marital satisfaction according to spouse’s smoking status

Introduction: One of the key aspects of mental health is one’s overall health and lifestyle. Longitudinal studies have shown that dissatisfaction with life causes long-term health damage and increases mortality, suicide tendency, unintentional injuries, disability at work, and diseases such as those of cardiovascular nature. Amongst all forms of satisfaction, that of marital is of utmost importance. On a separate note, inhalation of cigarette smoke exposes passive smokers to many chemical and toxic carcinogens, and it can negatively affect the non-smokers present. Furthermore, in psychiatric counseling sessions, many women report that they hate smoking. If we can show that inhaling cigarette smoke in men can have an impact on marital satisfaction, it can increase the consistency of family foundations and have positive effects on the health and spirit of family members by informing families. Methods: In this study, 200 housewives, who had smoking husbands that smoked at home, were subjected to pre-determined conditions, alongside 200 housewives who had non-smoking husbands and were therefore not exposed to smoking by their husbands at home. They were divided into two groups and were assessed by Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ). For a closer look at the level of marital satisfaction, the questionnaire results were divided into three subgroups which were marked as low, moderate, and good. Results: After calculating the total score of the questionnaire and statistical analysis, the results showed a higher rate of marital satisfaction in women who had non-smoking husbands compared to those who had smoking husbands and this difference was considered significant at P-value <0.001. Conclusion: Inhaling cigarette smoke in men in the family environment may seem to make a good impression on the smokers, but as the results of our study suggest, it also has adverse effects on marital satisfaction

Among substance-abusing traffic offenders, poor sleep and poor general health predict lower driving skills but not slower reaction times

Traffic accidents are a significant health issue in Iran. Explanations for such accidents have included single consideration of the role of poor sleep and negative psychological trait and state variables. In this study, we examined whether and to what extent sleep, general health, and aggression can concomitantly predict driving behavior.; A total of 360 male traffic offenders (driving under substance use; mean age: 31 years) participated in this study. They completed the questionnaires covering sociodemographic, sleep-related, and behavior-related variables. In addition, their visual and acoustic reaction times were objectively tested.; Poor sleep, poor general health, and higher aggression scores were associated with self-rated poor driving behavior. Poor sleep was directly associated with poor driving behavior and indirectly via poor general health and aggression. In contrast, visual and acoustic reaction times were unrelated to sleep, general health, aggression, or self-rated driving behavior.; To our knowledge, this is the first study in Iran to assess concomitantly poor sleep, poor general health, and higher aggression scores as independent predictors of poor driving behavior among a larger sample of substance-abusing traffic offenders. Furthermore, visual and acoustic reaction times were unrelated to sleep, general health, aggression, and driving behavior. Finally, importantly, poor sleep predicted both directly and indirectly poor driving behavior

Bacterial Contamination of Collected Cockroaches and Determination their Antibiotic Susceptibility in Khorramabad City, Iran

Background: Cockroaches are one of the most important carriers of pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, the pres­ence of cockroaches in public places, especially in hospitals, homes, and restaurants, is dangerous, and threatens the health of society, people, and the environment. The aim of this study was evaluation of bacterial contamination of cock­roaches and the sensitivity of these bacteria to various antibiotics, captured from Khorramabad City, Iran Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 150 cockroaches collected from hospital environ­ments, homes, and restaurants in Khorramabad. The outer surface of the cockroaches was washed with physiological sa­line. The suspension was centrifuged for 5 minutes at 2000rpm. Isolation and identification of bacteria was performed using phenotypic methods. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion method according to Clini­cal and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guideline. Results: A total of 100 American cockroaches (66.66%), 28 B. germanica (18.66%) and 22 Blatta orientalis (14.66%) were identified. In total, 97.33% of the collected cockroaches were infected with bacteria. The most bacterial infection of the cockroaches was Escherichia coli, coagulase-negative Staphylococci and Bacillus respectively. The overall re­sults of the antibiogram test showed that the identified bacteria were resistant to cephalothin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, and kanamycin antibiotics, semi-sensitive to ciprofloxacin and sensitive to tetracycline, gentamicin, nitrofurantoin, Tri­methoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and Chloramphenicol. Conclusion: Infection of cockroaches with pathogenic bacterial agents in hospital, residential, and restaurant environ­ments, as well as the observation of bacterial resistance to some common antibiotics is worrying

Contamination of Selective Vegetables of Hamadan With Heavy Metals: Non-carcinogenic Risk Assessment

