The effect of progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety and stress in nursing students at the beginning of the internship program

Background and aims: Anxiety is a complicated process appearing from low to high which may reduce the learning ability. It is common among nurses as they struggle to cope with increasingly complicated stressors such as examinations, article preparation and practical experiences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of muscle relaxation on reduction of anxiety in nursing students before starting the internship program. Methods: In this study, 40 nursing students who were going to start their internship program were randomly divided into two equal groups. Before starting the internship program, all students were asked to fill a questionnaire (Spielberger Test Anxiety) to measure their anxiety. In addition, physiological parameters (blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature) were collected before and after the study in both groups. During a 45-min session, muscle relaxation training was given to the test group. Muscle relaxation practice was continued three times per day for two weeks. Two weeks after starting the internship, Spiel Berger Test Anxiety and physiological parameters were collected again in both groups. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and t tests. Results: The average age of the students in both groups was 22.7±2 (range=21 to 25 years) and the majority of the students were female (75%). No significant difference was observed between two groups for willingness to the nursing profession, birth rank and the average scores of the students from the previous years. The average anxiety score in control group before and after the study was 27.5±10.2 and 28.3±8.8 respectively (P>0.05). Average anxiety score in test group before and after the study was 25.4±19.5 and 29.2±14.1 respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: To alleviate stressors associated with practical practice and create a healthy work environment for practice, it is recommended that nursing students have some progressive muscle relaxation before entering practical environments

A comparison of life style with body mass index (BMI) of loss and more than 25 in individuals between 20-65 years in Shahrekord city

Background and aim: The present study aimed to compare the habits and features of obese (BMI>25) and normal (BM25 kg/m2 then it was designated in the case group (obese). Samples with BMI between 20-25 kg/m2 were assigned into the control (normal) group. The Miller-Smith life style questionnaires were used for both groups. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and t-tests. Results: No significant differences were found between the two groups tested in terms of the mean age, gender, level of education, marital status insurance, the length of sleep during 24 h, cigarette smoking and losing job or spouse. However, a significant relation was found in using vegetables, sausage, fried potatoes, enriched breads, low fat milk, low salt, candies and chocolates (P<0.05). Conclusion: The present study suggests that one way to control obesity and prevent diseases is to ameliorate the life styles with education to people

The effect of heparin after primary percutaneous coronary intervention on short-term clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Background: Doing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the first hours of myocardial infraction (MI) is effective in re-establishment of blood flow. Anticoagulation treatment should be prescribed in patients undergoing PCI to decrease the side effects of ischemia. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of heparin prescription after PCI on short-term clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Materials: This randomized clinical trial study was conducted at Imam Ali cardiovascular center at Kermanshah university of medical science (KUMS), Iran. Between April 2019 to October 2019, 400 patients with STEMI which candidate to PCI were enrolled. Patients randomly divided in two groups: intervention group (received 5,000 units of heparin after PCI until first 24 hours, every 6 hours) and control group (did not receive heparin). Data were collected using a checklist developed based on the study's aims. Differences between groups were assessed using independent t-tests and chi-square (or Fisher exact tests).Result: Observed that, mean prothrombin time (PT) (13.30±1.60 vs. 12.21±1.15, p<0.001) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) (35.30±3.08 vs. 34.41±3.01, p=0.003) were significantly higher in intervention group compared to control group. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade 0/1 after primary PCI was significantly more frequently in control group (5.5% vs. 1.0%, p=0.034). The mean of ejection fraction (EF) after PCI (47.58±7.12 vs. 45.15±6.98, p<0.001) was significantly higher in intervention group. Intervention group had a statistically significant shorter length of hospital stay (4.71±1.03 vs. 6.12±1.10, p<0.001). There was higher incidence of re-vascularization (0% vs. 3.0%; p=0.013) and re-MI (0% vs. 2.5%; p=0.024) in the control group.Conclusion: Performing primary PCI with receiving heparin led to improve TIMI flow and consequently better EF. Receiving heparin is associated with lower risk of re-MI and re-vascularization

Prevalence and predictors of slow coronary flow phenomenon in Kermanshah province

Introduction: This study was conducted to investigate prevalence and predictors of slow coronary flow phenomenon (SCF) phenomenon. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed at Imam Ali Cardiovascular Hospital affiliated with the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah province, Iran. From March 2017 to March 2019, all the patients who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled in this study. Data were obtained using a checklist developed based on the study’s aims. Independent samples t tests and chi- square test (or Fisher exact test) were used to assess the differences between subgroups. Multiple logistic regression model was applied to evaluate independent predictors of SCF phenomenon. Results: In this study, 172 (1.43%) patients with SCF phenomenon were identified. Patients with SCF were more likely to be obese (27.58±3.28 vs. 24.12±3.26, P&lt;0.001), hyperlipidemic (44.2 vs. 31.7, P&lt;0.001), hypertensive (53.5 vs. 39.1, P&lt;0.001), and smoker (37.2 vs. 27.2, P=0.006). Mean ejection fraction (EF) (51.91±6.33 vs. 55.15±9.64, P&lt;0.001) was significantly lower in the patients with SCF compared to the healthy controls with normal epicardial coronary arteries. Mean level of serum triglycerides (162.26±45.94 vs. 145.29±35.62, P&lt;0.001) was significantly higher in the patients with SCF. Left anterior descending artery was the most common involved coronary artery (n = 159, 92.4%), followed by left circumflex artery (n = 50, 29.1%) and right coronary artery (n = 47, 27.4%). Body mass index (BMI) (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.04-2.15, P&lt;0.001) and hypertension (OR 1.59, CI 1.30-5.67, P=0.003) were independent predictors of SCF phenomenon. Conclusion: The prevalence of SCF in our study was not different from the most other previous reports. BMI and hypertension independently predicted the presence of SCF phenomenon

Assessment of Iranian nurses and emergency medical personnel in terms of cardiopulmonary resuscitation knowledge based on the 2010 guideline

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge of hospital nurses and emergency medical personnel in Kermanshah, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 330 hospital nurses and 159 emergency medical personnel working in educational hospitals and emergency medical centers in Kermanshah. Data were collected using a validated and reliable (r = 0.74) researcher-made questionnaire consisting of a demographic characteristics questionnaire and the 2010 CPR knowledge questionnaire. Results: Based on the most recent CPR guidelines, the knowledge of 19.5%, 78.6%, and 1.9% of the emergency medical staff was excellent, good, and moderate, respectively. None of the participants had poor knowledge. In addition, the knowledge of 20.2%, 65.4%, 14%, and 0.4% of the nurses in this study was excellent, good, moderate, and poor, respectively. There was no significant difference in CPR knowledge between hospital nurses and emergency medical staff. Moreover, no significant association was found between CPR knowledge and gender, age, work experience, field of study, previous occupation, and advanced resuscitation courses. However, CPR knowledge of individuals with training in basic CPR courses was higher than participants without training in these courses (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, CPR knowledge among Iranian nurses and emergency medical personnel was in an acceptable range. Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended that nurses and emergency staff receive training according to the most recent CPR guidelines