Background: Various screening programs for all pregnant women are presented in the first pregnancy visit to reduce the vertical transmission of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection from mother to fetus during labor. Obstetricians and gynecologists are often referred to as a reliable source for health information for pregnant women. The present survey aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of obstetricians and gynecologists regarding screening for HBV infection among pregnant women in Iran, in 2018.

Methods: This KAP study was performed in 200 obstetricians and gynecologists in Iran using the available sampling method. Data were collected using a researcher-made, valid and reliable questionnaire which contained 4 parts, including demographic data (3 questions), knowledge (20 questions), attitude (5 questions), and practice (8 questions). The level of knowledge and practice was evaluated using the Likert score, and attitude was defined as positive or negative. The relation between knowledge, attitude and practice, as well as their relationship with the work experience of obstetricians and gynecologists was evaluated.

Results: The mean age of obstetricians and gynecologists was 38.9±3.7 years. The knowledge and practice of obstetricians and gynecologists about the screening for HBV in pregnant women was good, and they had a positive attitude on this. There was a direct and significant relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice with each other, as well as between knowledge and lower work experience (P <0.05).  

Conclusion: Obstetricians and gynecologists play an important and strategic role in the creation and transfer of health information, and the development of preventative measures and control of HBV for pregnant women. Despite the knowledge and attitude of obstetricians and gynecologists being reported at an appropriate level, the moderate level of practice can be alarming.

Background: Poisoning is one of the important social problems in developing countries, and acute poisoning due to suicide by drug overdose or toxins is one of the most common cases of poisoning that requires emergency care. This study was aimed to determine the demographics of benzodiazepines poisoned patients in one of the referral centers for poisoning in Iran.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients who referred to the poisoning emergency ward of Loghman Hakim Hospital from April 2015 to March 2016. Among 10624 patients who referred to the hospital at the study period, 2543 of them were poisoned by benzodiazepines. A total of 263 patients were selected randomly and were assessed for age, gender and the type of the benzodiazepine. The data were analyzed by version 15 of SPSS software.

Results: Among 263 patients, 127 were males (48.2%) and 136 were females (51.7%). The mean age of patients was 31 years old with a range of 13 – 80 years old. In addition, most patients were in the age of between 18 to 35 years (n = 152). In this study, 91 patients (34.6%) were single-drug poisoned with benzodiazepines and 172 cases (65.4%) were poisoned by multi-drug regimens including benzodiazepines. Between different types of benzodiazepines, the most common type was Alprazolam and the least common benzodiazepine was Oxazepam. Almost 96% of patients (n = 252) were treated successfully and 8 patients (3%) got discharged with self-consent. Furthermore, the mortality rate was approximately 1% (n = 3).

Conclusion: Benzodiazepines poisoning is common in younger patients; thus, close attentions are needed for the prescription of these drugs in young patients. Considering easy access to benzodiazepines in the community, periodic visits to psychiatrists may be useful for the reduction of benzodiazepine poisoning.

Background and Aims: The prevalence of iron deficiency is increasing in the population of cystic fibrosis patient (CF). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia and its correlation with pulmonary function in cystic fibrosis patients.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was done on the patients with cystic fibrosis who were referred to the Mofid Children Hospital, Tehran, Iran during 2015-2016. Complete blood counting and iron indices were evaluated; furthermore, Pulmonary function test was performed in ≥5 years old patients to determine the forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV₁/FVC and forced expiratory flow (FEF_25-75). The data were analyzed by SPSS software. Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, Fisher's exact test and χ2 were used for analyzing data.

Results: Among 30 patients who were able to perform spirometry, Spirometric findings were normal in 12 patients (40%) which 72% of them were female. There was a statistically significant correlation between the spirometric findings and the gender of the patients (P<0.05), but the correlation between the gender and iron indices was not significant (P>0.05). Moreover, there was no statistically significant correlation between spirometric findings and iron indices (P> 0.05).

Conclusion: There was no significant correlation between iron deficiency and pulmonary function in cystic fibrosis patients.

Background and aims: Acute appendicitis is one of the common surgical emergencies. Surgical wounds after complicated (perforated/gangrenous) usually are managed with delayed primary closure (DPC) rather than primary closure (PC); however, choosing of the best closure method is controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the difference in the rate of surgical wound infection between the primary closure and delayed primary closure after complicated appendicitis.

Materials and methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on patients who referred to the emergency department of Loghman Hakim hospital with the chief complaint of acute appendicitis from February 2014 to Feb 2018. The inclusion criteria were perforated and gangrenous appendicitis. The patients were divided randomly into to equal group based on the flipping coin. Demographic features, the rate of surgical site infection, hospitalization time in the primary closure and delayed primary closure groups compared with each other.

Results: Sixty-nine patients include in the final analysis. Thirty-five patients were in the primary closure group and 34 patients were in the delayed primary closure group. Surgical site infection was observed in 6 patients, including 4 patients in the primary closure group and 2 patients in the delayed primary closure group (P value = 0.66). In addition, the hospitalization period was 3.5 ± 0.42 and 5.30 ± 0.21 in the primary closure and in the delayed primary closure respectively (P value = 0.001).

Conclusion: There are no differences between the primary closure and delayed primary closure in the context of surgical site infection. However, the hospitalization time will be longer in the delayed primary closure of the complicated appendicitis wound.

Background: It has been found that some patients with Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may have anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP), although the clinical significance of such finding is not well established. SLE patients may have joint complaints that are very similar to those observed in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In early stages of disease, this form of arthritis can be difficult to differentiate from RA, so it is not rare that some SLE patients are initially misdiagnosed to have this disease. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of anti-CCP in SLE patients in Loghman Hakim hospital, Tehran, Iran.

Method and Materials: One hundred fourteen SLE patients were studied for anti-CCP. Demographic features and prevalence serum positive Anti-CCP were measured in studied patient.

Results: In this study we evaluate 11 men and 103 women. The mean age of patients was 40.26±14.54 y/o. Anti-CCP was positive in 20 of 114 SLE patients. In Anti-CCP positive group also there was 3 men and 17 women with mean age of 45.7±13.

Conclusion: We found that 17.5 % of Iranian patients with SLE have positive anti-CCP. Only a careful and prolonged follow-up will reveal the real clinical value of these markers in each patient individually.

Key Words: Anti-CCP, Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic lupus erythematosus