Iranian Journal of Public Health最新文献

Background: Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) present a substantial challenge in low- and middle-income nations, especially in the Southeast Asia region. Health literacy (HL) is vital for managing NCDs and improving health outcomes by enhancing individuals' abilities to seek, understand, assess, and utilize health information.

Methods: A systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, and relevant articles were sourced from PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar without limiting the publication year. Studies included were from Southeast Asia that examined the connection between HL and NCD outcomes. Sixteen cross-sectional studies from five countries were chosen for the final analysis.

Results: The review observed that higher HL was linked to better health outcomes for individuals with NCDs. Communicative and critical HL were found to be more impactful than functional HL in obtaining, analysing, and applying health information. Additionally, HL was influenced by sociodemographic aspects (age, gender, education, location, and marital status, socioeconomic factors (income and employment), and societal influences (patient-doctor relationships, cultural context, and family support). HL was important in managing NCDs and for better health outcomes.

Conclusion: Further studies are called for the evaluation of all three HL skills to comprehensively understand the HL of populations. Furthermore, the link between limited HL and employment status remains under-explored and deserves further attention.

Background: This ecological cross-sectional study examines suicide incidence and identifies high- and low-risk clusters across Iranian districts from 2009 to 2023. This study aimed to determine district-specific suicide rates and map spatial risk patterns.

Methods: Overall, 52,665 suicide cases of recorded in forensic medicine were analyzed, with incidence rates calculated per 100,000 population. Spatial autocorrelation techniques were used to identify clusters of high and low suicide risk, and GIS software facilitated mapping. Hanging was the most prevalent method, accounting for 50.88% of cases. Temporal trends across months were also assessed.

Results: The average age of individuals who died by suicide was 33.98 years. High-incidence districts were located in parts of different provinces of Iran, including Eshtehard (Alborz), Firuzeh (Razavi Khorasan), Varzeghan (East Azerbaijan), Sahneh (Kermanshah), Famenin (Hamadan), and Miami (Semnan). High-risk clusters were primarily concentrated in the western provinces of Kermanshah and Hamadan, particularly in Sahneh and Famenin. Conversely, districts in Sistan and Baluchestan in southeastern Iran showed markedly lower suicide rates, possibly due to underreporting or systemic differences in data collection practices, which warrants cautious further investigation.

Conclusion: This study highlights substantial regional disparities in suicide incidence across Iran, with specific high-risk areas identified for targeted intervention. These findings have important implications for public health policy, emphasizing the need for regionally tailored suicide prevention strategies and improved surveillance systems. Further research is needed to understand better the low suicide rates that observed in some districts and to assess potential reporting inconsistencies.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is influenced by immune factors, particularly immune cells. The causal relationship between these cells and PPD is unclear.

Methods: Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis was performed to determine the causal relationship between immune cell characteristics and PPD. The main analysis method used was the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method. To ensure the robustness, heterogeneity, and horizontal pleiotropy of the results, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis was conducted.

Results: Overall, 28 immune cell phenotypes were identified as causally related to the onset of PPD. Most of them were distributed in the B cell group and the Treg cell group. Further analysis revealed that 13 types of immune cells had a promoting effect on PPD, whereas 15 types of immune cells had a protective effect. In addition, the incidence of PPD was found to be causally related to CD62L on granulocyte [IVW: OR (95%): 1.183 (1.037 to 1.348), P = 0.012].

Conclusion: The study unveils the causal link between immune cells and susceptibility to postpartum depression from a genetic standpoint, providing new directions for drug development and precision medicine for PPD treatment.

Background: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) often presents with non-specific flu-like symptoms that resemble upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), especially in endemic areas. We aimed to evaluate whether complete blood count (CBC) parameters could distinguish between CCHF and URTI in emergency settings.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective comparative analysis of 503 patients: 203 confirmed CCHF cases and 300 URTI cases. The study was carried out at Erzurum City Hospital, Erzurum, Turkey, between 2023 and 2024. Hematological parameters including WBC, PLT, RDW, MPV, and others were analyzed. ROC analysis was used to evaluate the prognostic value in CCHF patients.

Results: Significant differences in multiple CBC parameters were observed between the two groups. CCHF patients had significantly lower WBC, PLT, and lymphocyte counts, and higher MPV and RDW values compared to URTI patients (P-value<0.001). Among CCHF cases, 40.4% were initially misdiagnosed as URTI. ROC analysis indicated moderate prognostic power for HGB and PLT in predicting mortality.

Conclusion: CBC parameters can assist in distinguishing CCHF from URTI in endemic areas, especially when RT-PCR is unavailable. Emergency physicians should consider CCHF in differential diagnosis when specific hematological abnormalities are present.

