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The effects of traditional lecture and flipped classroom on learning, learning retention, and satisfaction among operating room students: A comparative study
Get PDFBackground: Rapid changes in communities necessitate the use of new-teaching methods in universities. Objectives: This study aimed to determine and compare the effects of traditional lecture and flipped classroom (FC) on learning, learning retention, and satisfaction among operating room students. Methods: This two-group quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2018-2019 in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Forty-four operating room students who had enrolled in anesthesiology course were selected and randomly allocated to a lecture and a FC group. Data were collected using a researcher-made satisfaction questionnaire and two researcher-made knowledge examinations. Data analysis was performed using the Chi-square, independent-samples t, and paired-samples t-tests. Results: The mean scores of knowledge in the first and the second examinations in the FC group (i.e. 18.85 ± 0.83 and 17.47 ± 1.42, respectively) were significantly greater than the corresponding mean scores in the lecture group (i.e., 16.21 ± 1.99 and 12.90 ± 2.64, respectively) (P < 0.05). Moreover, the mean score of satisfaction in the FC group was significantly higher than the lecture group (169.44 ± 17.82 vs. 115.56 ± 17.57;P < 0.05). Conclusion: FC is more effective than traditional lecture in promoting students' satisfaction and short- and long-term learning
Using chemical drugs and medicinal plants for symptom management among patients receiving chemotherapy
Get PDFBackground: Patients with cancer suffer from different symptoms which can cause discomfort, reduce quality of life, necessitate frequent hospitalization, and impose heavy costs. Health-care providers sometimes overlook symptom management, and hence, patients resort to self-treatment. Objectives: This study sought to assess the use of chemical drugs and medicinal plants for the symptom management among patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 on 186 cancer patients who referred to two chemotherapy centers in Kashan, Iran. Data were collected using a researcher-made instrument consisted of items on demographic characteristics, symptoms, symptom severity and duration, use of chemical drugs and medicinal plants, and their perceived effectiveness. Data were presented using the measures of descriptive statistics and were analyzed using the Spearman's correlation analysis. Results: The most common symptom was fatigue (89.2), with moderate severity in 51.2 of participants. The least common symptom was vomiting (24.2), with mild severity in 62.2 of participants. Vitamins and supplements were the most commonly used chemical drugs (40.3). Chemical drugs had mostly been recommended by health-care providers. Only, 50 of patients with pain and 12.2 of patients with dry mouth and oral ulcer used chemical drugs. Medicinal plants were used by 87.4 of participants, without medical prescription. Conclusion: Cancer patients suffer from many symptoms which need careful assessment and effective management by health-care providers. These patients use medicinal plants more commonly than chemical drugs for symptom management, whereas chemical drugs are more effective. Symptom management among cancer patients is not effective enough, and hence, most of them resort to over-the-counter medicinal plants
Personal dispositions as predictors of student nurses' prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination against human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons in Osun State, Nigeria
Get PDFBackground: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS is a disease that is stigmatized as a result of its origin and outcome. HIV stigma may occur in the form of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, collectively called HIV stigma mechanism. While studies have shown that student nurses are among persons who stigmatize, little is known about the role of their personal dispositions in the stigma process. Objective: This study aimed to examine the role of personal dispositions on their HIV stigma mechanism against HIV-infected persons. Methods: We employed a cross-sectional descriptive design involving 395 students across Osun State, Nigeria, using a modified Health Care Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale instrument. Four personal dispositions (age, study level, HIV knowledge, and perception) serving as the independent variable, were of interest as well as the HIV stigma mechanism (prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination) serving as the dependent variable in this study. Data were analyzed using mean and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The mean scores of the categorical variables of knowledge about AIDS and perception of HIV-infected persons, measured on scales of 0-9 and 0-15, revealed moderate knowledge about HIV (5.90 ± 1.26) and negative perception (10.61 ± 2.47). For the dependent variables, the mean scores were 17.97 ± 4.07 for prejudice, 13.84 ± 3.34 for stereotyping, and 10.47 ± 3.22 for discrimination, which indicated that student nurses stigmatized HIV-infected patients. However, the core finding of this study revealed that, of all the predictors of HIV stigma mechanism, perception was the most significant. Conclusions: Personal dispositions are contributory factors to the enactment of HIV stigma mechanism. Future planning for intervention studies to reduce HIV stigma among health profession students should take cognizance of this.
Keywords: Human immunodeficiency virus, Knowledge, Perception, Personal
dispositions, Prejudice, Stereotyping, Stigma mechanism, Student nurse
Circular RNAs as diagnostic biomarker in pancreatic cancer
No full textPancreatic cancer is one of the causes of death in the world. Unfortunately, common imaging technologies did not succeed in identifying this disease, and because of the absence of sensitive and specific biomarkers, it is not possible to screen and diagnose the disease. Therefore, this disease is usually diagnosed when patient is at an advanced stage of cancer and has lost the chance of surgery, and routine treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy are not very effective. For this reason, the discovery of new biomarkers to overcome the diagnostic and therapeutic problems of pancreatic cancer is essential. Recently, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been introduced as a group of noncoding RNAs that can play the role of critical regulators in various human diseases including cancer. A lot of studies revealed that circRNAs can have diverse roles in various cancers, including breast, colorectal, lung, renal, gastric, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The results of these researches have demonstrated that change in circRNAs expression levels in the tumor cells affects carcinogenesis, the stages of progression and metastasis of cancer through various mechanisms. Given that several studies have tested the role of circRNAs in pancreatic cancer, we decided to review the mechanisms proposed in these studies to conclude and summarize the work done in this regard. © 2020 Elsevier Gmb
The effects of the family-centered empowerment model on self-efficacy and self-esteem among the family caregivers of patients with prosthetic heart valve: A controlled clinical trial
Get PDFBackground:Patients with heart valve disease need to receive long-term care from their family members after surgical valve replacement. Thus, family caregivers should have adequate self-efficacy for patient care. Objectives: This study examined the effects of the family-centered empowerment model (FCEM) on self-efficacy and self-esteem among the family caregivers of patients with prosthetic heart valve. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, forty patients together with one of their family caregivers were consecutively recruited and allocated to an intervention or a control group. The FCEM was used in three to five sessions for patients in the intervention group. Besides, we sent their family caregivers educational cards containing the same educations provided to their patients. Finally, an educational session was held for family caregivers in which their questions were answered and each of them was provided with an educational booklet containing the same materials as the educational cards. Patients and their family members in the control group received routine care. Self-efficacy and self-esteem of family caregivers were assessed before, 1 week, and 1.5 months after the intervention. Data analysis was performed through the independent-samples t-test and the repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Before the intervention, the mean scores of self-efficacy in the control and the intervention groups were 26.68 ± 4.79 and 26.79 ± 5.49, whereas the mean scores of self-esteem in these groups were 33.74 ± 4.55 and 33.84 ± 4.72, respectively. None of the between-group differences were significant. After the intervention, the mean scores of self-efficacy and self-esteem in the intervention group were significantly greater than the control group (37.32 ± 2.68 versus. 29.89 ± 2.20 and 36.26 ± 3.66 versus. 29.26 ± 5.84; P < 0.05). Conclusion: The use of the FCEM promotes self-efficacy and self-esteem among the family caregivers of patients with prosthetic heart valve
Damage-associated molecular patterns in tumor radiotherapy
