Effect of acupressure in Pericardium 6 acupoint on nausea and vomiting after general surgery

Background:Nausea and vomiting are of the most common postoperative complications. Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) can increase the patients' length of hospital stay, healthcare costs, and perioperative morbidity. Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of acupressure in preventing PONV in patients who have undergone general surgery with spinal anesthesia. Methods: This single-blind clinical trial was performed on 70 patients who had undergone general surgery and randomly assigned to an intervention and a control group. In the intervention group, the acupressure wristbands were fastened to one of the patients' wrist so that the pressing buttons were placed on the Pericardium 6 acupoint. In the control group, the wristbands without pressing buttons were loosely fastened on the desired point. The severity and episodes of nausea and vomiting were measured intraoperatively, 1, 3, and 7 h postoperatively. The data were analyzed via repeated measures analysis, t, and Chi-square tests. Results: Over time, the intervention significantly decreased the mean of nausea episodes (P< 0.001), nausea severity (P < 0.001), and vomiting episodes (P < 0.001) in the intervention group. In the comparison of the two groups, the repeated measures analysis showed that although after the intervention the values of all the three variables was lower in the intervention group than that of the control group, but these difference were only statistically significant in the episodes and the severity of nausea. Conclusion: The acupressure significantly reduced the severity and episode(s) of postoperative nausea, but it did not affect vomiting

Epidemiology of mortality induced by acute respiratory infections in infants and children under the age of 5 years and its relationship with the Human Development Index in Asia: an updated ecological study

Aim: Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is the most commonly reported disease in children. This study was conducted to investigate the epidemiology of mortality from ARI and its relationship with the Human Development Index (HDI) in children under the age of 5 years. Subjects and methods: The study data included the HDI, neonatal mortality rates, and the mortality of children under the age of 5 years due to ARIs retrieved from the World Bank. In this study, the bivariate correlation method was employed and a significance level of less than 0.05 was considered. Results: The mortality of children under the age of 5 years (r = − 0.784, p < 0.0001) and neonatal death (r = − 0.792, p < 0.0001) induced by ARIs was negatively correlated with the HDI. There was also a significant negative correlation between neonatal death caused by ARIs and gross national income (GNI) per capita per 1000 lives (r = − 0.453, p < 0.001), mean years of schooling (r = − 0.645, p < 0.001), life expectancy at birth (r = − 0.801, p < 0.001), and expected years of schooling (r = − 0.736, p < 0.001). A negative and significant correlation was also observed between the ARI-induced mortality of children under the age of 5 years and GNI per capita per 1000 lives (r = − 0.469, p < 0.001), mean years of schooling (r = − 0.619, p < 0.001), life expectancy at birth (r = − 0.771, p < 0.001), and expected years of schooling (r = − 0.756, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The components of the HDI are directly related to ARI deaths. Therefore, a careful analysis of these indicators in countries with a low HDI can be effective in promoting health and reducing ARI-related mortality in children

Relaxation effects of aromatherapy intervention on female and male anxiety: A randomized control trial

Background: The control or reduction of anxiety before surgery is one of the most important components of preoperative care. The question is whether anxiety differs in male and female candidates for surgery. Objectives: The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of aromatherapy with Citrus aurantium on anxiety in men and women candidates for surgery. Methods: This single-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on 60 patients and controlled by placebo. The patients were divided into 30 subjects in the control group and 30 subjects in the aromatherapy group (inhaling C. aurantium essential oil). The patients completed the Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory before and after the intervention. After collecting information, the questionnaire information was analyzed using SPSS software (version 16). Results: After aromatherapy, 20 of men had mild state and trait anxiety. Moreover, 80 of men had relatively mild state and trait anxiety. In the group of women, 20 of the cases had mild state and trait anxiety. Furthermore, 73.3 of women had relatively mild state and trait anxiety. Additionally, 6.7 of women had relatively severe anxiety. Anxiety reduced after the intervention among men and women (P 0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that inhaling the C. aurantium aroma reduces anxiety in patients. Aromatherapy also has the potential to be replaced by chemical drugs due to fewer side effects and risks, and cost-effectiveness. © 2021, Author(s)

