The effect of massage therapy on the severity of labor in primiparous women

چکیده: زمینه و هدف: درد زایمان شدیدترین دردی است که اغلب زنان آن را تجربه می کنند. با استفاده از روش های نوین و حمایتی کاهش درد زایمان می توان زایمان را به یک اتفاق خوشایند و لذت بخش تبدیل نمود. مطالعه حاضر با هدف تعیین تاثیر ماساژ درمانی بر شدت درد زایمان در زنان نخست زا انجام شده است. روش بررسی: در یک مطالعه کار آزمایی بالینی 60 خانم حامله نخست زا در حال زایمان از بیمارستان های مهدیه و هدایت شهر تهران به روش نمونه گیری آسان انتخاب و به صورت تصادفی به دو گروه شاهد و ماساژ درمانی (مورد) تقسیم شدند. گروه شاهد از مراقبت های روتین بدون هیچ مداخله ای و گروه مورد ماساژ درمانی با استفاده از تکنیک ماساژ درمانی افلوراج انجام شد. شدت درد قبل از مداخله (ابتدای فاز فعال) و بعد از مداخله در دیلاتاسیون های 4، 8 و 10 سانتی متر سرویکس با استفاده از مقیاس سنجش درد VAS (Visual analogue scale) اندازه گیری شد. طول مدت مرحله اول و دوم و نوع زایمان در هر دو گروه، مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. داده های هر دو گروه با استفاده از آزمونهای آماری کای دو و t مستقل با یکدیگر مقایسه شدند. یافته ها: بر اساس نتایج قبل از مداخله بین دو گروه از نظر شدت درد اختلاف معنی داری مشاهده نشد. میانگین شدت درد به ترتیب در گروه ماساژ و شاهد در ابتدای فاز فعال 07/1±88/5 و 39/1±75/6 (01/0

Effects of Zataria Multi-Flora, Shirazi thyme, on the Severity of Premenstrual Syndrome

Background: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a common problem in women. Zataria multiflora Boiss is a valuable plant. This herbal plant has been used in different conditions. Objectives: The study was performed to investigate the effects of Zataria multiflora Boiss to control PMS symptoms. Materials and Methods: This study was a double-blinded, prospective randomized trial. The study population was the college students living in the dormitories of Isfahan University. Eighty-eight eligible students were randomly divided to intervention and control groups. Students completed the prospective record of the impact and severity of menstrual symptoms (PRISM) calendar including 30 PMS symptoms for four menstrual cycles (two cycles before, and two after the intervention). The intervention group received pearls containing 20 mg of Zataria multi-flora essence (four pearls each day) for two menstrual cycles, seven days before menstruation. The mean difference of PMS severity score between groups was analyzed with Mann-Whitney U test. The difference in frequency score of symptoms was analyzed using repeated-measure analysis of variance. Results: Thirty-eight students in intervention and 37 students in placebo group completed the study. The groups had no significant difference regarding the severity of PMS. Both groups showed a significant improvement in PMS severity score after the intervention. The repeated-measure analysis of variance showed that the frequency of symptoms decreased significantly in the cycles, but it was not different in intervention and placebo groups. Conclusions: Our findings did not support the use of Zataria multiflora Boiss in premenstrual syndrome

Spread of efflux pump overexpressing-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance and multidrug resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by using an efflux pump inhibitor

Background: Fluoroquinolone resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa may be due to efflux pump overexpression and/or target mutations. We designed this study to investigate the efflux pump mediated fluoroquinolone resistance and check the increasing effectiveness of fluoroquinolones in combination with an efflux pumps inhibitor among P. aeruginosa isolates from burn wounds infections. Materials and Methods: A total of 154 consecutive strains of P. aeruginosa were recovered from separate patients hospitalized in a burn hospital, Tehran, Iran. The isolates first were studied by disk diffusion antibiogram for 11 antibiotics and then minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) experiments were performed to detect synergy between ciprofloxacin and the efflux pump inhibitor, carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP). Then to elucidate the inducing of multi drug resistance due to different efflux pumps activation in Fluoroquinolone resistant isolates, synergy experiments were also performed in random ciprofloxacin resistant isolates which have overexpressed efflux pumps phenotypically, using CCCP and selected antibiotics as markers for Beta-lactams and Aminoglycosides. The isolates were also tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of the MexA, MexC and MexE, which encode the efflux pumps MexAB-OprM, MexCD-OprJ and MexEF-OprN. Results: Most of the isolates were resistant to 3 or more antibiotics tested. More than half of the ciprofloxacin resistant isolates exhibited synergy between ciprofloxacin and CCCP, indicating the efflux pump activity contributed to the ciprofloxacin resistance. Also increased susceptibility of random ciprofloxacin resistant isolates of P. aeruginosa to other selected antibiotics, in presence of CCCP, implied multidrug extrusion by different active efflux pump in fluoroquinolones resistant strains. All of Ciprofloxacin resistant isolates were positive for MexA, MexC and MexE genes simultaneously. Conclusion: In this burn hospital, where multidrug resistant P. aeruginosa isolates were prevalent, ciprofloxacin resistance and multidrug resistance due to the overexpression of fluoroquinolones mediated efflux pumps has also now emerged. Early recognition of this resistance mechanism should allow the use of alternative antibiotics and use an efflux pumps inhibitor in combination with antibiotic therapy. © 2015 by The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases

On the scalar curvature for the noncommutative four torus

The canonical flat metric of the noncommutative four torus is conformally perturbed and the term corresponding to the scalar curvature in the heat kernel expansion of perturbed Laplacian is calculated by using an analog of the Wodziski residue. This allows the calculation to be done without using the so called rearrangement lemma. Thus, because of the simplicity of the method, the structure of the one and two variable of functions of a modular automorphism that appear in the formula for the curvature can be understood and functional relations among them are discovered. Also the gradient of the analog of the Einstein-Hilbert action is calculated explicitly, which prepares the ground for defining certain geometric flows (such as the Yamabe flow) on the noncommutative four torus

Ultrathin graphene-based membrane with precise molecular sieving and ultrafast solvent permeation

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes continue to attract intense interest due to their unique molecular sieving properties combined with fast permeation. However, their use is limited to aqueous solutions because GO membranes appear impermeable to organic solvents, a phenomenon not yet fully understood. Here, we report efficient and fast filtration of organic solutions through GO laminates containing smooth two-dimensional (2D) capillaries made from large (10-20 μm) flakes. Without modification of sieving characteristics, these membranes can be made exceptionally thin, down to â 1/410 nm, which translates into fast water and organic solvent permeation. We attribute organic solvent permeation and sieving properties to randomly distributed pinholes interconnected by short graphene channels with a width of 1 nm. With increasing membrane thickness, organic solvent permeation rates decay exponentially but water continues to permeate quickly, in agreement with previous reports. The potential of ultrathin GO laminates for organic solvent nanofiltration is demonstrated by showing >99.9% rejection of small molecular weight organic dyes dissolved in methanol. Our work significantly expands possibilities for the use of GO membranes in purification and filtration technologies

Complex systems and the technology of variability analysis

Characteristic patterns of variation over time, namely rhythms, represent a defining feature of complex systems, one that is synonymous with life. Despite the intrinsic dynamic, interdependent and nonlinear relationships of their parts, complex biological systems exhibit robust systemic stability. Applied to critical care, it is the systemic properties of the host response to a physiological insult that manifest as health or illness and determine outcome in our patients. Variability analysis provides a novel technology with which to evaluate the overall properties of a complex system. This review highlights the means by which we scientifically measure variation, including analyses of overall variation (time domain analysis, frequency distribution, spectral power), frequency contribution (spectral analysis), scale invariant (fractal) behaviour (detrended fluctuation and power law analysis) and regularity (approximate and multiscale entropy). Each technique is presented with a definition, interpretation, clinical application, advantages, limitations and summary of its calculation. The ubiquitous association between altered variability and illness is highlighted, followed by an analysis of how variability analysis may significantly improve prognostication of severity of illness and guide therapeutic intervention in critically ill patients

Effect of magnesium and vitamin B6 supplementation on mental health and quality of life in stressed healthy adults: Post‐hoc analysis of a randomised controlled trial

Magnesium status and vitamin B6 intake have been linked to mental health and/or quality of life (QoL). In an 8‐week Phase IV randomised controlled study in individuals with low magnesemia and severe/extremely severe stress but who were otherwise healthy, greater stress reduction was achieved with magnesium combined with vitamin B6 than with magnesium alone. We present a previously unreported secondary analysis of the effect of magnesium, with and without vitamin B6, on depression, anxiety, and QoL. Adults with Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS‐42) stress subscale score >18 were randomised 1:1 to magnesium + vitamin B6 combination (Magne B6®; daily dose 300 and 30 mg, respectively) or magnesium alone (Magnespasmyl®; daily dose 300 mg). Outcomes included changes from baseline in DASS‐42 depression and anxiety scores, and QoL (Short Form‐36 Health Survey). DASS‐42 anxiety and depression scores significantly improved from baseline to week 8 with both treatments, particularly during the first 4 weeks. Improvement in QoL continued over 8 weeks. Participants' perceived capacity for physical activity in daily life showed greater improvement with magnesium + vitamin B6 than magnesium alone (Week 4). In conclusion, magnesium supplementation, with or without vitamin B6, could provide a meaningful clinical benefit in daily life for individuals with stress and low magnesemia

Energy Transport along α-Helix Protein Chains: External Drives and Multifractal Analysis

Energy transport within biological systems is critical for biological functions in living cells and for technological applications in molecular motors. Biological systems have very complex dynamics supporting a large number of biochemical and biophysical processes. In the current work, we study the energy transport along protein chains. We examine the influence of different factors such as temperature, salt concentration, and external mechanical drive on the energy flux through protein chains. We obtain that energy fluctuations around the average value for short chains are greater than for longer chains. In addition, the external mechanical load is the most effective agent on bioenergy transport along the studied protein systems. Our results can help design a functional nano-scaled molecular motor based on energy transport along protein chains. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Hydrogenic impurity states in a spherical quantum antidot: Spin-orbit interaction, relativistic correction, and diamagnetic susceptibility

In the present work, we study three characteristics of a hydrogenic impurity located at the center of a GaAs/Ga1−xAlxAs spherical quantum antidot within the effective mass approximation. These characteristics are the diamagnetic susceptibility, the spin-orbit interaction (SOI), and the relativistic correction (RC). First we outline the analytic solution of the corresponding Shrödinger equation with a hydrogenic impurity at the center and obtain the energy levels and wave functions. The results obtained from the present work reveal that the diamagnetic susceptibility increases with increasing the antidot size for finite barrier. The mean value of r2 increases when the antidot size increases. The SOI and RC increase by increasing the concentration. The RC and SOI approach to zero when the antidot size increases. The splitting between j = 1/2 and 3/2 due to the SOI decreases by increasing antidot size