Clinical and Radiographic Success Rates of Pulpotomies in Primary Molars Treated with Formocresol, BiodentineTM, and Endo Repair: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective: To compare the clinical and radiographic success rates of formocresol, BiodentineTM, and Endo Repair agents in primary molars after 12 months. Material and Methods: This randomized double-blind clinical trial was conducted on healthy children referred to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Kerman, Iran, in 2018. One hundred twenty children (human primary molar teeth) aged 3-9 years were selected and randomly divided into three interventions (with pulpotomy medicament agents), including formocresol, BiodentineTM, and Endo Repair. All pulpotomized teeth were restored using stainless steel crowns and evaluated clinically and radiographically during a 12-month follow-up. Fisher exact test was used to determine the association of categorical variables and the data were analysed with SPSS 25. Results: All the available teeth in formocresol and BiodentineTM groups obtained clinical success, whereas 62.5% of the Endo Repair group was successful in this regard. Radiographic success rates of the formocresol, BiodentineTM, and Endo Repair groups were 94.7%, 70%, and 28.1% after a 12-month follow-up, respectively. Moreover, pulp canal obliteration was observed in 26.3%, 25%, and 12.5% of the formocresol, BiodentineTM, and Endo Repair groups. Conclusion: This study reported a high rate of clinical success using both BiodentineTM and formocresol pulpotomy techniques. However, the radiographic success rate of formocresol was higher than that of BiodentineTM, and Endo Repair was not considered a suitable pulpotomy medicament agent

The relationship between mental workload and general health among welders of Tehran Heavy Structure Metal Company

Mental workload is one of the factors that influence individuals’ performance in the work environment as well as their efficiency and productivity. The present study aimed at examining the association between mental workload and general health among welders of Tehran Heavy Structuress Metal Company.This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. The sample included 100 welders who were working in Tehran Heavy Structures Metal Company. Sampling was done through conducting a census. A demographic questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) mental workload questionnaire were used to collect data. The obtained data were fed into SPSS (version 22) and analyzed through Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, Kruscal Wallis Test, Pearson product moment correlation, and Mann-Whitney U Test.The results showed that the participating welders had an average age of 36.16±7.81, an average work experience of 9.65±5.83, and a BMI of 25.95±3.39 kg/m2. The mean and standard deviation of the overall score of welders’ mental workload were 65.88±21.15. The cut-off scores for the total mental workload questionnaire and the subscales were respectively set at 23 and 6. The results demonstrated that 26% of the welders were suspected of mental disorder. Furthermore, the results of Pearson correlation indicated that there was no significant relationship between the overall score of NASA mental workload and that of general health (p-value>0.05).Welders’ mental workload is relatively high. Therefore, further research should be conducted in order to identify main risk factors that lead to mental and health disorder. Future studies should also be performed to present some solutions for te purpose of decreasing or preventing these side effects among welders as much as possible.

The Covariance Adjustment Approaches for Combining Incomparable Cox Regressions Caused by Unbalanced Covariates Adjustment: A Multivariate Meta-Analysis Study

Background. Univariate meta-analysis (UM) procedure, as a technique that provides a single overall result, has become increasingly popular. Neglecting the existence of other concomitant covariates in the models leads to loss of treatment efficiency. Our aim was proposing four new approximation approaches for the covariance matrix of the coefficients, which is not readily available for the multivariate generalized least square (MGLS) method as a multivariate meta-analysis approach. Methods. We evaluated the efficiency of four new approaches including zero correlation (ZC), common correlation (CC), estimated correlation (EC), and multivariate multilevel correlation (MMC) on the estimation bias, mean square error (MSE), and 95% probability coverage of the confidence interval (CI) in the synthesis of Cox proportional hazard models coefficients in a simulation study. Result. Comparing the results of the simulation study on the MSE, bias, and CI of the estimated coefficients indicated that MMC approach was the most accurate procedure compared to EC, CC, and ZC procedures. The precision ranking of the four approaches according to all above settings was MMC ≥ EC ≥ CC ≥ ZC. Conclusion. This study highlights advantages of MGLS meta-analysis on UM approach. The results suggested the use of MMC procedure to overcome the lack of information for having a complete covariance matrix of the coefficients

Factors affecting Cardiovascular Patients’ Adherence in the hospitals of Kerman University of Medical Sciences based on the Health Belief Model

Background: Medical adherence is one of the most important behaviors in the care of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting cardiovascular patients’ adherence based on the Health Belief Model in 2016. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 420 cardiovascular patients admitted to Kerman University of Medical Sciences educating hospitals were chosen via convenience sampling, and data was collected by a researcher made questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model about factors effective on medical adherence. The data were analyzed using Chi-square, ANOVA, and t-test in SPSS software 21. Results: In this study, 40.5% of participants had a low level of adherence. There were significant relations between health belief model constructs together, and between adherence with perceived susceptibility, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy (p<0.001). The Health Belief Model predicted 33.7% of the variance in medical adherence (p<0.001). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study the health belief model can be used in planning and intervening to improve medical adherence in cardiovascular patients. Developing an educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model is suggested for enhancing medical adherence among patients. Keywords: Cardiovascular Patients, Health Belief Model, Adherence, Kerma

