Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy in Two Cases: Siblings with Different Presentations

  Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) is a rare recessive neurodegenerative disorder manifested by symptoms, including hypotonia, extrapyramidal signs, spastic tetraplegia, vision problems, cerebellar ataxia, cognitive complications, and dementia, before the age of three. Various reports evaluated the relationship with the incidence of INAD and different mutations in the PLA2G6 gene. We describe cases of two children with INAD whose diagnoses were challenging due to misleading findings and had a mutation in the position C.2370 T>G (p. Y790X) in the PLA2G6 gene based on NM_001349864 which has been reported previously

A comparative survey of the attitudes of nurses, nursing students, and patients as to the observance of the patients’ dignity in the psychiatric ward

BackgroundPatients with mental health illness have a variety of physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs and respecting their dignity and status is of the most important. Nurses and nursing students might have different attitudes with regard to observation of status and dignity of mental patients.AimsThe present study is an attempt to comparatively survey nurses, nursing students, and patients’ attitudes about the observance of the patient’s dignity.Methods The study was carried out as a cross-sectional work on 300 participants in psychiatric wards of the selected hospitals of Kashan and Tehran cities in 2017. The participants were selected through purposeful sampling and data gathering was done using a demographics checklist and a researcher-designed patient’s dignity observance questionnaire. Data analyses were done in SPSS (V.19) using descriptive and inferential tests (P-value=0.05).Results The three groups of participants were homogenous in terms of gender. There was a significant difference between psychiatric wards of the Kashan-based and Tehran-based hospitals in terms of attitudes about dignity of patients (P=0.04). In addition, the results confirmed a significant difference among the study groups with regard to their attitudes about the dignity of patients (p=0.000).ConclusionThe nurses had better attitudes with regard to the observance of patient’s dignity in comparison with the patients and nursing students. There was also a difference between Kashan-based and Tehran-based hospitals as to the observance of patient’s dignity so that the attitudes in the former were better than that in the latter. It seems that holding moral training courses is essential

Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-Adjusted life-years for 29 cancer groups, 1990 to 2017 : A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study

Importance: Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now widely recognized as a threat to global development. The latest United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs reaffirmed this observation and also highlighted the slow progress in meeting the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the third Sustainable Development Goal. Lack of situational analyses, priority setting, and budgeting have been identified as major obstacles in achieving these goals. All of these have in common that they require information on the local cancer epidemiology. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is uniquely poised to provide these crucial data. Objective: To describe cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in 195 countries from 1990 through 2017 to provide data needed for cancer control planning. Evidence Review: We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-Adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fertility rate. We also analyzed the influence of the epidemiological vs the demographic transition on cancer incidence. Findings: In 2017, there were 24.5 million incident cancer cases worldwide (16.8 million without nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. The majority of cancer DALYs came from years of life lost (97%), and only 3% came from years lived with disability. The odds of developing cancer were the lowest in the low SDI quintile (1 in 7) and the highest in the high SDI quintile (1 in 2) for both sexes. In 2017, the most common incident cancers in men were NMSC (4.3 million incident cases); tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer (1.5 million incident cases); and prostate cancer (1.3 million incident cases). The most common causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for men were TBL cancer (1.3 million deaths and 28.4 million DALYs), liver cancer (572000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs), and stomach cancer (542000 deaths and 12.2 million DALYs). For women in 2017, the most common incident cancers were NMSC (3.3 million incident cases), breast cancer (1.9 million incident cases), and colorectal cancer (819000 incident cases). The leading causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for women were breast cancer (601000 deaths and 17.4 million DALYs), TBL cancer (596000 deaths and 12.6 million DALYs), and colorectal cancer (414000 deaths and 8.3 million DALYs). Conclusions and Relevance: The national epidemiological profiles of cancer burden in the GBD study show large heterogeneities, which are a reflection of different exposures to risk factors, economic settings, lifestyles, and access to care and screening. The GBD study can be used by policy makers and other stakeholders to develop and improve national and local cancer control in order to achieve the global targets and improve equity in cancer care. © 2019 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Mental health status in patients with Thalassemia major in Iran

