A Standardized Shift Handover Protocol: Improving Nurses’ Safe Practice in Intensive Care Units

Introduction: For maintaining the continuity of care and improving the quality of care, effective inter-shift information communication is necessary. Any handover error can endanger patient safety. Despite the importance of shift handover, there is no standard handover protocol in our healthcare settings. Methods In this one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study conducted in spring and summer of 2011, we recruited a convenience sample of 56 ICU nurses. The Nurses’ Safe Practice Evaluation Checklist was used for data collection. The Content Validity Index and the inter-rater correlation coefficient of the checklist was 0.92 and 89, respectively. We employed the SPSS 11.5 software and the Mc Nemar and paired-samples t test for data analysis. Results: Study findings revealed that nurses’ mean score on the Safe Practice Evaluation Checklist increased significantly from 11.6 (2.7) to 17.0 (1.8) (P < 0.001). Conclusion: using a standard handover protocol for communicating patient’s needs and information improves nurses’ safe practice in the area of basic nursing care

Evaluating Neonatal Resuscitation Skills of Nursing and Midwifery Students Using Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

Background & aim: Neonatal resuscitation training is mandatory for the staff providing maternity and neonatal services in order to ensure competence during the academic period. This study was conducted to assess the neonatal resuscitation skills of nursing and midwifery students. Methods:In this study, the skills of 48 nursing and midwifery students  were assessed, using Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), which consists of seven “stations”, lasting 28 minutes. In station 1, students’ knowledge was assessed. In stations 2-7, students’ skills in the initial steps of resuscitation, positive pressure ventilation, intubation, chest compression, medication prescription and management of cardiopulmonary resuscitation were assessed. Time management and students’ re-evaluation of the infant were also assessed. The total score of OSCE was calculated to be 236. Also, students’ self-evaluation regarding their competence in neonatal resuscitation and their satisfaction with OSCE were evaluated, using two self-structured questionnaires. Results: The mean score of students’ skills in neonatal resuscitation was 97.85±23.15 out of 236. On average, students obtained 38%, 49%, 20% and 72% of the total score in the initial steps of resuscitation, positive pressure ventilation, intubation and chest compression, respectively. Also, the students obtained 45%, 29% and 56% of the total score in prescribing medications (drug dosage and route of administration), management skills in advanced resuscitation and knowledge on neonatal resuscitation, respectively. Students’ self-confidence was lower than half of the optimal score, and their satisfaction with OSCE was high. Conclusion: The students’ skills in neonatal resuscitation were lower than expected. As competence in this area is of high significance for the improvement of neonatal outcomes, holding training workshops through applying novel training methods is recommended

Corrigendum to: “The effect of Phoenix dactylifera pollen on the expression of NRF2, SOD2, CAT, and GPX4 genes, and sperm parameters of fertile and infertile men: A controlled clinical trial” [Int J Reprod BioMed 2021; 19: 545-558]"

This article is a Corrigendum to: “The effect of Phoenix dactylifera pollen on the expression of NRF2, SOD2, CAT, and GPX4 genes, and sperm parameters of fertile and infertile men: A controlled clinical trial” [Int J Reprod BioMed 2021; 19: 545-558]". Please download the PDF or view the article HTML

The effect of Phoenix dactylifera pollen on the expression of NRF2, SOD2, CAT, and GPX4 genes, and sperm parameters of fertile and infertile men: A controlled clinical trial

Background: Oxidative stress is caused by the imbalance occurring between the creation and clearance of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is responsible for 30–40% of male infertility. The positive impact of phoenix dactylifera pollen (Date palm pollen, DPP) on the improvement of sperm parameters has been well documented in animal models. Objective: For evaluating the effect(s) of DPP on sperm parameters, ROS levels, expression of antioxidant genes, and activity of antioxidant enzymes of infertile men. Materials and Methods: In this controlled clinical trial, a total of 60 male case with infertility and 20 normospermic fertile men were recruited. Before and after the treatment with DPP, the case were administered 400 mg/kg of gelatinous capsules daily for 30 consecutive days and semen samples were taken. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was applied for the evaluation of the mRNA expression levels of Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(NRF2), superoxide dismutase (SOD2), glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4), and catalase (CAT) genes. Results: The mRNA expression levels of NRF2, SOD2, GPX4, and CAT (p &lt; 0.05 for all) and significantly increased after treatment with DPP. The increased expressions of all antioxidant genes and enzymes significantly correlated with improvement in semen parameters including count (p = 0.01), motility (p = 0.05), and morphology (p = 0.01) of sperm. A significant correlation between the alteration of SOD2 gene expression and SOD activity, GPX4 and GPX, and CAT were also observed (p = 0.05). Conclusion: DPP can increase the expressions of NRF2, GPX4, SOD2, and CAT genes and also improve the semen quality in infertile men. Key words: DPP, Male infertility, SOD2, NRF2, GPX4, CAT, ROS, Spermatozoa

Acute Kidney Injury in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis

Introduction: This study was done in Children’s Medical Center Hospital affiliated with Tehran University of medical science, Tehran, Iran.Materials and Methods: The patients were 140 children who were admitted for gastroenteritis and we detected acute kidney injury in them. All of the patients were admitted and managed in the Emergency Department, and were evaluated for symptoms of AKI including dehydration, renal function tests, electrolytes, and urine output.Results: The median age of the children with gastroenteritis and AKI was 2.5 years (ranging from 2 months to 12 years) and 78.6% of them were male. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was present in 116 (82.9%) patients at admission with 53 (37.8%) patients in the “failure” category (RIFLE). Twelve children had anuria and 54 patients had oliguria. At presentation, 24 patients (15%) had serum BUN levels between 30-75 and creatinine levels in the range of 0.9-2.1mg/dl. One patient had HUS that was excluded from this study. Seventy-six children had symptoms of severe dehydration and metabolic acidosis. After adequate fluid therapy, 30 children had polyuria of 6.4 (range 4-9) cc/kg/min. Twenty-three patients (16.4%) had hyponatremia and 41 patients (29.2%) had hypernatremia. Nine children (6.4%) suffered from hypokalemia. Some children had received ORS at home. All of them were managed in the emergency ward and discharged with normal GFR without any electrolyte abnormalities. The patients were fallowed for 3-6 months and all of them had normal renal function at the end of the study.Conclusions: Early diagnosis and urgent management of gastroenteritis and dehydration can prevent AKI.Keywords: Acute Kidney Injury; Child; Gastroenteritis

Enrichment of A Rare Subpopulation of miR-302-Expressing Glioma Cells by Serum Deprivation

Objective: MiR-302-367 is a cluster of polycistronic microRNAs that are exclusively expressed in embryonic stem (ES) cells. The miR-302-367 promoter is functional during embryonic development but is turned off in later stages. Motivated by the cancer stem cell hypothesis, we explored the potential expression of miR-302 in brain tumor cell lines. Materials and Methods: In the present experimental study, we have tried to expand our knowledge on the expression pattern and functionality of miR302 cluster by quantifying its expression in a series of glioma (A-172, 1321N1, U87MG) and medulloblastoma (DAOY) cell lines. To further assess the functionality of miR-302 in these cell lines, we cloned its promoter core region upstream of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) or luciferase encoding genes. Results: Our data demonstrated a very low expression of miR-302 in glioma cell lines, compared with that of embryonal carcinoma cell line NT2 being used as a positive control. The expression of miR-302 promoter-EGFP construct in the aforementioned cell lines demonstrated GFP expression in a rare subpopulation of the cells. Serum deprivation led to the generation of tumorospheres, enrichment of miR-302 positive cells and upregulation of a number of pluripotency genes. Conclusion: Taken together, our data suggest that miR-302 could potentially be used as a novel putative cancer stem cell marker to identify and target cancer stem cells within tumor tissues

Comparison of the Effects of Media-based and Face-to-face Cardiac Rehabilitation Training Programs on Self-efficacy in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background: Several complications may occur in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) leading to decreased self-efficacy. Rehabilitation training is the best method for reducing the complications and increasing self-efficacy. Various educational techniques lead to different rehabilitation results and levels of self-efficacy. Improving these measures requires the selection of the most appropriate educational technique. Aim: This study aimed to compare the effect of two media-based and face-to-face cardiac rehabilitation training methods on self-efficacy in patients undergoing CABG. Method: This clinical trial was conducted among 60 patients, who were randomly assigned into two groups, in Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, 2017. Cardiac rehabilitation training program was implemented face-to-face or using a researcher-made multimedia upon admission, discharge, at the start of cardiac rehabilitation, and at the end of the 10th session for half-hour. A researcher-constructed questionnaire on self-efficacy was completed by the participants in the mentioned stages. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software, version 16. Results: The mean ages of the participants in the face-to-face and multimedia groups were 56.0±8.1 and 57.5±7.3 years old, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the self-efficacy scores of the patients upon admission (P=0.36). However, there was a significant difference between the groups at the post-intervention stage (

Protocol Design for Large–Scale Cross–Sectional Studies of Surveillance of Risk Factors of Non–Communicable Diseases in Iran: STEPs 2016

INTRODUCTION: The rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has gained increasing attention. There is a great need for reliable data to address such problems. Here, we describe the development of a comprehensive set of executive and scientific protocols and instructions of STEPs 2016. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a large-scale cross-sectional study of Surveillance of Risk Factors of NCDs in Iran. Through systematic proportional to size cluster random sampling, 31,050 participants enrolled in three sequential processes, of completing questionnaires; physical measurements, and lab assessment. RESULTS: Out of 429 districts, samples were taken from urban and rural areas of 389 districts. After applying sampling weight to the samples, comparing the distribution of population and samples, compared classification was determined in accordance with the age and sex groups. Out of 31,050 expected participants, 30,541 participant completed questionnaires (52.31% female). For physical measurements and lab assessment, the cases included 30,042 (52.38% female) and 19,778 (54.04% female), respectively. DISCUSSION: There is an urgent need to focus on reviewing trend analyses of NCDs.To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first comprehensive experience on systematic electronic national survey. The results could be also used for future complementary studies