Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for 76% of deaths in Iran, and this number is on the rise, in parallel with global rates. Many risk factors associated with NCDs are preventable; however, it is first necessary to conduct observational studies to identify relevant risk factors and the most appropriate approach to controlling them. Iran is a multiethnic country; therefore, in 2014 the Ministry of Health and Medical Education launched a nationwide cohort study-Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN)-in order to identify the most prevalent NCDs among Iran's ethnic groups and to investigate effective methods of prevention. The PERSIAN study consists of 4 population-based cohorts; the adult component (the PERSIAN Cohort Study), described in this article, is a prospective cohort study including 180,000 persons aged 35-70 years from 18 distinct areas of Iran. Upon joining the cohort, participants respond to interviewer-administered questionnaires. Blood, urine, hair, and nail samples are collected and stored. To ensure consistency, centrally purchased equipment is sent to all sites, and the same team trains all personnel. Routine visits and quality assurance/control measures are taken to ensure protocol adherence. Participants are followed for 15 years postenrollment. The PERSIAN study is currently in the enrollment phase; cohort profiles will soon emerge.

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Background Self-reported substance use is more likely to be influenced by underreporting bias compared to the biological markers. Underreporting bias or validity of self-reported substance use depends on the study population and cannot be generalized to the entire population. This study aimed to compare the validity of self-reported substance use between research setting and primary health care setting from the same source population. Methods and materials The population in this study included from Rafsanjan Youth Cohort Study (RYCS) and from primary care health centers. The sample from RYCS is made up 607 participants, 113 (18.62%) women and 494 (81.38%) men and sample from PHC centers is made up 522 individuals including 252 (48.28%) women and 270 (51.72%) men. We compared two groups in respect of prevalence estimates based on self-reported substance use and urine test. Then for evaluating validity of self-reported substance use in both group, the results of reference standard, urine tests, were compared with the results of self-reported drug use using measures of concordance. Results The prevalence of substance use based on urine test was significantly higher in both settings compared to self-reported substance use over the past 72 h. The sensitivity of self-report substance use over the past 72 h in research setting was 39.4, 20, 10% and zero for opium, methadone, cannabis and amphetamine, respectively and in primary health care setting was 50, 20.7, 12.5% and zero for opium, methadone, cannabis and amphetamine, respectively. The level of agreement between self-reported substance use over the past 72 h and urine test indicated fair and moderate agreement for opium in both research and primary health care settings, respectively and also slight agreement for methadone and cannabis in both settings were reported. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of self-reported substance use. For all substances, the level of agreement increased with longer recall periods. The specificity of self-report for all substances in both groups was more than 99%. Conclusion Individuals in primary health care setting were more likely to self-reported substance use than in research setting, but setting did not have a statistically significant effect in terms of self-reported substance use. Programs that rely on self-reported substance use may not estimate the exact prevalence of substance use in both research and primary health care settings, especially for substances that have a higher social stigma. Therefore, it is recommended that self-report and biological indicators be used for more accurate evaluation in substance use studies. It is also suggested that future epidemiological studies be performed to reduce bias of social desirability and find a method providing the highest level of privacy.

Smoking, heavy alcohol drinking and drug abuse are detrimental lifestyle factors leading to loss of million years of healthy life annually. One of the major health complications caused by these substances is the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which accounts for a significant proportion of substance-induced death. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are related to the higher risk of acute myocardial infarction. Similarly, opioid addiction, as one of the most commonly used substances worldwide, is associated with cardiac events such as ischemia and myocardial infarction (MI). As supported by many studies, coronary artery disease (CAD) is considered as a major cause for substance-induced cardiac events. Nonetheless, over the last three decades, a growing body of evidence indicates that a significant proportion of substance-induced cardiac ischemia or MI cases, do not manifest any signs of CAD. In the absence of CAD, the coronary microvascular dysfunction is believed to be the main underlying reason for CVD. To date, comprehensive literature reviews have been published on the clinicopathology of CAD caused by smoking and opioids, as well as macrovascular pathological features of the alcoholic cardiomyopathy. However, to the best of our knowledge there is no review article about the impact of these substances on the coronary microvascular network. Therefore, the present review will focus on the current understanding of the pathophysiological alterations in the coronary microcirculation triggered by smoking, alcohol and opioids.

