The role of affective temperament and emotional expression in predicting chronic fatigue in patients with cancer hospitalized in Ardabil City, Iran, during the autumn of 2016

BACKGROUND: Affective temperament and emotional expression can be important in the mental and physical consequences of patients with cancer. This study aimed to determine the role of affective temperament and emotional expression in predicting chronic fatigue in patients with cancer.METHODS: 110 patients with cancer, hospitalized in the surgery and hematology wards of Fatemi and Imam Khomeini Hospitals in Ardabil City, Iran, in autumn of 2016, were selected by purposive sampling and participated in this cross-sectional study. The Affective and Emotional Composite Temperament Scale (AFECTS), Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (BEQ), and Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFQ) were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed by correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis using SPSS software.RESULTS: Chronic fatigue positively correlated with depressive (r = 0.69, P < 0.01), anxious (r = 0.59, P < 0.01), apathetic (r = 0.64, P < 0.01), dysphoric (r = 0.37, P < 0.01), volatile (r = 0.61, P < 0.01), irritable (r = 0.36, P < 0.01), disinhibited (r = 0.33, P < 0.01), and obsessive (r = 0.52, P < 0.01) affective temperaments, but it negatively correlated with cyclothymic (r = -0.35, P < 0.01), hyperthymic (r = -0.62, P < 0.01), euphoric (r = -0.69, P < 0.01), and euthymic (r = -0.21, P < 0.01) affective temperaments. Also, it was found that there was a negative relationship between chronic fatigue and emotional expression (r = -0.27, P < 0.01). Results of regression analysis showed that 79% of the total variance of chronic fatigue was explained by affective temperaments. In addition, 27% of the total variance of the chronic fatigue was explained by emotional expressiveness.CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that we can consider the affective temperament and emotional expression as psychological factors underlying the chronic fatigue in patients with cancer

Relationship between Sports Aggression and Sports Mindfulness with Sports Self-efficacy in Male Athletes; the Mediating Role of Family Cohesion

Introduction: Self-efficacy is a construct that can greatly influence sports development. Individuals with a high self-efficacy level are more likely to set tougher goals and work harder to achieve them. We aimed to investigate the relationship between sports aggression and sports mindfulness with sports self-efficacy in male athletes through the mediating role of family cohesion. Material and Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive-correlational study covered all male athletes who are members of the youth and adult male football teams in Masjed Soleyman (Iran) in 2021. The 258 athletes were selected using convenience sampling. The research tools included the Sports Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Mindfulness Inventory for Sport, and the Family Cohesion Questionnaire. The proposed model was evaluated using path analysis and indirect correlations were tested with bootstrapping. Results: The results suggested that all direct paths to sport self-efficacy were significant except sports mindfulness (P<0.01), and indirect paths to sports self-efficacy became significant through family cohesion (P<0.01). Conclusion: The proposed model had a good fit, and was a major step toward recognizing the factors affecting sports self-efficacy in male athletes, and can help in designing programs to reduce their experienced tension and improve their sports self-efficacy

Relationships of Students’ Mental Well-being with Mothers’ Emotional Breakdown and Marital Justice Mediated by Mothers’ Marital Intimacy

Background: Students’ mental well-being can be influenced by various maternal characteristics due to their close relationships with their mothers. These factors have an impact on their overall mental health. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between students’ mental well-being, mothers’ emotional breakdown, and marital justice, with the mediating role of mothers’ marital intimacy in Ahvaz, Iran.Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive-correlational study included all female and male senior high school students in Ahvaz, Iran, and their mothers during the 2022–23 academic year. A stratified cluster sampling method was employed, and 300 students and their mothers were selected as the research sample. The research utilized several tools, including the Psychological Well-being Scale, the Love Trauma Inventory, the Marital Justice Scale, and the Marital Intimacy Questionnaire. Path analysis was conducted using SPSS version 27 and AMOS version 25 to evaluate the proposed model.Results: The mean and standard deviation (SD) of students’ mental well-being, mothers’ emotional breakdown, mothers’ marital justice, and mothers’ marital intimacy were as follows: 59.69 (12.94), 19.29 (5.11), 59.36 (8.87), and 67.99 (12.34), respectively. The findings indicated that all direct paths to students’ mental well-being were significant (P<0.001), except for the marital justice of mothers. Furthermore, mothers’ marital intimacy significantly mediated the indirect path between mothers’ emotional breakdown and students’ mental well-being (P<0.001). Similarly, the relationship between mothers’ marital justice and students’ mental well-being was significantly mediated by mothers’ marital intimacy (P<0.001).Conclusion: The study revealed a direct positive relationship between mothers’ marital intimacy and students’ mental well-being. Therefore, it is expected that enhancing mothers’ marital intimacy will have a positive impact on students’ mental well-being. To achieve this, training workshops should be conducted to improve marital justice between spouses, thereby enhancing mothers’ marital intimacy and boosting students’ mental well-being

