Hepatoprotective and antifibrotic effects of trans-chalcone against bile duct ligation-induced liver fibrosis in rats

Objective(s): Several lines of research have shown that hepatic fibrosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Trans-chalcone is a flavonoid precursor with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The present study was conducted to examine the antifibrotic properties of trans-chalcone on bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced liver cholestasis in rats. Materials and Methods: Following the BDL operation, trans-chalcone at doses of 12, 24, and 50 mg/kg was administered orally once a day for 45 consecutive days. Serum levels of liver indices, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total and direct bilirubin, and lipid profile in addition to blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine, were measured. Additionally, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were assessed in liver homogenates. Histopathological evaluations were performed using Masson trichrome (MT) and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Results: The elevated levels of liver enzymes, total and direct bilirubin, BUN, creatinine, cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) induced by BDL were significantly reduced following trans-chalcone administration; while serum level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) increased. Besides, treatment with trans-chalcone elevated the activities of CAT and SOD in the liver tissues of the animals with BDL surgery. According to MT and H&E staining, BDL-induced histopathological changes, including infiltration of inflammatory cells, hepatocyte necrosis, ductal hyperplasia, and collagen deposition were ameliorated using trans-chalcone administration. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the present study that trans-chalcone, possibly by its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may exert hepatoprotective and antifibrotic effects in BDL-induced liver fibrosis.

Does trans fatty acid affect low birth weight? A randomised controlled trial

To evaluate the effect of low trans fatty acids (TFAs) dietary patterns during pregnancy on the risk of low birth weight (LBW). All pregnant women who received prenatal care with gestational age <8 weeks in this study took place in Tehran from December 2014 to August 2016. Women in the intervention group received dietary patterns with TFAs content of < 1%; those in the control group had dietary intake without any change in TFAs content. Dietary intakes were assessed by 3 non-consecutive 24-hour recalls in three trimesters. Hazard ratio (HR) was calculated using Cox proportional‐hazards models. Incidence and HR (95% CI) for LBW based on multivariable adjusted models were calculated. Of the 800 women (n = 407 in control and n = 393 in intervention groups), 108 (13.5%) women were diagnosed with LBW. The incidence of LBW in the intervention group was 12% and in the control group was 19%. After multivariable adjustment for confounders, the HR for incident LBW in the intervention group was 0.65 (0.44–0.96). Kaplan-Meier plot showed a significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of LBW. Intake of low TFAs dietary patterns during pregnancy reduced the risk of LBW. IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? Maternal nutrition affects foetal development, and one important dietary determinant of foetal growth may be trans fatty acids (TFAs). It is generally advised to avoid high-fat dairy products that are the main sources of TFAs during pregnancy; however, there is limited data on the effects of a diet of LBW. What do the results of this study add? Intake of low TFAs dietary patterns during pregnancy reduced the risk of LBW. In this study, the risk of LBW in the intervention group decreased by about 50%. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The results of this study could give physicians and other health care providers the hint that Management of maternal nutrition with focussed on TFAs content should be included in routine prenatal care, to facilitate interventions and guidance regarding maternal nutrition

The Effects of “Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Management” on the Severity of Perceived Pain and Disability in Patients With Chronic Pain

Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in management of pain and functional limits of chronic pain patients. Methods & Materials: In this semi-experimental study, 30 volunteer female patients suffering from chronic pain attending a clinical assessment for treatment of chronic pain were recruited using the convenience sampling. Then, they were randomized to intervention or control group. Both groups completed the graded classification of chronic pain and pain disability questionnaires. The intervention lasted approximately 8 weeks. Data was analyzed by descriptive and covariance analysis. Results: Our results indicated that the severity of perceived pain (P=0.001) and disability caused by pain (P=0.04) in intervention group decreased significantly in comparison with the control group. Conclusion: The results suggest that themindfulness intervention can decrease the severity of perceived pain and disability in chronic pain patients

Comparing the effects of education through compact disk and social media on knowledge and practice regarding the assessment of preterm infant behavior among nurses in neonatal intensive care units

