BACKGROUND Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who receive dialysis confront the burdens of long-term illness and numerous physical problems. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a quasi-experimental study. The selected patients from Gorgan Dialysis Centre were randomly assigned into an empowerment group (n = 40) and a control group (n = 40). Instruments comprised scales of Empowerment and...

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out to explore the frequency of contamination with TORCH agents in neonates with congenital malformations in a referral centre in Gorgan city, Islamic Republic of Iran. Blood samples were taken from 64 neonates and their mothers over a 20-month period in 2003-04. Serologic tests showed that 4/64 infants born with congenital malformations (6%) ...

Ramadan fasting is prescribed by Quran for every able‐bodied, adult Muslim and is considered an obligatory act of worship. During Ramadan, the majority of Muslims eat two major meals- one before dawn (Sahar) and another immediately after the sunset (Iftar). Islamic fasting, due to its particular nature, may cause metabolic and hormonal changes in the body, which are different from those in regu...

Throughout the world, millions of Muslims fast daily during the month of Ramadan from sunrise (Sahar) until sunset (Iftar). Considering the impacts of environment on physiological functions, we performed this study in order to examine the effects of Ramadan fasting on some blood parameters of healthy volunteers and hypertensive patients. According to the results, there were no significant chang...