Iranian Nursing Students' Perceptions of Nursing and The Ideal Career: A Descriptive Comparative Study

Background: Identification of the attributes of nursing and the ideal career, and their similarities and differences, as perceived by nursing students will help to plan strategies to train and retain future nursing workforce. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the attributes of nursing with the ideal career, as perceived by nursing students. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2012 at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The participants were 181 undergraduate nursing students (127 females and 54 males) selected using a census method. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, Spearman correlation, and Wilcoxon rank sign test. Results: Perceptions of nursing and the ideal career were different in nineteen attributes (P < 0.001). Nursing students expected a career which provides them more respect, appreciation, safety, income, power, and facility. Both nursing and an ideal career share an altruistic nature, academic advancement, a desire to please God, and somehow low level of excitement. Conclusions: Perceptions of nursing were significantly different from those of the ideal career in most of the attributes. Therefore, it is recommended that nurses’ income, workplace safety, and sense of being appreciated and respected by all authorities should be improved

The Effect of Problem Solving Skills Training on Emotional Intelligence of Nursing Students of Shiraz (2008)

Introduction: Problem solving is an important skill for living in nowadays world. Due to their professional responsibility and occupation in a complicated therapeutic environment, nurses should be skillful enough for problem solving in order to handle them. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the effect of problem solving course on nursing students' emotional intelligence of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in year 2008. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 43 senior nursing students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Primarily students were asked to complete questionnaires of demographic data and “Bar-On" test for emotional intelligence evaluation. Then, they were randomly divided into two groups of experimental (N=20) and control (N=23). Six sessions of problem solving course based on D'zurilla and Goldfride social problem solving protocol, was performed for students of experimental group. Emotional intelligence assessment repeated for both groups immediately and 2 months after training. Data was analyzed through statistical tests of Mann Whitney, Wilcoxon, Repeated Measure ANOVA, and Pearson correlation Coefficient. Results: Standardization of emotional intelligence scores among students of experiment group showed a statistically significant difference for these scores achieved immediately (105.87±9.82) and 2 months after intervention (109.44±9.56) compared to the one before (101.22±10.93) intervention (p<0.01). The mean score of problem solving skill among students of experiment group showed also a statistically significant difference comparing the scores achieved immediately after intervention (8.31±77.75) and 2 months after that (8.00±78.75) to that of before intervention (11.95±71.35) (p<0.01). This is while control group showed no statistically significant difference considering these variables. Only 20 percent of students enjoyed a high emotional intelligence before intervention, while this increased to 40 percent of high intelligence and 10 percent of very high emotional intelligence 2 months after intervention. Conclusion: Problem solving skills lead to promotion of emotional intelligence among students of experiment group compared to control group. This result was stable not only immediately after intervention but also after two months. Therefore problem solving education in various nursing domains such as education, research, management and clinic, is recommended

Nanotechnology in peripheral nerve repair and reconstruction

The recent progress in biomaterials science and development of tubular conduits (TCs) still fails in solving the current challenges in the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs), in particular when disease-related and long-gap defects need to be addressed. Nanotechnology-based therapies that seemed unreachable in the past are now being considered for the repair and reconstruction of PNIs, having the power to deliver bioactive molecules in a controlled manner, to tune cellular behavior, and ultimately guide tissue regeneration in an effective manner. It also offers opportunities in the imaging field, with a degree of precision never achieved before, which is useful for diagnosis, surgery and in the patientâ s follow-up. Nanotechnology approaches applied in PNI regeneration and theranostics, emphasizing the ones that are moving from the lab bench to the clinics, are herein overviewed.The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the financial support provided to Joaquim M. Oliveira (IF/01285/2015) and Joana Silva-Correia (IF/00115/2015) under the program “Investigador FCT”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Curcumin and Biodegradable Membrane Promote Nerve Regeneration and Functional Recovery after Sciatic Nerve Transection in Adult Rats

Background Curcumin has immunomodulatory anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of curcumin and biodegradable membrane on nerve healing in rat sciatic nerve transected injuries. Methods Rats were divided into groups: (1) control group (Ctrl), (2) curcumin group (Cur), (3) membrane group (Mem), and (4) membrane and curcumin group (Mem + Cur). Functional recovery was evaluated at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after surgery. At the end of the eighth week after surgery, histological assessments were done. Results At the end of 8th week after surgery, functional assessments (sciatic nerve index, withdrawal reflex latency, and electromyography) in the Mem + Cur group improved compared with other groups (P < 0.05). Histological results (number of nerve fibers, diameter of nerve fibers, and myelin thickness) improved in the Mem + Cur group compared with the control, Cur, and Mem groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion The present study showed the positive effects of Mem + Cur on nerve regeneration of transected sciatic nerve in rat model. © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved

Comparison of Post Extubation Complications in 3 Different States of Filling Endotracheal Tube Cuff with Lidocaine 4% in Elective Surgery Patients

ABSTRACT: Introduction & Objective: Endotracheal intubation during general anesthesia is necessary to control the ventilation of patients during surgery. Nevertheless, the endotracheal tube as an external object can stimulate the patient’s airway during the emergence from general anesthesia and create different reactions and complications. To prevent these reactions, a wide variety of interventions have been examined. In this study, post-extubation endotracheal tube complications are investigated in 3 different states of lidocaine 4% for filling endotracheal tube cuffs. Materials & Methods: In this quasi-experimental clinical trial study executed in one of Shiraz hospitals during 2005-2006, 200 candidates of elective surgery being in class1 and 2 ASA were randomly divided into 4 groups (N=50). The endotracheal tube cuffs of each group members were filled with (5-10ml) distilled water, lidocaine 4%, alkalized lidocaine 4% and warmed alkalized lidocaine 4%, respectively. The patients were observed for complications such as cough (for 6 hrs), sore throat, hoarseness (for 24 hrs) and laryngospasm (immediately) after extubation. The data were analyzed by chi square and logistic regression using SPSS. Results: The findings revealed that the frequency of cough, sore throat and hoarseness was more in the control (distilled water) group as compared to the 2 groups of the study (alkalized lidocaine 4% and warmed alkalized lidocaine 4%). Distilled water and lidocaine 4% groups differed significantly in only the frequency of sore throat. The odds ratio of cough, sore throat and hoarseness was just significant for the distilled water group in comparison to warmed alkalized lidocaine 4 %. Furthermore the odds ratio of the above-mentioned complications was significant for the distilled water and lidocaine 4% groups in comparison to the warmed alkalized lidocaine 4% group. Among all the considered variables, the duration of tube existence in trachea was significantly effective in the frequency of complications. Conclusion: Filling endotracheal tube cuffs with alkalized lidocaine 4% and warmed alkalized lidocaine 4% decreases the frequency of the post-extubation complications (cough, sore throat and hoarseness). The odds ratio for the observed complications is less in the warmed alkalized lidocaine 4% group as compared to other groups