Biomedicine (Journal)
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Literature Review from a Nursing Perspective
No full textIntroduction: As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the world, nursing resources, and capacities play an essential role in disease management. This literature review focuses on the central issues related to the nursing care of patients affected by COVID-19.
Material and Methods: This literature review was conducted with an extensive search of databases, including PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), and Scopus, using the keywords COVID19 , 2019-nCoV disease , 2019 novel coronavirus infection , Nurse , Nursing Care , and Nursing management. The span of the literature search was between December 01, 2020, and January 12, 2021. A total of 28 original and English-language articles were selected for inclusion in the review.
Results: Nursing interventions such as monitoring, oxygen therapy, and the use of Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in the care of COVID-19 patients, caring for ICU patients with COVID-19, rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients, nurses\u27 experiences and barriers in the care of patients with COVID-19, and also the ethical challenges in the care of patients with COVID-19, were found to be valuable in managing COVID-19 patients.
Conclusion: Nurses have a pivotal role to play in the care of patients with COVID-19. Therefore, providing comprehensive and quality nursing care supported by experience and research is necessary to successfully reduce the length of hospital stay and decrease the morbidity and mortality rates of COVID-19
Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Insulin Resistance, and Hypertension as Mediators for Adverse Effects of Obesity on the Brain: a Review
No full textNowadays, the incidence of obesity is a global challenge and it is estimated that the total number of overweight and obese adults will increase up to 1.35 billion by 2030. Evidence obtained from clinical and experimental studies shows that obesity may be associated with cognitive performance and executive function impairments. Considering various evidence for the poor episodic memory tasks and verbal learning as well as the destruction of cortical gray matter in the obese individuals, here, we collected some causal pathways for contribution of inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and hypertension in the development of brain disorders in obesity. The present study focuses on the providing an overview of the some negative effects of obesity on the brain. Different evidence mentioned in this review has thrown light on the obesity-associated complications which may predispose obese people to brain damage, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease
Immunological and Anti-oxidant Profiles of Malarial Children in Abuja, Nigeria
No full textBackground:
The clinical symptoms, cellular immune response, and serum cytokine homeostasis during falciparum malaria among children living in endemic regions depend on the parasite densities. This study aims to evaluate the CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, leucocytes subpopulations, IL-6, IL-10 and biomarkers of oxidative stress among children infected with varying grades of malaria attending the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria.
Materials and Methods:
This case-control study involved blood samples collected from 165 children (between 5 -12 years). This comprised 45 children with mild malaria, 40 each with moderate, severe malaria and apparently healthy (control). Serum cytokines, ferritin, malonaldehyde (MDA), ascorbate, α-tocopherol levels were determined by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA). Leucocytes differentials and CD4+ / CD8+ T cells counts were enumerated by automated hematology analyzer and flow cytometry, respectively.
Results:
All malarial children had only Plasmodium falciparum. The male to female ratio of children with mild malaria was 1.5:1 (mean±SD age of 8.5 ±1.9 years). However, other groups had 1:1 male to female ratio and mean ages of 9.2 ±2.3, 9.8± 2.2, 8.5± 1.5 for children with moderate, severe malaria and control, respectively. There was a positive but not significant association of neutrophils and monocytes with the 3 grades of malaria parasitemia (p˃0.05). There was a negative and significant correlation between severe malaria and lymphocyte count (p=0.048; r = -0.647). However, there was positive and significant correlation between eosinophil with moderate (p= 0.03; r=0.994) and severe malaria (p=0.006; r=0.825). There was a significant decline in serum ascorbate with increased malaria density (p˂0.0001). However, there was no difference in the serum α-tocopherol concentration within the 4 groups of children (p=0.182). Serum ferritin and MDA significantly elevated with an increase in malaria density (p˂0.0001). There was a significant decline in CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells counts with an increase in malaria densities (p˂0.0001). Serum IL-10 and IL-6 significantly elevated with increased malaria density (p˂0.0001).
