The Awareness and Attitude of, Midwives Working in Private Offices in Tehran Province, Iran Toward Abortion Laws and Related Factors

Abstract Introduction: Legal abortion is performed to prevent maternal and fetal disorders. Midwives' awareness and attitude toward abortion laws have undeniable effects on the decisions made by women with high-risk pregnancies. By recent study, The present study evaluated the awareness and attitudes of midwives working in private offices in Tehran Province, Iran, toward abortion laws and related factors. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was done in 2016. A total of 236 midwives were selected from Tehran Province took simple random sampling. The data were collected took using a valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire by items related to demographic characteristics, awareness, and attitude. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive tests (mean, standard deviation, confidence interval, frequency, and relative frequency) and linear regression analysis. Results: The midwives' mean scores of awareness and attitude were 57.7 ± 7.44 (95% CI: 56.61-58.54) and 99.08 ± 10.09 (95% CI: 97.83-100.38), respectively. Midwives' age (B = 0.21), work shifts in the midwifery office (B = 1.29), being a member of the Midwifery Learner Society (B = 3.05), and cooperating with local legal medicine centers (B = 3.63) were found to be the predictors of awareness scores. Gain experience in the midwifery office was the only predictor of midwives' attitude, i.e., every one-year increase in work experience decreased the scores of attitude by 1.61 points. Conclusions: The participating midwives had a moderate level of awareness, which was affected by different variables. Cooperating with local legal medicine centers had the most significant effect on improving midwives' awareness. Moreover, the midwives had low scores of attitude, and a few variables predicted their attitude

Effect of Beloved Person’s Voice on Chest Tube Removal Pain in Patients undergoing Open Heart Surgery: Fuzzy Logistic Regression Model

Chest tube removal pain is one of the important complications after open heart surgery. The removal of a chest tube is a painful and frightening experience and should be managed with as little pain and distress as possible. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of beloved person’s voice on chest tube removal pain in patients undergoing open heart surgery. 128 patients were randomly assigned to two groups: one group listened to beloved person’s voice during the procedure, and the other did not. Since pain was measured by linguistic terms, a fuzzy logistic regression was applied for modeling. After controlling for the potential confounders, based on fuzzy logistic regression, the beloved person’s voice reduced the risk of pain. Therefore, using beloved person’s voice could be effective, inexpensive and safe for distraction and reduction of pain

Musculoskeletal disorders in hemodialysis patients: prevalence, clinical symptoms, and associated factors

Introduction: One of the major public health problems is end-stage renal disease (ESRD). ESRD is commonly associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Objectives: Due to the importance of MSDs in hemodialysis patients and the absence of sufficient studies in Iran, this study aims to investigate MSDs in hemodialysis patients. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 75 patients with ESRD, who were under hemodialysis at the special diseases center of Birjand university of medical sciences, south Khorasan, Iran. Inclusion criteria were history of at least 2 years of hemodialysis, and age more than 18 years. All patients with previous neurological disorders, previous rheumatic diseases, previous arthroplasty of the limbs, and severe psychological disorders were excluded from the study. Baseline characteristics and laboratory data collected. MSDs examined based on the Nordic Musculoskeletal Screening Questionnaire (NMQ). Data were described using central tendency, CHI-SQUARE test, and Fisher’s exact test were used. The significance level in this study was P0.05). Dialysis etiology, knee osteoarthritis, shins pain, knee pain and knee range of motion had significantly difference between groups (respectively, P=0.047, P=0.003, P=0.012, P=0.001, P=0.002). Conclusion: The frequency of MSDs in these patients was 84.0%. There was a significant association between MSDs with the cause of hemodialysis, lower limb pain, and knee osteoarthritis