An overview of the comparison of inhalation aromatherapy on emotional distress of female and male patients in preoperative period

Many patients experience anxiety and stress before surgery. Anxiety is also different in men and women so that the prevalence of anxiety disorders in women is higher than men. The present study aimed to compare the effect of inhalation aromatherapy on emotional distress of men and women before surgery. This study conducted as a randomized, single blind, placebo-controlled, prospective and clinical trial. It was performed in hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. 90 patients were selected as candidates for surgery and were divided into two intervention groups and one control group. Patients completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire before the intervention. Patients completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire (STAI) after 20 min of intervention. Then the data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 16. The significance level in all testes was set at <0.05. Relatively severe anxiety was not observed in men after intervention with lavender and spring orange. In women, relatively severe anxiety was not observed after the intervention with lavender, but in the spring orange group, only in 6.7% of people, relatively severe anxiety and traits were observed, which has decreased compared to before the intervention. In addition, the severity of anxiety in women in the control group increased after placebo intervention (p<0.05). The results showed that inhalation of Citrus aurantium and lavender aroma reduces anxiety in male and female patients

Investigation of the Role of Complementary Medicine on Anxiety of Patients Before and After Surgery

Every year millions of patients undergo surgery worldwide. Anxiety is a common pre- and postoperative problem. Nonpharmacologic anxiety control has been demonstrated to be more suitable in patients. The objective of this study was to apprise the evidence of the effect of various complementary therapies on pre- and postoperative anxiety among patients. A comprehensive literature search was made on Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, PubMed Irandoc, SID Science, ScienceDirect, Ovid, Mag Iran, and Google Scholar for original research studies published between 1980 and 2019. Original articles that reported the effect of complementary therapies in patients undergoing surgery were included. Ninety-six studies were analyzed. All of the studies have documented the effects of complementary therapies on improving pre- and postoperative outcomes of patients. Although methods varied considerably, most of the studies included in this review reported positive results. Therefore, there is some evidence that complementary therapies can lead to positive pre- and postoperative outcomes. Therefore, the efficiency and use of complementary medicine, along with the use of therapeutic techniques in classical medicine, can provide a new model for reducing anxiety before and after surgery. It is recommended that nurses conduct additional reviews or clinical studies so that effective approaches to integrated medical care can be developed and patients' health enhanced. Keywords:anxiety; complementary medicine; integrative medicine; postoperative; preoperative; surger

Geographical distribution of falciparum malaria in the world and its relationship with the human development index (HDI): countries based on the WHO report in 2017

Aim: Malaria is one of the most serious public health issues worldwide and is still responsible for the deaths of nearly half a million individuals every year worldwide. The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemiology of the incidence of and mortality from malaria and its association with the human development index (HDI). Subjects and methods: The present research is an ecological study conducted in 2017 that explored the association between the HDI and incidence of and mortality from malaria in WHO regions based on data extracted from the World Bank. In this study, the two-variable correlation method was adopted to analyze the data extracted to investigate the correlation between malaria incidence and HDI. A significance level of P < 0.05 was considered. The analyses were performed using Stata14 software. Results: The highest incidence of malaria in the world was reported in 2001 (80.73 per 1000 people) and the lowest in 2017 (59.12 per 1000). The results revealed a significant reverse correlation between malaria incidence (r = −0.640, P < 0.0001) and the HDI index in 2017. The analysis of HDI decomposites with malaria incidence in 2017 demonstrated a reverse and significant correlation between malaria incidence and gross national income per 1000 capita (r = −0.365, P < 0.0001), mean years of schooling (r = −0.477, P < 0.0001), life expectancy at birth (r = −0.694, P < 0.0001) and expected years of schooling (r = −0.458, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Given the reverse correlation between malaria incidence and HDI, a greater emphasis on factors associated with the disease in these countries, effective prevention and awareness raising about the means of transmission can be effective in curbing the incidence of this disease