The current study was undertaken to determine the concentration of lead, cadmium copper, and zinc (Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn) in three types of collected green leafy vegetables irrigated with contaminated water compared with those irrigated with the fresh water of Hamadan province, Iran using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) technique. Twenty samples of vegetables such as basil, leek, and lettuce irrigated with contaminated water, and twenty samples from five different adjacent areas irrigated with fresh water as control were analyzed to determine heavy metals (HMs). The highest mean concentration of Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn, regardless of the kind of vegetables irrigated with contaminated water, was 0.95, 0.32, 3.03, and 13.58 mg/kg fresh weight, respectively. Moreover, metals uptake differences by the vegetables were recognized to vegetable differences in tolerance to HMs. The human health risk assessment indicated that non-carcinogenic values of Pb and Cd were higher than the threshold value of 1, and ingestion was the main exposure pathway of HMs to both children and adults. It suggested that all receptors (especially basil and lettuce) in Hamadan province might have significant and acceptable non-carcinogenic risk because of exposure to Pb and Cd. The significant amount of these HMs in some plants may be due to agricultural uses for the irrigation of the vegetable lands of untreated sanitary and industrial wastewater. The findings revealed that vegetables imply the total health risk on local people, and regular monitoring of HMs is strongly recommended in this region

Effects of treatment of sleep disorders on sleep, psychological and cognitive functioning and biomarkers in individuals with HIV/AIDS and under methadone maintenance therapy

Poor sleep is a major complaint of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and undergoing methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). We tested the impact of three different sleep-improving interventions (trazodone; sleep hygiene training; sleep hygiene training + trazodone) on sleep, psychological functioning and biomarkers in males with HIV and undergoing MMT.; A total of 75 male outpatients (mean age: 39.6 years) participated in a 12 week intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following conditions: trazodone 50 mg/d (TRAZ); sleep hygiene training (SHT); sleep hygiene training and trazodone (SHT + TRAZ). At baseline, and six and 12 weeks later, participants completed questionnaires covering subjective sleep and daytime sleepiness, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. In parallel, their cognitive performance (working memory; sustained attention) was assessed. Biomarkers (cortisol, BNDF, CD4; +; ) were assessed at baseline and at the end of the study.; Over time, sleep disturbances decreased and daytime functioning and overall sleep quality improved. More specifically, both sleep disturbances and daytime functioning improved in the two SHT conditions from baseline to week 6. Daytime functioning remained stable from week 6 to week 12. Over time, in all conditions symptoms of depression and anxiety declined from baseline to week 6 and remained lower from week 6 to week 12. Daytime sleepiness, symptoms of insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing remained unchanged. Sustained attention performance improved over time from baseline to week 6 and remained high through to week 12. Biomarkers remained unchanged.; In males with HIV and undergoing MMT, treating sleep disturbances over a period of six to 12 weeks had a positive impact on aspects of sleep disturbance, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and cognitive performance. The results indicate that sleep hygiene training, either as stand-alone or in combination with trazodone, can produce positive results

Identification of risk factors to predict the occurrences of relapses in individuals with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder in Iran

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder with a modest treatment outcome. In addition, relapses are commonplace. Here, we sought to identify factors that predict relapse latency and frequency. To this end, we retrospectively analyzed data for individuals with SSD. Medical records of 401 individuals with SSD were analyzed (mean age: 25.51 years; 63.6% males) covering a five-year period. Univariate and multivariate Penalized Likelihood Models with Shared Log-Normal Frailty were used to determine the correlation between discharge time and relapse and to identify risk factors. A total of 683 relapses were observed in males, and 422 relapses in females. The Relapse Hazard Ratio (RHR) decreased with age (RHR = 0.99, CI: (0.98–0.998)) and with participants’ adherence to pharmacological treatment (HR = 0.71, CI: 0.58–0.86). In contrast, RHR increased with a history of suicide attempts (HR = 1.32, CI: 1.09–1.60), and a gradual compared to a sudden onset of disease (HR = 1.45, CI: 1.02–2.05). Gender was not predictive. Data indicate that preventive and therapeutic interventions may be particularly important for individuals who are younger at disease onset, have a history of suicide attempts, have experienced a gradual onset of disease, and have difficulties adhering to medication

Sources of Sleep Disturbances and Psychological Strain for Hospital Staff Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hospital staff members reported increased stress-related workload when caring for inpatients with COVID-19 (“frontline hospital staff members”). Here, we tested if depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with poor sleep and lower general health, and if social support mediated these associations. Furthermore, we compared current insomnia scores and general health scores with normative data. A total of 321 full-time frontline hospital staff members (mean age: 36.86; 58% females) took part in the study during the COVID-19 pandemic. They completed a series of questionnaires covering demographic and work-related information, symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, social support, self-efficacy, and symptoms of insomnia and general health. Higher symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with higher symptoms of insomnia and lower general health. Higher scores of depression, anxiety, and stress directly predicted higher insomnia scores and lower general health scores, while the indirect effect of social support was modest. Compared to normative data, full-time frontline hospital staff members had a 3.14 higher chance to complain about insomnia and a significantly lower general health. Symptoms of insomnia and general health were unrelated to age, job experience, educational level, and gender. Given this background, it appears that the working context had a lower impact on individuals’ well-being compared to individual characteristics

