Quality of Life and its Related Factors among Elderlies Living In Nursing Homes

Background & Aim: Elderly residents of nursing homes are one of the most vulnerable elderly populations and addressing the quality of these people’s life is one of the most challenging health issues in this century .The aim of our study was to determine the quality of life (QOL) and its related factors among elderlies living in Charmahal va Bakhtiyari nursing homes. Material & Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 87 elderlies living in Charmahal va Bakhtiyari nursing homes were recruited by census. Data was collected by Short Form Quality of Life (SF-36) and then analyzed by independent t-test, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and regression analysis using SPSS-PC (v.15). Results: The mean score of total QOl was 41.56±18.59 and most participants scored lower than 50 for overall quality of life and each of its subscales. The highest and lowest quality of life standard deviation and mean score was associated with “physical performance” (47.70±20.55) and “Emotional role playing” (36.78±27.71) subscales. Also quality of life was associated with age, gender, educational level and satisfying with nursing homes (P<0.05). Moreover, QOL was mostly related with age (β=-0.537, p=0.000). Conclusion: The Quality of life of elderly residents of nursing homes was low, especially in emotional role playing subscale. Moreover, the quality of life of older ones and illiterate participants, women and those with lower satisfaction with nursing homes was lower. Accordingly, designing and performing appropriate training and supportive interventions to promote these elderly people’s QOL are recommende

Skills Required for Nursing Career Advancement: A Qualitative Study

Background: Nurses require certain skills for progression in their field. Identifying these skills can provide the context for nursing career advancement. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the skills needed for nurses’ career advancement. Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach using content analysis was adopted to study a purposive sample of eighteen nurses working in teaching hospitals affiliated with the Qazvin, Shahid Beheshti, and Iran Universities of Medical Sciences. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: The three themes extracted from the data included interpersonal capabilities, competency for career success, and personal capacities. The results showed that acquiring a variety of skills is essential for career advancement. Conclusions: The findings showed that personal, interpersonal, and functional skills can facilitate nurses’ career advancement. The effects of these skills on career advancement depend on a variety of conditions that require further studies

Frequency of CYP1A1*2C polymorphism in patients with leukemia in the Iranian population

Background: CYP1A1, a member of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, plays a very important role in metabolizing carcinogens. The aim of this case-control study was to detect the frequency of CYP1A1*2C polymorphism in Iranian leukemic patients and determine the role of this allele's variants, if any, as a risk factor for developing leukemia. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), 105 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 95 healthy volunteers as the adult control group, 85 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and 94 healthy children as the children control group were studied. Genomic DNA was assayed for restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in the CYP1A1*2C loci by amplification followed by digestion with BsrDI. Results: The frequencies of AA genotype (wild) were 82.05, 62.85, 84.70, 85.10, and 80 in CML, AML, ALL, the children control group, and the adult control group, respectively. The frequencies of AG genotype (heterogeneous) were 17.95, 36.20, 15.30, 14.90, and 18.95 in CML, AML, ALL, the children control group, and the adult control group, respectively. The frequencies of GG genotype (mutant) were 0.95 and 1.05 in AML and the adult control groups respectively; whereas, it was not observed in CML, ALL, or the children control group. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant correlation between the CYP1A1*2C polymorphism AG and AML patients (OR=2.4, 95 CI=1.3-4.7, P>0.05). Conclusion: A higher frequency of CYP1A1*2C, observed in AML patients, compared with the adult control group indicates an increased risk for AML in individuals carrying the heterozygote allele CYP1A1*2C. However, the results did not show any association between CYP1A1*2C genotypes and risk of ALL or CML. © 2011 by The American Society for Clinical Pathology

EVALUATION OF NUTRITION AND HEALTH RELATED NUTRITIOUS INTAKE KNOWLEDGE AMONG ATHLETES’ TRAINERS

Background: Individuals who have valuable knowledge on how the importance of adequate and balanced diet and this knowledge will on their behaviors which eventually considered to be more successful in sports life. The present study aims to evaluate the nutrition and nutrients imbalance related to the health knowledge among trainers’ athletes. Methods: The study sample consists of 203 voluntary trainers from the sport clubs and gyms. Modified questionnaire was used in the study and Chi-square and Pearson correlation test was used. Results: Athletes related fields were determined to have the lack of knowledge on nutrition and also nutrients deficit related to ill-health questions. It was more likely the trainers know some aspects of foods and nutrients such as role and sources of some foods, but the overall score showed 40-50% for nutritional knowledge questions. Furthermore, questions related to ill-health showed poor score (< 40%). There was no gender difference in related nutrition knowledge questions and also questions for nutrient and ill-health. However, significant differences were found between education levels in which positive correlation R= 0.2 (