Conclusion:
Based on these findings, severe malaria was significantly associated with declined CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts, upregulation of IL-6, and high serum levels of oxidative stress biomarkers
Hormones Can Influence Drug Addiction-A Narrative Review
No full textDrug addiction is a dangerous condition that is the concern of human societies. Nevertheless, several issues exist ahead of people with a drug use disorder during addiction. Accordingly, various types of studies have been conducted to understand better the problems that people with a drug use disorder encountered. People with a drug use disorder usually have a problem tolerating the withdrawal period and some relapse to drug abuse. Complementary studies further revealed that some hormones like oxytocin (OXT), vasopressin, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) axis hormones, sex hormones, thyroid hormones, and nutritional hormones are probably involved in addiction processes. These hormones completely with different mechanisms can influence drug users’ ultimate outcome. As we will see, these hormones influence tolerance, sensitization, and compulsive drug seeking and taking behavior. In this review, they have been further discussed
LASER-ASSISTED TOOTH EXTRACTION IN PATIENTS WITH IMPAIRED HEMOSTASIS
No full textIntroduction: The provision of efficient dental care to patients with hemostatic disorders is tied to difficulties and problems such as prolonged bleeding after or during surgical manipulation.
Aim: This study aims to increase the efficiency of oral surgery in patients with thrombocytopenia with the use of erbium laser on different stages of tooth extraction.
Methods: Patients (n = 96) were selected for tooth extraction on an outpatient basis: patients with confirmed thrombocytopenia (age 44 ± 15.4, 19–74) were included in the 1st group, and patients without impaired hemostasis (age 47.6 ± 15.3, 19¬81) were included in the 2nd group (p \u3e 0.05). In 1st group, operation with the use of erbium laser with a wavelength of 2940 nm in a noncontact mode was performed on several stages. In the 2nd group (control), the treatment was carried out according to the traditional algorithm. Before the operation, the lab blood tests for thrombocytes were performed in both groups; additionally, for the 1st group, we evaluated the duration of bleeding and total coagulation. In the postoperative period, pain and edema of soft tissues and hemostasis duration were assessed in both groups.
Results: The results revealed that the use of erbium laser in the 1st group allowed us to decrease hemostasis duration compared with the control group (80.9 ± 35.9 and 175 ± 67.5 sec, p \u3c 0.01) and reach the similar probability of postoperative bleeding after tooth extraction (p \u3c 0.5). Pain and edema of soft tissues in dynamics after operation were less in the 1st group (p \u3c 0.001).
Conclusion: Application of erbium laser is an up-to-date method that can be successfully used in surgical treatment in patients with hemostasis failure for bleeding and other postoperative complications’ prevention and stimulation of the alveolar epithelization afte
Evaluation of sleep quality and duration in pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective follow-up study
No full textBackground and Objectives: Sleep disorders during pregnancy may be linked with increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sleep quality and duration in pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Materials and Methods: This prospective follow-up study was performed on 240 pregnant women with a gestational age between 20 to 24 weeks, who were referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari from 2018 to 2019 for prenatal care. The sleep quality of all eligible women were evaluated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). During the 26 to 28 weeks of gestation, 1-hour and 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was done for all women.
Results: The results showed that women with poor sleep quality had a significantly higher mean BMI and 1-hour and 2-hour OGTT results (P5) had a greater risk of developing GDM (OR = 2.99, 95% CI 1.77 to 5.06). In women with sleep duration of less than 7 and more than 9 hours, the frequency of GDM was significantly higher than women with the 7-9 hour sleep duration (P \u3c0.05).
Also, the frequency of GDM in women with three or more than three times of snoring in a week (63.44%) was significantly higher than women with once a week (30.61%) (P-value \u3c0.001).
Conclusion: It seems that sleep disorders and poor sleep quality can be a risk factor in developing GDM. Therefore, sleep characteristics should be considered in pregnancy care; especially in women with higher risk of GDM
The influence of TAS2R38 bitter taste gene polymorphisms on obesity risk in three racially diverse groups
No full textObjectives: Bitter taste perception affects food preference, eating behavior, and nutrient intake. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of bitter taste gene polymorphisms to body fatness as measured by percentage of body fat.