Thalassemia major is a genetic blood disorder that is detected by the symptoms of chronic and severe anemia, failure to thrive, an enlarged liver and spleen, bone deformities particularlya deformed face and bulging forehead. Due to changes in physical appearance, the disease can influence on other aspects of the patient's life, so the disease could strongly impact on the mental health of these patients and their families. Previous studies show that 80% of patients with thalassemia major have at least one psychiatric disorder. The aim of this paper is to review the mental health status of patients with Beta-thalassemia major in Iran

Supportive activities in oncological wards during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

Introduction. The oncology ward is a challenging and unique workplace due to physical and psychological stress that staff experience and the need for their support. Cancer patients and oncology nurses have many needs, and support is one of the basic ones. This study aimed to explore supportive activities in the oncology ward during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods. This qualitative study was conducted in Eastern and Southeastern Iran in 2020 and 2021 through a conventional content analysis approach. The participants included 21 (10 oncology nurses, 5 managers, and 6 cancer patients), who were selected through purposive sampling. To collect data, in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews were done. Interviews were continued until data saturation was achieved. After transcribing the interviews, the data were analyzed according to the steps proposed by Graneheim & Lundman.  Results. The results consisted of three main themes and nine categories, namely the perceive of threat in supportive atmosphere in the oncology ward (cancer patients’ sense of desperation and need for support, difficulty of working in the department, close relationships governing the ward), Seeking support in the oncology ward (Professional support, patient advocacy), and supportive divergence (poor family support, perceived poor social support, unsupportive behaviors, Being far from the supportive standards of working in an oncology ward).  Conclusions. The results of the study have shown that the supportive activities in the oncology ward during the COVID-19 pandemic are affected by various factors. The experiences of participants provide new insight into supportive activities around managing oncology wards supportive needs during such stressful times

Mental health status in patients with Thalassemia major in Iran

Thalassemia major is a genetic blood disorder that is detected by the symptoms of chronic and severe anemia, enlarged liver and spleen, failure to thrive and bone deformities in particular deformed face and bulging forehead. Due to changes in physical appearance, the disease can influence on other aspects of the patient's life, so the disease can have a strong impact on the mental health of these patients and their families. Previous studies showed that 80% of patients with thalassemia major have at least one psychiatric disorder. The aim of this paper was to review the mental health status of patients with Beta-thalassemia major in Iran

Measurement of the Magnetic Fields from High-Voltage (230 kV) Substations in Tehran and Assessment of Their Effects

Introduction: Recent industrial developments in human societies have caused rapid advancements in technologies of production and distribution of electricity, which in turn result in enhancement of power networks and utilization of high voltages. These networks and the high voltages in transfer lines cause the exposure to electric and magnetic fields. In this study, the situation regarding the magnetic fields from high-voltage (230 kV) substations in Tehran was investigated. Material and Methods: In this study, 8 high-voltage (230 kV) substations were selected (Shous, Shahid Firouzi, Ozgol, Kan, Tehranpars, Azadegan, Ghorkhane and Besat substations). The premises of each substation was divided into some stations and measurements were done in each one. Measurements were done according to the IEEE std 644-1994 Standard in a way that the device, specifically its probe, was kept at a height of 1 meter above the ground surface. Then, we tried to examine the probable effects of exposure to magnetic fields through the Essex questionnaire, with Cronbach coefficient of 94%, completed by the employees of the substations. These questionnaires were completed by substation operators as an exposed group (36 persons) and the employees of the office section of the Tehran regional electric company as a witness group (32 persons). Results: The measured density in none of the stations exceeded the standard limits of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. With regard to the questionnaire results about mental and neurological, cardiac and respiratory, and gastrointestinal and auditory disorders, we observed significant differences between witness and exposed groups, however, regarding skin allergies, there was no significant difference. Conclusion: Among all control rooms, the highest measured magnetic field was 6.9 mG in the Ozgol Substation Control Room and the lowest was 2 mG in the post of Shahid Firouzi. The control room of Ozgol substation is located on the second floor and bus-bars are located at a short distance from the eastern window, so the highest recorded magnetic field was measured in that control room. Among all switchgear parts, the highest field of 91.5 mG was measured in the Kan substation. In spite of accordance of the magnetic fields with the standards (based on measurements), it can be seen that exposure to magnetic fields at high-voltage (230 kV) substations causes the intensification of neurological and mental, cardiac and respiratory, gastrointestinal and auditory disorders but it has no effect on skin allergies