Background: Nurses in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) need adequate professional knowledge and skills for providing quality developmental care to premature newborns. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of education through compact disk (CD) and social media (SM) on knowledge and practice regarding the assessment of preterm infant behavior (APIB) among nurses in NICUs. Methods:This quasi-experimental study was conducted on fifty NICU nurses. They were randomly allocated to a CD and a SM group. The intervention for both the groups was the same and consisted of education about APIB. Participants' APIB-related knowledge and practice were assessed before and after the intervention using a researcher-made knowledge questionnaire and the APIB checklist, respectively. Data were analyzed through the Chi-square, the independent-samples t, and the paired-samples t-tests as well as the analysis of covariance. Results: The pretest mean scores of knowledge and practice were, respectively, 9.72 ± 4.95 and 207.64 ± 109.49 in the SM group and 9.16 ± 5.94 and 209.88 ± 110.46 in the CD group. After the study intervention, these values significantly increased to 14.80 ± 1.80 and 361.96 ± 38.24 in the SM group (P 0.05), the posttest mean scores of knowledge and practice in the SM group were significantly greater than the CD group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: SM-based education is more effective than CD-based education in improving APIB-related knowledge and practice among NICU nurses

Underlying Predictors of Tobacco Smoking among Iranian Teenagers: Generalized Structural Equation Modeling

Background: To define underlying predictors of tobacco smoking among Iranian Teenagers in a generalized structural equation model. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a Generalized Structural Equation Model based on planned behavioral theory was used to explain the relationship among different factors such as demographic factors, subjective norms, and the intention to tobacco and, in turn, intention with tobacco use. The sample consisted of 4,422 high school students, based on census, in East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The questioner was designed adapting to the objectives of study. It was used global youth tobacco survey to design the queries of tobacco use. Results: The model had a good fit on data. Adjusting for age and gender, there was a statistically significant relationship between the intention to consumption and the following factors: working while studying (

Frailty assessment using a novel approach based on combined motor and cardiac functions: a pilot study

Background: Previous research showed association between frailty and an impaired autonomic nervous system; however, the direct effect of frailty on heart rate (HR) behavior during physical activity is unclear. The purpose of the current study was to determine the association between HR increase and decrease with frailty during a localized upper-extremity function (UEF) task to establish a multimodal frailty test. Methods: Older adults aged 65 or older were recruited and performed the UEF task of rapid elbow flexion for 20 s with the right arm. Wearable gyroscopes were used to measure forearm and upper-arm motion, and electrocardiography were recorded using leads on the left chest. Using this setup, HR dynamics were measured, including time to peak HR, recovery time, percentage increase in HR during UEF, and percentage decrease in HR during recovery after UEF. Results: Fifty-six eligible participants were recruited, including 12 non-frail (age = 76.92 ± 7.32 years), and 40 pre-frail (age = 80.53 ± 8.12 years), and four frail individuals (age = 88.25 ± 4.43 years). Analysis of variance models showed that the percentage increase in HR during UEF and percentage decrease in HR during recovery were both 47% smaller in pre-frail/frail older adults compared to non-frails (p < 0.01, effect size = 0.70 and 0.62 for increase and decrease percentages). Using logistic models with both UEF kinematics and HR parameters as independent variables, frailty was predicted with a sensitivity of 0.82 and specificity of 0.83. Conclusion: Current findings showed evidence of strong association between HR dynamics and frailty. It is suggested that combining kinematics and HR data in a multimodal model may provide a promising objective tool for frailty assessment. © 2022, The Author(s).Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Analytical study of care quality and moral distress in clinical situations and patient care

Nursing profession conventionally meets a high standard of ethical behavior and action. One of the ethical challenges in nursing profession is moral distress. Nurses frequently expose to this phenomenon which leads to different consequences such as being bored by delivering patient care that decline care quality and make it challenging to achieve health purposes. This study was conducted to investigate the association between the aspects of moral distress and care quality

The effects of education through short message service for mothers on sleep duration among school-aged children: A randomized trial

