scholarly journals Comparison of serum lead level of opium dependent patients with a healthy control group

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e08-e08
Author(s):  
Gholam Reza Masoomi ◽  
Zeinab Rastegar Chupani ◽  
Hazhir Heidari Beigvand ◽  
Mahdi Rezai ◽  
Shahin Dokht Hasan Pour

Introduction: The prevalence of multiple symptoms, including mental illness, symptoms that mimic diseases such as pancreatitis, nonspecific abdominal pain and cholecystitis, are high in drug-dependent patients. Objectives: The aim of this study was to consider the clinical signs and serum lead levels of individuals referred to four university hospitals with various complaints. Patients and Methods: In this study, 128 sample cases in two groups, the case group and control group, have been examined. The case group included 64 persons using oral opium who were suffering from various complaints and referred to emergency department of mentioned hospitals. The control group included 64 patients without any history of addiction. Results: Mean of blood serum lead level in opium users and control group was 76.34±17.82 mg/dL and 7.68±3.72 mg/dL respectively, and the difference between these groups was significantly meaningful (P<0.001). The most prevalent complaints were abdominal pain and pulmonary complaints. Conclusion: Findings of the current study showed high levels for an average serum lead level for oral opium addicts among the studied statistical population. In addition, results show that ultimate diagnosis of lead poisoning is a factor justifying symptoms for addicts with nonspecific symptoms, the subject that confirms several previous reports. This finding asserts the necessity of screening of serum lead level for patients addicted to opium compounds in order to prevent more severe side effects.

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Gang Xiao

Objective To investigate the relationship between the polymorphism of glutathione S transferase M1, T1(GSTM1, GSTT1) gene and the susceptibility to antituberculosis drug induced hepatotoxicity (ATDH) in patients with tuberculosis. Methods GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms in patients with or without liver toxicity after antituberculous treatment were analyzed using multiple PCR method. Results In ATDH group and control group, the proportion of GSTM1 gene deletion was 58.0% and 50.7%respectively, and the difference was not statistically signifcant (OR=1.322, 95%CI=0.921~1.878), the frequencies of GSTT1 deletion were 46.3% and 49.3%, respectively, and there was no signifcant difference between them. There was no signifcant difference in frequency of GSTM1 and GSTT1 variation between case group and control group (P> 0.05), and no synergistic effect of those two gene polymorphism were detected in the occurrence of antituberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Conclusion The polymorphisms of GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes may not be associated with the risk of ATDH.


Author(s):  
HANDRI R. VEBRIAN ◽  
MUHAMMAD FIDEL GANISSIREGAR ◽  
ICHWANUL ADENIN ◽  
HERBERT SIHITE ◽  
EDY ARDIANSYAH ◽  
...  

Objective: Determine the effect of melatonin administration on sleep quality perimenopausal women based on PSQI and compare the results of PSQI before and after treatment. Methods: This study uses an experimental analytic study with Case Control design to determine the effect of melatonin administration on sleep quality perimenopausal women based on PSQI and compare the results of PSQI before and after treatment. This research was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, H. Adam Malik General Hospital, Medan. The study population was all perimenopausal women who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. This research was conducted from February to March 2020 with a sample of 25 people. Results: PSQI scores in the control group by age were 4.0±1.0 in the age group>50 y from 8.0±1.0; 2.17±1.62 in the group with tertiary education from 5.83±1.69; 2.56±1.67 in the non-working group of 6.44±1.51 and 2.31±1.6 in the multipara group of 6.0±1.58. From the analysis results obtained a value of P<0.001. This also showed a significant difference in the PSQI score in the control group. significant differences in PSQI values ​​in the control group and melatonin group in the case group before getting melatonin (p<0.001), whereas after administering melatonin, no difference in PSQI score was found in the groups that received melatonin and the control group (p = 0.657) Conclusion: There are differences in PSQI scores in the case group before and after the administration of melatonin, in the control group who did not get melatonin and the difference in PSQI scores in the case group and the control group before treatment, but there were no differences in PSQI score in the case and control groups after treatment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Eilnaz Khoshzaban ◽  
Hossein Matlabi

