Relationship between using cell phone and the risk of accident with motor vehicles: An analytical cross-sectional study

Purpose: Traffic accidents are one of the major health problems in the world, being the first cause of burden of illness and the second leading cause of death in Iran. The Sistan-Baluchestan province is one of the most accidental provinces of Iran with the highest rate of accidents-caused deaths. This study was conducted to determine the risk factors associated with traffic accidents in Zahedan through 2013 to 2016. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on 223 drivers from Zahedan who were traumatized by traffic accident and sent to Zahedan hospitals. The data were obtained through interviews taken by the trained interviewers via refereeing to the medical records and collected in the researcher-made checklist. Census was obtained from the study subjects. For data analysis, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Chi-square and logistic regression were used with the Stata software version 11.0. Results: In this study, 223 male subjects with the mean age of (32.54 ± 12.95) years, 39.8% single and 60.2% married, entered for investigation. Most accidents (38.8%) occurred between 12:00 to 17:59. While driving, 47.1% of the study subjects were using cell phones, 89.1% had manual use of mobile phones, 21.9% had a habit of sending short message service (SMS) and 23.4% had sent SMS within 10 min before the accident. The one way analysis of variance showed that the mean age of individuals with marital status, driving experience, education and accident with motorcycle were significantly different (p < 0.05). Also, the multivariate logistic regression test indicated a significant relationship of smoking, ethnicity, insurance and SMS typing while driving with motorcycle accident (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, SMS and smoking while driving had the highest risk among the variables studied in the motorcycle accidents. Therefore, effective education attempting to enhance people''s awareness about the consequences of using cell phone and smoking during driving to reduce traffic accidents seems necessary.     

RAR‐related orphan receptor A: One gene with multiple functions related to migraine

AimsRAR‐related orphan receptor (RORA) involves in regulation of several biological processes including inflammation and circadian rhythm that probably are involved in migraine pathophysiology. In the current study, the association between RORA rs11639084 and rs4774388 variants and susceptibility to migraine were investigated in a sample of Iranian migraine patients for the first time.MethodsIn a case‐control study including 400 participants, 200 migraineurs and 200 healthy controls, genotyping of RORA rs4774388 and rs11639084 polymorphisms was performed using tetra‐primer amplification refractory mutation system–polymerase chain reaction (TP‐ARMS‐PCR).ResultsThe distribution of rs4774388 C/T and T/T genotypes differed significantly between the studied groups. Moreover, an association was observed between rs4774388 and migraine under the recessive mode of inheritance (P = 0.002; OR = 1.89.; CI = 1.25‐2.87). The distribution of rs11639084 alleles and genotypes was not significantly different between migraineurs and healthy controls.ConclusionCurrent results suggest RORA, as a molecular link, may explain inflammation and circadian rhythm dysfunction in migraine. Further studies in different ethnicities are required to confirm the function of RORA in migraine development.     

Comparison of transcatheter versus surgical closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect in pediatric patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectivePerimembranous ventricular septal defect (pmVSD) is a common congenital heart disease (CHD) usually treated with either catheter or surgical closure. Superiority of one procedure over the other in children is still a matter of debate. We performed this meta-analysis to compare the clinical outcomes and cost of transcatheter and surgical closure of pmVSD in children.Materials and methodsWe searched seven databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, CENTRAL, CINHAL, and Cochrane library) and literature references for articles published in the past 10 years (between January 2008 and January 2018) comparing closure of pmVSD by both procedures in children. The outcomes of interest were success rate, residual shunt, need for blood transfusion, complications especially complete atrioventricular block, length of hospital stay, and cost.ResultsA total of 1750 articles were identified. However, only five studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. As regards success rate, no significant difference was found between surgical and catheter closure. Residual shunt was significantly lower in catheter closure than surgical closure [risk ratio (RR) = 0.44; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.23–0.83, p = 0.01). The need for blood transfusion and the length of hospital stay were significantly lower in the catheter closure compared to surgical closure (RR = 0.02; 95% CI, 0.01–0.08; p < 0.00001), (RR = ?4.81; 95% CI, ?7.76 to ?1.86; p = 0.001), respectively. However, overall complications, complete atrioventricular block, and the cost were comparable in both procedures.ConclusionTranscatheter closure of pmVSD in children was as effective as surgical closure with a lower residual shunt and need for blood transfusion, and shorter hospital stay.     

