Factors Affecting Loneliness as a Medical Problem in the Elderly: A Systematic Review

Introduction: To plan an appropriate program for the prevention and control of loneliness in the elderly, it is necessary to first identify the risk factors associated with loneliness. Therefore, the present systematic review study intended to determine the causative factors of loneliness in the elderly. Materials/Methods: To select appropriate previous research for the present review study, several Persian and English studies during 2005-2015 were reviewed through systematic search using keywords ‘’loneliness, elderly, risk factors, systematic review’’ in the databases of Psyc INFO, Scopus, Elsevier, Pub Med as well as advanced search on Google Scholar. Regarding the inclusion and exclusion criteria derived from 77 articles, the present study ultimately reviewed 21 articles. Results: After searching the aforesaid websites and databases, 77 articles were found, 56 of which were excluded from the study due to their inconsistency with the current inclusion criteria. Eventually, 21 articles were selected, 11 of which were reviewed for the risk factors of loneliness. Amongst the reviewed articles, 4 had had an investigation into loneliness reduction strategies and 6 had specifically investigated the effects of loneliness on the elderly. According to the review results of the selected studies, loneliness has been considered as a major factor in the quality of life of the elderly. Conclusion: The present study determined the most important causative factors affecting loneliness in the elderly in different areas. Recognizing these effective factors, many healthcare providers will be able to provide effective care to this group in order to deal with the phenomenon of loneliness

How the first cases of COVID-19 in 10 countries become infected? A case series

Recently, a new respiratory infectious disease called COVID-19 has emerged and created a global emergency. It was initially linked to the animal-to-human transmission. However, it is now thought that COVID-19 is spreading through human-to-human transmission mainly via droplets. As there is no definite antiviral therapy for the treatment of cases with COVID-19 the best option for slowing down the pandemic and reducing mortality rates is protection against the virus of interest. To achieve this goal obtaining information about how first cases infected with COVID-19 is crucial. Hence, this study aims to review the studies published in peer-reviewed journals to report the first confirmed cases with COVID-19. Herein, we review the origin, symptoms, diagnostic tests, and progress of the disease and possible actions of authorities which would be effective in similar pandemics in the future. This study reviewed 13 cases (5 females and 8 males; 25–61 years old) from 10 countries. All cases have recovered from COVID-19. The results of this review suggested that timely reports of the confirmed cases, notifying World Health Organization and providing information to the general population about the methods of spreading the virus would have decreased the number of infected cases and mortality rates. In addition, the travel history of the first confirmed cases in various countries suggested that prompt actions in restricting travels and closing borders could be an efficient strategy in preventing the transmission of the disease outside of the affected sites. Efforts should be taken by health authorities for preparing the world for future epidemic/pandemic in terms of developing advanced screening strategies in the borders and diagnostic strategies for early identification of infected cases.</p

The Relationship between Spiritual Health and Hope by Adherence to the Medication Regimen in the Elderly with Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Due to the increasing number of elderly people in Iran, as well as chronic diseases, such as diabetes, in the elderly, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between spiritual health and hope with adherence to the medication regimens in the elderly with type 2 diabetes. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in the diabetes clinic of 22 Bahman Hospital in Gonabad, Iran. The data were collected using the demographic information form, Herth Hope Index (HHI), Paloutzian and Ellison Spiritual Well Being Scale, and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) by interview method. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Spearman coefficient in SPSS software. Findings: Most of the participants had high spiritual health, high hope, and low adherence to medication regimen. In addition, spiritual health was directly related to treatment adherence (P 0.05). Conclusion: High hope in an elderly person cannot be a reason for good adherence to medication regimen, but for appropriate medication adherence, it is necessary for the elderly to have correct and sufficient information about their medication and treatment plan

The Efficient Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Oak Gall Using a Miniaturized Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion Method before their HPLC Determination

Background and Aim: Several gall varieties are found in Lorestan Province, Iran, on Quercus infectoria oak trees, which contain important phenolic compounds. In this work, a miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction method has been developed for quantitative extraction and HPLC/UV determination of them. Materials and Methods: In the MSPD method, 10 mg of sample and 50 mg of silica gel adsorbent were transferred into an agate mortar. The mixture was finely pulverized after adding 40 µL dichloromethane as disperser solvent. It was then transferred into a cartridge, eluted by 350 µL of methanol, and the eluate was subsequently injected into HPLC for analysisn. Results: The extractions were quantitative with mean recoveries of 103.0±6.8% and 99.5±7.3% for ellagic acid (EA) and gallic acid (GA) in six replicated extractions, respectively. The detection limit of the method was 0.05-0.06 mg g-1. The method was successfully applied to the extraction and HPLC determination of the phenolic compounds in five gall species. Conclusion: The proposed technique is simple and fast. It substantially reduced the amounts of sample, sorbent and organic solvents required for the extraction. The maximum amounts of the phenolic compounds were found in Qalqaf and Bramazu galls

Multi Directional Repeated Sprint Is a Valid and Reliable Test for Assessment of Junior Handball Players

The aim of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of a 10 × (6 × 5 m) multi-directional repeated sprint ability test (RSM) in elite young team handball (TH) players. Participants were members of the Iranian national team ( = 20, age 16.4 ± 0.7 years, weight 82.5 ± 5.5 kg, height 184.8 ± 4.6 cm, body fat 15.4 ± 4.3%). The validity of RSM was tested against a 10 × (15 + 15 m) repeated sprint ability test (RSA), Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery test Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1), squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ). To test the reliability of RSM, the participants repeated the testing sessions of RSM and RSA 1 week later. Both RSA and RSM tests showed good to excellent reliability of the total time (TT), best time (BT), and weakest time (WT). The results of the correlation analysis showed significant inverse correlations between maximum aerobic capacity and TT in RSA ( = -0.57, ≤ 0.05) and RSM ( = -0.76, ≤ 0.01). There was also a significant inverse correlation between maximum aerobic capacity with fatigue index (FI) in RSA test ( = -0.64, ≤ 0.01) and in RSM test ( = -0.53, ≤ 0.05). BT, WT, and TT of RSA was largely-to-very largely correlated with BT ( = 0.58, ≤ 0.01), WT ( = 0.62, ≤ 0.01), and TT ( = .65, ≤ 0.01) of RSM. BT in RSM was also correlated with FI in RSM ( = 0.88, ≤ 0.01). In conclusion, based on the findings of the current study, the recently developed RSM test is a valid and reliable test and should be utilized for assessment of repeated sprint ability in handball players