Journal of research in health sciences最新文献

Background: Dangerous behaviors adversely affect the health of adolescents and young adults. This study aimed to identify the subgroups of college students based on the parameters of risky behavior and analyze the impact of demographic factors and internet gaming disorder (IGD) belonging to each class.

Study design: A cross-sectional study.

Methods: The study was conducted on 1355 students through a multi-stage random sampling method in 2020. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data, and all students completed 1294 sets of questionnaires. The data were analyzed using t test and latent class analysis (LCA) through SPSS and PROC LCA in SAS 9.2 software.

Results: Three latent classes have been identified as low-risk (75%), tobacco smoker (8%), and high-risk (17%). There was a high possibility of risky behavior in the third class. Marital status (being single) (OR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.19-4.37), unemployment (having no job) along with education (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.04-2.33), and IGD (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04-1.09) increased the risk of inclusion in the tobacco smoker class. Moreover, unemployment (having no job) along with education (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.11-1.84) increased the chance of being in the high-risk class.

Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, 25% of the students were tobacco smokers or were in the high-risk class. The results of this study may help develop and evaluate preventive strategies that simultaneously take into account different behaviors.

Background: It is of utmost importance to identify populations with an elevated risk for COVID-19 and the factors influencing its outcomes. The present study aimed to investigate factors affecting mortality and length of stay (LOS) among COVID-19 patients in the hospitals of East Azerbaijan province, Iran, during 15 months of this pandemic.

Study design: The present study followed a retrospective cohort design.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted using data in the integrated syndromic surveillance system (ISSS) on patients admitted to the hospitals from February 21, 2020, to April 11, 2021. The association between variables of interest and death, as well as LOS, was investigated via multiple logistic regression and multiple linear regression analyses.

Results: In total, 24 293 inpatients with a mean age of 54.0 ± 19.4 years were included in this study. About 15% of them lost their lives, whose mean age was 69.0 ± 14.6 years, significantly higher than the recovered ones (P < 0.001). Factors, such as above 49 years of age (P < 0.001), male gender (OR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.08-1.26), and having chronic diseases (OR = 1.32; 95% CI: 1.22-1.42), were correlated with patient mortality. In addition, having chronic diseases (Beta = 0.06; 95% CI: 0.03-0.08) was associated with higher LOS in hospitals.

Conclusion: In conclusion, older patients were at a higher risk of mortality and prolonged hospitalization. Furthermore, patients' underlying diseases could cause a severe form of COVID-19, which can lead to death and increase patients' LOS.

Background: Although the caregiving burden experienced by the family caregivers of drug addicts is receiving increased attention, there is still a need to study the possible predictors of the care burden, especially with the increasing numbers of addicts in Egypt and the important role of family caregivers in the support and treatment of addicts.

Study design: A cross-sectional study.

Methods: This study was conducted at Minia Hospital for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment, Egypt. Data was collected during interviews with addicts and their family caregivers. The caregiver burden was assessed using the Family Burden Interview Schedule (FBIS). The path analysis was used to assess the interrelationships between the burden and characteristics of addicts and caregivers.

Results: Based on the results, 96.7% of addicts were males, and their mean age was 28.8 ± 8.1 years, while their caregivers aged 39.7 ± 10.4 years and included 58.7% males. The caregivers reported a severe burden of care which was predicted by the addict's drug-related problems (B = 0.25, P = 0.0003), financial hardship (B = 0.46, P < 0.0001), and the caregiver's occupation (B = -0.16, P = 0.017). Financial hardship had an indirect association with the burden of care (B = 0.06, P = 0.041) mediated through drug-related problems score, which was predicted by the severity of dependence, admission for treatment, and the level of social support.

Conclusion: The burden of caring for addicts depends on patient-related problems, as well as caregivers' situations and income. Strategies to provide social support, financial aid, and problem-solving skills should be provided to the addicts and their caregivers as a part of treatment programs to help reduce the caregiving burden.

