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The existence of modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular diseases of mothers before pregnancy is associated with the risk of preterm childbirth and low birth weight. This study aimed at determining the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in pregnant women referred to Golestan Hospital in Ahvaz. This is a descriptive-analytical study performed in a cross-sectional way in 2020. The study population consisted of 200 pregnant women referred to Golestan Hospital in Ahvaz. Because of the restricted size of the statistical population, no sampling was done. For purpose of data collection, a two-part questionnaire (questionnaire and laboratory findings) was used. Data analysis was done using linear regression, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at sig level of 0.05 by SPSS22 software. The majority of pregnant women (45%) were in the age range of 30-40 years old. The highest portion of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases was respectively associated with smoking in the family (77.5%), smoking by the person (60%), history of hyperlipidemia (47.5%), and stress (42.5%). The lowest portion causing the disease was associated with inadequate nutritional behavior (30%), diabetes (35%), hypertension (37.5%), and history of cardiovascular disease in first-degree relatives (40%). According to obtained results and high prevalence of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, especially smoking and hyperlipidemia in pregnant women, it is essential to make careful plans for continuous training to change the lifestyle such as good nutrition, exercising, and regular physical activity as effective solutions to decrease the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases.

A relationship has been identified between the blood group and infectious diseases. COVID-19 is an infection caused by a new coronavirus designated as SARS-CoV-2, which has rapidly spread worldwide. In this retrospective study, COVID-19 patients who were referred to Razi Hospital in Ahvaz from February 2020 to May 2020 were evaluated and analyzed using SPSS v.16.0. The relationship between the ABO blood group and COVID-19 was assessed using the Kruskal Wallis test and Spearman correlation coefficient. The frequencies of blood types O, AB, B, and A were 40.2, 11.8, 25.5, and 22.5%, respectively, Among the 8016 COVID-19 patients, the frequencies of blood types O, AB, B, and A were 41.9, 9.3, 25.7, and 23.1%, respectively, and no significant difference was observed in terms of the distribution of blood groups between the healthy and infected people (P = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.66-1.23). In addition, patients admitted to the ICU ward had blood groups of O, AB, B, and A, with a percentage of 21.3, 31.29, 33.6, and 35.3%, respectively. Furthermore, dead patients had A, B, AB, and O blood types with a percentage of 10.0, 11.4, 11.05, and 16.3%, respectively. A significant relationship was observed between the blood group and disease severity and death in COVID-19 patients (p=0.05, 95% CI = 1.02-1.73). The study showed that people with blood types A and O are at higher and lower risk of infection, severity, and death from COVID-19, respectively.

Introduction: Neuroticism is a personality trait that is most related to the mental health challenges. Escitalopram is the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIS) that are usually used in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of escitalopram on improving the temperament traits on the neurotic patients. Methods: In this randomized placebo controlled trial, 172 residents in three hospitals in Ahvaz, Iran were randomly assigned to receive esitalopram 20 mg/daily/ orally (No=86, 29.9 ± 6.4 years with a range of 20 to 48 years old) or placebo (N=86, 29.8+6.3 years, ranged 21-47 years old) for 4 weeks.. At the beginning of the treatment the neuroticism and deoression scores were measured using NEO-60 and HAM-D questionnaires, and the patients were re-evaluated every two weeks during the treatment. The changes of temperament traits of neuroticism and depression in the two groups were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Administration of escitalopram in the treatment group reduced the neuroticism score 5.84 % and 13.3% after 2 and 4 weeks, respectively, compared with placebo group (P<0.01). The changes in neuroticism temperament traits were not significant in placebo group during 4 weeks (P<0.05).

Oxidative stress increases in chronic renal failure patients and exacerbates during dialysis. The incidence of cardiovascular diseases are high in CRF patients and oxidative stress is a risk factor for CVD in CRF patients. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of antioxidant therapy including vitamin C on two markers of oxidative stress including MDA (Malondealdehyde) and TAC (Total Antioxidant Capacity) in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). Materials and methods: This is a prospective clinical trial conducted on 40 patients undergoing PD and were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n=20) and placebo (n=20). The intervention group received 250 mg/day vitamin Corally for 8 weeks. Placebo group received placebo which was similar to intervention drug in terms of shape and color. The CRP, Albumin, TG, HDL, LDL, Uric acid were measured at baseline. The serum and peritoneal MDA and TAC levels were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. Findings: The mean serum TAC and MDA decreased in compare to before study in intervention group, however they had not statistically difference. The mean peritoneal TAC significantly increased in compare to before study in both intervention and placebo groups, while the mean peritoneal MDA significantly decreased in compare to before study in both intervention and placebo groups. Conclusion: Finally, we concluded that 8 weeks treatment with 250 mg/day vitamin C in combination with 250 mg B6, orally, could not change serum oxidative stress markers in serum, increased mean peritoneal TAC and decreased mean peritoneal MDA.