Objective: Inflammation plays a significant role in the development of ischemic stroke. CXC chemokines play pleiotropic roles in prolonged leukocyte locomotion, astrocyte migration/activation, and neural attachment/sprouting in response to focal stroke. In this study, we aimed to explore the changes in serum levels of three chemokines, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9), and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10), in ischemic stroke patients at the time of admission and before discharge from the hospital ward. Materials and Methods:In this study, we recruited 43 unrelated ischemic stroke patients using an easy convenience method or accidental sampling which is a type of non-probability sampling that involves the sample being drawn from that part of the population that is close to hand. We also enrolled 50 genetically unrelated healthy controls showing no history of neurologic, cardiovascular, or inflammatory diseases. Serum levels of the considered chemokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients and healthy controls.Results: No significant difference was observed in ischemic stroke patients following hospitalization and prior discharging from the hospital; however, there was a significant difference in serum levels of CXCL9 and CXCL10 between patients and healthy controls. We also found that the level of the chemokine was not related to gender or medical therapy. It appears that CXCL9 and CXCL10 are more predisposing factors and play a direct role in stroke considering that they were higher in patients than in healthy controls. Conclusion:We believe that this study might be used as a basis for further studies on more effective medication regimens to prevent the onset and subsequent complications of stroke. However, these mediators are useful diagnostic and prognostic tools rather than therapeutic tools.Keywords: Chemokine, ischemia, stroke ÖZ Amaç: Enflamasyon iskemik inme gelişiminde önemli bir rol oynar. CXC kemokinlerinin fokal inmeye yanıt olarak gelişen nöral bağlanma/filizlenme, astrosit migrasyon/aktivasyon ve uzamış lökosit lokomosyonunda pleiotropic etkileri vardır. Bu çalışmada iskemik inmeli hastalarda, C-X-C motif kemokin ligand 10 (CXCL10), C-X-C motif kemokin ligand 1 (CXCL1) ve C-X-C motif kemokin ligand 9'u (CXCL9) içeren üç kemokinin serum düzeyindeki değişikliklerinin hastaneye kabul ve taburculuk sırasında araştırılması amaçlanmıştır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu çalışmada, kolay uygunluk yöntemi kullanılarak birbiriyle ilişkisi olmayan 43 iskemik inmeli hasta incelendi. Ayrıca herhangi bir nörolojik, kardiyovasküler veya inflamatuvar hastalık öyküsü olmayan, genetik olarak birbiriyle bağlantısız 50 sağlıklı denek de çalışmaya dahil edildi. Hastalarda ve sağlıklı kontrollerde kemokinlerin serum düzeyleri enzime bağlı bağışıklık deneyi (ALISA) ile ölçüldü.Bulgular: Mevcut çalışmada, iskemik inme geçirdiği için hastaneye yatırılan ve taburcu edilen hastalarda anlamlı bir farklılık izlenmedi. Ancak, hastalar ve sağlıklı...

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The aim of this study was to investigate effects of troxerutin (TRX) on endurance capacity, oxidative stress and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels in trained male rats. Forty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups. The control (Vehicle) and exercise training (5 days/week) with vehicle treatment (Exercise), exercise training with TRX treatment at 75 (Ex-TRX75), 150 (Ex-TRX150), and 300 mg/kg (Ex-TRX300). The treated groups received TRX by gavage every day while the other groups received water for 30 days. On the 30th day, rats were sacrificed immediately after exhaustive swimming test, and some biochemical parameters were measured. Exhaustion swimming time in the Ex-TRX75, Ex-TRX150 and Ex-TRX300 groups significantly increased 1.2-, 1.93- and 2.1-fold compared to the vehicle group, respectively. TRX significantly increased glucose level (P < 0.05) and reduced creatine kinase activity (P < 0.001) compared to the vehicle and exercise groups. TRX300 significantly reduced alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase activities (P < 0.05) and blood urea nitrogen (P < 0.05) and MMP-9 levels (P < 0.05) compared to the vehicle and exercise groups. Additionally, TRX300 and TRX150 significantly increased superoxide dismutase activity compared to the vehicle group (P < 0.05). Our results provide experimental evidence in supporting clinical use of TRX as an effective agent against fatigue.