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Investigating the attitude of patients with chronic diseases about using mobile health
No full textBackground Mobile health (mHealth) due to its popularity and accessibility can be widely applied in different health areas such as the management of chronic diseases. However, its success depends on the acceptance of their users. Therefore, the aim of this study was to survey the attitudes of patients with chronic disease toward mHealth technology and their willingness to use it.Methods This study was conducted within a 2-year period (2016-2018) to determine and compare the attitude and willingness of patients with asthma, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis (MS) toward using mHealth technology in a province in Iran.Results In total, 222 patients participated in this study. More than 93 percent of the patients with diabetes and MS, and 65 percent of the asthmatic patients preferred using mHealth services rather than consulting a physician (p <.0001). About 98, 94, and 49 percent of the MS, diabetic, and asthmatic patients, respectively felt comfortable if their health conditions checked by physicians through mHealth technology (p <.0001).Conclusions Our results showed that the majority of the patients felt comfortable and preferred using mHealth technology rather than consulting the physicians. The attitudes of diabetic and MS patients toward mHealth technology were rather more positive compared to asthmatic patient attitude. These results may be helpful for the developers of mHealth technology, and researchers who design mHelath interventions for patients with chronic disease. Copyright © 2020 Cambridge University Press
Construction, cloning, and expression of caga recombinant protein of helicobacter pylori
Get PDFBackground: This study aimed to assess construction and expression of CagA recombinant protein of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21. Methods: Bioinformatics was used in designing the desired gene by Gene Runner. Next, the construct was subcloned to pET21b vector and this process was confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), enzyme digestion and sequencing techniques. Then, it was cloned in the Escherichia coli BL21 as an expression host. Expression of protein was verified using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting technique. For purification of the protein, the Ni-NTA column was used. Protein concentration was determined by the Bicinchoninic Acid Protein Assay Kit (Parstoos). Finally, Western blotting was performed using CagA antibodies and normal human serum for determining immunogenicity feature with human antiserum. Results: According to the results of the present study, CagA construct was cloned into the pET21b vector and after confirmation and cloning in host expression, recombinant protein with the size of 38 kDa was successfully expressed and purified. The recombinant CagA protein showed immunogenicity characteristics with human antiserum. Conclusion: In conclusion, only 5�-end of recombinant protein CagA with high immunogenicity effects was successfully constructed, cloned and expressed. Also, CagA recombinant protein showed good immunogenicity activity with human antiserum. © 2020, Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology
Functional activities of beta-glucans in the prevention or treatment of cervical cancer
Get PDFCervical cancer is the fourth-ranked cancer in the world and is associated with a large number of deaths annually. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are known as the common therapeutic approaches in the treatment of cervical cancer, but because of their side effects and toxicity, researchers are trying to discovery alternative therapies. Beta-glucans, a group of glucose polymers that are derived from the cell wall of fungi, bacteria, and etc. it has been showed that beta-glucans have some anti-cancer properties which due to their impacts on adaptive and innate immunity. Along to these impacts, these molecules could be used as drug carriers. In this regard, the application of beta-glucans is a promising therapeutic option for the cancer prevention and treatment especially for cervical cancer. Herein, we have summarized the therapeutic potential of beta-glucans alone or as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of cervical cancer. Moreover, we highlighted beta-glucans as drug carriers for preventive and therapeutic purposes. © 2020 The Author(s)
Exposure to nanoscale diesel exhaust particles: Oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, anxiety and depression on adult male mice
Get PDFABSTRACT
Exposure to nanoscale diesel engines exhausted particles (DEPs) is a well-recognized risk factor for respiratory
and cardiovascular diseases. Rodents as commonly used models for urban air pollution in health effect studies
demonstrate constant stimulation of inflammatory responses in the main areas of the brain. Nevertheless, the primary effect of diesel exhaust particulate matter on some of the brain regions and relation by behavioral alterations still remains untouched. We evaluated the brain regional in
flammatory responses to a nanosized subfraction of diesel engines exhaust particulate matter (DEPs < 200 nm) in an adult male mice brain. Adult male mice were exposed to DEPs for 3, 6, and 8 h per day, 12 weeks and five days per week. Degree of anxiety and the depression by elevated plus maze and Forced Swimming Test respectively (FST) did measurement. After behavior tests, the plasma and some of the brain regions such as olfactory bulb (OB) and hippocampus (HI) were analyzed for oxidative stress and in flammatory responses. The inflammation and oxidative stress changes in OB and HI, markedly coincides with the results of behavioral alterations. These responses corresponded with rapid
induction of MDA and nitrite oxide (NO) in brain regions and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) mRNA followed by IL6, IL1 α , and TNF α in OB and HI. The different times of DEPs exposure, leads to oxidative stress and inflammatory in plasma and brain regions. That this cumulative transport of inhaled nanoscale DEPs into the brain and creating to inflammation responses of brain regions may cause problems of brain function and anxiety and depression.
