Maryam Eghbali-Babadi; Awat Feizi; Alireza Khosravi; Nizal Sarrafzadegan
Volume 20, Issue 5 , 2018, Pages 1-10
Abstract
Background: Patients have a significant role in controlling and treating hypertension. Improving patients’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) is a crucial step in controlling hypertension. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effect of training based on the Expanded Chronic Care Model ...
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Background: Patients have a significant role in controlling and treating hypertension. Improving patients’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) is a crucial step in controlling hypertension. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effect of training based on the Expanded Chronic Care Model (ECCM) on KAP in patients with hypertension residing in Isfahan, Iran. Methods: The clinical trial was conducted on 190 hypertensive patients aged 36 to 80 in 2015 - 2016. Patients were randomly assigned to an intervention and a control group. The intervention plan based on ECCM was four 2-hour education sessions for the intervention group and a family member. Then, follow-ups were done by a phone call for six months. Meanwhile; there was no intervention in the control group. The data collection was done using KAP (a valid researcher-made questionnaire), before and after intervention in both groups. Results: In the intervention group, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean score of KAP before and six months after the ECCM training (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the control group. The two groups were notsignificantly different in terms of the Mean ± SD of KAP scores before the intervention. Six months after implementing the care model, however, the Mean ± SD of KAP scores were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to in the controls (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Based on the results, a training program based on the ECCM is effective in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practice of patients. The ECCM could therefore be used as a framework for designing educational interventions for patients with hypertension
Vida Mohammadi; Fariborz Khorvash; Awat Feizi; Gholamreza Askari
Volume 19, Issue 8 , August 2017, , Pages 1-6
Abstract
Background: Having a stroke, which is a devastating condition, is a major cause of deaths worldwide and is also accountable for long time disability with high personal and social cost in adults. Hyperlipidemia plays an important role in atherothrombosis, which is the precursor to stroke. One way for ...
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Background: Having a stroke, which is a devastating condition, is a major cause of deaths worldwide and is also accountable for long time disability with high personal and social cost in adults. Hyperlipidemia plays an important role in atherothrombosis, which is the precursor to stroke. One way for decreasing the risk of a stroke is treatment of dyslipidemia. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is an eight-carbon, sulfur-containing compound with antioxidant properties and effective in protecting against hypercholesterolemia and hepatic fat accumulation.Objectives: We designed this trial to scrutinize the possible effects of ALA consumption on lipid profiles in patients who experienced a stroke.Methods: In this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 67 patients who experienced a stroke were randomly allocated into 2 groups (taking a 600 mg ALA supplement or placebo daily for 12 weeks). The triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL), and HDL-cholesterol (HDL) were measured and LDL-cholesterol/ HDL-cholesterol (LDL/ HDL) as well as total cholesterol/ HDL-cholesterol (TC/ HDL) were calculated before and after intervention in this study. Dietary intake and statistical analyses were carried out using the N4 and SPSS16 software, respectively.Results: Primary features were similar in the intervention and placebo groups (P < 0.05). After the intervention period, serum levels of TG (123.21 ± 49.63 vs. 152.97 ± 58.83) (P < 0.001), TC (148.67 ± 37.71 vs. 174.35 ± 36.86) (P < 0.001), and LDL (85.09 ± 23.81 vs. 107.56 ± 31.73) (P = 0.002) decreased, and HDL level (58±9.33 vs. 42.97 ± 8.07) (P < 0.001) increased significantly in ALA group compared with the placebo. In addition, LDL/ HDL (P < 0.001) and TC/ HDL (P < 0.001) reduced significantly.Conclusions: Results of this trial indicated that 12 weeks of supplementation with 600 mg alpha-lipoic acid has beneficial effects on lipid profile (TG, TC, LDL, HDL, LDL-/HDL, and TC/HDL) in patients who have experienced a stroke.
Atefe Asgharian; Vida Mohammadi; Zahra Gholi; Ahmad Esmaillzade; Awat Feizi; Gholamreza Askari
Volume 19, Issue 4 , April 2017, , Pages 1-7
Abstract
Background: Regarding the growing prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, concentrating on various strategies for its prevention and management seems necessary.Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effects of synbiotic administration on body composition and lipid profile in patients with ...
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Background: Regarding the growing prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, concentrating on various strategies for its prevention and management seems necessary.Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effects of synbiotic administration on body composition and lipid profile in patients with NAFLD.Methods: Eighty patients with NAFLD participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (from March to July 2014) in Iran. Based on AST and ALT as main variables of the study, 34 patients were required in each group (power 80% and α = 5%). Considering a 20% sample loss, 80 patients were enrolled. Synbiotic supplement in form of a 500 mg capsule (containing 7 species of probiotic bacteria and Fructooligosaccharides) was administrated to patients in the intervention group and those in the placebo group received 1 placebo capsule daily for 8 weeks. At the baseline and the end of the study, body composition and lipid profile were evaluated.Results: A significant reduction was observed in weight (P = 0.001), body fat (P = 0.02), and total cholesterol (P = 0.04) within the synbiotic group. On the other hand, WC (P = 0.02), total cholesterol, and LDL-c (P = 0.04 and P = 0.001, respectively) were significantly increased in the placebo group. TG, HDL-c, and FBG levels remained statistically unchanged in both groups. Significance betweengroup differences were seen in total cholesterol (P = 0.01), LDL (P = 0.01), weight, WC, and body fat after adjustment for energy intake (P = 0.05).Conclusions: Synbiotic supplementation may improve lipid profile and body composition in patients with NAFLD and might be useful in prevention of the disease progression.
Mahmoud Babaeian; Mohsen Naseri; Mohammad Kamalinejad; Farzaneh Ghaffari; Fatemeh Emadi; Awat Feizi; Rahmatollah Rafiei; Mohammad Mazaheri; Seyed Abbas Hasheminejad; Jae-Woo Park; Peyman Adibi
Volume 19, Issue 2 , February 2017, , Pages 1-10
Abstract
Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disease that has various treatments, including medicinal plants.Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of Mentha longifolia on relieving the symptoms and improving the quality of life (QOL) in patients with functional ...
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Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disease that has various treatments, including medicinal plants.Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of Mentha longifolia on relieving the symptoms and improving the quality of life (QOL) in patients with functional dyspepsia from the subgroup of postprandial distress syndrome (PDS). Patients and Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in a gastroenterology clinic affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. One hundred patients diagnosed with PDS according to the ROME III criteria were assigned to two groups: the M. longifolia capsules (three times daily for four weeks) group and the placebo group. Tools for gathering data were the FD severity scale and QOL (Persian version of the SF-36 questionnaire). Assessments of FD symptoms were obtained at baseline and also at the end of weeks 2, 4, and 12. QOL was evaluated at baseline and at the end of week 12.Results: At the end of treatment period, the M. longifolia group reported a more significant improvement in the mean severity scales of FD symptoms than the placebo group (P < 0.001). A significant difference was also observed between FD symptoms and severity scores in the two groups eight weeks after the medication was stopped. At the end of the fourth week, the greatest degrees of relief regarding epigastric bloating (70.5% vs. 21.4%, P < 0.001), epigastric fullness (68.2% vs. 31%, P < 0.001), loss of appetite (34.1% vs. 9.5%, P = 0.014) and early satiety (36.3% vs. 21.4%, P = 0.02) were observed in the control group. With M. longifolia, significant improvement in the scores of QOL was observed for the dimensions of general health, role-physical, social functioning, bodily pain, vitality, and mental health.Conclusions: This study showed the efficacy of M. longifolia in relieving PDS symptoms and improving the QOL of patients with PDS.