Reza Pakzad

Tehran University of Medical Sciences | TUMS · Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Background Parental anxiety levels increase during their child’s hospitalization. Consequently, anxiety can disrupt parental functioning as a caregiver and potentially transfer distress to the child. This study seeks to explore how maternal anxiety affects the anxiety levels of hospitalized children across three key stages: admission, in-hospital s...

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of an educational program on the mammography screening stage of change among rural women with low health literacy. Methods: In general, 52 rural women participated in this experimental study. The samples were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method and divided into two inte...

Objective To compare the effects of oral gabapentin (GBP) and pregabalin (PGB) in pain control after orthopedic surgery on the upper limb. Methods In this double-blind randomized clinical trial study, 80 patients who were the candidates for elective orthopedic surgery on one of the parts of the upper limb were divided into two groups using balance...

Background and Aims Gastric cancer is a significant global issue with a high death rate. This malignancy could be associated with several viral agents such as EBV, CMV, HHV‐6, JCV, and BKV. Objective Evaluation of EBV, CMV, HHV‐6 ,and JCV, BKV frequency among gastric cancer patients. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, a total number of 60 gas...

Background Behavioral Diseases Counseling Centers (BDCCs) and Vulnerable Women’s Counseling Centers (VWCCs) in Iran are the main peripheral centers that offer educational, counseling, diagnostic, preventive, curative and protective services to individuals living with or at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and female sex workers respectively. Due t...

Aim: This study aimed to understand the current level of linezolid (LNZ) resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates reported over the past 10 years. Material & methods: An electronic search was conducted for the following keywords: (( Streptococcus pneumoniae [title/abstract]) OR ( Pneumococcus [title/abstract]) OR (Pneumococci [title/abstract...

Background and Objectives Host genetic changes like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are one of the main factors influencing susceptibility to viral infectious diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between the host SNP of Toll-Like Receptor3 (TLR3) and Toll-Like Receptor7 (TLR7) genes involved in the immune system and susc...

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CDs), notably coronary artery disease (CAD) due to atherosclerosis, impose substantial global health and economic burdens. Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs), including FABP-4, have been recently linked to CDs. This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine FABP-4 levels in CAD and atheros...

Aim To determine inequality and decompose it’s in Self-Rated Health (SRH). Method This population-based cross-sectional study was undertaken on the entire population of the city of Ilam, Iran, in 2023. Multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling with proportion-to-size approach was used to select the participants. Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition t...

OBJECTIVE: To answer the question of whether viral infections such as Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are involved in the occurrence of breast cancer or not. METHODOLOGY: In this case-control study, 50 paraffin-embedded breast samples (FFPE) and 50 non- cancerous FFPE samples were prepared from patients referred to Abadan ho...

Background Helicobacter pylori is a gastrointestinal pathogen that infects around half of the world's population. H. pylori infection is the most severe known risk factor for gastric cancer (GC), which is the second highest cause of cancer-related deaths globally. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the global prevalence of...

Background: Statins is a class of lipid-lowering drugs and our previous investigations showed that statins have antiviral effects and have a wound healing effect in the lung. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of statin therapy on mortality and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Methods: A comprehensive sea...

Purpose This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of alcohol consumption on breast cancer, adjusting for alcohol consumption misclassification bias and confounders. Methods This was a case-control study of 932 women with breast cancer and 1000 healthy control. Using probabilistic bias analysis method, the association between alcohol consumpt...

Background: A high resistance rate to clarithromycin usually leads to failure to eradicate Helicobacter pylori. The aim of the present study was to review recent data on H. pylori resistance towards clarithromycin in clinical studies worldwide. Methods: PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and Embase were used for a systematic review from 1 January 2...

Aim: To collect and present updated evidence about epidemiological aspects of retinoblastoma (Rb) in the world. Methods: A comprehensive search without the time and language restrictions was conducted in international databases, including MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. The search keywords were "retinoblastoma" OR "retinal Neuroblas...

Aim To determine the age- and sex-standardized prevalence and risk factors of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in the city of Ilam. Method In this population-based cross-sectional study, 1,350 people were invited using a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were measured using the...

Background & aim: Stress, anxiety, and depression are among the major public health problems worldwide. These problems, which may lead to more challenges, continue to grow. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the main factors affecting the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression among citizens of Karaj. Materials & methods:...

Today, in the modern world, people are often exposed to electromagnetic waves, which can have undesirable effects on cell components that lead to differentiation and abnormalities in cell proliferation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, chromosomal abnormalities, cancers, and birth defects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of electromag...

Background: The aim of the present meta-analysis is to estimate the prevalence of colistin resistance among the Enterobacteriaceae family. Methods: Articles from various databases (Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase) examining colistin resistance among Enterobacteriaceae in human, animal, and environmental specimens were searched from 2...