Internal evaluation of speech therapy department of Semnan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Using students' view for teacher evaluation is a common method. This study was designed to investigate the view of faculties and medical students about faculty teaching experiences. Materials and Methods: 100 medical students and 35 faculties from Jahrom University of Medical Sciences were participated in this study. Two separate questionnaires were designed for this purpose and after determining validity and reliability completed by teachers and students. Results: 70.9 percent of faculties reported that they are satisfied with evaluation by students. 48.6 percent of them reported that feedback from this evaluation improved their teaching. 48.8 percent of them thought that some students behave spitefully. 60 percent reported self assessments as a useful method for evaluation of their own teaching. The majority of medical students (76.6%) reported that teachers' communication skills are one of the important factors in teacher evaluation. 67.4 percent of them reported that they completed the teachers' evaluation forms carefully and 60.9 percent of them asserted that teachers, who take difficult examinations, have lower grades in evaluation forms. Conclusion: In general, most teachers are agreed with teacher evaluation. Since students' opinion about their teachers is influenced by some factors which have no close relationship with the evaluation subject and is merely related to other factors, using other evaluation methods such as self evaluation and peer evaluation seems to be necessary. In addition, we should establish a single national and standard method for teacher evaluation all over the country

Anti-edema effect of Aloe vera leaf extract following traumatic brain injury: Role of pro-inflammatory cytokines

Objective: Based on anti-inflammatory effects of Aloe vera, the effect of aqueous extract of this plant on brain edema and changes in some pro-inflammatory cytokines was investigated after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Materials and Methods: In this study, adult male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: Sham, TBI, vehicle (Veh), and low dose (LA) and high dose (HA) Aloe vera. The vehicle and aqueous extract of Aloe vera were injected intraperitoneally 30 min after induction of diffuse TBI by Marmarou’s method. Brain edema (brain water content), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-1β levels in serum and brain were measured 24 hr after TBI induction. Results: Increased brain edema by TBI was reduced by both LA and HA (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). IL-6 increased in the brain of TBI group compared to sham, and which was inhibited by both Aloe vera doses compared to Veh (p<0.001). The differences in the IL-6 serum levels among Veh, LA and HA groups were not significant. Increases in serum and brain IL-1β levels were reduced only in the HA group (p<0.001). Although only in the brain, TNF-α level increased after trauma, but both LA and HA inhibited it in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively) . The amount of TGF-β in the brain was reduced by both doses of the extract (p<0.001). Conclusion: These results indicated that Aloe vera has a neuroprotective effect induced by reducing brain edema. The probable mechanism particularly for HA is decreasing levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TGF-β, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β

The effects of vitamin D on cardiovascular damage induced by lipopolysaccharides in rats

Introduction: Inflammation and oxidative stress are contributed to cardiovascular diseases. Vitamin D (Vit D) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In the current research, the effect of Vit D on cardiac fibrosis and inflammation, and oxidative stress indicators in cardiovascular tissues was studied in lipopolysaccharides(LPS) injected rats. Methods: Rats were distributed into 5 groups and were treated for 2 weeks. Control: received vehicle(saline supplemented with tween-80) instead of Vit D and saline instead of LPS, LPS: treated by 1 mg/kg of LPS and was given vehicle instead of Vit D, LPS-Vit D groups: received 3 doses of Vit D (100, 1000, and 10000 IU/kg) of Vit D in addition to LPS. Vit D was dissolved in saline supplemented with tween-80 (final concentration 0.1%) and LPS was dissolved in saline. The white blood cell (WBC) was counted. Oxidative stress markers were determined in serum, aorta, and heart. Cardiac tissue fibrosis was also estimated using Masson’s trichrome staining method. Results: WBC and malondialdehyde (MDA) were higher in the LPS group than the control group, whereas the thiol content, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were lower in the LPS group than the control group (P<0.01 and P<0.001). Administration of Vit D decreased WBC (P<0.001) and MDA (P<0.05 and P<0.001) while enhanced thiol (dose 10000 IU/Kg) (P<0.001), SOD (dose 10000 IU/kg) (P<0.001), and CAT (P<0.05 and P<0.001) compared to the LPS group. All doses of Vit D also decreased cardiac fibrosis compared to the LPS group (P<0.001). Conclusion: Vit D protected the cardiovascular against the detrimental effect of LPS. This cardiovascular protection can be attributed to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Vit D

Is the Theory of Planned Behavior a good model for predicting salt consumption behavior in pregnant women? A structural equation modeling approach

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable illnesses are the leading reason for wide-reaching death. Reducing the burden of these illnesses is one of the significant objectives of the World Health Organization's action plan. In this respect, reducing salt consumption is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions. The present study aimed to adjust the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in expecting salt consumption behavior in pregnant women visiting the health centers in Birjand. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 273 pregnant women who visited the health centers in Birjand were selected through Quota sampling method. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire based on the TPB constructs. The data analysis was done in SPSS 19 and AMOS 24. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 27.33 ± 5.77 years, and their mean gestational age was 12.67 ± 4.11 weeks. The mean score of attitude construct was 86.54 ± 8.50, subjective norm construct 36.59 ± 4.47, perceived behavioral control construct 41.63 ± 7.01, intention construct 16.01 ± 2.65 and behavior construct 19.86 ± 2.57. There was a statistically significant relationship between attitude construct (p < 0.001), perceived behavioral control (p < 0.001), and intention (p < 0.001) with salt consumption behavior (p < 0.05). The goodness of fit indices showed a proper fit of data (χ2/df = 1.94, PNFI = 0.6, TLI = 0.9, CFI = 0.9 and RMSE = 0.06). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that the TPB is an appropriate model for reviewing the behavior of salt consumption. Hence, this model offers a suitable basis for designing an educational intervention to regulate the quantity of salt consumed by pregnant women and; thus, its usage in health promotion programs is suggested

Prediction of Adequate Prenatal Care Utilization Based on the Extended Parallel Process Model

Background: Pregnancy complications are one of the major public health concerns. One of the main causes of preventable complications is the absence of or inadequate provision of prenatal care. The present study was conducted to investigate whether Extended Parallel Process Model’s constructs can predict the utilization of prenatal care services. Methods: The present longitudinal prospective study was conducted on 192 pregnant women selected through the multi-stage sampling of health facilities in Qeshm, Hormozgan province, from April to June 2015. Participants were followed up from the first half of pregnancy until their childbirth to assess adequate or inadequate/non-utilization of prenatal care services. Data were collected using the structured Risk Behavior Diagnosis Scale. The analysis of the data was carried out in SPSS-22 using one-way ANOVA, linear regression and logistic regression analysis. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: Totally, 178 pregnant women with a mean age of 25.31±5.42 completed the study. Perceived self-efficacy (OR=25.23; P<0.001) and perceived susceptibility (OR=0.048; P<0.001) were two predictors of the intention to utilize prenatal care. Husband’s occupation in the labor market (OR=0.43; P=0.02), unwanted pregnancy (OR=0.352; P<0.001), and the need to care for the minors or elderly at home (OR=0.35; P=0.045) were associated with lower odds of receiving prenatal care. Conclusion: The model showed that when perceived efficacy of the prenatal care services overcame the perceived threat, the likelihood of prenatal care usage will increase. This study identified some modifiable factors associated with prenatal care usage by women, providing key targets for appropriate clinical interventions

Effect of motivational interviewing on treatment adherence and self‐efficacy of adolescents with asthma: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Aims This study examined the short‐term effect of motivational interviewing on treatment adherence and self‐efficacy of adolescents with asthma. Design The randomized controlled trial. Method In this study, 72 adolescents with asthma were recruited and assigned to experimental and control groups randomly. In the experimental group, the motivational interviewing was performed for five weekly sessions lasting 80–90 min. The treatment adherence and self‐efficacy questionnaires were completed before the intervention, 2 weeks and 3 months after the intervention in both groups. Data were analysed by Chi‐Square test, independent samples T‐test, repeated measures of Wilcoxon and generalized estimating equation. Results The treatment adherence was found to be significantly higher 2 weeks (p = 0.006) and 3 months after the intervention (p = 0.04) in the experimental group than the control group. In addition, the degree of self‐efficacy was significantly more in the experimental group 2 weeks (p < 0.001) and 3 months later (p < 0.001) than the control group. The result of generalized estimating equation showed that the intervention group had an average of 14.44 more self‐efficacy points than the control group (p < 0.001). Also, treatment adherence in the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group (β = 6.14, p = 0.05(. Conclusion This study adds to the evidence for the effectiveness of motivational interviewing in treatment of adolescents with asthma