Bibliotheraphy Among Psychologists: Familiarity, Aattitude and Use

Introduction: Bibliotherapy is a low-cost and safe way to treat mental health problems. Given that the success of bibliotherapy depends on the positive attitude and familiarity of those involved in this therapy method, this study aims to investigate the familiarity, attitude, and use of bibliotherapy by psychologists working in counseling centers and the barriers and limitations in using bibliotherapy. Methods: In this practical research, conducted using an analytic survey method in 2020, 101 psychologists working in counseling centers in Hamadan province, Iran, were selected by the census. The survey response rate was 100 %. All data for this study were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. Its reliability (using the indicator of Cronbach's alpha) and validity (using two indicators of CVI and CVR) were confirmed. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 25 using frequency distribution, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: The results showed that more than half of the participants (53.5%) were moderately familiar with the bibliotherapy, and their level of familiarity was less than average; more than half of the participants (55.4%) used moderate bibliotherapy to treat their patient's problems, and their use rate was low to medium levels. However, psychologists' attitudes toward bibliotherapy are positive and higher than average. Conclusion: Despite bibliotherapy's effectiveness and psychologists' favorable view of it, awareness and utilization remain low, highlighting the need for strategies to enhance the adoption of this therapeutic approach

Serum anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies before and after treatment by disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic disease involving joints. Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) as a specific antibody is a reliable index to early diagnosis of RA. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can reduce progression of RA joint destruction. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of DMARDs in reducing serum anti-CCP. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed on 30 patients including 22 females and 8 males RA patients according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria, who referred to the Rheumatology Clinic. Treatment with DMARD group started at the beginning of the study (May 2009). At 1st and 6th month of the study, clinical findings and disease activities were recorded and anti-CCP was measured. RESULTS: At the beginning and the end of the study, morning stiffness for more than 1 h and involvement of three areas were, 28 (93%) and 12 (40%), respectively. Indicators of disease severity in patients, the mean ± SD serum levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate at the beginning and end, were 40.7 (30-59) mm/1 h and 13.4 (9-86) respectively. Anti-CCP at the beginning and end of the study was 141.83 (65.8-101.09) U/ml and 65.8 (62-92) U/ml respectively (P < 0.05). Disease Activity Score in 28 joints and rheumatoid factor positive and C-reactive protein positive were significantly different at the onset and at the end of the study (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Measurement of serum anti-CCP is a helpful index of treatment response and monitoring of treatment efficacy in patients with RA.

Association of Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) and Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERV) with Multiple Sclerosis in Northwest of Iran

Background and Objective. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive disease of the nervous system that leads to demyelination of the nerves and is more common in young adults, especially women. Environmental factors that trigger MS pathogeneses are genetic susceptibility and viral infections. The viral infections are considered to be of particular relevance. Along with viruses belonging to the Herpesviridae family such as varicella zoster virus (VZV), human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6), and particularly Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), the expression of the env gene of human endogenous retrovirus (HERV-W) like MSRV is expected to be one of the risk factors for bringing up MS and disease progression. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between EBV infection and HERV-W env in a case group (MS patients) and a control group (healthy individuals). Materials and Methods. 130 subjects were enrolled in a case-control study at two tertiary university hospitals from Tabriz (Imam and Razi), Iran. Of these, 65 subjects were MS patients serving as the case group, and 65 subjects were healthy individuals serving as the control group. After DNA extraction from all samples, the EBER region of EBV genome was used as the primer for the detection of EBV. RNA was extracted from PBMCs, and cDNA synthesis was performed by using Sina Gene kit. Subsequently, each sample was analysed by RT-PCR with two sets of primers to detect specifically multiple sclerosis retroviruses (MSRV) env, and RT-PCR was repeated for each HERV-W env. Positive sample was used in order to confirm the result. Results. In the case group, 19 (29.2%) patients were male and 46 (70.8%) patients were female. Nevertheless, in the control group, 21 (32.3%) subjects were male and 44 (67.7%) subjects were female. No significant difference was found between groups in gender (p = 0.70). The mean range in control and case groups was 33/38 ± 9/85 and 33.18 ± 8.65, respectively. No significant difference was found between groups in age (p = 0.902). 4 (6.2%) patients in case groups were found to be positive for EBV DNA (p = 0.119). Expression of the env gene of HERVs was observed in 10 (15.38%) and two (3.07%) specimens in the case and control groups (p = 0.030), separately. A comparison of the prevalence of the HERV ENV genome between the two study groups showed a significant difference (p = 0.005). Conclusion. The results of this study failed to show any difference between MS patients and healthy controls in the rate of EBV infection. It can be concluded that the expression of HERV-W/env genes may be involved in the development of MS in these patients