Challenges nurses experienced in caring for patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Intensive Care Units: A Qualitative Study

Background: Nurses working in intensive care units (ICU) have experienced numerous challenges while caring for patients with COVID-19.Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore ICU nurses’ experiences of caring for patients with COVID-19.Methods: This research presents part of a qualitative study conducted using a grounded theory approach. Participants consisted of nurses and physicians from the selected hospitals in Sabzevar, Neishabour, and Mashhad, Iran. Data collection was performed using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Participants were enrolled via purposive sampling during 2022–2023. A total of 21 participants were interviewed. The method of Corbin and Strauss (2015) was used to analyze the data. We used Guba and Lincoln’s four criteria of credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability to ensure data trustworthiness.Results: Four main categories emerged from the data that collectively reflect the experiences of Iranian ICU nurses in caring for COVID-19 patients. These categories included ward overcrowding, changing patterns, complexity of care, and feeling exhausted. All of these categories show that Iranian ICU nurses were under intense pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusion: This study showed that taking care of patients was very exhausting for nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital authorities and nursing administrators have a responsibility to support nurses and provide them facilities to feel less stress and uncertainty, while caring for patients with COVID-19

Strong interaction between T allele of endothelial nitric oxide synthase with B1 allele of cholesteryl ester transfer protein TaqIB highly elevates the risk of coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Background The present study was conducted to investigate the possible outcome of interaction between endothelial nitric oxide (NOS3) G894T and cholesteryl ester transfer TaqIB variants on the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The sample included a total of 207 CAD patients (102 CAD patients with T2DM and 105 CAD patients without T2DM). There were also 101 patients with T2DM and 92 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals as controls. All study participants were from Western Iran. The sample was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results The presence of NOS3 T allele was not associated with the risk of CAD or T2DM, and the CETP B1 allele was only significantly associated with the increased risk of CAD in total CAD patients (odds ratio (OR) = 5.1, p = 0.019). However, the concomitant presence of both CETP B1 and NOS3 T alleles significantly increased the risk of CAD in total CAD patients (OR = 18.1, p p = 0.03), and in CAD patients with T2DM (OR = 13.5, p = 0.002). Also, the presence of both alleles increased the risk of T2DM (OR = 12, p = 0.004). Conclusions Our findings, for the first time, indicate that NOS3 T allele strongly interacts with CETP B1 allele to augment the risk of CAD and T2DM in the population of Western Iran.</p