Background and aimsThe main goal of the present study is to investigate the incidence of Rotavirus co-infection in COVID-19 patients.Methods and Results Fecal samples of COVID-19 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms which had positive PCR- were collected from Abadan’s hospital, Iran during the period December 2020 to January 2021. Samples were a...

Background and aims: The main goal of the present study is to investigate the incidence of Rotavirus co-infection in COVID-19 patients. Methods and Results Fecal samples of COVID-19 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms which had positive PCR-were collected from Abadan's hospital, Iran during the period December 2020 to January 2021. Samples were...

To investigate the prevalence of Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and its relationship with some determinants in underserved villages of Iran. This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 3850 subjects that were randomly selected from the villages of two underserved districts in the north and southwest of Iran using multistage clus...

Background: More than half of reproductive-age women experience dysmenorrhea, which can reduce their quality of life. The treatment options for dysmenorrhea are medications and alternative therapies. The tendency to use alternative therapies, such as hypnotherapy has increased. Objectives: This study aimed to carry out a narrative review to evalua...

Introduction: Oxidative stress known as a predictive marker for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases could be measured through pro-oxidant antioxidant balance (PAB). The present study aimed to evaluate PAB and its association with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in the serum of postmenopausal women with diabetes mellitus. Methods:...

Objectives Brucellosis is one of the most prevalent zoonotic diseases common between humans and animals. Despite eradication efforts, the burden of the disease is well-known in endemic countries and in countries where brucellosis has not been an important health issue until recently. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, diagnosis,...

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of some corneal abnormalities and determine their important risk factors of elderly population of Tehran. Methods: Tehran Geriatric Eye Study was a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in 60 years and older of the population of Tehran using stratified cluster random sampling. The participants underwen...

Neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) are commonly used to treat influenza and are also considered the potential treatment for COVID-19. The association of using NAIs during pregnancy with the risk of adverse birth defects has been investigated repeatedly by epidemiological studies; however, results are largely inconsistent. We herein performed this meta...

Background and aim Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent risk factor for developing coronary artery disease which worsens the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study aimed to determine the clinical outcomes of patients with diabetes and non-diabetic patients who underwent off-pump CABG surgery. Method...

Abstract Background and Aim: Lung cancer is one of the most common cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related death globally. After decades of investigations and lack of accurate answers to the benefits of selective VEGFR-2 agents, it is valuable to analyze their efficacy and safety. Hence, this study evaluates the Vandetanib, Sunitinib, Sorafeni...

In this study, a systematic investigation was performed to estimate the prevalence of head lice infestation, and to determine the factors affecting the prevalence of heterogeneity among primary school-aged children in Iran. A comprehensive search was fulfilled in international databases, including MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, to ide...

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most prevalent cancer among men worldwide. This study presents estimates of PCa prevalence, incidence, death, years-of-life-lost (YLLs), years-lived-with-disability (YLDs), disability-adjusted-life-years (DALYs), and the burden attributable to smoking during 1990-2019 in North Africa and Middle East...

Background: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods:...

Introduction Body composition as dynamic indices constantly changes in pregnancy. The use of body composition indices in the early stages of pregnancy has recently been considered. Therefore, the current meta-analysis study was conducted to investigate the relationship between body composition in the early stages of pregnancy and gestational diabet...

Background: The global burden of lower respiratory infections (LRIs) and corresponding risk factors in children older than 5 years and adults has not been studied as comprehensively as it has been in children younger than 5 years. We assessed the burden and trends of LRIs and risk factors across all age groups by sex, for 204 countries and territor...

Aim To determine the prevalence of ocular trauma in Iranian children aged 6–12 years. Methods This population-based cross-sectional study, comprised the first phase of the Shahroud Schoolchildren Eye Cohort Study on primary school children using cluster sampling in urban areas and census in rural areas. The students underwent the measurement of un...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), but the pathogenesis is unclear. Host genetic background is one of the main factors influencing the patients' susceptibility to several viral infectious diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association be...

Background: Nowadays, novel antimicrobial strategies are being developed which focus on debilitating, rather than killing the microorganisms. In this regard, anti-biofilm therapy is one of the important ways to combat bacterial infections. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the anti-biofilm activity of Carvacrol against E. fae...

Background This study explored the applicability of serum level and tissue expression of Ribonucleotide-diphosphate Reductase subunit M2 B (RRM2B) as reliable biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and metastasis. Methods and results The present descriptive-analytic cohort study was conducted on 50 newly diagnosed CRC patients (stage I...

Abstract There is evidence to support the hypothesis that dietary antioxidants have shown protective effects against chronic kidney disease (CKD). The purpose of this study was to determine the association between the dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC), renal function, and development of CKD and kidney stones in Ravansar Non‐Communicable Dis...

Introduction The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). It seems that there is an association between blood cancer and an increased risk of severe COVID‐19. This study aimed to review the literature reporting the COVID‐19 outcomes in patients with hematol...

Background Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Given the recent increasing trends in colorectal cancer incidence globally, up-to-date information on the colorectal cancer burden could guide screening, early detection, and treatment strategies, and help effectively allocate resources. We examined the temporal pat...

Background: We aimed to determine the age and sex standardized prevalence of corneal opacity and its determinants Methods: The Tehran Geriatric Eye Study (TGES) is a population-based cross-sectional study conducted on 3791 subjects aged above 60 yr in Tehran, Iran (2019) selected using stratified random cluster sampling. After sampling, all subjec...

Microbial coinfections can increase the morbidity and mortality rates of viral respiratory diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of fungal coinfections in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, and Embase were searched without language restrictions to identify the related re...

Background COVID-19 has raised many concerns about the possible side effects of pregnancy. There is currently no conclusive evidence of the vertical transmission of COVID-19. Accordingly, this paper is a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis investigated neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with COVID-19. Methods PubMed, Web of Science (WoS), EMBA...

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can have adverse effects on pregnancy. GDM is associated with changes in the lipid profile of pregnant women. Finding out the early ways to diagnose GDM can prevent the adverse outcomes. This meta-analysis study aimed to determine the effect of GDM on lipid profile. PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science, Scopus, Scien...

Introduction/aims: Since the start of a pandemic from Wuhan, China in 2019, there is tremendous attention in the COVID-19 manifestation. One of the most important COVID-19 clinical presentations is gastrointestinal symptoms. The current systematic review study aims to focus on the implication of the gastrointestinal tract in patients infected with...

Background To provide information about pathogens’ coinfection prevalence with SARS‐CoV‐2 could be a real help to save patients’ lives. This study aims to evaluate the pathogens’ coinfection prevalence among COVID‐19 patients. Method In order to find all of the relevant articles, we used systematic search approach. Research‐based databases includi...

Background: There are reports of ocular tropism due to respiratory viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Various studies have shown ocular manifestation in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. We aimed to identify ophthalmic manifestations in COVID-19 patients and establish an association between ocu...

An alternative treatment to liver transplantation includes the use of differentiated stem cells. Hypoxia has been shown to endow human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) with enhanced hepatic differentiation. We have investigated a new strategy for hepatocyte differentiation from hiPSCs using a three-step differentiation protocol with lentivir...

Purpose: To determine and compare ocular characteristics and refractive errors between thalassemia major patients and normal subjects. Methods: In this study, 71 thalassemia major patients and 79 age and sex matched healthy subjects that were selected in an ongoing manner underwent complete optometric and ophthalmic examinations including auto ref...

Background The increasing use of new technologies by pregnant women inevitably exposes them to the risks of the electromagnetic fields (EMFs). According to the World Health Organization, EMFs are the major sources of pollutants which harm human health. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of EMF exposure on abortion. Methods Web of Science...

Purpose To determine the prevalence of cataract and its relationship with some determinants in individuals above 60 years. Methods Of 3792 subjects that were invited, 3310 participated in the study (response rate = 87.31%). All subjects underwent full optometric, slit lamp, and fundoscopic examinations. Then, their lenses were evaluated according...

Background: Coinfections have a potential role in increased morbidity and mortality rates during pandemics. Our investigation is aimed at evaluating the viral coinfection prevalence in COVID-19 patients. Methods: We systematically searched scientific databases, including Medline, Scopus, WOS, and Embase, from December 1, 2019, to December 30, 20...

Background: Due to the increased effect of environmental factors on the age of menarche and the correlation between the mothers’ and daughters’ age of menarche, we aimed at performing a meta-analysis to compare the mean age of menarche between the mothers and their daughters, examining the correlation between them. Objective: This systematic review...

Purpose We conducted a systematic search to estimate DR prevalence in different age and gender groups, and to evaluate the determinants of heterogeneity in its prevalence. Methods A systematic and comprehensive search from inception to August 10, 2020, was done in international databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and other...

Background: This study aimed to investigate whether serum level and tissue expression of Ribonucleotide-diphosphate Reductase subunit M2 B (RRM2B) could be recognized as reliable biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and metastasis. Methods and Results: This descriptive-analytic cohort study was conducted on 50 newly diagnosed CRC pati...

Prone position (PP) is known to improve oxygenation and reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the effects of PP on respiratory parameters and outcomes. PubMed, EMBASE, ProQuest, SCOPUS, Web of Sciences, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar were searched up to 1st January 2021. Twenty-eigh...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate economic inequality in cataract surgery and to decompose it into its determinants using Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition. Methods: The Tehran Geriatric Eye Study is a population-based cross-sjal study that was done on individuals above 60 years using stratified cluster random sampling. All subjects unde...