Background: Recently, along with the increase of the older adult population, the necessity of health management in daily life is emerging, and interest in the traditional oriental health management method, Yangsaeng, is increasing. This study was to provide a basis for future oriental health promotion intervention research by analyzing previous studies related to the Yangsaeng (oriental health management) of the older adults.

Method: This study was a systematic review on older adults' Yangsaeng. The databases used for literature search for data collection include PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library (CDSR), Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), Oasis, Korean Studies Information Service System (KISS), and DataBase Periodical Information Academic (DBpia). Analysis of the status by year, subject characteristics, study types, research design methods, and variables related to older adults' Yangsaeng among previous studies related to older adults' Yangsaeng published in academic journals from 1990 to 2021 was performed.

Results: Eighteen quantitative studies related to the older adults' Yangsaeng have been published so far, and all of them were descriptive research studies using Yangsaeng measurement tool. The variables related to the older adults' Yangsaeng identified in this study were activities of daily living, self-efficacy, instrumental activities of daily living, perceived health state, self-esteem, empowerment, life satisfaction, physical function, quality of life, social support, anxiety, and depression.

Conclusion: The study will be helpful in the development of integrative and complementary interventions for health promotion of the older adults.

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality among women in developing regions, particularly within tribal populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. This study aimed to evaluate existing screening strategies in tribal communities, compare them with global best practices, and explore the feasibility of smart colposcopy as an effective screening tool in low-resource settings.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining systematic literature review 2000-2024, case study analysis, and technical evaluation. Data were collected from peer-reviewed journals, healthcare databases, and open-access medical image repositories. The diagnostic utility and usability of smart colposcopy using the Eva System were assessed. Advanced image processing techniques, including CNN-based detection and partial convolution inpainting, were applied to improve visual clarity by mitigating artifacts like specular reflection.

Results: Findings reveal significant screening barriers in tribal regions, such as fear, stigma, and infrastructural deficits. Compared to structured programs in developed countries, tribal areas show lower compliance. Smart colposcopy demonstrated high potential for remote screening due to its portability and real-time AI support. Image quality enhancements improved diagnostic accuracy.

Conclusion: Smart colposcopy, integrated with awareness initiatives and supportive policies, offers a scalable solution to improve early detection and reduce cervical cancer mortality in tribal and underserved populations.

Background: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is the most common inherited peripheral neuropathy by high clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Although many studies reported from East Asian countries, data from West/South Asia remain limited. The current study aimed to summarize available epidemiological, clinical and genetic data of CMT patients in Asia.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Nature, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Willey for relevant published articles between 2003 until Feb 2023, according to PRISMA guidelines. Articles were screened for epidemiological, clinical and genetic information. Inclusion required published mutation frequency or genetic variant in CMT patients. The Q-Genie tool and Newcastle-Ottawa (NOS) were used to evaluate the quality of genetics and observational studies, respectively.

Results: Out of 320, 32 screened articles met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were reported from China (n = 12), Japan (n=7), and Korea (n=6). The axonal CMT was the frequent type (50%), followed by demyelinating (28%) and intermediate (9%) types. Autosomal dominant (AD) inheritance was observed in 62% of genetically confirmed cases. Frequently mutated genes were GDAP1, MPZ, and JGB1, which have been found mostly in the East Asia.

Conclusion: This systematic review reports substantial knowledge gap in West/South Asian CMT research. The review emphasized the urgent need to use comprehensively of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to uncover new mutations and improve diagnostics in West/South Asian. Future region-specific cohort studies and registries can be essential to identify frequent variants and fill the diagnostic gaps.

Background: Telemedicine is increasingly vital in healthcare, offering remote consultations via message-based and video call-based platforms. These methods improve healthcare accessibility, particularly when in-person visits are limited. Telemedicine is increasingly vital in healthcare, offering remote consultations via message-based and video call-based platforms. These methods improve healthcare accessibility, particularly when in-person visits are limited.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in ScienceDirect, PubMed, and up to August 2024. Studies evaluating the accessibility and practicality of global telemedicine were evaluated. From initial 439 records, 19 studies were finally in this systematic review. Studies were reviewed thoroughly with quality appraisal using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale, in which those rated for high quality studies were included.

Results: Most studies (74%) were from high-income countries, notably the United States (26%) and Denmark (11%). Observational studies dominated (95%), focusing on follow-up consultations (47%) and diagnostic services (32%), particularly in general care (32%), neurology (11%), and surgery (5%). Research peaked in 2022 (32%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Common platforms included WhatsApp, AnyDesk, and QliqSOFT. Accessibility was the primary focus in 53% of studies, while 47% addressed feasibility. Challenges like technological barriers and privacy concerns were particularly noted in lower-income regions.

Conclusion: Telemedicine has enhanced healthcare accessibility and demonstrated feasibility. However, technological limitations and remote consultation challenges persist, particularly in lower-income regions. Continued research is needed to optimize telemedicine and equitable access.