Background:Periodontitis is a local chronic inflammatory condition of the supporting structures of the teeth resulting from a dental plaque biofilm attached to teeth surfaces. Recent studies have indicated that this oral disease may have effects on systemic health.Objectives:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between periodontitis and hyperlipidemia.Patients and Methods:This case-control study was conducted in Iran during March 2011. In this case-control study, levels of serum lipids in 45 subjects with periodontitis were measured and compared with 45 age, gender and body mass index (BMI) matched controls. Data were analyzed using student t-test and chi-square test with P < 0.05 as the limit of significance.Results:Mean values of total cholesterol (CHL) (periodontitis group = 218.11 ± 29.77, control group = 162.31 ± 48.24) and triglycerides (TG) (periodontitis group = 209.77 ± 44.30, control group = 125.60 ± 44.16) were significantly higher in the periodontitis group (P < 0.001). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were higher in the case group, but this difference was not statistically significant. Frequency of pathological values of CHL and TG were significantly higher in cases compared with the controls (P = 0.002 and P = 0.015, respectively).Conclusions:This study indicates that hyperlipidemia may be associated with periodontal disease in healthy individuals; yet whether periodontitis causes an increase in levels of plasma lipids or whether hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for periodontal infection and cardiovascular disease, it needs further investigations.

Introduction: Disordered sleep occurs frequently in patients who have undergone coronary bypass graft surgery, and it contributes to increased morbidity, mortality, and resource utilization. The present study aimed to determine the effects of deep-breathing exercises on postoperative sleep duration and quality in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft. Methods: This study was a clinical trial. The study sample included 64 patients who were coronary artery bypass graft hospitalized from January 2015 to April 2015 in Qazvin Booali-Sina hospital. The patients were selected by convenient sampling and then the participants were randomly allocated to the intervention and control groups. The baseline and postoperative (day 7) sleep duration and quality metrics were measured. The St Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire was used to evaluate sleep quality in two groups. Results: Baseline night sleep duration was 5.72 (1.63) hours in the control group and 5.58 (1.07) hours in the intervention group. The initial findings showed that the mean of sleep quality score of patients in the intervention and control groups were 19.72 (2.68) and 18.22 (3.81) respectively. These measurements did not decline postoperatively in the intervention group while night sleep duration and quality declined in the control group. Deep breathing exercise program had a significant effect on sleep quality score in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results indicated that deep breathing exercises prevent decline in sleep quality postoperatively. It seems to be a safe method with no side effects for these patients. Furthermore, it is a simple method to implement and does not impose a high cost.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Individual Education Intervention (IEI) on academic attitudes and academic self-efficacy in sixth grade elementary school students in Bushehr, Iran. The research method was quasi-experimental. The statistical population of the present study was 671 sixth grade students in Bushehr in 2022. The research sample was 30 people who were selected by accessible sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. After performing the pre-test, the experimental group was exposed to IEI for 5 sessions (one session per week). The control group did not receive any special training during this period. Morgan and Jinks (1999) academic selfefficacy scale and Akbari ( 2004) academic attitude questionnaire were used to collect data. The research hypotheses were analyzed using the analysis of covariance. Results indicated that IEI improved academic attitude, academic self-efficacy and its components (talent, context and effort) in the experimental group compared to the control group. In general, the research findings support the effectiveness of Individual Education Intervention on students' motivational outcomes.