A sham-controlled trial of acupressure on the quality of sleep and life in haemodialysis patients

Background Sleep disorder in haemodialysis patients can lead to disturbance in their psychosocial function and interpersonal relations, and reduced quality of life. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of acupressure on the quality of sleep of haemodialysis patients. Methods In a randomised controlled trial, 108 haemodialysis patients were randomly divided into three groups: true acupressure, placebo acupressure, and no treatment. The two acupressure groups received treatment three times a week for 4 weeks during dialysis. Routine care only was provided for the no treatment group. The main study outcome was sleep quality. Results The total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score decreased significantly from 11.9±3.13 to 6.2±1.93 in the true acupressure group, from 11.3±3.69 to 10.6±3.82 in the sham acupressure group, and from 10.9±4.10 to 10.7±3.94 in the no treatment group. There was a significant difference between groups (p<0.001). Conclusions Acupressure seems to have a positive effect on the sleep quality in haemodialysis patients. Clinical trial registration IRCT201106145864N2

Relationship of some risk factors and symptoms in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is one of the major causes of death in the worldwide. Clinical manifestations are different. So it's necessary to have knowledge about the types of symptoms experienced by patients with ACS. This study was performed to assay the Relationship of some risk factors and symptoms in patients with acute coronary syndrome. This cross-sectional study, were studied 294 patients with acute coronary syndrome at least 24 hours after admission had survived. Data was collected by a questionnaire that included demographic data form and check list of some symptoms and history of risk factors. There was a significant relationship between STEMI with vomiting (OR=1.94) and anxiety (OR=1.83) and UA with vomiting (OR=0.42). Between sex with weakness (OR=2.29) and anxiety (OR=1.82), diabetes with dyspenea (OR=1.8), weakness (OR=1.02) and tinnitus (OR=2.06) and hyperlipidemia with weakness (OR=2.35) and tinnitus (OR=2.49) was available significant difference. The findings of this study indicate that the appearance of symptoms of acute coronary syndrome were different as for ECG changes and risk factors, and more focused on those symptoms that they are common with any other diseases. Since, many of the symptoms of acute coronary syndrome can be potentially dangerous and life threatening, accurate diagnosis and timely action is crucial for the patients

Battery Electric Vehicles Network Equilibrium With Flow-Dependent Energy Consumption

Recent studies show that energy consumption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) increases in traffic congestion. Therefore, it is important to consider the effect of link flow on BEV energy consumption. The flow-dependent energy consumption changes the route choice and user equilibrium conditions. In this paper, some shortcomings of available BEV flow-dependent energy consumption user equilibrium models are shown first. Then, “sufficient” as well as “sufficient and necessary” user equilibrium based on the generalized travel time of each path and sub-path penalties are defined and modeled for flow-dependent energy consumption. While it is difficult to solve the sufficient and necessary model, the sufficient model can be solved directly with commercial solvers for small to medium-sized networks by generating all paths. An iterative algorithm is also presented to generate paths as required to solve the problem for larger networks. Numerical examples demonstrate the model and proposed algorithm, and analyze the impact of flow-dependent energy consumption on equilibrium conditions

Smoking status in Iranian male adolescents: A cross-sectional study and a meta-analysis

The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of smoking status and its associated factors in Iranian adolescents and a meta-analysis of recent cross-sectional studies in order to estimate the corresponding prevalence for all Iranian adolescents. In a cross-sectional study, 1064 male high school students in Zanjan city (northwest of Iran) were recruited. A self-administered questionnaire was used for smoking status and associated factors. Through the meta-analysis, all relevant published studies were reviewed. Almost one-third of adolescents (34.2, n =354) have experienced smoking either experimentally (23.4, n=242), or regularly (10.8, n=112). Multivariate analysis showed that older age (OR = 1.20; 95 CI: 1.05-1.37), risky behaviors (OR=1.83; 1.25-2.68), Tramadol medication (OR = 2.19; 1.54-3.11), low self-esteem (OR 1.07; 1.03-1.11), positive attitude toward smoking (OR= 1.15; 1.09-1.21), positive thinking about smoking (OR= 1.07; 1.01-1.14) and having smoker friends (OR= 1.94; 1.36-2.77) were significantly associated with cigarette smoking in adolescents. Meta-analysis results showed that 7 of Iranian adolescents are regular smokers and 27 are experimenters. Increasing prevalence of smoking in Iranian adolescents is a major concern for public health. Controlling risky behaviors and increasing health education are recommended. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The effect of six weeks yoga exercises on quality of life in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (Pcos)

Introduction: Infertility is one of the main concerns of human societies and PCOS is considered as the most common reason of women's infertility due to ovulation disorders. Infertility has been considered as the main cause of psychopathy disorders and reduced quality of life in PCOS patients. Exercise is a non-pharmaceutical method in treatment of PCOS that yoga is a recommended exercise for this disease. This study was performed with aim to determine the effect of 6 weeks yoga on the quality of life in infertile women with PCOS. Methods: This clinical randomized trial was performed on 61 infertile women with PCOS undergoing infertility treatment referred to the Tehran Sarem Hospital in 2015-2015. The qualified subjects were divided to two groups of case and control. Then, all the subjects completed the demographic profile and fertility questionnaires and modified PCOS questionnaire. Then, the case group performed yoga for 6 weeks and the control group did not receive any intervention. After 6 weeks, the questionnaires were again completed. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 21) and independent t-test, paired t-test, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, Mac-Nemar, and Wilcoxon test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant Results: Yoga exercise for 6 weeks had significant effect on the scores of quality of life and Hirsotism (p=0.001), weight (p= 0.010), Acnea (p= 0.001), infertility (p= 0.001), Emotional (p<0.001), menstrual disorders (p<0.001) and total score (p<0.001). Conclusion: Yoga as a meditation exercise for 6 weeks can improve the score of quality of life in women with PCOS undergoing infertility treatment. Therefore, this exercise as an effective and low-cost method can be used for improvement of life quality in these women. © 2019, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Comparison of handling-injection stress with noise stress on learning and memory in the early life of male rats