The Effectiveness of Cognitive Training Method and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on the Metamemory in the Students with Special Learning Disorders

Background: The present study was aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive training method and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the metamemory in the students with special learning disorders. Methods: The study has been conducted based on a semi-experimental design of pretest-posttest type with control group. Forty-five students were selected based on a purposive sampling method and assigned to two groups, a control group and an experimental group (each containing 15 individuals) based on a simple randomized method. One of the experimental groups received cognitive training for a period of 20 to 30 sessions, each 45 minutes (twice a week) and the other group was subjected to transcranial direct current stimulation for 20 minutes during ten consecutive days. The statistical method of choice was multivariate covariance analysis (ANCOVA). Significant level was set at 0.05. Results: The results of data analysis using covariance analysis indicated that both of the cognitive training method and the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) were effective in the metamemory (Pvalue&lt;0.01). Conclusions: Cognitive training and the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) methods can be applied for improving the metamemory in students with special learning disabilities. &nbsp;Keywords: Metamemory, Cognitive training, Learning disabilities, Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

The Effectiveness of Cognitive Training Method and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on the Metamemory in the Students with Special Learning Disorders

Background: The present study was aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive training method and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the metamemory in the students with special learning disorders. Methods: The study has been conducted based on a semi-experimental design of pretest-posttest type with control group. Forty-five students were selected based on a purposive sampling method and assigned to two groups, a control group and an experimental group (each containing 15 individuals) based on a simple randomized method. One of the experimental groups received cognitive training for a period of 20 to 30 sessions, each 45 minutes (twice a week) and the other group was subjected to transcranial direct current stimulation for 20 minutes during ten consecutive days. The statistical method of choice was multivariate covariance analysis (ANCOVA). Significant level was set at 0.05. Results: The results of data analysis using covariance analysis indicated that both of the cognitive training method and the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) were effective in the metamemory (Pvalue&lt;0.01). Conclusions: Cognitive training and the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) methods can be applied for improving the metamemory in students with special learning disabilities. &nbsp;Keywords: Metamemory, Cognitive training, Learning disabilities, Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Diabetes Care in Iran: Where We Stand and Where We Are Headed

Background: The prevalence of diabetes has steadily increased in Iran from the time of the first published nationally representative survey in 1999 and despite efforts and strategies to reduce disease burden. Objectives: The aim of the present review was to describe the current status of diabetes care in Iran. Methods: A selective review of the relevant literature, focusing on properly conducted studies, describing past and present diabetes care strategies, policies, and outcomes in Iran was performed. Findings: The quality of diabetes care has gradually improved as suggested by a reduction in the proportion of undiagnosed patients and an increase in affordability of diabetes medications. The National Program for Prevention and Control of Diabetes has proven successful at identifying high-risk individuals, particularly in rural and remote-access areas. Unfortunately, the rising tide of diabetes is outpacing these efforts by a considerable margin. Conclusions: Substantial opportunities and challenges in the areas of prevention, diagnosis, and management of diabetes exist in Iran that need to be addressed to further improve the quality of care and clinical outcomes

Biomechanical comparison of the pullout properties of external skeletal fixation pins in the tibiae of intact and ovariectomised ewes.

