Background: Homocysteine is increasingly recognized as a risk FACTOR for coronary artery disease. Research in this field, however, has not produced uniform results. This inconsistency may partly be explained by racial and dietary differences in the studied groups. This study was performed to determine the association between hyperhomocysteinemia and coronary artery disease in Iranian male patients. Methods: 77 consecutive male patients with definite coronary artery disease (doclimented by coronary angiography) who had no conventional major cardiovascular risk FACTORs (smoking, dyslipidemia, hypertension or diabetes mellitus) and 77 healthy controls with the same qualifications were enrolled in the study. Total homocysteine levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay method. Results: There was no significant difference between the ages of cases and controls (mean age±SD: 60.1±10.6 and 59.4±8.4 years in cases and controls, respectively). Mean levels of total homocysteine were 17.9±6.8 and 15.6±6.5 µmol/L in cases and controls, respectively (P=0.038). On logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for coronary artery disease was found to be 1.67 (95% confidence interval: 1.02-2.75) for each 10µmol/L increment in total homucysteine level. Conclusion: High levels of total homocysteine may be considered an INDEPENDENT risk FACTOR for coronary artery disease in Iranian male population. Further studies are needed to clarify its prevalence and clinical impact.

Background: There is a deficit of publications regarding the impact of small for gestational age (SGA) on later neurodevelopment of premature infants and existing results are conflicting. Objectives: The aim of the present study was multifaceted neurodevelopmental assessment of children born prematurely, with particular assessment of SGA as an INDEPENDENT risk FACTOR for impairment in prematurely born children. Methods: Eighty-nine children born with very low birth weight were evaluated at the age of 50 months. Anthropometric measurements and several psychomotor tests (WeeFIM-Functional Independence Measure scale, Leiter Test-Non-Verbal Psychometric Evaluation, DTVP-2-Developmental test of Visual Perception, CAST-Childhood AutismSpectrum test, EAS-C-temperament questionnaire and TSD-children vocabulary test) were performed in each child. Results: SGA appears to be a risk FACTOR for low self-reliance (mean WeeFIM score 89 ,20 points vs 99 ,15,P = 0. 034), decreased non-verbal intelligence (Leiter score 87, 18 points vs 100, 18 points,P = 0. 022) and low visual perception (Frostig test 81, 17 points vs 93, 17 points,P = 0. 035). Moreover, the incidence of autism spectrum disorders was significantly higher in the SGA group (21% vs 2. 8%,P = 0. 029). There were no differences in frequency of cerebral palsy diagnosis, vocabulary test results and temper tests scores between SGA and AGA groups. Conclusions: Birth weight small for gestational age seems to be an additional, INDEPENDENT risk FACTOR of neurodevelopmental delay in prematurely born children.

Purpose: To evaluate the associations among teenage childbearing (Age at first birth<=19 years old) with later-life risk of stress and urgency urinary incontinence (SUI, UUI) in American women using nationally representative data from America. Materials and Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2015 to 2018 were merged to include 2673 women. The question, “, How old were you at the time of your first live birth? ”,was used to assess teenage childbearing. Urinary incontinence was ascertained by self-report. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the association between teenage childbearing and urinary incontinence in American women, controlling for potential confounders. Results: Among the 2673 women with complete data, the prevalence of SUI was 27. 3%, and the prevalence of UUI was 22. 1%. Overall, 856 of female had given birth at or before the age of nineteen. Teenage childbearing was significantly associated with SUI (OR=1. 9, 95%CI=1. 5-2. 3, p < 0. 001), but teenage childbearing was not associated with UUI (OR=1. 2, 95%CI=1. 0-1. 5, p = 0. 0658). Conclusion: After controlling for known risk FACTORs, teenage childbearing seems to be signif-icantly related to female stress urinary incontinence.

Background: The aim of this study was to statistically evaluate the hypothesis that the presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid is associated with postpartum maternal infection.Methods: This prospective cohort study included 573 term pregnant women in labor, with no other medical problems, that underwent cesarean section for pregnancy termination.Women with prolonged active-phase labor, prolonged rupture of membranes, complicated cesarean section and pre-operative infections were excluded from this study. The subjects were divided into two groups: 280 women with meconium-stained amniotic fluid (M group), and 293 women with clear amniotic fluid (C group). A comparison was done regarding postpartum fever, endometritis and wound infection between the two groups. Student’s t-test and chi square test were used for data analysis, along with linear regression, with p<0.05 indicating significance.Results: Among the 573 women, a total of 82 women (14%) had fever after cesarean; 42 women from the M group, and 40 women from the C group (p= 0.3). Among the 82 women who had fever, 33 women had continuous fever, 6.5% in group M and 2.7% in group C (p<0.05, RR: 1.98, 95% CI 1.3-3.1). Among the 573 women, 4% developed endometritis 5% in group M and 2% in group C (p<0.05, RR: 2.3, 95%, CI 1.3-3.4).Similarly, among the 573 women, a total of 5 women (1%) developed wound infection, 1.7% in group M and 0.68% in group C (p=0.7).Conclusion: Meconium-stained amniotic fluid is associated with increased postpartum infection INDEPENDENT of other risk FACTORs for infection.