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Various stressful stimuli have different effects on memory and learning. With technology development, the human exposes to different stressful factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of handling-injection stress with noise stress in the passive avoidance task in rats. METHODS: Twenty-four male Wistar rats (22 days aged) with weight of 55gr were used. Male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups, of 6 animals for 4 weeks: subcutaneous injection of sodium chloride 0.9 and handling stress (I+H), subcutaneous injection of sodium chloride 0.9 and handling with noise exposure (I+N), noise exposure (N) and control (C). After 4 weeks, we studied passive avoidance conditioning test in a shuttle box. FINDINGS: The step-through latency after training animals significantly increased in (I+H) group as compared with (I+N) and (N) groups (p=0.001). But using noise stress with handling-injection stress significantly attenuated learning and memory in the (I+N) group than other 3 groups (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: The data suggested that using moderate stress with sound stress decreases learning and memory in the early life of male Wistar rats

Psychometric properties of Postpartum Partner Support Scale-Persian version

Aim: The aim of the present study was to translate the Postpartum Partner Support Scale (PPSS) into Persian and evaluate its psychometric properties among postpar-tum women. Design: A total of 248 women aged 18-39 years participated in this psychometric study. The PPSS was translated into Persian using a forward-backward method. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Rasch model analysis were used to assess the psychometric properties of the PPSS. In addition, the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was completed simultaneously to assess the construct validity. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was assessed by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient and corrected item-total correlation. Results: The unidimensionality of the PPSS was supported in both CFA and Rasch analysis. The PPSS had a significant negative association with EPDS (r = −0.39 p < .001). The scale had excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94) and the correlation between items and total score was satisfactory. Conclusion: The Persian version of PPSS with 20 items is a valid and reliable scale to assess postpartum support

Mediating role of psychological distress and domestic violence in the association of fear of COVID-19 with marital satisfaction and sexual quality of life among women of reproductive age: an Iranian cross-sectional study

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the mediating role of psychological distress and domestic violence in the association of fear of COVID-19 with marital satisfaction and sexual quality of life (QoL) among Iranian women of reproductive age. Methods: A cross-sectional study comprising 324 married women was conducted. Online convenience sampling was used to collect data. SPSS PROCESS macro was used for the mediation analysis. The direct and indirect effects of the fear of COVID-19 on sexual QoL and marital satisfaction were estimated comprising a 95% CI using 5000 bootstrap samples. Pairwise comparisons between the mediators were calculated by Hayes’ macros. Results: A positive/negative or suspected history of COVID-19 infection had marginally significant relationship with marital satisfaction (p=0.049). The total effect of fear of COVID-19 on sexual QoL was significant (b=−1.31, SE=0.20, p<0.001). Fear of COVID-19 had no significant direct effect on sexual QoL (b=−0.22, SE=0.19, p=0.24) but it had an indirect effect on sexual QoL via mediation of psychological distress (b=−0.34, SE=0.09, 95% CI: −0.53 to −0.19) and domestic violence (b=−0.75, SE=0.18, 95% CI: −1.12 to −0.40). The total effect of fear of COVID-19 on marital satisfaction was significant (b=−1.91, SE=0.32, p<0.001). Fear of COVID-19 had no significant direct effect (b=0.20, SE=0.25, p=0.42) on marital satisfaction but it had an indirect effect on marital satisfaction via mediation of psychological distress (b=−0.59, SE=0.13, 95% CI: −0.86 to −0.36) and domestic violence (b=−1.51, SE=0.29, 95% CI: −2.08 to −0.92). Conclusion: The fear of COVID-19 during the pandemic indirectly decreased women’s marital satisfaction and sexual QoL via increased psychological distress and domestic violence. Consequently, in critical situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, improving couples’ psychological health and reducing domestic violence are likely to improve women’s sexual QoL and marital satisfaction

Socio-demographic predictors of dyadic sexual communication among Iranian married women

Background and aim: Couples’ communication concerning sexual issues is influenced by various individual and social factors. The present study investigated the socio-demographic predictors of dyadic sexual communication among married women of reproductive age. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted from May to October 2019 in comprehensive health centers of Qazvin City, Iran. The participants comprised 400 married women with mean age of 35.66 years recruited via a two-stage sampling method. The Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale (DSCS) and a socio-demographic questionnaire were used for data collection. Univariable and multivariable linear regression models with a significance level of 0.05 were used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean score of sexual communication was 59.19 out of 78 (SD = 12.63). Based on multivariable linear regression model, life satisfaction (β = 0.34 high vs. moderate), frequency of sexual intercourse (β = 0.20), moderate vs. poor economic status (β = 0.12), and using contraception (β = −0.09) were predictors of good dyadic sexual communication. These variables explained 32% of the variance concerning dyadic sexual communication among married women of reproductive age. Conclusion: Life satisfaction, frequency of sexual intercourse, moderate economic status, and using contraception were predictors of good dyadic sexual communication