Patient satisfaction with occlusal scheme of conventional complete dentures

Occlusal scheme is a controversial topic that has been linked to patient satisfaction with conventional complete dentures (CCDs). This study aimed to compare the patient satisfaction with CCDs with four different occlusal schemes namely the lingualised occlusion (LO), buccalised occlusion (BO), fully bilateral balanced occlusion (FBBO) and partially group function occlusion (PGFO). In this clinical study, new CCDs were made for 121 patients; out of which, 97 patients (mean age of 57.87 ± 9.5 years) completed the 1-year follow-up. The CCD wearers were followed up at 1 month, 3 months and 1 year after CCD delivery. Data were collected via an interview and recorded in a checklist by a blinded examiner. The checklist included the demographic variables, the 19-item version of Oral Health Impact Profile for Edentulous Patients (OHIP-EDENT), and seven 100-mm line visual analogue scales (VASs) to assess the items related to patient satisfaction. The Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman tests followed by post hoc tests were used to compare the variables among the 4 groups and between the 3 follow-ups. P-value ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant for all tests. The patients with BO presented higher satisfaction scores for comfort, stability and retention at the 1-year follow-up compared with PGFO. Both PGFO and FBBO groups had higher physical pain scores compared with BO and LO. The psychological discomfort scores of FBBO group were significantly higher than those in LO group. Pairwise comparisons revealed no significant differences in the general patient satisfaction and total OHIP-EDENT scores between the 4 groups. For most items, within-group analysis showed significant improvement of the satisfaction scores and reduction of domain scores over time.     

The α7-nAChR/heme oxygenase-1/carbon monoxide pathway mediates the nicotine counteraction of renal inflammation and vasoconstrictor hyporeactivity in endotoxic male rats

Inflammation Research - The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that nicotine guards against endotoxemia-associated renal inflammation and vasoconstrictor dysfunction via the...     

The effect of nettle (Urtica dioica) supplementation on the glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major health problem, worldwide, that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Several randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) have investigated the effect of nettle (Urtica dioica) supplementation on markers of glycemic status in patients with T2DM, with conflicting results. Therefore, the present study assessed the effect of nettle on some glycemic parameters in patients with T2DM. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, from database inception up to June 2019, to identify RCTs investigating the effect of nettle supplementation on glycemic markers, including fasting blood sugar (FBS) concentrations, insulin levels, homeostasis model assessment‐estimated insulin resistance index, and glycosylated hemoglobin percentage in adults with T2DM. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results of this meta‐analysis were reported based on the random effects model. Eight RCTs, comprising 401 participants, were included in the present systematic review and meta‐analysis. Based on the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool, five studies were considered as good quality, one was fair, and two studies were poor, respectively. The results of the meta‐analysis revealed a significant reduction in FBS concentrations (weighted mean difference [WMD]: ?18.01 mg/dl, 95% confidence interval [CI]: ?30.04 to ?5.97, p < .001, I² = 94.6%) following nettle supplementation. However, no significant reduction was observed in insulin levels (WMD: 0.83 Hedges' g, 95% CI: ?0.26 to 1.92, p = .13, I² = 89.4%), homeostasis model assessment‐estimated insulin resistance index (WMD: ?0.22, 95% CI: ?0.83 to 0.40, p = .49, I² = 69.2%), or glycosylated hemoglobin percentage (WMD: ?0.77%, 95% CI: ?1.77 to 0.22, p = .12, I² = 83.0%). The findings of the present study suggest that nettle supplementation may be effective in controlling FBS for T2DM patients. However, further studies are needed to confirm the veracity of these results.