Keywords:
Air pollution Nanoscale diesel exhaust particles Oxidative stress Nanotoxicology Anxiety Depressio
Care and noncare-related activities among critical care nurses: A cross-sectional observational time and motion study
Get PDFBackground:Measurement of nursing activities is used for workload assessment, performance evaluation, and workforce management. Objectives: This study aimed to measure care and noncare-related activities among critical care nurses and to determine their contributing factors. Methods:This cross-sectional observational study was conducted from July to September 2017. All care and noncare-related activities of 70 critical care nurses in a public university hospital in Kashan, Iran, were assessed through the time and motion technique. Each nurse was observed throughout a 6-h morning shift. Data were collected using a nurse and patient characteristics questionnaire and care and noncare-related activities checklist. The paired and the independent-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and the one-way analysis of variance were used for data analysis. Results: The duration of nurses' care-related activities (249.10 ± 65.00 min, i.e., 69.2% of a 6-h shift) was significantly more than the duration of their noncare-related activities (111.00 ± 48.30 min, i.e., 30.8% of a 6-h shift). Respecting care-related activities, participants spent 53.5% of their time on direct care and the rest 46.5% on indirect care; whereas respecting noncare-related activities, they spent 76.5% of their time on personal activities (such as making personal calls) and the rest 23.5% on unit related tasks. The duration of nurses' activities had significant relationships with their unit, nurse-patient ratio, and patients' age, gender, and diagnosis. Conclusion:Critical care nurses spend their time mostly on care-related than noncare-related activities. Closer managerial supervision of nurses' activities, in-service educations about effective time management, and determination of the optimum nurse-patient ratio and the best task division schedule are needed to reduce nurses' workload, improve care quality, and enhance patient satisfaction
Factors behind moral distress among Iranian emergency medical services staff: A qualitative study into their experiences
Get PDFBackground: The unique characteristics of each emergency situation and the necessity to make prompt decisions cause emergency medical services (EMS) staff's ethical conflicts and moral distress. Objectives:This study aimed to explore EMS staff's experiences of the factors behind their moral distress. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted on 14 EMS staff using the conventional content analysis. Data were collected through unstructured and semi-structured interviews. Each interview was started using general questions about moral issues at workplace and barriers to professional practice. The five-step content analysis approach proposed by Graneheim and Lundman was used for data analysis. Results: The factors behind EMS staff's moral distress were categorized into 13 subcategories and 5 main categories. The main categories were staff's lack of knowledge and competence, inability to adhere to EMS protocols, restraints on care provision, ineffective interprofessional communications, and conflicts in value systems. The subcategories were, respectively, inadequate knowledge and experience, working with incompetent colleagues, artificial services, working in unpredictable situations, lay people's interference in care provision, resource and equipment shortages, barriers to early arrival at the scene, obligatory obedience to the system, poor interprofessional interactions, inadequate interprofessional trust, refusal of care, challenges in obtaining consent, and challenges in telling the truth. Conclusion: EMS staff experience moral distress at work due to a wide range of factors. Given the negative effects of moral distress on EMS staff's physical and mental health and the quality of their care services, strategies are needed to prevent or reduce it through managing its contributing factors
Development and psychometric evaluation of the menopausal self-care questionnaire in a sample of Iranian postmenopausal women
Get PDFBackground: Self-care assessment is a prerequisite to self-care promotion interventions. However, there is no specific measurement instrument for self-care assessment among postmenopausal women. Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop the menopausal self-care questionnaire and evaluate its psychometric properties in a sample of Iranian postmenopausal women. Methods: This methodological study was conducted in 2017 based on Waltz's method for instrument development. Questionnaire items were generated based on a literature review, and then, face, content, and construct validity of the questionnaire were assessed. For construct validity assessment, a sample of 357 women aged 45-60 years were selected through cluster and stratified sampling from health-care centers in Kashan, Iran. Then, exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine the factor structure of the questionnaire. Moreover, reliability was assessed through calculating Cronbach's alpha and test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The primary version of the questionnaire contained 36 items. Two items were deleted due to their limited content validity. The impact scores, content validity ratios, and content validity indices of the remaining 34 items were at least 2.84, 0.70, and 0.70, respectively. During factor analysis for construct validity assessment, one item was deleted and the questionnaire was found to have a seven-factor structure, accounting for 54.87 of the total variance. The factors were general health care, screening, nutrition, memory, hot flashes and night sweats, sexuality, and social communication. The ICC and Cronbach's alpha value for the questionnaire were 0.76 (P < 0.001) and 0.88, respectively. Conclusion: The menopausal self-care questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for self-care assessment among postmenopausal women. It can be used in health monitoring programs for middle-aged and elderly women
Laboratory diagnostic procedures for human brucellosis: An overview of existing approaches
Get PDFContext: Diagnosis of human brucellosis still challenges clinicians and scientists with several considerable aspects, particularly in endemic countries. The current study aimed at reviewing laboratory tests in the diagnosis of human brucellosis. Evidence Acquisition: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Thompson Reuters, and Mesh databases using keywords for articles published until December 2018. Seventy studies were selected for data collection. Results: The current inclusive review included information about the currently used advanced diagnostic tests to confirm the detection of human brucellosis. Conclusions: The article reviewed the methods for the diagnosis of human brucellosis and summarized developments for the future. © 2019, Author(s)
Pattern of trauma related to falling from walnut tree as an occupational injury: A cross-sectional study in the west of Iran
Get PDFBackground: Evidence regarding the epidemiological characteristics and the mechanisms of trauma related to falling from walnut tree are limited in Iran. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the pattern of trauma related to falling from walnut tree as an occupational injury in Tuyserkan in the west of Iran in 2017. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all the patients admitted in Vali-Asr Hospital for injuries caused by falling from walnut trees during the harvest for walnuts (from September to October 2017) were reviewed. The data were collected by a checklist including the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients obtained from the hospital records. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics by the STATA software version 12. Results: During the study, a total of 52 injured cases were registered in Vali-Asr Hospital. All patients were male, and 71.2 of them were rural dwellers. Falls were more concentrated in Friday (27) and peaked in mid-days (19.2 of cases). Branch breaking was the common cause of falling in 30 (57.7) injured cases. Nearly 70 (n = 36) of the cases were transferred to the trauma center by the emergency services. Among injured patients, 4 patients (7.7) died. Overweight patients had a 7.75-fold higher chance of death or handicap compared to underweight patients (P = 0.09). Conclusion: Most of the cases were young men from rural areas who were economically important groups. High air temperature in mid-day time is in related to increase in the probability of falling; thus, it should be advised not to work at this time. A considerable proportion of injured patients were carried by family members to the hospital. Therefore, the general awareness that an injured person must be transferred to the hospital by the emergency medical services for the reduction of the severity of trauma is necessary
Prediction of mortality risk in patients with traffic injury: A case study in tabriz hospitals, Iran
Get PDFBackground: Trauma caused by traffic accidents is one of the main causes of mortality in the world. The trauma is a time-dependent condition. Trauma scoring systems help service providers to determine the severity of the injury and mortality risk and provide appropriate and timely services. This study aimed to predict mortality risk in patients with traffic injuries in Tabriz hospitals. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 11,238 traffic-injured patients. Databases of the emergency medicine service and forensic medicine were used to collect information. Glasgow Coma Scale, Age, and Systolic Blood Pressure (GAP) scoring system, binary logistic regression model, odds ratio with 95 confidence interval, and sensitivity and specificity were used to predict mortality. Results: Overall, 71 cases of death were identified. Pedestrians had the most rates of deaths with 31 cases (43.66). Head trauma with 31 cases (43.66) was the main cause of death. Mean (standard deviation) of the GAP score was 21.8 (1.8). The death rates in high-, moderate-, and low-risk groups were 22.4, 3.18, and 0.42, respectively. The likelihood of death in people with saturation of oxygen (SO2) 95 was 1.96 times higher than those with SO2>95. The likelihood of death increased by 0.001 times each year. Furthermore, when the GAP score was 18, sensitivity was 64, and for the GAP score of 10, sensitivity was 15.5. Conclusion: GAP score seems to be a reliable and easy-to-use scoring method for predicting traffic injury mortality in an Iranian setting and yields reasonable results concerning international standards