The pin-bone interface is the least stable component of the external skeletal fixator. Concerns exist regarding the ability to obtain adequate implant purchase in poor quality bone. Consequently, reduced bone quality has been viewed as a contra-indication for the use of external skeletal fixators. The aim of this study was to investigate the holding power of two different fixator pin designs in bone from entire and ovariectomised sheep. Thirty-two aged ewes were divided into two groups. Group 1 were controls, and Group 2 were ovariectomised (OVX). The ewes were sacrificed 12 months post-ovariectomy and five pairs of tibiae were harvested from each group. The holding power of cortical and cancellous fixator pins was assessed at five standardised locations on each tibia. An increase in mean cortical thickness was noted in the OVX group. The holding power of cancellous fixator pins was superior to that of cortical pins, irrespective of whether or not ovariectomy had been performed. Cancellous pins had an increased holding power in post ovariectomy bone compared to control bone. Cortical pin performance was not affected by ovariectomy. There was a lack of correlation between the incidence of insertional fractures of the far cortex and implant holding power. The results raise questions over the effectiveness of ovariectomy in establishing osteopaenic bone suitable for assessing implant performance, hence further investigations are warranted

Malachite Green, the hazardous materials that can bind to Apo-transferrin and change the iron transfer

Different groups of synthetic dyes might lead to environmental pollution. The binding affinity among hazardous materials with biomolecules necessitates a detailed understanding of their binding properties. Malachite Green might induce a change in the iron transfer by Apo-transferrin. Spectroscopic studies showed malachite green oxalate (MGO) could form the apo-transferrin-MGO complex and change the Accessible Surface Area (ASA) of the key amino acids for iron transfer. According to the ASA results the accessible surface area of Tyrosine, Aspartate, and Histidine of apo-transferrin significantly were changed, which can be considered as a convincing reason for changing the iron transfer. Moreover, based on the fluorescence data MGO could quench the fluorescence intensity of apo-transferrin in a static quenching mechanism. The experimental and Molecular Dynamic simulation results represented that the binding process led to micro environmental changes, around tryptophan residues and altered the tertiary structure of apo-transferrin. The Circular Dichroism (CD) spectra result represented a decrease in the amount of the α-Helix, as well as, increase in the β-sheet volumes of the apo-transferrin structure. Moreover, FTIR spectroscopy results showed a hypochromic shift in the peaks of amide I and II. Molecular docking and MD simulation confirmed all the computational findings

Phenotype and Genotype Heterogeneity of PLA2G6-Associated Neurodegeneration in a Cohort of Pediatric and Adult Patients

BACKGROUND: Phospholipase-associated neurodegeneration (PLAN) caused by mutations in the PLA2G6 gene is a rare neurodegenerative disorder that presents with four sub-groups. Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) and PLA2G6-related dystonia-parkinsonism are the main two subtypes. In this cohort, we reviewed clinical, imaging, and genetic features of 25 adult and pediatric patients harboring variants in the PLA2G6. METHODS: An extensive review of the patients\u27 data was carried out. Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy Rating Scale (INAD-RS) was used for evaluating the severity and progression of INAD patients. Whole-exome sequencing was used to determine the disease\u27s underlying etiology followed by co-segregation analysis using Sanger sequencing. In silico prediction analysis based on the ACMG recommendation was used to assess the pathogenicity of genetic variants. We aimed to survey a genotype-genotype correlation in PLA2G6 considering all reported disease-causing variants in addition to our patients using the HGMD database and the chi-square statistical approach. RESULTS: Eighteen cases of INAD and 7 cases of late-onset PLAN were enrolled. Among 18 patients with INAD, gross motor regression was the most common presenting symptom. Considering the INAD-RS total score, the mean rate of progression was 0.58 points per month of symptoms (Standard error 0.22, lower 95% - 1.10, and upper 95% - 0.15). Sixty percent of the maximum potential loss in the INAD-RS had occurred within 60 months of symptom onset in INAD patients. Among seven adult cases of PLAN, hypokinesia, tremor, ataxic gate, and cognitive impairment were the most frequent clinical features. Various brain imaging abnormalities were also observed in 26 imaging series of these patients with cerebellar atrophy being the most common finding in more than 50%. Twenty unique variants in 25 patients with PLAN were detected including nine novel variants. Altogether, 107 distinct disease-causing variants from 87 patient were analyzed to establish a genotype-phenotype correlation. The P value of the chi-square test did not indicate a significant relationship between age of disease onset and the distribution of reported variants on PLA2G6. CONCLUSION: PLAN presents with a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms from infancy to adulthood. PLAN should be considered in adult patients with parkinsonism or cognition decline. Based on the current knowledge, it is not possible to foresee the age of disease onset based on the identified genotype

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI