Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal 

About: Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal is an academic journal published by Kowsar Publishing Company. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Medicine. It has an ISSN identifier of 2074-1804. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 2734 publications have been published receiving 27222 citations. The journal is also known as: IRCMJ.

Patient involvement in health care decision making: a review.

Abstract: Background:: Patient participation means involvement of the patient in decision making or expressing opinions about different treatment methods, which includes sharing information, feelings and signs and accepting health team instructions. Objectives:: Given the importance of patient participation in healthcare decision making which empowers patients and improves services and health outcomes, this study was performed to review previous studies on patient participation in healthcare decision making. Materials and Methods:: To prepare this narrative review article, researchers used general and specific search engines, as well as textbooks addressing this subject for an in-depth study of patient involvement in healthcare decision-making. As a result, 35 (out of 100 relevant) articles and also two books were selected for writing this review article. Results:: Based on the review of articles and books, topics were divided into six general categories: definition of participation, importance of patient participation, factors influencing participation of patients in healthcare decisions, method of patient participation, tools for evaluating participation, and benefits and consequences of patient participation in health care decision-making. Conclusions:: In most studies, factors influencing patient participation consisted of: factors associated with health care professionals such as doctor-patient relationship, recognition of patient’s knowledge, allocation of sufficient time for participation, and also factors related to patients such as having knowledge, physical and cognitive ability, and emotional connections, beliefs, values and their experiences in relation to health services.

Cancer Occurrence in Fars Province, Southern Iran

Abstract: Background: Cancer is a significant health problem in the developing countries, and one that is likely to increase in future. Due to unavailability of data concerning cancer during the last 15 years in our area and young age structure of our country, this active hospital-based study was undertaken to determine the occurrence of cancer in Fars Province, southern Iran. Methods: Data including face-to-face interview with patients and a survey of their medical and demographic records in relation to all invasive cancers were actively collected from 1990 to 2005 from four university hospitals. Among 2993 cases of registered malignant neoplasms presented by site and sex, the crude incidence (CRs), and age-specific incidence and age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) per 100,000 were determined, using the world standard population. Results: Over a 5-year period, 1495 and 1620 cancer cases were registered in males and females, respectively, while breast cancer was at the top of 10 cancers in both sexes. Conclusion: With regard to the top 10 types of cancer, there was a remarkable difference between the results of our study and the estimated cancer incidence for Iran by Globocan 2000. Ethnic, racial and environmental factors may explain these differences but more studies in a longer time span are needed to clarify the causes.

Frequent convulsive seizures in an adult patient with covid-19: A case report

Abstract: Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel coronavirus that was extracted from patients with respiratory tract infections. The most common symptoms of patients are fever and respiratory tract involvement. In this report, we describe one patient with frequent seizures probably due to COVID-19 infection for the first time. Case Presentation: A 30-year-old previously healthy female was admitted with generalized tonic-clonic seizure in the neurology emergency room. The patient complained of dry cough five days before the admission. She had seizures (five times) approximately every 8 hours. Brain MRI was normal and chest CT revealed focal ground-glass opacities. The respiratory specimen was positive for COVID-19 using real-time PCR assay. The symptoms of the patient improved with anticonvulsive and antiviral medications. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case study to report an association between frequent seizures and COVID- 19. In our opinion, there is a hypothesis about this subject that the etiology of seizure may be due to encephalitis and invasion virus to the brain or toxic effect of inflammatory cytokines.

Virulence Gene Profiles of Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated From Iranian Hospital Infections.

Abstract: Background: The most common hospital-acquired pathogen is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is a multidrug resistant bacterium causing systemic infections. Objectives: The present study was carried out in order to investigate the distribution of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from various types of hospital infections in Iran. Patients and Methods: Two-hundred and seventeen human infection specimens were collected from Baqiyatallah and Payambaran hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The clinical samples were cultured immediately and samples positive for P. aeruginosa were analyzed for the presence of antibiotic resistance and bacterial virulence genes using PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using disk diffusion methodology with Mueller–Hinton agar. Results: Fifty-eight out of 127 (45.66%) male infection specimens and 44 out of 90 (48.88%) female infection specimens harbored P. aeruginosa. Also, 65% (in male specimens) and 21% (in female specimens) of respiratory system infections were positive for P. aeruginosa, which was a high rate. The genes encoding exoenzyme S (67.64%) and phospholipases C (45.09%) were the most common virulence genes found among the strains. The incidences of various β-lactams encoding genes, including bla TEM , bla SHV , bla OXA , bla CTX-M , bla DHA, and bla VEB were 94.11%, 16.66%, 15.68%, 18.62%, 21.56%, and 17.64%, respectively. The most commonly detected fluoroquinolones encoding gene was gyrA (15. 68%). High resistance levels to penicillin (100%), tetracycline (90.19%), streptomycin (64.70%), and erythromycin (43.13%) were observed too. Conclusions: Our findings should raise awareness about antibiotic resistance in hospitalized patients in Iran. Clinicians should exercise caution in prescribing antibiotics, especially in cases of human infections.

Coronary artery disease and its risk factors status in iran: a review.

Abstract: Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and disability in the world. The high prevalence and morbidity associated with CAD in Iran is one of the most pressing health problems. Methods: We have reviewed the status of CAD and prevalence of its traditional and novel risk factors based on the published papers in recent years that may have an impact on the rate of CAD in Iran. Evaluation of current impact of metabolic syndrome in Iran was the other aim of this review, as it contributes to pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. We reviewed all PubMed indexed related studies. Some evidences from national articles which were published by the Ministry Of Health and Medical Education Research Council Certified Medical Journals of Islamic Republic of Iran were also included.