No full textRadiotherapy is one of the most common modalities for the treatment of cancer. One of the most promising effects of radiotherapy is immunologic cell death and the release of danger alarms, which are known as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). DAMPs are able to trigger cancer cells and other cells within tumor microenvironment (TME), either for suppression or promotion of tumor growth. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) including HSP70 and HSP90, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and its metabolites such as adenosine are the most common danger alarms that are released after radiotherapy-induced immunologic cell death. Some DAMPs including adenosine is able to interact with both cancer cells as well as other cells in TME to promote tumor growth and resistance to radiotherapy. However, others are able to trigger anti-tumor immunity or both tumor suppressive and immunosuppressive mechanisms depending on affected cells. In this review, we explain the mechanisms behind the release of radiation-induced DAMPs, and its consequences on cells within tumor. Targeting of these mechanisms may be in favor of tumor control in combination with radiotherapy and radioimmunotherapy. © 2020 Elsevier B.V
Nanomicellar-curcumin exerts its therapeutic effects via affecting angiogenesis, apoptosis, and T cells in a mouse model of melanoma lung metastasis
No full textBackground: Curcumin is a natural phytochemical polyphenol with significant anti-cancer effects and negligible side effects. In this study, the therapeutic capacity of nanomicellar-curcumin for treating lung metastasis was evaluated in an immunocompetent mouse model of metastatic melanoma. Martials and methods: Two doses of nanomicellar-curcumin (i.e. 10 and 20 μM) were used to induce cytotoxicity in 3 melanoma cell lines. A total of 60 mice were allocated to 20 mice in each of three groups (10 for survival and 10 for assays). Groups were no treatment control, PBS control, nanomicellar-curcumin 20 mg/kg IP 4 times a week, for three weeks). Immunohistochemistry, TUNEL assay, and Western blots were used on lung samples. Results: Nanomicellar-curcumin inhibited the in vitro growth of B16 F10 melanoma cells at 20 μM over 72 h. In vivo, 20 mg/kg nanomicellar-curcumin injected IP, delayed tumor cell growth and significantly extended mouse survival rate. Tumor infiltration of regulatory T cells and angiogenesis were reduced, while IFN-γ and CXCL10 were increased. Conclusion: Nanomicellar-curcumin can inhibit lung metastasis and growing melanoma via activation of apoptosis, activated T cells and inhibition of angiogenesis, tumor growth and regulatory T cells. © 2020 Elsevier Gmb
Author Correction: Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017 (Nature Medicine, (2020), 26, 5, (750-759), 10.1038/s41591-020-0807-6)
Get PDFAn amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. © 2020, The Author(s)
Meta-Analysis of Biofilm Formation, Antibiotic Resistance Pattern, and Biofilm-Related Genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Clinical Samples
Get PDFResistant microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa grow by developing biofilms in hospitals. We aimed to investigate the biofilm formation and the frequencies of biofilm-related genes and their associations with antibiotic resistance pattern in P. aeruginosa isolated from Iranians' clinical samples. This review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We conducted a systematic literature search in scientific databases using medical subject heading terms, including "Pseudomonas aeruginosa,""biofilm formation,""biofilm-related genes,""antibiotic resistance,"and "prevalence,"to obtain related articles published from 1st January, 2000, to 30th March, 2019. The studies reporting the prevalence of biofilm formation, the frequencies of biofilm-related genes, and the antibiotic resistance pattern in P. aeruginosa retrieved from Iranian patients were included. Meta-analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. The pooled rate of biofilm formation was calculated as 86.5 (95 confidence interval CI: 79-91.6). The combined frequencies of strong, moderate, and weak biofilms were 51% (95% CI: 37.4-64.4), 29.2% (95% CI: 20.9-39.1), and 25.4% (95% CI: 11.5-47.2), respectively. The pooled prevalence of laslR, algD, algU, ppyR, and pelF genes were 93.6% (95% CI: 88.1-96.6), 91.4% (95% CI: 80.8-96.4), 89.3% (95% CI: 85.2-92.3), 98.7% (95% CI: 96.5-99.6), and 93% (95% CI: 82.7-97.3), respectively. The highest combined antibiotic resistance rates of P. aeruginosa isolates were against piperacillin/tazobactam (90%). This study showed that biofilm formation was higher in multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa than non-MDRs. A significant correlation was observed between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in 50% of studies included in this review. © Copyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 2020