Characteristics and Correlates of Psychiatric Problems in Wives of Men with Substance-related Disorders, Kermanshah, Iran

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the characteristics and correlates of psychiatric problems in the wives of men with substance-related disorders. Methods: Four-hundred and fifty women whose husbands had substance-related disorders were selected by purposive sampling for inclusion in the study. Results: The prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in our sample was 67.1% (n = 302). Depression was the most prevalent symptom (n = 63) and the least was psychosis (n = 5). The prevalence of psychiatric symptoms was highest (26.0%) among women with opiate-dependent spouses (n = 117), and those with hallucinogen-dependent spouses had the lowest prevalence (4.2%). We found a significant relationship between the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and demographic factors including age, women’s education, spouse’s education, women’s job, duration of marriage, number of children, monthly income, and history of psychiatric disorders with the exception of spouses’ jobs. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms among the wives of men with substance-related disorders and there is need to devise mechanism to reduce the high prevalence of psychiatric disorder

Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder Report High Scores of Insecure-Avoidant and Insecure-Anxious Attachment Styles, Dissociative Identity Symptoms, and Adult Traumatic Events

Objective: Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) report more issues in social interaction compared to the general population. Moreover, dimensions of dissociation are considered dysfunctional strategies to cope with adverse life events. In this regard, current symptoms of MDD could be associated with traumatic events that occurred in childhood and in adult life. Given this background, the aim of the present study was to explore the associations between attachment styles as a proxy of quality of social interaction, dimensions of dissociation, and childhood and adult traumatic life events among individuals with MDD. Method: A total of 300 individuals with MDD (mean age: 31.31 years; 58.7% female) took part in this study. They completed a series of questionnaires on sociodemographic information, attachment styles, dimensions of dissociation, and childhood and adult traumatic life events. Results: Prevalence rates for attachment styles were as follows: anxious/ambivalent attachment style—71.7%; avoidant/dependent attachment style—13%; secure/close attachment style—15.3%. Compared to the general population, the participants reported higher prevalence rates of insecure attachment styles. Current symptoms of dissociation were associated with adult but not childhood traumatic life events. An anxious attachment style was associated with higher scores of dissociation. Conclusion: Psychotherapeutic treatment of individuals with MDD should consider the individuals’ challenging attachment styles and their risk of dissociation. While it is important to consider both adult and childhood traumatic events, in this research, more recent trauma occurring in adulthood was associated with current symptoms of dissociation

The global, regional, and national burden of stomach cancer in 195 countries, 1990-2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease study 2017

Background: Stomach cancer is a major health problem in many countries. Understanding the current burden of stomach cancer and the differential trends across various locations is essential for formulating effective preventive strategies. We report on the incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to stomach cancer in 195 countries and territories from 21 regions between 1990 and 2017. Methods: Estimates from GBD 2017 were used to analyse the incidence, mortality, and DALYs due to stomach cancer at the global, regional, and national levels. The rates were standardised to the GBD world population and reported per 100 000 population as age-standardised incidence rates, age-standardised death rates, and age-standardised DALY rates. All estimates were generated with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Findings: In 2017, more than 1·22 million (95% UI 1·19–1·25) incident cases of stomach cancer occurred worldwide, and nearly 865 000 people (848 000–885 000) died of stomach cancer, contributing to 19·1 million (18·7–19·6) DALYs. The highest age-standardised incidence rates in 2017 were seen in the high-income Asia Pacific (29·5, 28·2–31·0 per 100 000 population) and east Asia (28·6, 27·3–30·0 per 100 000 population) regions, with nearly half of the global incident cases occurring in China. Compared with 1990, in 2017 more than 356 000 more incident cases of stomach cancer were estimated, leading to nearly 96 000 more deaths. Despite the increase in absolute numbers, the worldwide age-standardised rates of stomach cancer (incidence, deaths, and DALYs) have declined since 1990. The drop in the disease burden was associated with improved Socio-demographic Index. Globally, 38·2% (21·1–57·8) of the age-standardised DALYs were attributable to high-sodium diet in both sexes combined, and 24·5% (20·0–28·9) of the age-standardised DALYs were attributable to smoking in males. Interpretation: Our findings provide insight into the changing burden of stomach cancer, which is useful in planning local strategies and monitoring their progress. To this end, specific local strategies should be tailored to each country's risk factor profile. Beyond the current decline in age-standardised incidence and death rates, a decrease in the absolute number of cases and deaths will be possible if the burden in east Asia, where currently almost half of the incident cases and deaths occur, is further reduced. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation