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Evaluation of validation characteristics of comprehensive midwifery examination checklists to evaluate the clinical skills of midwifery students: A methodological study
No full textDue to the high percentage of need for clinical techniques in the field of midwifery, evaluation of clinical skills of graduates is necessary.
Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the validation characteristics of comprehensive examination checklists in midwifery students.
Design
The present study was a methodological study in which seven checklists related to important midwifery skills were entered into the psychometric process.
Setting
The study was conducted in the School of Nursing and Midwifery and the Persian Gulf martyrs and Salman Farsi Hospitals, Nabi-e-Akram comprehensive health center in Bushehr city.
Participants
Quantitative face validity was performed by examining the item impact score based on the opinions of 10 midwifery graduates. Quantitative content validity was performed by examining the content validity ratio and index based on the opinions of 12 experts. For structural validity as well as reliability assessment, checklists were used for 78 midwifery students who had completed their studies and were about to graduate. To determine the convergent validity, the correlation of the score of each checklist with the mean score of the similar fields of each skill was measured. Divergent validity was assessed by measuring the correlation between the score of each checklist and the score of other checklists and comparing it with the internal consistency of each checklist. Internal consistency and agreement between evaluators were used to assess reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS19.
Results
Content validity index and content validity ratio for each item were more than 0.79 and 0.67, respectively. There was a significant correlation between the score of each skill and the mean score of similar fields of that skill (P < 0.05).
Conclusion
According to the results, it can be concluded that comprehensive midwifery student evaluation checklists are a valid and reliable tool
Sharing of retracted COVID-19 articles: an altmetric study
Full text linkObjective: This study examines the extent to which retracted articles pertaining to COVID-19 have been shared via social and mass media based on altmetric scores.
Methods: Seventy-one retracted articles related to COVID-19 were identified from relevant databases, of which thirty-nine had an Altmetric Attention Score obtained using the Altmetrics Bookmarklet. Data extracted from the articles include overall attention score and demographics of sharers (e.g., geographic location, professional affiliation).
Results: Retracted articles related to COVID-19 were shared tens of thousands of times to an audience of potentially hundreds of millions of readers and followers. Twitter was the largest medium for sharing these articles, and the United States was the country with the most sharers. While general members of the public were the largest proportion of sharers, researchers and professionals were not immune to sharing these articles on social media and on websites, blogs, or news media.
Conclusions: These findings have potential implications for better understanding the spread of misleading or false information perpetuated in retracted scholarly publications. They emphasize the importance of quality peer review and research ethics among journals and responsibility among individuals who wish to share research findings
Association between platelet, white blood cell count, platelet to white blood cell ratio and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults: focus on Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program
Full text linkSarcopenia is a progressive age-related skeletal muscle disorder associated with harmful impacts on health. The present study aimed to investigate the relation between sarcopenia, platelet (PLT), white blood cell (WBC), and PLT to WBC ratio (PWR) due to the importance of early sarcopenia diagnosis.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted based on the second stage of the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) Program. Sarcopenia was defined based on the revised edition of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) in accordance with the Iranian cut-off point. Univariate and adjusted multivariate logistic regression and linear regression were used to evaluate the associations.
Results
The prevalence of sarcopenia among participants was 35.73%. PLT count and PWR were statistically higher in severe sarcopenic participants, while no differences were seen in WBC. In crude analysis, sarcopenia was not associated with quartiles of PLT, WBC, and PWR, while after adjusting for age, marital status, and sex, the association was seen in the fourth quartile of PLT and PWR [OR (95%CI) = 1.40 (1.08 to 1.81), p-value = 0.009 for PLT; OR (95%CI) =1.55 (1.20 to 2.00), p-value =0.001 for PWR]. This association remained significant in the fully adjusted model [OR (95%CI) =1.82 (1.20 to 2.78), p-value =0.005 for PLT; OR (95%CI) =1.57 (1.03 to 2.40), p-value =0.035 for PWR]. Among sarcopenia parameters, PLT count was more likely to be associated with handgrip strength and muscle mass. After stratifying the participants by gender, sarcopenia parameters were no longer statistically significant in men.
Conclusion
This study showed that PLT and PWR were associated with sarcopenia after considering confounding factors, while this association was not seen in WBC. Moreover, results showed that gender had an important impact on sarcopenia parameters
Vickers micro-hardness study of the effect of fluoride mouthwash on two types of CAD/CAM ceramic materials erosion
Full text linkThe aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of fluoride mouthwash on the surface micro-hardness of two types of CAD/CAM ceramics after exposure to acidic solutions.
Methods
40 samples (5 × 5 × 3 mm3) were prepared from two different ceramics: Vitabloc Mark II CAD, and IPS e.max CAD. The samples were randomly divided into 5 groups in each ceramic (n = 8) immersed in different solutions: Gs: saliva: GGA: gastric acid, GAA: acetic acid, GFGA: sodium fluoride + gastric acid, GFAA: sodium fluoride + acetic acid. The microhardness of samples was measured before and after immersion in different solutions by Vickers microhardness tester. By subtracting the microhardness values after and before immersion, the microhardness changes of the samples were obtained. Data were analyzed by Two-way analysis of variance, one-way analysis of variance, and Tukey test (α = 0.05).
