Scan to discover onlineBackground & Objective: The aim of this study was to measure serum pentraxin 3 (PTX3) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and compare it with the control group. Methods:In this case-control study, 60 patients with MI (±ST-segment elevation) were included in the case group , and those with symptoms suspicious for coronary artery disease (CAD) and with no abnormal findings in angiography and troponin I level less than 99th percentile of normal population were included as a control group (N=30). Serum PTX3 and troponin I were measured.Results: In this study, 60 patients including 34 men and 26 women were included in the case group (mean age: 61.4±8.86 years in non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [NSTEMI] subgroup and mean age: 57.9±9.49 years in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI] subgroup), as well as 13 men and 17 women as the control group (mean age: 55.47±10.09 years). PTX3 level was higher in MI cases (1128.4±1205 pg/mL) compared to controls (394.5±170.40 pg/mL) (P=0.001). There was no relationship between ejection fraction (EF) and PTX3 level in the MI group. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of PTX3 in MI was presented by 0.828 (AUC=0.828) (P>0.001). We defined three different cutoffs for PTX in this study, in which the cutoff ≥400 pg/mL had the highest sensitivity (92%), and the cutoff ≥700 pg/mL had the highest specificity (97%). Conclusion:According to the results of this study, PTX3 as an inflammatory marker showed higher level in patients with MI, especially in STEMI cases. Therefore, combined evaluation of troponin I and PTX3 levels would be associated with more accuracy in diagnosis of MI.
Background: World Health Organization estimated that 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women have hypertension (HTN). Considering the impact of high blood pressure (BP) identification to prevent its related complications. Objectives: this study was performed to describe the first national BP screening program conducted in Babol, north of Iran. Methods: In this historical cohort carried out at Babol University of Medical Sciences, data related to the 2019 BP screening mass campaign in adult people ≥ 30 years were collected. BP less than 120/80 mm Hg was considered as normal, and mean BP ≥ 140/90 mm Hg or taking antihypertensive medication was defined as hypertension. When the systolic pressure was 120 - 139 or the diastolic pressure was 80 - 90 mm Hg, the person was classified as a prehypertensive case. Results: Totally, 220,241 adult people, with a mean age of 49.82 ± 14.26 years were screened, of whom 42,107 cases (19.1%; 95% CI: 18.95 - 19.28%) had hypertension, 112,406 cases (51.0%) had normal BP, and 65,728 cases (29.8%) were diagnosed as prehypertensive cases. After controlling for demographic covariates, the logistic regression models showed significantly higher odds of hypertension for married individuals (adjusted OR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.19 - 1.27; P < 0.0001) and those living in urban regions (adjusted OR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.79 - 1.88; P < 0.0001). The prevalence of hypertension showed no significant difference between men and women (P = 0.476). Conclusions: As nearly one in five adults had hypertension, and nearly 30% were diagnosed as prehypertensive individuals, a continuous BP screening program is recommended in this region. High BP was observed more in older and married cases and in people living in urban regions.
Cellular stress response plays an important role in the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease (CAD). Inhibition of cellular stress may provide a novel clinical approach regarding the diagnosis and treatment of CAD. Fibroblasts constitute 60-70% of cardiac cells and have a crucial role in cardiovascular function. Hence, the aim of this study was to show a potential therapeutic application of proteins derived from heat-stressed fibroblast in CAD patients. Fibroblasts were isolated from the foreskin and cultured under heat stress conditions. Surprisingly, 1.06% of the cells exhibited a necrotic death pattern. Furthermore, heat-stressed fibroblasts produced higher level of total proteins than control cells. In SDS-PAGE analysis, a 70 kDa protein band was observed in stressed cell culture supernatants which appeared as two acidic spots with close pI in the two-dimensional electrophoresis. To evaluate the immunogenic properties of fibroblast-derived heat shock proteins (HSPs), the serum immunoglobulin-G (IgG) was measured by ELISA in 50 CAD patients and 50 normal subjects who had been diagnosed through angiography. Interestingly, the level of anti-HSP antibody was significantly higher in non-CAD individuals in comparison with the patient’s group ( p < 0.05 ). The odds ratio for CAD was 5.06 ( 95 % CI = 2.15 ‐ 11.91 ) in cut-off value of 30 AU/mL of anti-HSP antibody. Moreover, ROC analysis showed that anti-HSP antibodies had a specificity of 74% and a sensitivity of 64%, which is almost equal to 66% sensitivity of exercise stress test (EST) as a CAD diagnostic method. These data revealed that fibroblast-derived HSPs are suitable for the diagnosis and management of CAD through antibody production.
Benchmarking is one of the superior methods and processes for performance and organizational improvement. This study was conducted to determine benchmarking rate of disaster management committee members in Iranian public hospitals in effective disaster response. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018. The research community was Iranian public hospitals that were randomly selected based on spatial planning. The data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire including two parts of individual variables, and amount and technique of benchmarking using 14 open-ended and closed-ended questions. The data were analyzed by SPSS-23 software. Results: Out of 410 members available from the hospital crisis and disaster management committee who were studied, 103 persons (25.1%) had from 1 to 8 benchmarking cases during the period of cooperation with this committee, and a total of 237 cases of benchmarking were recorded. Thus, the mean number of benchmarking cases was 0.58±1.2. Thus, the mean score of benchmarking was 0.58±1.2. There was a significant relationship among the number of benchmarking cases and the duration of cooperation in the Disaster Management Committee (P=0.001 & r=+0.177), the number of active beds in the hospital (P=0.024 & r=+0.117), educational level (P=0.029 & r=+0.109), and the city of hospital (28.4% in metropolitan areas and 15.9% in non-metropolitan areas) (P=0.010). Conclusion: This study showed that benchmarking rate per capita among the studied members was in a lower level compared to other similar studies. Therefore, it is suggested that appropriate intervention programs be designed and implemented.
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