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Background and Objective: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort and altered bowel habits. Although IBS etiology is poorly understood, some psychological disturbances and food allergies have been proposed. This study was done to determine the effect of food allergen exculsion on symptoms and quality of life in IBS. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive and anolytical study was done on 100 IBS patients in Tabriz, Iran during 2011. Food allergies of specific origin and effects of non allergic regimens on quality of life, pain severity and disease symptoms were evaluted during one month period. Data were analyzed using SPSS-16, student’s t-test, Chi-Square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: Patients age were 31.5±7.2 between 15-43 years. Specific antibodies against allergic foods were detectable in 31 (31%) cases. Penaut showed to induce the highest food allergy in 5 (16.1%) patients. The median disease duration was 4.5±2.6 years in allergic patients while 3.5±2.9 in non allergic group with no significant difference. The changes is quality of life was significant in non allergic regimens after one month in allergic group (P<0.05) while disease symptoms such as mucus defecation and flatulence had no significant changes. Conclusion: This study showed that one month non allergic regimens reduce abdominal pain and improve quality of life in IBS patients.

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Background and Objective: With the increase in the spread of COVID-19, mental health consequences such as fear, anxiety, and depression have become prevalent. This study aimed to investigate the predictive role of fear of COVID-19 and quarantine fatigue on depression in congenital heart disease patients during the pandemic.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 105 patients with congenital heart disease (6 men and 99 women) who were referred to Shahid Rajaee Hospitals and Tehran Heart Center during 2021-22. Data were collected using a depression scale, a fear scale for COVID-19, and a quarantine fatigue questionnaire.
Results: The results showed that 28.6% of patients with congenital heart disease experienced mild depression, while 7.6% had severe depression. Quarantine fatigue was found to be mild in 43.8% of patients. Additionally, fear of COVID-19 (r=0.195, P=0.001) and quarantine fatigue (r=0.617, P=0.001) were significantly correlated with depression in congenital heart patients.
Conclusion: Fear of COVID-19 is related to depression caused by coronavirus and quarantine fatigue in patients with congenital heart disease.
 

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Background and Objective: Early antibiotic administration is a cornerstone of infection control and treatment. Empirical treatment based on clinical signs and available guidelines reduces mortality and accelerates recovery; however, a lack of information about bacterial species and antibiotic susceptibility may lead to unfavorable outcomes. This study aimed to assess the concordance of empirical antibiotic therapy with definitive prescriptions and antibiogram results.
Methods: This descriptive study included 152 hospitalized patients receiving antibiotics (80 men and 72 women; mean age, 54.41±20.91 years), enrolled by census sampling from the infectious diseases and surgical wards of Shahid Sayyad Shirazi Teaching Hospital in Gorgan, Iran during 2021. Demographic characteristics and data on the initial diagnosis, empirical antibiotic type, microbial culture and antibiogram results, definitive treatment, and treatment duration were extracted from patient records and evaluated.
Results: The most common clinical manifestations were fever (77%) and weakness and fatigue (39%), while the leading reasons for hospitalization were sepsis (31.58%) and urinary tract infection (25.66%). Blood (45.39%) and urine (32.24%) were the most frequently cultured clinical specimens. Escherichia coli (38.8%) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (23.7%) were the most commonly isolated bacteria. Empirical antibiotics were prescribed on 454 occasions, but antibiograms were performed in only one-quarter of cases. The commonly used antibiotics for which antibiograms were performed included ciprofloxacin (14.5%), clindamycin (42%), and ceftriaxone (66.2%). Amikacin (68.4%), ceftriaxone (64.5%), and gentamicin (56.6%) were the antibiotics most frequently included in antibiogram testing. Empirical and definitive therapy were concordant in 75% of cases. The most frequently prescribed antibiotics in definitive therapy were ciprofloxacin (14.04%), clindamycin (13.2%), and ceftriaxone (12.9%). The highest concordance rates in definitive therapy were observed for doxycycline (90%), Tavanex (89.4%), and ciprofloxacin (87.3%), whereas gentamicin (83.3%) and ceftriaxone (40.2%) showed the highest discordance rates.
Conclusion: Empirical antibiotic prescriptions were concordant with definitive prescriptions in most patients. Nevertheless, the antibiotics included in antibiogram testing were not fully aligned with those prescribed in clinical practice.