Results
Immersion in different solutions reduced the microhardness. Microhardness loss was significantly affected in G FAA and G FGA groups in both types of ceramics (P < 0.05). For Vitabloc Mark II groups, the microhardness loss was significantly higher in GFAA and GFGA compared to IPS e.max CAD P < 0.001).
Conclusion
Fluoride mouthwash in conjunction with acidic solutions may adversely affect microhardness of Vitabloc Mark II CAD, and IPS e.max CAD that may consequently compromise the clinical service. Vitabloc Mark II CAD was significantly more affected than IPS e.max CAD
Modeling of drug release and simultaneous enhancement of tensile strength and antioxidant activity of the electrospun nanofibres using naturally extracted oil from Pistacia atlantica
No full textThe present study reports on a green method for the fabrication of wound dressing loaded with Pistacia atlantica extract. The oil was extracted from P. atlantica plant using a solvent extraction process. The UV–vis spectroscopy showed that the phenolic compounds existed in the P. atlantica oil (PAO). The result of the antioxidant activity with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay illustrated an IC50 value of 7.26 mg/ml, which indicated that the PAO was a significant source of natural antioxidants. Then, the PAO-loaded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-sodium alginate (SA) nanofibres were successfully produced using the electrospinning process. The results of field emission scanning electron microscopy showed that the addition of the PAO to the polymer solution increased the diameter of the fabricated nanofibres, while the optimum blending concentration of the PAO for obtaining the maximum scaffold stiffness was almost 1.5% (w/v). The physical properties of the fabricated nanofibres were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction technique, and thermogravimetric-derivative and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that the PAO was bonded to the structure of the PVA/SA nanofibres, and the crystallinity, as well as the thermal stability of the fabricated nanofibres increased due to this attachment. In addition, the experiments showed that the PAO concentration in the structure of the fabricated nanofibres played a major role in the drug release rate, and increasing the PAO concentration from the optimum value decreased the controlled release of the drug. Last, based on the two-film theory, a mass transfer model was developed to predict the PAO released from the fabricated wound dressing.
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Proposing a novel deep network for detecting COVID-19 based on chest images
Full text linkThe rapid outbreak of coronavirus threatens humans’ life all around the world. Due to the insufficient
diagnostic infrastructures, developing an accurate, efficient, inexpensive, and quick diagnostic
tool is of great importance. To date, researchers have proposed several detection models based on
chest imaging analysis, primarily based on deep neural networks; however, none of which could
achieve a reliable and highly sensitive performance yet. Therefore, the nature of this study is primary
epidemiological research that aims to overcome the limitations mentioned above by proposing a
large‑scale publicly available dataset of chest computed tomography scan (CT‑scan) images consisting
of more than 13k samples. Secondly, we propose a more sensitive deep neural networks model for
CT‑scan images of the lungs, providing a pixel‑wise attention layer on top of the high‑level features
extracted from the network. Moreover, the proposed model is extended through a transfer learning
approach for being applicable in the case of chest X‑Ray (CXR) images. The proposed model and
its extension have been trained and evaluated through several experiments. The inclusion criteria
were patients with suspected PE and positive real‑time reverse‑transcription polymerase chain
reaction (RT‑PCR) for SARS‑CoV‑2. The exclusion criteria were negative or inconclusive RT‑PCR and
other chest CT indications. Our model achieves an AUC score of 0.886, significantly better than its
closest competitor, whose AUC is 0.843. Moreover, the obtained results on another commonly‑used
benchmark show an AUC of 0.899, outperforming related models. Additionally, the sensitivity of
our model is 0.858, while that of its closest competitor is 0.81, explaining the efficiency of pixel‑wise
attention strategy in detecting coronavirus. Our promising results and the efficiency of the models
imply that the proposed models can be considered reliable tools for assisting doctors in detecting
coronaviru
Prevalence of reflux nephropathy in Iranian children with solitary kidney: results of a multi-center study
Full text linkAbstract
Background: Given the importance of the function of the remnant kidney in children with unilateral renal agen‑
esis and the significance of timely diagnosis and treatment of reflux nephropathy to prevent further damage to the
remaining kidney, we aimed to determine the prevalence of reflux nephropathy in this subgroup of pediatric patients.
Methods: In general, 274 children referred to pediatric nephrologists in different parts of Iran were evaluated, of
whom 199 had solitary kidney and were included in this cross‑sectional study. The reasons for referral included urinary
tract infection (UTI), abnormal renal ultrasonography, being symptomatic, and incidental screening. Demographic
characteristics, including age and gender were recorded. History of UTI and presence of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR)
were evaluated.
Results: Of the 274 children evaluated in this study with the mean age (SD) of 4.71 (4.24) years, 199 (72.6%) had
solitary kidney. Among these, 118 (59.3%) were male and 81 (60.7%) were female, 21.1% had a history of UTI, and VUR
was present in 23.1%. The most common cause of referral was abnormal renal ultrasonography (40.2%), followed by
incidental screening (21.1%), being symptomatic (14.1%), and UTI (5.5%). In 116 children (58.3%), the right kidneys and
in 83 (41.7%) the left kidneys were absent. Besides, 14.6% of the participants had consanguineous parents and 3% had
a family history of solitary kidney. Upon DMSA scan, the single kidney was scarred in 13.1%, of which only 7.5% were
associated with VUR. In addition, proteinuria and hematuria were observed in 6.5% and 1.5% of children, respectively.
Conclusions: The prevalence of reflux nephropathy was 7.5% in children with solitary kidney with a male predomi‑
nance. Given the relatively high prevalence of reflux nephropathy in these children, screening for VUR in the remnant
kidney appears to be essential in this population.
Keywords: Vesicoureteral reflux, Nephropathy, Children, Solitary kidney, Renal agenesi
Investigation of microplastic pollution in Torghabeh River sediments, northeast of Iran
No full textAbstract
Rivers are the route of transfer of microplastics from upstream to downstream areas and seas. Microplastic tracing in river sediments can provide a better reflection of long-term microplastic pollution. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and distribution of microplastic contamination in the Torghabeh River sediments in Khorasan Razavi (Iran). Sediment samples were collected from four sites along the river. Microplastic particles were classified according to type, shape, and color. The average microplastic concentration was 8 ± 2.82 particles per 100 g of dry sediments. Most of the microplastics detected in river sediments were in the form of filaments and fragments. A total of 32 polymers were identified and isolated from sediments. According to Raman spectroscopy results, polystyrene had the highest abundance compared to polyester, polyethylene, and other polymers. The predominant shape of the microplastics in the river sediment was filament and fragmented. It can be concluded that the areas that were exposed to human activity contained more microplastic contamination. The present investigation can also provide baseline information for the study of riverine ecosystems
Surface magnetization of hydrolyzed Luffa Cylindrica biowaste with cobalt ferrite nanoparticles for facile Ni2+ removal from wastewater
No full textA novel magnetic adsorbent based on hydrolyzed Luffa Cylindrica (HLC) was synthesized through the chemical co-precipitation technique, and its potential was evaluated in the adsorptive elimination of divalent nickel ions from water medium. Morphological assessment and properties of the adsorbent were performed using FTIR, SEM, EDX, XRD, BET, and TEM techniques. The effect of pH, temperature, time and nickel concentration on the removal efficiency was studied, and pH = 6, room temperature (25 °C), contact time of 60 min, and Ni2+ ion concentration of 10 mg.L−1 were introduced as the optimal values. At optimal conditions, the removal efficiency of Ni2+ ions using HLC and HLC/CoFe2O4 magnetic composite was calculated as 96.38 and 99.13%, respectively. The adsorption process kinetic followed a pseudo-first-order model. Langmuir isotherm was suitable for modelling the experimental data of the Ni2+ adsorption. The maximum elimination capacity of HLC and HLC/CoFe2O4 samples was calculated as 42.75 and 44.42 mg g−1, respectively. Furthermore, thermodynamic investigations proved the spontaneous and exothermic nature of the process. The adsorption efficiency was decreased with increasing the content of Ca2+ and Na + cations in aqueous media. During reusability of the synthesized adsorbents, it was found that after 8 cycles, no significant decrease has occurred in the adsorption efficiency. In addition, real wastewater treatment results proved that HLC/CoFe2O4 magnetic composite has an excellent performance in removal of heavy metals pollutant from shipbuilding effluent
Health impacts quantification attributed to ambient particulate matter in the nearest Iranian city to the main dust source
No full textUrban air contamination is one of the ten most dangerous parameters for human health, which causes cardiovascular disease, respiratory, metabolic diseases, and decreased lung function. Air Q is a reliable software for studying the impacts of atmospheric contaminants on human health, and today, it is widely used in the environment. The purpose of this research was to quantify the mortality and morbidity rates that corresponded to ambient particulate matter (PM) in Rigan City. To perform this, the Air Q software was used. The findings reflected that the yearly mean values of PM10 and PM2.5 are 264.83 and 50.45 μg/m3. The findings indicated that the PM10 and PM2.5 content in Rigan was above standard levels described by WHO. The total number of deaths, cardiovascular deaths, and respiratory deaths due to PM in Rigan were estimated as 70.3, 45.8, and 10.7 persons, respectively. Hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases correlated to PM10 were estimated at 154.2 and 59 persons, respectively. Acute myocardial infarction associated with PM2.5 was 2.7 persons. Overall, the data in this study may be helpful to national and regional policymakers who are responsible for managing and preventing atmospheric contamination and assessing the costs of health risks