The relationship between anxiety, depression and perceived social support and quality of life among hemodialysis patients

Background and aims: Patients suffer from chronic diseases such as hemodialysis patients may experience mental disturbances, social isolation, loneliness, helplessness, and hopelessness. It can lead to decrease quality of life and increase their need to continuing care especially receiving social support. The present study was aimed to investigate the relationship between anxiety, depression, and perceived social support, in one hand, and quality of life, in the other hand, among hemodialysis patients. Methods: This study was a descriptive research with a correlational design that was carried out in Sina hospital in Tehran. 84 hemodialysis patients were randomly selected via randomized sampling from. The respondents filled out Zimet et al.’s Perceived Social Support Scale, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, and Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF). Data were analyzed using SPSS, descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation, and inferential tests including Pearson Product Moment Correlation, One-Way ANOVA, and Independent Samples t-test. Results: The results indicated that the life quality of hemodialysis patients was low (46.90±12.56), and anxiety (10±3.22) and their depression (9.53±3.25) were high. Moreover, there was a statistically significant direct relationship between their perceived social support (r=-0.34, P<0.01) and their quality of life and a statistically significant indirect relationship between their anxiety (r=-0.51, P<0.01) and depression (r=-0.54, P<0.01) amount and their quality of life. Conclusion: The findings imply that the life quality of hemodialysis patients could be improved by increasing social support, enhancing the quality of care offered by nurses and the patients’ families, and also early screening of anxiety and depression among hemodialysis patients in order to develop necessary interventions

Coagulopathy: Another side effect of coronavirus infection

Recently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been considered as a major health problem around the globe. This severe acute respiratory syndrome has a bunch of features, such as high transmission rate, which are adding to its importance. Overcoming this disease relies on a complete understanding of the viral structure, receptors, at-risk cells or tissues, and pathogenesis. Currently, researches have shown that besides the lack of a proper anti-viral therapeutic method, complications provided by this virus are also standing in the way of decreasing its mortality rate. One of these complications is believed to be a hematologic manifestation. Commonly, three kinds of coagulopathies are detected in COVID-19 patients: disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), pulmonary embolism (PE), and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). In this paper, we have reviewed the relation between these conditions and coronavirus-related diseases pathogenesis, severity, and mortality rate

The potential role of chitosan-based nanoparticles as drug delivery systems in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal cancers and 12th most common cancer in the world. Due to the inaccessible anatomical position of the pancreas and asymptomatic early stages of this disease, PC has a high mortality rate. Therefore, providing reliable diagnostic and therapeutic tools are the keys to increase the PC survival rate. Nanotechnology is an inchoate field of science that previously scientists' tendency to enhance the efficacy of current preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic methods has oriented them to build a bridge between this science and medicine. In the case of PC, nanotechnology suggests using drug delivery devices for a more effective and targeted therapy. Chitosan is a natural polymer that recently has attracted a lot of attention for being renewable, nontoxic, and bioabsorbable. In this article, we tend to look for the answer to this question: has nanotechnology been successful in using chitosan-based nanoformulations as carriers for preventing more individuals from suffering or at least increasing the 5-year survival of the PC patients

The effect of low dose (7.5 mg/kg) of Aspirin on ovary tissue during implantation period in mice (NMRI)

Background: Aspirin is a non steroidal medicine that effects on prostaglandin, follicles, ovulation and corpus luteum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of low (7.5 mg/kg) dose of Aspirin on the ovarian tissue during implantation period. Materials and Methods: Females NMRI mice 6-8 weeks old were divided into control and experimental groups. These groups were rendered pseudopregnant then experimental group injected with low dose of Aspirin until 4.5th day. The mice were scarified with cervical dislocation and then the samples were obtained from the ovary in each group. Then ovarian weight and volume balance were measured and paper section stained with H&E method. Results: Our results showed that weight of ovary in control group was 3.1±0.077g and in experimental group was 3.5±0.24g (p<0.05). Volume of ovary in control group was 8.70±0.19 mm3, and in experimental group was 9.20±0.17 mm3 (p<0.05). Number of corpus luteum in control group was 6.2±0.15, and in experimental group was 12.21±0.15 (p<0.05). In experimental group vascularity of ovary had increased in comparison with control group. Conclusion: The low dose of Aspirin (7.5mg/kg) increased the rate of corpus luteum and vascularity of ovary . Low dose of aspirin had positive effect on pregnancy during implantation period