<p>Family plays a key role in the prevention and intervention of drug abuse among children and teenagers. Information about drugs provides parents with the exact knowledge on how to demonstrate attitudes and healthy behaviours. Therefore, the present study tried to investigate the effect of preventive and interventional trainings on self-efficacy and attitudes of mothers covered by mental health facilitators (MHFs) in this regard. This interventional<strong> </strong>study used case and control groups/pretest-posttest design. Based on the inclusion criteria, randomized sampling, and sample size formulation, 150 qualified mothers were recruited<strong>.</strong> Eligible participants were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups. A researcher-designed and self-administered questionnaire was used to gather the required data. Six instructive, communicative oral sessions and individual interviews were held by the facilitators for case group members. After two months, attitudes and self-efficacy of the mothers toward drug abuse issues were measured again by the same questionnaire. The results showed that the difference in intervention and control group was significant in terms of increasing self-efficacy and modifying attitudes (p&lt;0.001). Furthermore, the case group members reported less misconceptions, stigma, and ignorance toward those suffering from addiction. <strong></strong></p>


Author(s):  
Majid Rezaei Tavirani ◽  
Hazhir Heidari Beigvand

Introduction: Drug abuse and its complications is a socio-health problem in Middle Eastern countries such as Iran. Smugglers may add lead to drug during drug production, which is in order to increase its weight for greater benefit. Considering the frequency of the patients with various complaints among Iranians, this study was designed and conducted to evaluate the clinical symptoms and serum levels of lead in patients being admitted to Hazrat Rasoul Akram, Firoozgar, Firouzabadi and Haft Tir hospitals with any complaints. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, serum levels of lead were measured in 128 samples in case and control groups. The case group consisted of 64 patients using oral opium who being admitted to Rasoul Akram and Firoozgar, Haft Tir and Firouzabadi hospitals with different complaints in May 2017. The control group consisted of 64 patients with no history of addiction that were homogenized with the case group in terms of age and sex. They were evaluated for serum levels of lead and other variables. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: The mean serum lead level was 76.34±17.82 in the group using opium and was 7.68±3.72 in the control group that the difference was statistically significant (P <0.001). The most common complaints of patients were abdominal pain and symptoms of bowel obstruction. The mean rate of oral opium consumption was 1.73±0.23 in subjects under 50 years old and with a mean of 2.89±0.27 in subjects over 50 years old. Serum lead level was significantly (P = 0.032) increased compared to the amount consumed. Duration of oral opium consumption was 5 months to 30 years with a mean of 15.24 years, which was not significantly correlated to serum lead level (P = 0.213). Also, the hemoglobin range was significantly correlated to different levels of lead in patients consuming oral opium (P = 0.027). Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed a high mean serum lead level in oral opium addicts in the study population. The results also confirm numerous reports suggesting the definitive diagnosis of lead poisoning as a justifying factor in addicted patients with nonspecific symptoms, which may indicate the need for serum lead level screening in opiate addicts to prevent more serious complications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Assala G. H. Al-Shammery

This study was conducted on the number of pregnant women suffering from symptoms of preeclampsia who live in different areas in Baghdad city. These areas were suffering from air pol-lution by different pollutants in high rates and it was chosen from among these pollutants lead metal which is a high percentage of air pollution where it was observed by measuring the level of lead in blood serum which taken from pregnant women by 40 pregnant women suffering from symptoms of preeclampsia and 20 pregnant women don't suffering from any abnormal symptoms during pregnancy period and classified as control group , so we found marked a significant rise in lead level in comparison with control group reaching ratio of lead in blood of pregnant women which suffering from symptoms of preeclampsia 38.44 mg/dl ± 3.0 mg/dl in comparison with con-trol group which 14.56 mg/d l± 2.50 mg/dl,this increase may refer to the amount of lead which found in the air and in excess of the normal limit which exposed pregnant women like all people through the overcrowding of roads and use fuel non-environmentally friendly through breathing which effect on pregnant women health, it has been shown on symptoms of preeclampsia from measuring systolic and diastolic blood pressure and measuring of urea in blood, T-test was used at possibility of(0.001)to see the difference between infected samples and control group, therefore this study suggested that a lead is one of the causes of preeclampsia because live in polluted and unhealthy environment. (pt space line


