Background:Maternal thyroid function alters during pregnancy. Inadequate adaptation to these changes results in thyroid dysfunction and pregnancy complications.Objectives:This prospective study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of thyroid diseases in pregnancy and its outcomes in south of Iran.Materials and Methods:This prospective study was conducted on 600 healthy singleton pregnant women who aged 18 to 35 years old at 15 to 28 weeks of gestation. We investigated the prevalence of thyroid dysfunctions in women. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the effect thyroid dysfunction on obstetric and neonatal outcome.Results:Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels of 0.51, 1.18, 1.68, 2.4, and 4.9 mIU/L were at 2.5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 97.5th percentile in our population. The prevalence of clinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, overt hyperthyroidism, and subclinical hyperthyroidism in all pregnant women was 2.4%, 11.3%, 1.2%, and 0.3%, respectively. In addition, 1.4% of patients had isolated hypothyroxinemia. Clinical hypothyroidism was associated with increased risk of preterm delivery (P = 0.045). Subclinical hypothyroidism had a significant association with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (P = 0.028) as well as low Apgar score at first minute (P = 0.022). Maternal hyperthyroidism was associated with IUGR (P = 0.048).Conclusions:We revealed that thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy was associated with IUGR and low Apgar score even in subclinical forms. Further studies are required to determine whether early diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases, even in subclinical form, can prevent their adverse effect on fetus.

Objectives:Women are one of the most important parts of the family and society, and community health is dependent on provision of the needs of this group. Menopause is one of the most critical stages of life among women. One of the aims of health services for all of the people in the 21st century is improvement of the quality-of-life. In menopausal women, the term quality-of-life incorporates its physical symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and vaginal mucosa dryness. We set out this study in order to evaluate the effect of education on the quality-of-life and the improvement of health standards in menopausal women.Materials and Methods:Sixty-two women aged 44–55 referring to and academic outpatient clinic in Shiraz were selected by simple random sampling, and allocated in two groups. Data was collected using a modified Hildich questionnaire on quality-of-life in menopause stage. Quality-of-life of the subjects (vasomotor, psychosocial, physical and sexual aspects) were evaluated prior to and 3 months after educational intervention.Results:Mean quality-of-life score in study and control groups, prior to education, was 81.7 and 74.8; changing to 75.3 and 75.8, respectively three months after intervention. The study group showed a significant improvement in their quality-of-life (P = 0.001). A significant difference was seen between groups in terms of changing quality-of-life after intervention (P = 0.001).Conclusions:Appropriate training to menopausal women improves their quality-of-life and promotes their health.

Background and Aim: Cancer is the second cause of death after cardiovascular diseases in the world. Each year, more than 70,000 new cases of cancer and 30,000 deaths from cancer have been recorded in Iran. Cancer also reduces quality of life (QoL) by creating negative physical and mental symptoms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mental health, spiritual well-being and QoL among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Method: About 208 adults suffering from cancer and receiving chemotherapy in Shiraz hospitals were entered in the study and they were asked to complete the Paloutzian and Ellison Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire, and Goranowski Mental Health, Quality of Life and Excitement Questionnaire. For data analysis, descriptive statistics including mean (standard deviation) and frequency (percentages) were used in table and chart format, moreover Spearman correlation tests were also used. Results: The results of the study revealed that there was a positive and significant correlation between mental health and QoL ( P = 0.001) in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The results of the study revealed that there was a positive and significant correlation between spiritual well-being and mental health ( P = 0.001) and QoL ( P = 0.01) in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, but there was a negative and significant Correlation between spiritual well-being and negative emotions ( P = 0.47). On the other hand, there was a negative and significant correlation between mental health ( P = 0.026) and QoL ( P = 0.019) and negative emotions respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between spiritual well-being, mental health, and QoL in cancer patients.

Breast cancer (BC) has been recognized as the most common type of cancer in females across the world, accounting for 12% of each cancer case. In this sense, better diagnosis and screening have been thus far proven to contribute to higher survival rates. Moreover, traditional (or standard) chemotherapy is still known as one of the several prominent therapeutic options available, though it suffers from unsuitable cell selectivity, severe consequences, as well as resistance. In this regard, nanobased drug delivery systems (DDSs) are likely to provide promising grounds for BC treatment. Liposomes are accordingly effective nanosystems, having the benefits of multiple formulations verified to treat different diseases. Such systems possess specific features, including smaller size, biodegradability, hydrophobic/hydrophilic characteristics, biocompatibility, lower toxicity, as well as immunogenicity, which can all lead to considerable efficacy in treating various types of cancer. As chemotherapy uses drugs to target tumors, generates higher drug concentrations in tumors, which can provide for their slow release, and enhances drug stability, it can be improved via liposomes in DDSs for BC treatment. Therefore, the present study aims to review the existing issues regarding BC treatment and discuss liposome‐based targeting in order to overcome barriers to conventional drug therapy.

Background: Puberty is one of the most critical periods in human beings' development, which is accompanied by psychological and social changes. These changes create new needs and meeting them enables adolescents to adapt better and faster. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the health-related counseling needs of adolescent girls to assist them in this period of development. Materials and Methods: Forty teenage (13 -19-year-old) girls, who had at least experienced 3 menstrual cycles, participated in this qualitative study. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The content analysis method was used to analyze the data. Results: Adolescent girls' counseling needs were categorized into 33 codes, 10 groups and 3 main clusters: physical, psychological, and social. The most important physical counseling needs were issues related to menstruation, hygiene, coping with dysmenorrhea, and issues related to menstrual irregularities and genital infections. With respect to the psychological counseling needs, withdrawal, sensitivity toward criticism, restlessness, instability, irritability, and mood swings were among the important issues mentioned by the participants. Regarding the social counseling needs, most girls stated that they liked to socialize with their peers and dress and act like their friends. Conclusions: Adolescents girls need a comprehensive counseling program to improve their health status.

Introduction and Aim: Researchers and specialists believe that health maintenance and improvement through university students, as a part of society, play a crucial role in community configuration which should not be ignored. Since there was a few studies in these fields, researchers have sought to explore how mentioned workshops is related to cognitive emotion regulation, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality for the student volunteers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, 152 students were allocated into the 3 equal groups (study1: “perseverance workshop” study2:”sleep and wakefulness workshop” and control group). Data collection instruments were the Granovsky cognitive emotion regulation scale, the Beck depression and anxiety inventories and Pittsburgh sleep Quality Index (PSQI-P) Questionnaire. Results: The results of comparing the anxiety and depression between groups showed that there was a decreasing and significant trend in the two intervention groups, before and after the two workshops ( P < 0.001). For PSQ analysis, within-group comparisons in those who have participated sleep and wakefulness workshop showed that the change trend was significant and in linear form. In addition, to compare those who have participated in perseverance workshop with the control group, there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest results in the Cognitive Emotion Regulation subgroups. Conclusion: It can be said that the implementation of the workshops could improve the emotional state of the participants in comparison to the control group.

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