A quantitative study of Iranian nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards pain: Implication for education

It is well documented that pain management and pain assessment is an indispensible part of the nursing care of patients. This study sought to quantify the current knowledge and attitudes of nursing students in Iran about pain management. We conducted a cross-sectional study using a well-validated questionnaire entitled the `Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pain Tool', previously used to evaluate undergraduate nursing students. Results from the survey questionnaire showed that there was a severe deficit in knowledge relating to pain and its management. It is argued that there is a real need for improving the content of pain and its management in the undergraduate nursing education curriculum, which might improve the delivery of optimal nursing care of patients. The limitations of the study are discussed and some recommendations are made for reforming pain management education for future practice

The effectiveness of fasting on the intraocular pressure in individuals suffering from open –angle glaucoma

زمینه و هدف: فشار داخل چشم یکی از ریسک فاکتورهای قابل درمان در گلوکوم است و کانون اصلی درمان را تشکیل می دهد. تغییر در میزان فشار داخل چشمی بویژه در افراد مبتلا به گلوکوم در اثر روزه داری از جمله سوالاتی است که هنوز پاسخ قاطعی به آن داده نشده است. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی تاثیر روزه داری در ماه مبارک رمضان بر فشار داخل چشمی در افراد مبتلا به گلوکوم زاویه باز انجام شد. روش بررسی: این مطالعه به صورت کوهورت خود شاهدی در طی ماه رمضان 1388 بر روی بیماران داوطلب بالای 45 سال مبتلا به گلوکوم زاویه باز انجام شد. فشار داخل چشم 50 چشم از بیماران که حداقل 25 روز از ماه مبارک را روزه گرفته بودند درچهار نوبت قبل از ماه رمضان، روز پنجم، پانزدهم و بیست و پنجم ماه مبارک ثبت شد. بیماران حداقل دو هفته قبل از ماه رمضان و در طول دوره مطالعه داروهای خود را به صورت معمول مصرف نمودند. اطلاعات با استفاده از آزمون آماری آنالیز واریانس مشاهدات تکراری مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرار گرفت. یافته ها: میانگین سنی بیماران 31/10±16/65 سال و 65 مرد بودند. فشار چشم بیماران نسبت به قبل از ماه رمضان روند کاهش داشت و در روز بیست و پنجم نسبت به قبل از ماه رمضان (37/0±08/16 میلی متر جیوه) معنی دار بود (001/0

Empathy in Iranian medical students: A preliminary psychometric analysis and differences by gender and year of medical school

Background: It has been well documented that effective empathic communication in the context of patient care is associated with improved health care outcomes. However, the emphasis given to empathy in medical education in Iran is limited, and the state of such teaching is unknown in many countries. Aims: To determine the psychometric properties of an Iranian translation of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) among medical students, and to examine the differences on mean empathy scores by gender and the different years of medical school. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students. Data analysis was based on 181 questionnaires. Principal component analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation was used to identify the number and composition of components constituting the developed constructs. Results: The PCA yielded three factors: Compassionate care, perspective-taking, and the ability to walk in the patient's shoes. No statistically significant differences in the empathy means scores were found by gender and the different years of medical school. Conclusions: The Persian version of JSPE is a psychometrically sound instrument to measure empathy. Cultural backgrounds and pedagogical practice may influence medical students' attitudes towards empathy. Some recommendations are made, and the study limitations are discussed

Effects of healthy lingual local sense on formant frequencies of Persian vowels

Introduction: In order to evaluate the effects of healthy lingual local sense on the phonetic quality of Persian vowels, changes in their main acoustic features were analyzed following local anesthesia the surface and sides of the tongue to partly block the normal neural feedback mechanisms in speech. Materials and Methods: Six Persian vowels (/a/, /o/, /u/, /e/, /i/, /æ/) were prolonged 3 times using habitual loudness with and without lingual local anesthesia (Lidocaine Hydrochloride Oral Topical Solution, USP (Viscous) 2) by 5 male speakers. The formant frequencies of vowels (F1and F2) were analyzed and compared using the Speech Studio Package (Laryngograph Ltd). Results: The difference between mean values of F1 and F2 before and after lingual local anesthesia were not statistically different for the /a/, /æ/ and /u/ vowels (p0. 05). The mean value of F2 for this vowel was decreased to 262 Hz. The difference between the mean values of F1 and F2 before and after local anesthesia were also significantly different for the /e/ and /i/ vowels (p>0. 05). Conclusion: According to our results, lingual local sense has effects on the production of some Persian vowels. Perhaps the healthy local sense of the tongue and normal articulatory models has an important role in the production of vowels

Immunization following hepatitis B mass vaccination in the 18 years old students in Chaharmahal va Bakhtyari province in Iran

Background and aims: The main objective of immunization by hepatitis B vaccine is to generate adequate concentration of anti hepatitis B antibody (HBsAB) in the serum. This study was aimed to determine the effectiveness of hepatitis B vaccination campaign in 18 years old students in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province. Methods: In a cross- sectional study, 360 students with 18 years old (born in 1989) and have taken 3 doses of hepatitis vaccine in national vaccination campaign in 2007, were selected by cluster sampling. This study was performed in 2008 in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province in the central of I.R of Iran. The level of hepatitis B antibody was detected by quantitative ELIZA method using Dialab Kit. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software by X2 and t-test. Results: Of 360 students, 164(45%) cases were male and 174 (48/3%) cases were from urban areas. Just 349 students (96/95%) have acceptable immunization responses, (In those anti hepatitis B antibodies were more than 20 IU/ml). There was no significant relationship between the level of antibody and variables such as: sex, born places, smoking, contact history, previous disease and Hejamat (P>0.05). Conclusion: Considering the results of the present study and previous researches from others countries, we can emphasize that the mass vaccination has been effective in those 18 years old students and we can be sure that the vaccination has been performed perfectly in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province