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-17
Author(s):  
Fazele Atarbashi-Moghadam ◽  
Fahimeh Rashidi Maybodi ◽  
Ali Dehghan ◽  
Alireza Haerian Ardakani

Background. Several studies have shown the association between periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and some similarities in the pathogenesis of these two diseases but clinical trials which have evaluated the effect of periodontal therapy on clinical signs of active RA are scarce, particularly in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of non-surgical periodontal treatment on the improvement of clinical signs of patients with RA. Methods. Fifty-six patients with active RA and generalized moderate-to-severe chronic periodontitis were selected and divided into case (periodontal treatment) and control (without periodontal treatment) groups. Periodontal parameters and RA disease activity scores (DAS28 index) were compared at 6- and 12-week intervals. Results. In the case group, a significant reduction in all the periodontal indices was observed 6 weeks after treatment. At the 12-week evaluation, periodontal indices showed a significant reduction in comparison with baseline and a little increase in comparison with 6-week interval. Six weeks after treatment, DAS28 decreased significantly in the case group (P<0.05). DAS28 also decreased at 12-week interval but its reduction was not significant in comparison with 6-week interval. DAS28 in the case group at 12-week interval was significantly less than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion. Since periodontal care as a part of treatment protocol in RA patients can be effective in improving clinical signs, the recall intervals are better to be 3 months or shorter.


2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afshin REZAZADEH ◽  
Hazhir JAVAHERIZADEH ◽  
Farzaneh CHAHARDAHCHERIK ◽  
Mohammad Hossein YAVARAHMADI ◽  
Nooshin SADJADEI ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background - Several scoring was developed for evaluation of children with fecal retention using plain radiograph. There are controversies about specificity and sensitivity of these scoring system. Objectives - The aim of this study was to evaluate Barr, Blethyn, and Leech score in evaluation of fecal load in plain radiograph. Methods - This case control study was conducted on children aged 2-14 years old with abdominal pain who visited Abuzar children's Hospital of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences. This study was conducted in fall season. Children with history of previous abdominal surgery, any systemic illness including sickle cell anemia were excluded. Children with constipation were placed in case group. Subjects without constipation were placed in control group. Subjects without exclusion criteria were examined by physician who is blind to aim of the study. Careful history and physical examination was done. Demographic features, history of gastrointestinal problem, duration of abdominal pain, defecation habit, stool consistency (loose, hard), and results of physical examination were recorded. Rome III criteria was used for definition of constipation. Abdominal x-ray was ordered for each patients. Abdominal radiography was reviewed by radiologist. Barr, Leach, and Blethyn scores were calculated for each case. Results - In this study 102 children with functional constipation and 102 children without constipation as a control were included. Mean ±SD for case and control group was 68.39±34.88 and 69.46±32.60 (P=0.82).Leech score (mean ±SD) was 11.05±2.177 and 5.67±3.228 for case and control group respectively (P<0.0001). Barr score (mean ±SD) was 14.86±3.54 and 7.16±5.59 for case and control group respectively (P=<0.0001). Blethyn (mean ±SD) score was 1.97±0.667 and 1.04±0.900 for case and control group respectively (P=0.000). Sensitivity and specificity of Barr score was 83% and 79% respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of Leech score was 92% and 80% respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of Blethyn score was 79% and 92% respectively. Conclusion - Barr, Blethyn and Leech scores were significantly higher in children with abdominal pain and constipation in contrast to children with abdominal pain and without constipation. Sensitivity of Leech score was more than Barr and Blethyn scoring systems. Specificity of Blethyn score was more than Barr and Leech score.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asmaa Ali ◽  
Mona Hasan ◽  
Shaimaa Hamed ◽  
Amir Elhamy