Comparative toxicity of abamectin, cyromazine and spinosad against the leaf-miner fly, Liriomyza sativae (Dip.: Agromyzidae)

The leaf-miner fly, Liriomyza sativae (Blanchard), is one of the major insect pests of vegetable crops in Iran and other countries. To determine the toxicity (LC50) of bioinsecticides abamectin 1.8% EC, cyromazine 75% WP and spinosad 24% SC against L. sativae, bioassay was done on its larval and adult stages under 25 ± 1°C, 65 ± 5% R.H. and a photoperiod of 16: 8 (L: D). The LC50 values found to be 1.5, 1.8, 14.3 ppm for abamectin, 34.8, 38.4, 1295 ppm for cyromazine and 4.4, 12.1, 13.7 ppm for spinosad against the first and last larval stages as well as the adults of L. sativae, respectively. The toxicity of the insecticides on the larval stages was higher than on adults. Using a mixture of petroleum oil, as a synergist, and the insecticides significantly increased the mortality of the first instar larvae. The results indicated that cyromazine is ineffective for the control of adults, while it is proved to be effective against the leaf-miner's larval stages. It is found that abamectin and spinosad are more efficient insecticides than cyromazine for the control of all developmental and adult stages of L. sativae

Prevalence of Anaerobic Bacteria (P.gingivalis) as Major Microbial Agent in the Incidence Periodontal Diseases by Meta-analysis

Statement of the Problem: Periodontal diseases are complex oral diseases characterized by bacterial-induced inflammatory destruction of tooth-supporting tissues. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is a common gram-negative anaerobic oral bacteria strongly associated with periodontal disease. Purpose: The present study was conducted to estimate prevalence of P. gingivalis in patients with periodontal diseases by using meta-analysis method. Martials and Method: Different databases including PubMed, EmBase, Scopus, the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify original English-language studies addressing prevalence of P. gingivalis in periodontal diseases up to December 2014. The random effects model was applied in the meta-analysis and the heterogeneity between studies was assessed using a Cochran test and the I(2) index. Funnel plots and Egger test were used to examine publication bias. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 12. Results: Forty-two eligible studies published during 1993- 2016 were selected for meta-analysis. Considering all the included studies, the total sample size was 5,884 individuals containing 2,576 healthy people with a mean age of 37.21+/-7.45 years and 3,308 periodontal patients with a mean age of 44.16+/-8.35 years. Overall, the prevalence of P. gingivalis was 78 95% CI: 74-81 in periodontal diseases group and 34% 95% CI: 26-41 in healthy individuals. There was a significantly higher prevalence of P.gingivalis in individuals with periodontal diseases compared to healthy subjects 78% versus 34%, respectively. Conclusion: This study indicates that P. gingivalis is highly present in subjects with periodontal diseases and it also appears in periodontally healthy people, although to a lesser extent. Thus, the presence of P. gingivalis increases the chance of periodontal disease and it can be considered as a main potential risk factor

Accuracy and efficiency of conventional ground sprayers in Iran

Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps, is a key pest of wheat and barley in Iran. At present, infested areas are treated with ground sprayers. A survey was conducted to evaluate the efficiency and calibration accuracy of ground hydraulic sprayers in Iran. The results showed that the motorized lance sprayer and manually operated sprayer were the most conventional sprayers, and fenitrothion EC 50% and deltamethrin EC 2.5% were the conventional insecticides against sunn pest in Kermanshah province. The mean efficacy percentage was 88% and 35% against nymphs and overwintered adults, respectively. In motorized lance sprayers, there were 5% and 90% overdosage of fenitrothion and deltamethrin, respectively; while, in manually carried sprayers, there were 5% and 25% overdosage of fenitrothion and deltamethrin, respectively. Applied dosages were 5-20% and 25-90% more than recommended dosages of fenitrothion and deltamethrin, respectively. Errors in effectiveness and applied dosage were higher in motorized lance sprayer than manually carried sprayers

Diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection among pediatric household contacts of Iranian tuberculosis cases using tuberculin skin test, IFN- γ release assay and IFN-γ-induced protein-10

Background: Although the World Health Organization has recommended the diagnosis and prophylactic treatment of latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) in child household contacts of tuberculosis (TB) cases, the national programs in high-burden TB regions rarely implement adequate screening of this high-risk group, mainly because of resource limitations. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of LTBI among pediatric household contacts of TB cases in two high-burden provinces in Iran. Methods: We conducted a cohort study in children who had been in household contact with a TB index. All subjects were assessed for active TB disease. For LTBI diagnosis, tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) were performed at the time of the index TB case diagnosis, as well as, 3, 12, and 18 months, if the first results were negative. In addition, interferon-γ-induced protein-10(IP-10) concentrations were measured for all participants. Results: A total of 230 children were enrolled, who had contact with an index TB case. Three contacts were diagnosed with active TB. According to the TST/QFT-Plus results, 104 (45.2) children were identified with LTBI during our study. Significantly increased IP-10 levels were found in LTBI patients compared to healthy contacts. Accordingly, more than 50 of LTBI contacts and about 10 of healthy contacts were considered as IP-10-positive. Conclusion: This study alarmingly illustrates a high prevalence of LTBI among Iranian children exposed to TB cases. We, therefore, emphasize that the children living in close contact with an infectious TB case should be screened effectively and receive prophylactic therapy. © 2021, The Author(s)

Advances in Rootstock Breeding of Nut Trees: Objectives and Strategies

The production and consumption of nuts are increasing in the world due to strong economic returns and the nutritional value of their products. With the increasing role and importance given to nuts (i.e., walnuts, hazelnut, pistachio, pecan, almond) in a balanced and healthy diet and their benefits to human health, breeding of the nuts species has also been stepped up. Most recent fruit breeding programs have focused on scion genetic improvement. However, the use of locally adapted grafted rootstocks also enhanced the productivity and quality of tree fruit crops. Grafting is an ancient horticultural practice used in nut crops to manipulate scion phenotype and productivity and overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. There are complex rootstock breeding objectives and physiological and molecular aspects of rootstock–scion interactions in nut crops. In this review, we provide an overview of these, considering the mechanisms involved in nutrient and water uptake, regulation of phytohormones, and rootstock influences on the scion molecular processes, including long-distance gene silencing and trans-grafting. Understanding the mechanisms resulting from rootstock × scion × environmental interactions will contribute to developing new rootstocks with resilience in the face of climate change, but also of the multitude of diseases and pests.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Blood Pressure Lowering With Nilvadipine in Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer Disease Does Not Increase the Prevalence of Orthostatic Hypotension

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is common among patients with Alzheimer disease. Because this group has been excluded from hypertension trials, evidence regarding safety of treatment is lacking. This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial assessed whether antihypertensive treatment increases the prevalence of orthostatic hypotension (OH) in patients with Alzheimer disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four hundred seventy‐seven patients with mild‐to‐moderate Alzheimer disease were randomized to the calcium‐channel blocker nilvadipine 8 mg/day or placebo for 78 weeks. Presence of OH (blood pressure drop ≥20/≥10 mm Hg after 1 minute of standing) and OH‐related adverse events (dizziness, syncope, falls, and fractures) was determined at 7 follow‐up visits. Mean age of the study population was 72.2±8.2 years and mean Mini‐Mental State Examination score was 20.4±3.8. Baseline blood pressure was 137.8±14.0/77.0±8.6 mm Hg. Grade I hypertension was present in 53.4% (n=255). After 13 weeks, blood pressure had fallen by −7.8/−3.9 mm Hg for nilvadipine and by −0.4/−0.8 mm Hg for placebo (P<0.001). Across the 78‐week intervention period, there was no difference between groups in the proportion of patients with OH at a study visit (odds ratio [95% CI]=1.1 [0.8–1.5], P=0.62), nor in the proportion of visits where a patient met criteria for OH, corrected for number of visits (7.7±13.8% versus 7.3±11.6%). OH‐related adverse events were not more often reported in the intervention group compared with placebo. Results were similar for those with baseline hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that initiation of a low dose of antihypertensive treatment does not significantly increase the risk of OH in patients with mild‐to‐moderate Alzheimer disease. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02017340