Background & Objectives: Neonatal mortality rate is a main indicator of hygienic development and recognition of the mortality causes is the first step for reduction of the mortality rate and promotion of this indicator. Therefore, in this study, the causes of neonatal mortality have been investigated in Ardabil medical university related hospitals.

  Methods: This study is a retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical one that has been done on the bases of admission's units and filling the medical record form for all neonates who have been admitted to Alavi and Imam Khomeini hospitals in Ardabil from September 2006 to September 2007. The questions of forms consisted of infant’s sex, birth weight, gestational age, cause and age of death. The data were analyzed by SPSS software with utilizing T- test and Chi-Squares.

  Results: During this study, there were 1881 admissions of which there were 148 deaths (7.86%). The causes of mortality were hyaline membrane disease (HMD) (52.02%), sepsis (14.86%), pneumonia (9.45%), congenital anomaly (12.83%), asphyxia (7.43%) and meconium aspiration (3.37%). Among the dead neonates, 54.72% were male and others were female. There were 550 LBW neonates and 111 deaths in this group result of our study showed that mortality rate in LBW neonates was 20.18%. There were 578 preterm neonates and 122 deaths in this group prevalence of mortality rate in preterm neonates was 21.10%.

  Conclusion: Prematurity and low birth weight are the most important and fixed cases of infant mortality. The most common causes of mortality were hyaline membrane disease and sepsis. Therefore, the prevention of preterm labor for reduction of prematurity and its related complication recommended which may lead to decreased rate of neonatal mortality.

  Background & Objectives: Birth weight less than 2500gr (as result of preterm delivery and/or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)) is a major cause of both neonatal health. Predominate cause of LBW in developed countries is premature birth, whereas in developing countries is more often IUGR. Different risk factors, including demographic and behavioral during and before pregnancy are effective in LBW incidences which can reduce LBW and neonatal mortality rate by identification and control of these risk factors. The present study has been carried out with purpose of identification and decreasing the LBW rate in Ardabil.

 Methods: In this case – control study all infants delivered in 2006 in hospitals in Ardabil were investigated. Every neonate whose weight was less than 2500gr was taken as a case (n=470) and 482 neonates whose weight was more than 2500gr was taken as a control. Data gathering was done through questionnaires, interviewing the mothers and physical examination. The data were analyzed statistically through SPSS.

 Results: In the present study, the presence of LBW amount is %6.4 in Ardabil hospitals. The results of our study showed that a significant relationship existed between prematurely and gestational age<37wk, mother’s age, mother’s job and maternal weight, premature rupture of membranes (PROM), maternal diseases, multiple births, bleeding during pregnancy, interval between pregnancies less than <2 years, prior history of low birth weight, use of drugs by mother in pregnancy, congenital malformation with LBW. In this study relation between parity, the use of Folic Acid, Fe, cigarette smoking and addiction of mother, living area (village or city), family marriage, health care and mother’s education were not significant with LBW.

  Conclusion: The LBW important risk factors in Ardabil hospitals were prematurity or gestational age <37wk, multiple pregnancies, PROM, mother’s age over 35 years, and mother weight <50kg, maternal diseases.

 Background and objectives: Suicide is an important problem for social safety and health. This phenomenon is costly for remedy and also is against Islamic values and ethics. Recognizing some risk factors of forecasting after epidemiologic studies on people whom attempted to suicide could prepare and present outlines and proper guides for preventing by health and social planners. This research is purposed on suicide epidemiologic study to obtain full and enough data about deceased people by suicide in Ardebil province.

 Methods: The subjects of this descriptive, analytic and sectional research were 64 deceased people by suicide from 2003-2008, who were registered in Bualy, Fatemu, Alavi Hospital and Forensic Medicine of Ardabil Province. The Data was gathered by a researcher designed questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS software.

 Results: The highest rate of suicide belonged to age rank of 15-24 years (43.8 %), which occurred in female (62.5 %), married people (57.8 %) urban society (65.6 %) and patient without past chronic physical illness or psychiatric history and without pre-attempt suicide. Self poisoning by drugs and toxins were the most common used method in this case (90.6 %). Orderly the most common used drugs were Organo-Phosphorate Toxins, Tricyclic Antidepressants and Aluminum Phosphid.

 Conclusion:�This research is indicating various risk factors such as sex, age, marriage status, residing place of society and easy access to drugs and toxins. According to obtained results, it is better or proper to accomplished related education and training of preventation and interference of mental health in second and third decades of life with allocation of much time for females (especially married). We suggest paying more attention to education, preventation, diagnosis and treatment of poisoning especially poisoning by most common drugs and toxins.

  Background & Objectives : Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder that is common through the world including Iran. Because of its chronic nature and lack of effective treatment, patients are always anxious and stressful and physicians are also exhausted of untreated patients. The cause of IBS is unclear and it has not effective treatment. Therefore, there is a need to find and introduce a proper method of treatment to control symptoms including abdominal pain and defecation changes. This study was aimed to determine the effectiveness of probiotic yogurt on the general relief of symptoms associated with IBS.

  Methods : Subjects were recruited from patients of gastroenterology clinic in Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ardabil. A total of sixty patients fulfilling the Rome II criteria took part in this study. Subjects were randomized into two groups of trial and control. Pre- and post- treatment symptoms were investigated using a questionnaire. Thirty one patients received probiotic and 29 patients normal yogurt for 4 weeks. Bottles of yoghurt were manufactured, and coded by a company. Both participants and researcher were blinded for the bottles' code. The symptoms were followed before and after two and four weeks of treatment and two weeks post- discontinuing of trial, too. Data were analyzed by SPSS (Ver. 17) and differences between groups were compared statistically using of chi-square and t-test.

  Results: A total number of 60 patients were recruited in this study of whom 36 (60%) were female and 24(40%) male. The average age of participants was 34.1±9 which did not differ between two groups. The onset of symptoms did not show any difference between two groups. The trial group had a history of 5.7±5.1 years while this was 6.5±4.9 for the controls. In overall, patients who were given probiotic yogurt had shown a better response in the control of abdominal pain and flatulence than those who were treated with normal yogurt. There was not a significant difference between two groups in the response to treat for other symptoms including epigastric pain, vomiting, frequency of defecation and feces consistency.

  Conclusion: According to our research, adding probiotic yogurt to the patient diet may help ease symptoms of IBS especially, abdominal pain and flatulence. Considering the high prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and the lack of effective therapies, even a slight reduction in symptoms can have positive public health consequences.

  Protein C is a vitamin K dependent glycoprotein. Protein C deficiency is a rare genetic disorder and its major sites of involvement are skin, eyes, lungs, central nervous system, and kidneys. This article presents a case of neonatal protein C deficiency with severe purpura fulminans and bilateral cataracts. He was initially treated with fresh-frozen plasma and then followed by warfarin. All necrotic skin lesions improved with treatment. He was the first child of his parents who were asymptomatic for protein C deficiency. We also reviewed literatures about coexistence of cataracts and protein C deficiency.