Method: Three common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the TAS2R38 gene which result in amino acid changes in the protein (A49P, V262A, and I296V), were studied in three racially diverse groups: European Americans n=313, African Americans n=109, and Asians n=234.
Results: The allele frequencies of the three SNPs were similar to previous studies. The rare haplotypes, AAI and AAV, were found in high prevalence in the African American subgroup (22.94%) and European American subgroup (6.07%). The PROP non taster; AVI/AVI diplotype was associated with a higher risk of obesity in European American and Asian but not African American subjects after age adjustment.
Conclusions: TAS2R38 polymorphisms could be associated with obesity development. In addition to taste perception, nutrient sensing and energy metabolism should be studied in relation to bitter taste receptors to confirm the association between genetic polymorphisms and body fatness. Genetic polymorphisms, race, gender, and environmental factors such as dietary patterns could all contribute to body fat
The experiences of patients with multiple sclerosis of self-compassion: A qualitative content analysis
No full textBackground: Self-compassion enhances self-care behavior in patients with multiple sclerosis. This concept has been defined in previous studies; however, in order to effectively enhance it, patients’ perceptions about and experiences with self-compassion should be first understood. Therefore, this study aims to explore the meaning of self-compassion experienced by patients with multiple sclerosis.
Methods: This directed qualitative study was conducted in 2019 in Iran. Twenty-three patients with Multiple sclerosis were selected purposefully and interviewed individually. Qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis according to Hsieh and Shannon’s method.
Results: Seventy-six primary codes were detected as well as the following eleven categories: self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, over-identification, seeking support, concealment, spiritual resilience, marital life concern, and turning into an example for others. These categories express the characteristics and meaning of self-compassion in patients with multiple sclerosis. Six of the 11 characteristics are in accordance with the theory of Neff’s theory and five are related to patients and the cultural and social arena of the study environment.
Conclusion: Results of the present study showed that new dimensions of self-compassion were found by exploring multiple sclerosis patients’ experiences, which added to the suggested dimensions of others. This study is promising to nurses and paramedics as it will help them to better identify and to take better care of patients. The result will also help to design a valid tool to measure this issue of patients
Analysis of COVID-19 prevention and treatment in Taiwan (Review)
No full textCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has been spreading worldwide with a mind-boggling speed. According to a statement from World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 has infected more than six billions people and caused more than one and half million passing in the world. Based on previous experience with SARS, the Taiwanese government had decided to block viral transmission during its early stages. This review sums up the clinical characteristics, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral infection process, diagnostic methods, preventive strategy, and the executive proportions of COVID-19, as well as the name-based mask distribution system (NBMDS) in Taiwan. We also give a review of the conceivable sub-atomic pharmacologic systems against SARS-CoV-2 specialists and the blend of remdesivir (GS-5734), chloroquine (CQ), and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Lastly, we summarized the therapeutic agents against COVID-19 as mentioned by COVID-19 treatment guidelines. In this review, development of novel anti-SARS-CoV-2 viral agents, vaccines for COVID-19 therapy or an effective combination therapy can be expected based on all the information accumulated. Last but not least, we might want to stretch out our best respects to all medical providers in their worldwide battle against COVID-19
Persistent Palatal Hypertrophy Associated with Rapid Maxillary Expansion Procedure: Report of a Rare Case
No full textMaxillary transversal deficiency (MTD) is a common skeletal problem. If not treated on time, MTD evolve to a more complex malocclusion. This problem can affect facial growth and development. Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) procedure frequently used for the management. This technique is usually successful in young individuals but as the age advances and the articulations of the maxilla with surrounding facial bones get more rigid, it becomes ineffective. Undesirable side effects or results have been reported after use of RME in skeletally mature patients such as buccal tipping of posterior teeth, extrusion, periodontal tissue recession, fenestration of buccal cortex, necrosis of palatal tissue, failure in opening of midpalatal suture, pain, and relapse of expansion. Side effects of RME are often temporary and permanent damages are rarely seen. The aim of this report is to present the management of a permanent side effect of the RME procedure in a 13-year-old child