Comparison of Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lesions in Opium Addict and Non-addict Patients with Thrombotic Stroke: A Case-Control Study

Background: There is no consensus on the effect of opium on stroke yet. Some studies show the negative effects of opium on ischemic strokes. Here, we attempt to compare the volume of lesions in opium addict and non-addict patients with thrombotic stroke. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on patients with thrombotic stroke at Shafa Hospital in Kerman, Iran. The diagnosis was confirmed by clinical examinations, imaging, and laboratory tests. The volume of lesions was calculated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, and linear regression analysis. Findings: A total of 60 patients were studied, 30 of whom were opium addicts and the rest were non-addicts. The mean volume of the lesion was 46.008350 ± 7.488990 (in the addict group) and 31.023335 ± 1.441570 (in the non-addict group), indicating a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.005). Regression analysis results showed a significant relationship between the volume of stroke with opium addiction (P = 0.017), ischemic heart diseases (IHDs) (P = 0.006), hyperlipidemia (HLP) (P = 0.016), age (P = 0.035), and smoking (P = 0.044). Conclusion: The results of this study showed a higher volume of lesion in opium-addict patients compared to that in non-addicts as an indicator of stroke severity

The relationship between mental workload and general health among welders of Tehran Heavy Structures Metal Company

Mental workload is one of the factors that influence individuals’ performance in the work environment as well as their efficiency and productivity. The present study aimed at examining the association between mental workload and general health among welders of Tehran Heavy Structuress Metal Company.This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. The sample included 100 welders who were working in Tehran Heavy Structures Metal Company. Sampling was done through conducting a census. A demographic questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) mental workload questionnaire were used to collect data. The obtained data were fed into SPSS (version 22) and analyzed through Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, Kruscal Wallis Test, Pearson product moment correlation, and Mann-Whitney U Test.The results showed that the participating welders had an average age of 36.16±7.81, an average work experience of 9.65±5.83, and a BMI of 25.95±3.39 kg/m2. The mean and standard deviation of the overall score of welders’ mental workload were 65.88±21.15. The cut-off scores for the total mental workload questionnaire and the subscales were respectively set at 23 and 6. The results demonstrated that 26% of the welders were suspected of mental disorder. Furthermore, the results of Pearson correlation indicated that there was no significant relationship between the overall score of NASA mental workload and that of general health (p-value>0.05).Welders’ mental workload is relatively high. Therefore, further research should be conducted in order to identify main risk factors that lead to mental and health disorder. Future studies should also be performed to present some solutions for te purpose of decreasing or preventing these side effects among welders as much as possible

Evaluating the Direct and Indirect Effects of SF-36 Domains Score on Two Main Factors in Diabetic Patients with Path Analysis: Health-Related Quality of Life Study

Background and aims: Diabetes mellitus (DM) patients have a lower quality of life. This study aimed to examine the direct and indirect effect of eight domains score of the SF-36 questionnaire on two main factors, i.e., overall physical health (GH_M) and overall mental health (MH_M), in DM patients. To the best of our knowledge, this issue has been rarely studied so far

Differential item functioning analysis using the SF-36 in patients with lumbar disc herniation: A quality of life research

Background: Differential item functioning (DIF) presents when individuals from different groups perceive the meaning of items differently in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaires. The aim of this study is to distinguish DIF in the SF-36 questionnaire and to determine its effect on comparison of HRQoL scores of lumbar disc herniation (LHD) patients and a healthy population. Methods: A total of 137 patients with LHD and 691 healthy individuals filled out the Persian version of the SF-36 questionnaire. The Rasch model was used to assess DIF for patients with LDH and a healthy population. Results:&nbsp; The presence of DIF was determined in 6 of 8 (75%) domain scores between patients with LDH and healthy individuals. Although half of the DIF was categorized as either negligible (3 out of 8; 37.5%), high DIF was observed in 3 out of 8 domains (37.5%). Gender was not flagged as important to DIF, with only 3 of 8 (37.5%) categorized as negligible. Conclusion: Because the use of the SF-36 questionnaire in HRQoL assessment between groups may not be invariant, caution should be used during comparison of HRQoL scores between heterogeneous groups

Effectiveness of cardiopulmonary bypass device educational program using painting and group discussion based on the Kirkpatrick model

Background & Objective: Clinical education has a very important contribution to the educational process of medical science students. Simple and understandable methods help to learn complex clinical processes, such as cardiopulmonary bypass device. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the cardiopulmonary bypass device educational program using painting and group discussion for anesthesiology students based on the Kirkpatrick model. Materials & Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 30 undergraduate anesthesiology students. The intervention group (n=15) were trained on cardiopulmonary bypass device by painting and group discussion, and the control group (n=15) received common education. Pretest and posttest data were collected in the two studied groups using a researcher-made questionnaire to evaluate the reaction and learning. The data were analyzed in SPSS software. Results: At the reaction level, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. At the learning level, the mean score of knowledge in the intervention group changed significantly compared to the control group. Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, the educational program of cardiopulmonary bypass device using painting and group discussion resulted in positive outcomes in the two evaluated levels of reaction and learning