Background: Children's sleep problems can negatively affect their daily functioning at home and school, their behaviors, and their health status. Education through short message service (SMS) is among the techniques with potential positive effects. However, no study is available on the effects of SMS-based sleep education on sleep among children. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effects of SMS-based education for mothers on sleep duration among their 7-12-year-old children who had sleep inadequacy. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 206 elementary students and their mothers. Students with sleep inadequacy who were selected from thirteen elementary schools in Tabriz, Iran, were randomly allocated to a control (n = 103) and an intervention (n = 103) group. In the intervention group, students' mothers were provided with sleep education through thirty nightly messages sent at 20:00 for 1 month. Mothers in both groups completed the 2-week sleep record before, 1 week, and 3 months after the intervention. The data were analyzed using the independent samples t- and the Chi-square tests, the repeated-measures analysis of variance, and the analysis of covariance. Results: The mean of sleep duration in the intervention group significantly increased from 533.28 ± 29.35 min at baseline to 551.26 ± 37.93 at the first posttest and 568.25 ± 35.44 at the second posttest (P 0.05). Between-group difference respecting the mean of sleep duration was statistically significant only at the second posttest (P < 0.001). Conclusion: SMS-based sleep education for mothers is effective in significantly increasing sleep duration among school-aged children. Keywords: Child, Education, Message, Mothers, Slee

The effectiveness of “Mindfulness based Cognitive Therapy” on psycho-social performance of chronic low back pain patients (CLBP)

AbstractBackground &amp; aim:  One third of people suffer from chronic pain, a condition frequently associated with decreased quality of life and high levels of psychological distress. This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of Mindfulness Meditation for pain management on pscho-social performance of 18-65 years old women with chronic low back pain )CLBP(.Materials and method:  In this Qusi experimental study, 26 volunteer female patients with CLBP referred to physical therapy, Akhavan hospital, attending a clinical assessment for treatment of chronic pain recruited using convenience sampling. Then they were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (13 persons in each group). Both groups completed Roland and Morris Disability Questionnaire, Pain Self-efficacy Questionnaire )PSEQ( and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale)Dass-21(. The Mindfulness Meditation for pain management intervention was lasted approximately 8 weeks. The focus of this program is on awareness enhancement, attention to cognitive and emotional factors and behavioral activation finally. The control group did not receive any psychological intervention..Data was analyzed by spss-15.Finding:  The result of covariance analysis indicated that the disability caused by pain significantly reduced )p=0/00( and pain self-efficacy increased in intervention group (p=0/04(. There was no statistically significant difference in depression scores between two groups (p=0/2).Conclusion:  Results from the present investigation demonstrate that “Mindfulness Meditation for pain management” can enhanced the psychosocial function of patients with chronic pain by reducing the anxiety sensitivity and selective attention to pain stimuli.Keywords: Psychotherapy, Cognitive Therapy , Chronic Pain, Self-Efficacy, Performance. REFERENCES Ahn S S (2007); The effect of Korean version of Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction program on chronic pain of workers  (Dissertation). Daegu, Korea: Youngnam University. Asghari A (2012); "Methods of pain assessment", Tehran:     Roshd press . (Persian) Asghari A, Mehrabian N, Paknejad M, Saed F (2010); "The psychometric properties of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale in chronic pain patients",     Journal of Psychology and Educational Sciences . 40 42-13. 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A model for skin cancer using combination of ensemble learning and deep learning

Skin cancer has a significant impact on the lives of many individuals annually and is recognized as the most prevalent type of cancer. In the United States, an estimated annual incidence of approximately 3.5 million people receiving a diagnosis of skin cancer underscores its widespread prevalence. Furthermore, the prognosis for individuals afflicted with advancing stages of skin cancer experiences a substantial decline in survival rates. This paper is dedicated to aiding healthcare experts in distinguishing between benign and malignant skin cancer cases by employing a range of machine learning and deep learning techniques and different feature extractors and feature selectors to enhance the evaluation metrics. In this paper, different transfer learning models are employed as feature extractors, and to enhance the evaluation metrics, a feature selection layer is designed, which includes diverse techniques such as Univariate, Mutual Information, ANOVA, PCA, XGB, Lasso, Random Forest, and Variance. Among transfer models, DenseNet-201 was selected as the primary feature extractor to identify features from data. Subsequently, the Lasso method was applied for feature selection, utilizing diverse machine learning approaches such as MLP, XGB, RF, and NB. To optimize accuracy and precision, ensemble methods were employed to identify and enhance the best-performing models. The study provides accuracy and sensitivity rates of 87.72% and 92.15%, respectively