Correlation between suicide literacy and stigmatizing attitude of nurses toward patients with suicide attempts

Suicide is a deliberate process of endinglife and it is one of the ten leading causesof death in different countries around theworld. Averagely, every forty seconds, one individual loseshis life due to suicide in the world. Stigma, on the otherhand, is a negative tag given by people to the groupsand individuals who are different in terms of appearance,race, physical and mental health. Research has shown thatStigma is a barrier to care for those who attempt suicide.Since nurses play an important role in the care of patientswith psychiatric disorders, their level of literacy and theirattitude and behavior towards this group of patients havean impact on stigmatizing and non-stigmatizing behaviorand the quality of nursing care. Therefore, the presentstudy aimed to investigate the correlation betweensuicidal literacy and stigmatizing attitude towards suicidalpatients in nurses working in selected hospitals of ShahidBeheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2018. In thisdescriptive-correlational study, the samples were selectedrandomly among nurses working in psychiatric, poisoning,burn and emergency wards of selected hospitals. Fordata collection, besides questionnaire of demographicdata collection, two questionnaires of suicide literacy andstigma questionnaires were used after determining the validityand reliability. Data analysis was performed using thelatest version of SPSS software and descriptive and correlationstatistics. The findings of the study showed thatthere is a positive correlation between the two variables ofsuicide literacy and stigma (p <0.05). It means that, withincreasing literacy of nurses in the field of suicide, theirattitude is also increased. In other words, increasing theliteracy of nurses about suicide will improve their attitudein this regard. Regarding the fact that there is a significantrelationship between suicidal literacy and stigma of nursesabout the patients with suicide attempts, it can be hopedthat increasing literacy of nurses will have a positive effecton their attitude and behavior with these patients and ultimatelyon the quality of care provided by the

The effects of mentorship and educational videos on nursing students’ physical examination skills: a clinical audit

Abstract Background Poor competence in clinical examination skills among nurses has been reported in practice, and there is a strong consensus that physical examination (PE) education must be improved. However, deficiencies cannot be resolved by theoretical training alone, and new training approaches are required to enable nursing students to perform PE accurately. This study aimed to determine and compare the effect of two new educational methods (mentorship and educational video methods) on the physical examination skills of Iranian nursing students. Methods This study was a clinical audit with three group pretest posttest design. Eligible nursing students were recruited through the census method and assigned to three groups (mentorship, educational videos, and control group) using permuted block randomization. Students were taught PE skills in three vital systems through three approaches (mentors, educational videos, and routine educational methods). Data were collected using a two-part instrument consisting of a demographic information questionnaire and a 32-item checklist for assessing the students’ skills in examining the respiratory system (10 items), cardiovascular system (13 items), and 12 cranial nerves (9 items). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 and descriptive and analytical statistical tests. Results At baseline, students in all groups scored less than half of the possible scores in all three systems, and the mean scores of the three groups were not statistically different (P > 0.05). After the intervention, the mean scores of students in the mentorship group increased significantly in all three systems (P 0.05). Furthermore, after the intervention, the mean scores of the educational video group and the control group did not significantly differ in any of the three systems (P > 0.05). The ANCOVA showed that with posttest score as the covariate, PE skills in all three systems improved one week after the intervention in the mentor group compared to the control group and the educational video group. However, PE skills in all three systems did not improve one week after the intervention in the educational video group compared to the control group. Conclusions The mentorship method is more effective than the educational video and routine methods for teaching PE skills to nursing students. Nursing schools can use the mentor method in training nursing students, and it is recommended to revise the PE lesson unit in the nursing curriculum and exchange it from a purely theoretical-based unit to a mixture of theoretical and clinical-based training. Educational videos alone cannot improve nursing students’ PE skills; thus, if educational videos are used to teach clinical skills, it is necessary to hold hands-on sessions to provide feedback to students and correct their mistakes