1.Efficacy of Topical Coriandrum sativum Extract on Treatment of Infants with Diaper Dermatitis: A Single Blinded Non- Randomised Controlled Trial
Ladan Dastgheib ; Narjes Pishva ; Nasrin Saki ; Soghra Khabnadideh ; Fatemeh Torabi ; Shahram Arabnia ; Alireza Heiran
Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2017;24(4):97-101
Diaper dermatitis is a common disorder. Coriandrum sativum is a herbal remedy with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activities effects. In this nonrandomised clinical trial which was performed on 58 infants with diaper dermatitis referred to Faghihi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, the efficacy and safety of topical Coriandrum extract cream is compared with hydrocortisone ointment. Coriandrum sativum extract cream was administered for 37 (intervention group) and hydrocortisone 1% ointment for 21 (control group) patients. Patients were examined on days 3 and 10. Chi-square test was applied for statistical analysis. The results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the cure rate (20 (54.1%) for the intervention group versus 19 (90.5%) for the control group) (P-value = 0.005) and side effects (10 (27%) for the intervention group versus 0 (0%) for control group) (P-value = 0.009) both in favor of hydrocortisone. This trial failed to confirm the efficacy of Coriandrum sativum in the treatment of diaper dermatitis; however, it seems that if soothing compounds are used in combination with Coriandrum sativum to reduce the mild irritation, Coriandrum extract can be an alternative treatment for diaper dermatitis.
2.Excess Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Southern Iran: Estimating the Absolute Count and Relative Risk Using Ecological Data
Mohammadreza ZAKERI ; Alireza MIRAHMADIZADEH ; Habibollah AZARBAKHSH ; Seyed Sina DEHGHANI ; Maryam JANFADA ; Mohammad Javad MORADIAN ; Leila MOFTAKHAR ; Mehdi SHARAFI ; Alireza HEIRAN
Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health 2024;57(2):120-127
Objectives:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to increased mortality rates. To assess this impact, this ecological study aimed to estimate the excess death counts in southern Iran.
Methods:
The study obtained weekly death counts by linking the National Death Registry and Medical Care Monitoring Center repositories. The P-score was initially estimated using a simple method that involved calculating the difference between the observed and expected death counts. The interrupted time series analysis was then used to calculate the mean relative risk (RR) of death during the first year of the pandemic.
Results:
Our study found that there were 5571 excess deaths from all causes (P-score=33.29%) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 48.03% of these deaths directly related to COVID-19. The pandemic was found to increase the risk of death from all causes (RR, 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19 to 1.33), as well as in specific age groups such as those aged 35-49 (RR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.32), 50-64 (RR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.49), and ≥65 (RR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.32) years old. Furthermore, there was an increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.22).
Conclusions
There was a 26% increase in the death count in southern Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of these excess deaths were not directly related to COVID-19, but rather other causes, with cardiovascular diseases being a major contributor.