Abstract Background Around 25% of the world population was affected by the metabolic-related fatty liver disorder. Hepatic steatosis is frequently observed in conjunction with hypertension, obesity comorbidities, and diabetes. We evaluate the hepatic steatosis frequency found in chest CT exams of COVID-19-positive cases compared to non-infected controls and evaluate the related increased prevalence and severity of COVID. Results Our research includes 355 subjects, 158 with positive PCR for COVID-19 (case group) and 197 with negative PCR and negative CT chest (control group). The mean age in the positive group was 50.6 ± 16 years, and in the control, it was 41.3 ± 16 years (p < 0.001). Our study consists of 321 men (90.5%) and 34 women (9.5%). The number of males in both cases and control groups was greater. In the case group, 93% men vs. 6.9% women, while in controls, 88.3% men vs.11.6% women, p < 0.001. CT revealed normal results in 55.5% of individuals (i.e., CORADs 1) and abnormal findings in 45.5% of participants (i.e., CORADs 2–5). In abnormal scan, CO-RADs 2 was 13.92%, while CO-RADs 3–4 were 20.89% of cases. CO-RADs 5 comprised 65.19% of all cases. Approximately 42.6% of cases had severe disease (CT score ≥ 20), all of them were CO-RADs 5. The PCR-positive class had a greater prevalence of hepatic steatosis than controls (28.5% vs.12.2%, p < 0.001). CO-RADs 2 represented 11.1%, CO-RADs 3–4 represented 15.6%, and CO-RADs 5 represented 73.3% in the hepatic steatosis cases. The mean hepatic attenuation value in the case group was 46.79 ± 12.68 and in the control group 53.34 ± 10.28 (p < 0.001). When comparing patients with a higher severity score (CT score ≥ 20) to those with non-severe pneumonia, it was discovered that hepatic steatosis is more prevalent (73.2% vs. 26.8%). Conclusions Steatosis was shown to be substantially more prevalent in COVID-19-positive individuals. There is a relation among metabolic syndrome, steatosis of the liver, and obesity, as well as the COVID-19 severity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingwei Cai ◽  
Guixing Jiang ◽  
Yuelong Liang ◽  
Yangyang Xie ◽  
Junhao Zheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives This study was designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a two-hand technique combining harmonic scalpel (HS) and laparoscopic Peng’s multifunction operative dissector (LPMOD) in patients who underwent laparoscopic hemihepatectomy (LHH). Methods We designed and conducted a case-control study nested in a prospectively collected laparoscopic liver surgery database. Patients who underwent LHH for liver parenchyma transection using HS + LPMOD were defined as cases (n = 98) and LPMOD only as controls (n = 47) from January 2016 to May 2018. Propensity score matching (1:1) between the case and control groups was used in the analyses. Results The case group had significantly less intraoperative blood loss in milliliters (169.4 ± 133.5 vs. 221.5 ± 176.3, P = 0.03) and shorter operative time in minutes (210.5 ± 56.1 vs. 265.7 ± 67.1, P = 0.02) comparing to the control group. The conversion to laparotomy, postoperative hospital stay, resection margin, the mean peak level of postoperative liver function parameters, bile leakage rate, and others were comparable between the two groups. There was no perioperative mortality. Conclusions We demonstrated that the two-handed technique combing HS and LPMOD in LHH is safe and effective which is associated with shorter operative time and less intraoperative blood loss compared with LPMOD alone. The technique facilitates laparoscopic liver resection and is recommended for use.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Zeinab Sirous Jahedi ◽  
Nasser Amini Khoi

<p>The aim of the present research was study of the impact of music therapy on problem-solving skills of 4 to 6 years old children in Tehran. This research was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest control group. The statistical population was all 4 to 6 years old children in region 2 of Tehran. Using the random sampling method, the study sample was chosen in two experiment (15 individuals) and control (15 individuals) groups.   The experiment group received 12 sessions of music therapy and the control group was waiting for treatment meanwhile. To evaluate the problem-solving skill in children, the three subscales of Wechsler’s Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) were used, including: mazes, cubes and arithmetic.  Analysis of data obtained from the questionnaires was conducted in two parts of descriptive and inferential. The data analysis indicated the significant increase of problem-solving average score of the experiment group compared to the control group.</p>


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