and the anemia was statistically significant, this index is a better means for anemia assessment than other indexs such as fextin and Hb levels.

Introduction: Furazolidone has been introduced as an effective drug against helicobacter pylori infection in Iran, but intolerable side-effects may limit its use. We compared quadruple and triple furazolidone-based regimens to achieve an economically affordable regimen with acceptable efficacy rate and fewer complications.Materials & Methods: Patients with H. pylori positive peptic ulcer disease were randomly divided into two groups. They were treated with amoxicillin 1 gm/BID, furazolidone 200 mg/BID, omeprazole 20 mg/BID with and without bismuth subcitrate 240 mg/BID for two weeks (AFOB & AFO regimens, respectively) H. pylori eradication was confirmed by 13 C-urea breath test 12 weeks after the end of the treatment.Findings: Eighty six patients were enrolled but 16 ones discontinued their therapy or follow-up. The eradication rates in AFOB & AFO were 85.3% and 61.1% by perprotocol analysis, respectively (P=0.02), and 67.4% & 51.2% by intention–to-treat analysis respectively (P<0.05). The most frequent adverse effects in the two study groups were weakness, nausea, anorexia and dizziness that demonstrated no significant differences.Discussion & Conclusion: In this study, furazolidone-based triple therapy (without bismuth) was not recommended for H. pylori eradication, due to the lower eradication rate and unchanged frequency of adverse effects.

Introduction: Coccidiosis is one of the most costly diseases in the world, which is caused by a parasitic protozoa of genous eimeria. Coccidiosis affects most domestic omimals including sheep, pigs, cattles, turkeys, ducks, and hens. Quim coccid and pharm coccid showed considerable effects on eimeria torela compared to the most popular anti-coccidal drugs. Amperolium and monensiam are used either in farms or in labs across the world.Materials & Methods: Quim coccid andpharm coccid were used against eimeria tenella in Broiler chicken. 4 groups each with 20 chikens, each group for one medication were convered by the study, comparing with two control groups (one E. tenella infected without treatment and the other a healthy non-infected group) without any treatments. Medications were given two days before the infection until 10 days after it.During the follow-up, chickens were fed normally. Parasitic infection was applied using 10 O ocysts of E. tenella. Monensim dose was 100ppm and for the remainig 3 medications, 125ppm was the dose of choice. The Mack Master method was used for the detection of O ocysts in feces. The ANOVA and Double Proportion Analysis methods were used to evaluate the data statistically.Findings: After the treatments, no anticoccidial drug receiving group demonstrated any clinical symptoms of blind intestinal coccidisis, a fact confirming the complete treatment of their infections. Furthermore, all the groups showed a 100% ability to continue their normal lives. No differences were found in the weight of chickens in each group. 20% of the infected chickens without treatment lost their lives. It was found out that both the quim-coccid and pharm-coccid had a considerable anti intestinal coccidiosis efficacy.Discussion & Conclusion: Amperolium is a coccidostatic drug against E. Tenella and E. Bronti, but with no effects against any other eimeria. Monensim is a coccidocial drug used as prophy lactic medication in Brolea chiclcaus. There was no 0 ocyst observed in the feces of treated chickens indicating that the parasite had been affected by drugs. More investigations are needed to reveal the mechanisms of such drugs.

Introduction: Empowering is a set of procedures to develop capacities of the employee to direct the organization and workforce towards productivity. Therefore, the role of an organization is building infrastructure to empowering interventions. The goal was to study the status of empowerment in center of management for Medical Emergencies and Accidents in Iran.Materials & Methods: In this descriptive study, 1576 employees including all the personnel in 6 centers including Ilam, Bushehr, Mazandaran, Ardebil, West Azerbaijan and Yazd, and a half of personnel of Tehran, Sistan–Baluchestan, Khorasan-razavi and Isfahan were selected. Modified Scott & Jaffe empowerment questionnaire with 10 subscales and 38 Likert type items was used and after assuring content validity, its reliability was confirmed through a test–retest study (a=0.91.4) and internal consistency (0.81.5). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, one sample T Test, and ANOVA.Findings: The mean of total score 2.35±0.18 and its 10 subscales were significantly lower than the expected mean (2.80) and scores of subscales except for fair behavior that (1.79) was in moderate range. The mean score of objective clarity was in the highest level. Total mean differed significantly according to gender, shift, job group, field of study, and employment status. Total mean increased along the age until 44, and years’ occupation precedence.Discussion & Conclusion: The status of empowerment was in moderate range. There was need to consider fairness in payments, improvement systems for performance evaluation and awards, information & encouraging teamwork, continuous education and developing further interventions for empowerment.

Introduction: Many investigations have recently been done regarding the effect of acute and chronic stress on immune system. Changes in peripheral blood leukocytes and their function can indicate health and disorder of immune system. The basic sciences exam is of importance for such students and is considered a stress or situation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of basic sciences exam on leukocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood of pharmacy students.Materials & Methods: A group of students, who were preparing for the basic sciences exam, were chosen as the case group. The control group included a number of students who had passed the exam the previous year. On the day of exam, blood samples were collected from the students. The percentage of leukocyte subpopulations including granulocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes and euosinophils were gained by hematological methods and T cell subpopulations including helper T (CD4 marker) and cytotoxic T (CD8 marker) cells, and also NK (CD56 marker) cells using monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometric technique. The data obtained from the two groups were analyzed statistically using t test.Findings: The results showed that stress caused significant reduction of CD4+T lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, and CD4/CD8. However, CD8+T lymphocytes and eosinophil increased significantly. CD56+cells increased but the difference between the two groups was not significant. WBC count and lymphocytes did not show any significant differences in them.Discussion & Conclusion: It seems that stressor situations influence cells of immune system, especially those of T lymphocytes. Reduced CD4+T lymphocytes and increased CD8+T lymphocytes induced immune disorders in students, a fact that suggest more investigations.