Occupational Burnout and its Related Factors among Health Care Center Staff in Babol

Background: The staff of health care centers are prone to occupational burnout due to their overwhelming workload, the lack of scientific and professional promotion, along with their sensitive responsibilities. The purpose of this study was to determine occupational burnout and its related factors among the staff of health care centers in Babol, in 2016. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 210 employees of health care centers were selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected using demographic data and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which included occupational burnout in three dimensions of emotional analysis, depersonalization, and a sense of reduction in individual success. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and analytical tests in SPSS 22 with a significant level of 0.05. Results: Results showed that 46 employees (22.2%) had high emotional exhaustion, and 55 (26.6%) had high depersonalization. None of the respondents felt low personal accomplishment. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization had a significant inverse relation with the staff's educational level (P=0.005 and P=0.004, respectively). There was a significant direct correlation between emotional exhaustion with work experience (P=0.003), and type of employment (P=0.048); and also between depersonalization with work experience (P=0.001) and type of employment (P=0.013). Conclusion: Given the presence of burnout components among staff, proper human resources management is recommended to improve morale and motivation and provide a favorable work environment with financial support for all staff. Keywords: Occupational Burnout, Staff, Health care center

Modulation efficiency enhancement of an optical phase modulator using one dimensional photonic crystal structures

Slow light effect based rib silicon waveguide structures are studied in this paper to enhance modulation efficiency of an optoelectronic carrier plasma dispersion effect based phase modulator. Center frequency to achieve desired slow down factor and band width limitations of the structures are investigated through finite element method simulations. Optical modulation efficiency is modeled and the effects of doping, bias voltage and slow light on its performance are studied

Is Bladder Cancer More Common among Opium Addicts?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong>Purpose:</strong> Many environmental and occupational risk factors have been proposed for bladder cancer, among which opium consumption has been considered in few studies. We designed a study to determine the relationship between opium consumption and bladder cancer.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> In a retrospective, case-control study, male patients with bladder cancer, who had been referred to our hospital in a three-year period, were selected. Data regarding age, gender, smoking, and opium consumption were collected from patients’ records and compared with data of a control group, consisting of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong>Results:</strong> Fifty-two male patients with bladder tumor (group 1) were compared with 108 patients with BPH (group2). Of the patients with bladder cancer, 36 (68%) were smokers, of whom 12 were also opium addicts. In general, 13 (25.5%) patients were opium consumers (one opium consumer was not smoker). From 108 patients with BPH, 25 (23%) were smokers, of whom, 5 were also opium addicts. Mean duration of cigarette smoking was 31 ± 13.6 and 20.2 ± 14.7 years in patients with bladder cancer and BPH, respectively. The duration of opium consumption was 11.9 ± 1.4 and 6.2 ± 1.3 years in groups 1 and 2, respectively. The duration of cigarette smoking and opium consumption in group 1 was greater than that in group 2. In addition, smoking increases the risk of bladder cancer 3.8-fold (OR = 8.3, 95% CI = 1.8 - 7.8). Simultaneous cigarette smoking and opium consumption increases the risk of bladder cancer 6.2-fold (OR = 6.2, 95% CI = 2.04 - 18.7).</span></span></p><h1 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; page-break-after: auto; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Conclusion:<span style="font-weight: normal;"> There are few studies regarding the carcinogenic effect of opium on bladder. We demonstrated that, the incidence of bladder cancer in smokers, who are simultaneously opium consumers, was higher than in patients who were only smokers. Simultaneous opium addiction and cigarette smoking may have some roles in the pathogenesis of bladder tumor. However, further studies with large sample sizes are warranted.</span></span></span></h1&gt

Prediction of hamstring tendon autograft diameter using preoperative measurements with different cut-offs between genders

Abstract Purpose Studies have suggested some predictors for hamstring tendon (HT) autograft diameter based on anthropometric factors and preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with variable results. Some authors have attributed the variability to gender differences. This prospective cohort reports the sensitivity and specificity of anthropometric and MRI predictors in males and females separately to determine the difference. Methods Forty-two eligible patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and MRI in our center were included. ACLR was performed by the senior surgeon using a 4-stranded HT autograft for all patients. A blinded musculoskeletal radiologist measured the cross-sectional area (CSA) of gracilis and semitendinosus tendons using the free-hand region of interest tool for all patients. An orthopaedic resident (PGY4) collected anthropometric factors and measured intraoperative autograft diameter. Results Mean intraoperative autograft diameter was 8.0 mm. Females had a significantly lower autograft diameter (7.4 vs. 8.2, P < 0.001), smaller gracilis (6.9 vs. 7.9, P = 0.003) and semitendinosus CSA (11.5 vs. 12.8, P = 0.014) compared to males. ROC curve analysis resulted different cut-off values with high sensitivity and specificity for semitendinosus and combined CSA regarding gender. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, CSA of either isolated or combined HTs on preoperative axial MRI, height, and weight are the strongest predictors of intraoperative autograft diameter. It is suggested to consider different cut-offs for males and females to have a better clinical guide for surgeons. Level of evidence Level II