Income inequality among general practitioners in Iran: a decomposition approach.

Background: General practitioners (GPs) are among the most important resources of healthcare system and public health is considerably influenced by the function of this group. Income inequality among GPs considerably affects the motivation and performance of this group. The present study aims to examine the income inequality among Iranian GPs in order to provide the necessary evidence for health human resource policy.

Inequality in geographical distribution of hospitals and hospital beds in densely populated metropolitan cities of Iran.

Background: This study aims to assess geographical distribution of hospitals and extent of inequalities in hospital beds against socioeconomic status (SES) of residents of five metropolitan cities in Iran.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted to measure geographical inequality in hospital and hospital bed distributions of 68 districts in five metropolitan cities during 2016 using geographic information system (GIS), and Gini and Concentration indices. Correlation analysis was performed to show the relationship between the SES and inequality in hospital beds densities.

Evaluation of Tuberculosis Underreporting to National Tuberculosis Program (NTBP) based on data from laboratories in Tehran and NTBP.

According to the Global tuberculosis (TB) Report 2014, released by World Health Organization (WHO), difference between estimated number of TB patients and the number of patients who are registered by the National Tuberculosis Programs (NTBP) is about 3 million annually in the world. In the current study, we investigated the level of under-reporting of TB cases between labs with poor collaboration background with NTBP in Tehran. In the context of TB, this is an inventory study that evaluating the level of under-reporting of TB cases.

Evaluation of informal payments to health care professionals and the influential factors in Urmia city hospitals, Iran.

Informal payments refer to sums that patients may pay to individual or organizational health care providers outside of the official payment channels or approved fee schedules. The aim of the current research was to investigate informal payments and related influential factors in Urmia city hospitals. The present study was a cross-sectional survey conducted among post-discharged patients from all Urmia city hospitals during one Iranian calendar month (January 21 to March 19, 2013).

Out of Pocket Payment and Affordability of Medication for Geriatric Patients in Tehran, Iran.

Background: Considering the importance of high out-of-pocket (OOP) payment (OOPP), as a marker of health system performance, and affordability of medications in the elderly, this study was conducted to determine these issues.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, prescriptions of patients aged 65 yr or older from 5 university-affiliated pharmacies in Tehran, Iran were evaluated from Jan to Mar 2014. Prescriptions were selected from four insurance organizations.

Effects of the Health Transformation Plan on caesarean section rate in the Islamic Republic of Iran: an interrupted time series.

Background: In recent decades, the rate of caesarian section (C-section) has increased in the Islamic Republic of Iran. A reform in the Iranian health system - the Health Transformation Plan (HTP) - was launched in 2014 in which one of the objectives of HTP is decreasing the rate of C-section.

Aims: This study aimed to assess the effects of the Health Transformation Plan (HTP) on the C-section rate in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Socio-economic inequality in unhealthy snacks consumption among adolescent students in Iran: a concentration index decomposition analysis.

Objective: The present study aimed to assess and decompose the socio-economic inequality in unhealthy snacks consumption among adolescent students in Kerman, Iran.

Design: The data were obtained from a cross-sectional study. Principal component analysis was done to measure the socio-economic status (SES) of the adolescents' families and the normalized concentration index (NCI) was used to measure the inequality in unhealthy snacks consumption among adolescent students of different SES.

Valuation of Quality Weights for EuroQol 5-Dimensional Health States With the Time Trade-Off Method in the Capital of Iran.

Background: The EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D) is a standard instrument that is widely used for measuring health-related quality of life and quality-adjusted life years in economic evaluation of healthcare interventions.

Objective: To estimate a preference valuation set for EQ-5D 3-level (3L) health states from the perspective of the general population in the capital of Iran.

Methods: Eight hundred seventy adults aged ≥18 years were interviewed in Tehran (Iran's capital) from July to November 2013.

Factors Influencing Healthcare Seeking Behaviour At Primary Healthcare Level, In Pakistan.

Background: The objective of this study is to explore the factors which influence the health seeking behaviour and utilization of healthcare services of the community in context of geographical, socio-demographic, cultural, economic and educational background.

Methods: A community based cross-sectional survey was performed on 900 households in five districts of Punjab from 1st February to 2nd March, 2016. In each of the selected district random sampling method was used for selection of six primary health facilities.

Iran in transition.

Being the second-largest country in the Middle East, Iran has a long history of civilisation during which several dynasties have been overthrown and established and health-related structures have been reorganised. Iran has had the replacement of traditional practices with modern medical treatments, emergence of multiple pioneer scientists and physicians with great contributions to the advancement of science, environmental and ecological changes in addition to large-scale natural disasters, epidemics of multiple communicable diseases, and the shift towards non-communicable diseases in recent decades. Given the lessons learnt from political instabilities in the past centuries and the approaches undertaken to overcome health challenges at the time, Iran has emerged as it is today.

Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of doctor-nurse substitution strategies in primary care: a qualitative evidence synthesis.

Background: Having nurses take on tasks that are typically conducted by doctors (doctor-nurse substitution, a form of 'task-shifting') may help to address doctor shortages and reduce doctors' workload and human resource costs. A Cochrane Review of effectiveness studies suggested that nurse-led care probably leads to similar healthcare outcomes as care delivered by doctors. This finding highlights the need to explore the factors that affect the implementation of strategies to substitute doctors with nurses in primary care.

Thymol reduces acetic acid-induced inflammatory response through inhibition of NF-kB signaling pathway in rat colon tissue.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of thymol in acetic acid-induced rat colitis through inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Methods: Colitis was induced by intra-rectal administration of 2 mL of diluted acetic acid (4%) solution using a flexible plastic rubber catheter in Wistar rats. Colitis was induced on the first day and all treatments were applied 5 days after the induction of colitis.

A Survey On Household Storage Of Medicines In Punjab, Pakistan.

Background: Household storage of medicines is a world-wide practice that triggers the irrational use of medicines and consequent threats. The purpose of this research is to explore sources of medicines availability, utilization and reasons of medicines storage in household..

Willingness to pay for one quality-adjusted life year in Iran.

Background: Recent years have witnessed a strong tendency to apply economic evidence as a guide for making health resource allocation decisions, especially those related to reimbursement policies. One such measure is the use of the cost-effectiveness threshold as a benchmark. This study explored the threshold for use in the health system of Iran by determining society's preferences.

Agmatine ameliorates acetic acid-induced colitis in rats: involvement of nitrergic system.

: The aim of the present study is to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of agmatine through the inhibition of iNOS enzyme in acetic acid-induced rat colitis. : Acute colitis was induced by administration of 2 mL of diluted acetic acid (4%) solution rectally. Two hours after colitis induction, animals were treated with normal saline, dexamethasone (2 mg/kg), agmatine (2, 5, 10 mg/kg), L-NAME (30 mg/kg), Aminoguanidine (20 mg/kg), agmatine (2 mg/kg) with L-NAME (30 mg/kg) and agmatine (2 mg/kg) with aminoguanidine (20 mg/kg) intraperitoneally and continued for 3 consecutive days.

Developing the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal to support public health research in the Region (Editorial).

Since 1995, the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ) has sought to publish public health research, regionally and globally, in accordance with the mandate and goals of the World Health Organization (WHO). As part of a family of WHO journals, the EMHJ is an open access public health journal and makes no charge for review or publication of accepted papers, allowing research manuscripts as well as policy-related works from institutions with different financial status an opportunity to be published and remain freely accessible to all. Supporting countries that are developing their health research base remains an important focus for the EMHJ, in line with the WHO Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019-2023 (GPW13), and its mandate to strengthen research on public health priorities.

Effectiveness of audit and feedback in addressing over prescribing of antibiotics and injectable medicines in a middle-income country: an RCT.

Overprescribing of antibiotics and injectable medicines is common in ambulatory care in many low- and middleincome countries. We evaluated the effects of three different interventions in improving physician prescribing. We conducted a four-armed randomized controlled trial with one-month and three- months follow-up.

Comparison of the Thresholds of Households' Exposure to Catastrophic Health Expenditure in Iran and Brazil, and Selection of the Most Appropriate Threshold.

Background: Different definitions are nowadays adopted to estimate the threshold of exposure of households to catastrophic health expenditures and different thresholds are used in various studies. This study was conducted to compare these thresholds and select the most appropriate threshold for defining catastrophic health expenditure in Iran and Brazil.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 592 households from District 17 of Tehran, Iran, and 869 households from Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2013.

The protective effect of acute pantoprazole pretreatment on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

Renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), which occurs in many pathological conditions, is associated with high rate of morbidity and mortality. Activation of inflammatory responses and oxidative stress contribute to induce organ damage following IRI. Pantoprazole, a proton pump inhibitor, which is mostly prescribed for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been shown to exert anti-inflammation effects.

WHO collaborating centres in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: an agenda for action and improvement (Editorial).

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the key United Nations specialized agency dedicated to promoting population health and health outcomes. In order for the Organization to achieve its strategic objectives, WHO designates selected institutions as collaborating centres to assit with carrying out WHO core activities. The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) currently hosts 45 collaborating centres (as of December 2018), which is only 5% of the 832 WHO collaborating centres located worldwide, and yet EMR countries host about 10% of the global population.

Does rural health system reform aimed at improving access to primary health care affect hospitalization rates? An interrupted time series analysis of national policy reforms in Iran.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of rural health insurance and family physician reforms on hospitalization rates in Iran.

Methods: An interrupted time series analysis of national monthly hospitalization rates in Iran (2003-2014), starting from two years before the intervention. Segmented regression analysis was used to assess the effects of the reforms on hospitalization rates.

The Worth of a Quality-Adjusted Life-Year in Patients with Diabetes: An Investigation Study using a Willingness-to-Pay Method.

Background: A limited number of studies have specifically examined the value of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) from the patient's perspective.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the worth of QALYs from the perspectives of patients with diabetes using health and willingness-to-pay (WTP) measures.

Methods: A hypothetical treatment characterized by a permanent cure was presented to 149 patients with diabetes in Tehran, Iran, to elicit the monetary value that they attach to QALYs.

Combination therapy of mesenchymal stromal cells and sulfasalazine attenuates trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid induced colitis in the rat: The S1P pathway.

Adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) transplantation is a novel immunomodulatory therapeutic tool to ameliorate the symptom of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of combined sufasalazine and ASCs therapy in a rat model of IBD. After induction of colitis in rats, ASCs were cultured and intraperitoneally injected (3 × 10 cells/kg) into the rats on Days 1 and 5 after inducing colitis, in conjunction with daily oral administration of low dose of sulfasalazine (30 mg/kg).

A Comparative Study on Different Pharmaceutical Industries and Proposing a Model for the Context of Iran.

Medication is known as the main and the most effective factor in improving public health. On the other hand, having a strong and effective pharmaceutical industry will, to a very large extent, guarantee people's health. Therefore, this study was prospected to review the different pharmaceutical industries around the world and propose a model for the context of Iran.