Background: Age at menarche affects women's health outcomes and could be a risk factor for some diseases, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS). We assessed the association between age at menarche and MetS components in women aged 35-70 in Hoveyzeh, southwest Iran.

Study design: A case-control study.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 5830 women aged 35-70 years in the Hoveyzeh cohort study (HCS), a part of the PERSIAN cohort study, from 2016-2018. The case group included women with MetS, while the controls were women without MetS. The MetS is determined based on standard NCEP-ATP III criteria. Data from demographic, socioeconomic, and reproductive history were gathered face-to-face through trained interviews. Moreover, laboratory, anthropometrics, and blood pressure measurements were assayed for participants. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the association between age at menarche and MetS, with adjustment for potential confounding variables.

Results: The mean age at menarche was 12.60 ± 1.76 years old. Urban and rural women differed in age at menarche (12.58 ± 1.71 and 12.63 ± 1.83 years, respectively). The study revealed a statistically significant relationship between MetS and menarche age. The odds of developing MetS were 14% higher in women with menstrual age ≤ 11 years than in other groups.

Conclusion: As evidenced by the results of this study, the odds of having MetS were higher in women whose menarche age was ≤ 11 years. Furthermore, the association between MetS components and age groups at menarche was statistically significant.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a major cause of cervical cancer worldwide. Knowledge of the geographical distribution and epidemiology of the most common HPV genotypes is a crucial step in developing prevention strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate HPV genotype distribution among HPV-positive women and men in Tehran, Iran.

Study design: A case series study.

Methods: The study was performed on 219 HPV-positive individuals (160 females and 59 males) from Tehran, Iran. Samples were obtained from the cervix and vagina of female subjects and the genital warts of male subjects. DNA was extracted from samples, and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-reverse dot blot genotyping chip was used to examine HPV genotypes. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples of 51 patients from the study population were also included in this study.

Results: The proportion of high-risk (HR)-HPV was 67.12%. The most common HR-HPV types were HR-HPV16 (17.4%), HR-HPV68 (11.4%), and HR-HPV51 (7.8%). The most common low-risk (LR)-HPV types included LR-HPV6 (31.1%), LR-HPV81 (11.9%), and LR-HPV62 (11.4%). The highest prevalence of HPV was in the age group of > 30 years (42.9%). Co-infection with multiple HR-HPV types was observed in 22.4% of specimens. Moreover, HR-HPV was found in 50% of women with normal cytology, 100% with a low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, and 84.61% with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance.

Conclusion: The results indicated the remarkable growth of HR-HPV68, which has rarely been reported in Iran. The findings add knowledge to HPV epidemiological investigation and emphasize the need for introducing educational programs in high schools and appropriate vaccination in Iran.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) run a high risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The HCWs are prone to the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the hospital despite being fully vaccinated. The present study aimed to address the factors associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine breakthrough among HCWs.

Study design: A prospective cohort study.

Methods: Participants were 184 HCWs receiving two doses of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac, Sinovac Life Science). All participants were followed for six months. Confirmed COVID-19 was defined as positive SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Before undergoing RT-PCR, questionnaires were used to obtain information on demographic characteristics, profession, contact with COVID-19 cases, personal protective equipment (PPE), health protocols adherence, exercise, and nutritional habits.

Results: A number of 57 (31%) participants were COVID-19 positive. Close contact with COVID-19 cases (adjusted RR 6.82, 95% CI: 1.97, 47.98, P = 0.044), being a resident doctor (adjusted RR 4.72, 95% CI: 1.11, 20.11, P = 0.036), improper mask-wearing (adjusted RR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.15, 4.85, P = 0.019), and lower frequency of eating fruit and vegetables (adjusted RR 2.73, 95% CI: 1.34, 5.57, P = 0.006) increased the risk of vaccine breakthrough. Compared to single surgical masks, KN95 and N95 significantly reduced the risk of COVID-19 (adjusted RR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.97, P = 0.045 and adjusted RR 0.25, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.87, P = 0.029), respectively.

Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, being a resident doctor, close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases, health protocol incompliance, as well as the lower frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption were associated with the risk of vaccine breakthrough among HCWs. Appropriate strategies are needed to prevent the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs.

Background: Cervical cancer, the most common gynecological cancer, is a matter of concern, especially in developing countries. The present study investigates survival rates, associated factors, and post-treatment follow-up status in cervical cancer patients.

Study design: A retrospective cohort study.

Methods: This study was conducted on 187 patients referred to an academic referral cancer center in Iran from 2014-2020. Overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were evaluated using Kaplan Meyer analysis. The event was defined as recurrence, metastasis, or death.

Results: The patients came for post-treatment visits for a median of 36 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 18-51). The median OS and EFS were 24 and 18 months, respectively. The 1- and 3- year OS rates were 90% and 72%, respectively. The 1- and 3- year EFS rates were 76% and 61%, respectively. Stage ≥ III (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5, 6.5, P < 0.001) and tumor size > 4 cm (HR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2, 4.9, P = 0.006) predicted lower OS. The most common histopathology was squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (71.1%) with non-significant higher 3- year OS (HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.33, 1.16, P = 0.13). No significant difference in OS was found between adjuvant and definitive radiotherapy in both early and advance-staged patients (Log-rank = 0.7 P = 0.4, log-rank = 1.6, P = 0.2, respectively).

Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, the survival of patients was lower compared to that in developed countries. Higher stage and tumor size led to shorter survival. The histopathology and type of treatment in comparable stages did not have any significant impact on survival.

Background: Kidney failure is a common public health problem around the world. The vast majority of kidney failure cases in Sub-Saharan African nations, including Ethiopia, go undetected and untreated, resulting in practically certain mortality cases. This study was aimed primarily to model the time to (right and left) kidneys failure in the patients at Adama Hospital Medical College using the copula model.

Study design: A retrospective cohort study.

Methods: The copula model was used to examine join time to the right and left kidneys failure in the patients by specifying the dependence between the failure times. We employed Weibull, Gompertz, and Log-logistic marginal baseline distributions with Clayton, Gumbel, and Joe Archimedean copula families.

Results: This research comprised a total of 431 patients, out of which, 170 (39.4%) of the total patients failed at least one kidney during the follow-up period. Factors such as sex, age, family history of kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity were found to be the most predictive variables for kidney failure in the patients. There was a 41 percent correlation between the patients' time to the right and left kidneys failure.

Conclusion: The patients' kidney failure risk factors included being a male, older adult, obese, hypertensive, diabetic and also having a family history of kidney disease. The dependence between the patient's time to the right and left kidneys failure was strong. The best statistical model for describing the kidney failure datasets was the log-logistic-Clayton Archimedean copula model.

Background: Exposure to crystalline silica has long been identified to be associated with lung diseases. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the risk of silicosis and lung cancer associated with occupational exposure to crystalline silica in Iran.

Study design: It is a systematic review study.

Methods: Different databases were searched, and the Cochrane method was used for the systematic review. Thereafter, cumulative exposure to crystalline silica (mg/m3-y) was calculated in every industry. The relative risk of death from silicosis was performed using Mannetje's method. Based on the geometric mean of exposure, the lung cancer risk of exposure to crystalline silica was also calculated.

Results: As evidenced by the results, worker's exposure to silica ranged from a geometric mean of 0.0212- 0.2689 mg/m3 (Recommended standard by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) was 0.025 mg/m3), which is generally higher than the occupational exposure limit recommended by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), ACGIH, and occupational exposure limits. The relative risk of silicosis was in the range of 1 to 14 per 1000 people, and the risk of lung cancer in workers ranged from 13-137 per 1000 people.

Conclusion: Since workers are at considerable risk of cancer due to exposure to silica in Iran, exposure control programs need to be implemented in workplaces to decrease the concentration of silica.