The involvement of clinicians in medical education research

Background Medical education, like other forms of professional preparation, is a complex and demanding process, which can benefit enormously from careful research. Although such research can be conducted by researchers from outside medical education, there is also a clear need for clinicians to participate in such research and conduct studies that can draw upon their experience and insights. However, despite recent endeavours to involve clinical educators in such research, there are very few published articles reporting research conducted by such individuals. Objective To explore the factors that impact upon clinicians’ engagement in medical education research. Method Interview data, concerning potential involvement in medical education research, were gathered directly from 20 clinicians. A detailed systematic analysis was conducted on the interview transcripts. Results Three general themes emerged from the interviews, all of which relate to clinicians’ engagement in medical education research. They are: (a) effective leadership, (b) promoting professional growth, and (c) all-encompassing support. Conclusion The study shows that there is a need for clinical leaders with inspirational qualities to drive research in medical education. Also, clinicians need better training in educational research methods and more funding is needed to support this type of researc

Comparison of operation room staffs and patients perspectives from “patient privacy” in the operating room

Background and aims: Privacy is one of the fundamental human rights and its consideration during health care is required and caused to maintain dignity and trust between the nurse and patient. This study was performed with the aim of investigateing the privacy of patients in the hospital operating room of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences from the view of the staff and patients. Methods: This research was a decscriptive-analytic study. 38 operating room personnel and 88 patients who had surgery were selected by census and simple random sampling. Data were collected by a questionaire made by researcher. Data were analyzed using SPSS software with chi-square and t- test. Results: The results showed paying respect to privacy in physical dimention was considered from the standpoints of operating room personnel 62.9, the researcher's observations 60.7 and patients 78.9. Paying respect to privacy has been estimated in social dimension from the view of staff and patients’and the researcher's observation 4, 11, and 5.3, respectively. Paying respect to privacy was considered from informational dimension, from the staff, patients’, and researcher's observations views 54.2 and 79.5, respectively. In total, the results showed there was significant relationship between paying respect to privacy and gender so that more precent of patients stated having no paying respect privacy in physical dimension (P=0.022). Conclusion: Therapy personel and researcher’s observations due to awareness of legal and ethical rules in this regard evaluated paying respect patient’s privacy in the low level. It is obvious to pay more attention personnel and authorities to moral standards in patient care

The effects of ethanol extract of berberis vulgaris fruit on histopathological changes and biochemical markers of the liver damage in diabetic rats

Various studies have shown that the diabetes is associated with liver failure. The objective of this study was determining the effects of Berberis vulgaris fruit on histopathological and biochemical markers of liver in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 60 male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g with free access to water and ad libitum were randomly divided to five twelve-membered groups including healthy control (group 1), diabetic control (group 2, this two groups received distilled water), treated diabetic positive control (group 3) using dose 150 mg/kg/day metformin, and two groups treated with doses 200 (group 4) and 600 (group 5) mg/kg/BW of B. vulgaris extracts via gavage feeding for 8 weeks. Diabetes mellitus was experimentally induced by one dose injection of alloxan 120 mg/kg. This pre-clinical study was performed on 120 mg/kg alloxan induced diabetic rats. Results: The hepatic steatosis status, liver cholestasis and fibrosis were not changed in group 4 and 5. Glycogen deposition changed mildly and polymorphonuclear neutrophils infiltration changed moderately at group 5. Liver hepatitis changed mildly and severely at group 3 as well as group 5, respectively. Glucose, serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase were lower in high dose group compared to other groups. Conclusion: Results suggested that B. vulgaris extract can decrease liver damage by influencing hepatic histopathological and biochemical markers in diabetic rat

Comparison effects of olive leaf extract and oleuropein compounds on male reproductive function in cyclophosphamide exposed mice

Spermatogenesis is a complicated process in which sperm is susceptible to various chemotherapy drugs such as cyclophosphamide (CP). As olive leaf extract (OLE) and its active ingredient, oleuropein, have variousantioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of OLE and oleuropein on male reproductive function focusing antioxidative effects and histological modifications in the testes of CP-exposed mice. In order to do this, 80 NMRI male mice were divided into eight groups including control group, group received CP, group received OLE, group received oleuropein, group received OLE following CP exposure, group received oleuropein following CP exposure, group received OLE plus oleuropein and group received OLE plus oleuropein following CP exposure. In all groups CP (single dose of 100 mg/kg (, OLE (100 mg/kg for consequence 28 days) and oleuropein (100 mg/kg for consequence 28 days) were injected intraperitoneally. Moreover, testis histology, sperm parameters and serum levels of LH, FSH, MDA and antioxidant capacity were investigated. Results showed that CP caused oxidative state and abnormal changes in sperms and testes. Besides, treatments with oleuropein and OLE led to mitigate the harmful effects of CP on the male reproductive system. In conclusion, our findings showed that olive's compounds can diminish the hazardous effects of CP on spermatogenesis in mice. Keywords: Spermatogenesis, Olive leaf extract, CyclophosphamideMice, Oleuropein, Cell biology, Plant biology, Pharmaceutical science, Pathophysiology, Laboratory medicin