Myo-inositol effect on pregnancy outcomes in infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection: A double-blind RCT

Background: Myo-inositol is an intracellular mediator which is involved in various aspects of reproduction in women. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Myo-inositol on the outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles in infertile women. Materials and Methods: This double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted on 70 infertile women referred to the Infertility Treatment Center, Besat hospital, Sanandaj, Iran from May 2019 to September 2019 for IVF/ICSI cycles. The participants were randomly divided into 2 intervention (n = 36) and control (n = 34) groups. The intervention group received 2000 mg of Myo-inositol and 200 mcg folic acid twice a day for 2 months and the control group received 200 mcg of folic acid twice a day for 2 months in the IVF/ICSI cycles (from the third day of cycle until the end of the second month). Finally, the number of oocytes, the quality of embryos, and the IVF/ICSI outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. Results: The mean numbers of oocytes, MII oocytes, and 2 pronuclear embryos were significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group. Also, the clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in the intervention group were significantly higher than in the controls (p = 0.04). Conclusion: The administration of Myo-inositol may increase clinical pregnancy and live birth rates by increasing the number of total and meiosis II oocytes in infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI. Key words: Infertility, In vitro fertilization, Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, Myoinositol

The effect of carvacrol on respiratory syncytial virus infection in mice model: caution in the use of herbal medicines

Background and Objectives: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common viruses associated with acute lower respiratory tract infections in infants, young children, and the elderly. Due to a lack of effective anti-viral drugs or vaccines, using an immunomodulatory strategy is probably the best option to decrease the burden of RSV disease. Here, we studied carvacrol as a known immunomodulator on RSV infection outcome in a mice model. Materials and Methods: Balb/c mice were infected by intranasal inoculation of RSV-A2, and treatment started daily 24 h after infection. Mice were sacrificed on day five after infection and experimental analyses were performed to study airway immune cell influx, CD4 and CD8 subtypes, cytokine/chemokine secretion, lung histopathology, and viral load. Results: Results showed that using carvacrol enhanced immune cell influx, cytokine/chemokine production, and virus titer, and aggravated lung pathology. Our result showed that carvacrol administration increased viral titer compared to the RSV-PBS group. Also, carvacrol significantly induced IFN-γ production and did not induce IL-10 production. Besides, carvacrol non-significantly increased lymphocytes and monocytes count but did not affect the neutrophil count. Conclusion: Carvacrol at the concentration of 80 (mg/kg) did not show immunomodulatory activity to alleviate the RSV infection outcome. Further research is needed to uncover the effects of the carvacrol intervention on virus replication and immune responses following RSV infection. Many herbal remedies in use contain carvacrol. However, the use of herbal remedies to treat viral respiratory infections such as RSV has to be performed with caution

Identification of Standard of the Type and Number of Cohesion Devices in Children’s Texts

The present research deals with the identification of standard of the type and number of cohesion devices used in (10-12 years old) children’s texts. The database includes 400 (10-12 years old) texts written by children in Tehran, 60 stories by child writers, and 60 texts in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade course books. According to the findings, four types of conjunctive devices (additive, adversative, causal and temporal) are appeared in the texts written by 10-12 year-old children and the ones written for them (i.e., stories by child writers and texts in the course books). Furthermore, the comparison between the usage of conjunctive devices in both types of texts (i.e., productive and perceptive) showed that the standard of the type and number of cohesion devices indicate a kind of growth sequence in which additive devices appeared at first, followed by temporal devices, causal devices appearing next, and finally adversative devices are used. This process shows accumulative sequence of semantic growth; as a result, perception of coordination concept, sequence of occurrences, cause and effect relation, and contrast relation must have taken place for children. This finding is in line with that of Bloom et al. (1980), Kamari (2016), Shapiro and Hudson (1991) and Guna and Ngadiman (2015)

The effect of spiritual self-care training on the attachment of the mothers of premature babies hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Taleghani Hospital, Ilam

Background. The birth of a premature baby needing to be hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) endangers the initial mother-baby relationship, affecting mother-baby attachment. Therefore, it seems necessary to provide mothers of premature babies with appropriate nursing support. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of spiritual self-care training on the mother-baby attachment of mothers giving birth to premature babies hospitalized in the NICU. Methods. This was a semi-experimental study with pre-test/post-test design conducted on 60 mothers with babies admitted to the NICU of Taleghani Hospital of Ilam (30 participants in each of the intervention and control groups).Two questionnaires were used for data collection, including a demographic information questionnaire and the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS). Five self-care training sessions (45 minutes each) were held for mothers of the intervention group according to a self-care booklet prepared by the researcher. The attachment questionnaire was again completed after one week of the last training sessions by all participants, and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. Descriptive statistics were used to present quantitative (mean ±SD) and qualitative (frequency, %) variables. The normality of the data was checked using the Kolmogorov Smirnov test, and the MANOVA and univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tests were used to investigate the effects of the training on mother-baby attachment. The statistical significance level was considered P<0.05. Results. The means of the total attachment score in the intervention and control groups were obtained as 51.73 and 56.43 at the pretest and 53.36 and 49.77 at the post-test, respectively, indicating that spiritual self-care training was effective in improving mother-baby attachment (P<0.05). Conclusion. Our results showed that spiritual self-care training augmented mothers’ attachment to their babies hospitalized at the NICU. According to the results of the present study, it is suggested to pave the ground in clinical environments by educating nurses and caregivers and supporting the mother and the baby through spiritual self-care interventions to promote maternal attachment and improve their conditions. Practical Implications. According to the results of the present study, it is suggested to pave the ground in clinical environments by educating nurses and caregivers and supporting the mother and the baby through spiritual self-care interventions to promote maternal attachment and improve their conditions

A Study on the Relationship Between Happiness and Health Behaviors in Adolescents: Shahrekord 2019

Background and aims: Recently, positive psychology has received increasing importance, and research has shown that higher levels of happiness reduce the risk of mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between happiness and health behaviors in adolescents in Shahrekord. Methods: In this cross-sectional-analytical study conducted in 2018-2019, 428 first and second cycle secondary school students were enrolled and filled out the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and Health Behavior Questionnaire. Then, data were analyzed by SPSS. Results: The mean age of the participants was 15.42±1.59 (range: 12-18) years, and 158 (36.9%) of them were boys. The mean score of happiness was 48.34±18.98 out of 87 (range: 0-87), which is high. The mean score of health behaviors was calculated to be 12.21±1.66 out of 16 (range: 8-16), which is moderate. In addition, the mean happiness score was significantly associated with gender (P=0.001), education level (P=0.01), family income (P=0.001), living status with parents (P=0.015), and personal estimate of happiness status (P=0.001). Moreover, the mean score of health behaviors had a significant association with gender, educational district, education level, parents’ education level, birth order, income, and personal estimate of happiness (P<0.05). Further, scores on happiness and health behaviors were positively correlated with each other (r=0.391, P=0.001) and negatively correlated with age (r=-0.139, P=0.004). Conclusion: The levels of happiness among adolescent students were relatively good, their levels of health behaviors were moderate, and both of them were associated with each other and with demographic and socioeconomic variables. Accordingly, happiness should be promoted in society, particularly in students, to achieve a higher level of health-promoting behaviors. Keywords: Happiness, Health behaviors, Adolescent

Effect of acupressure with valerian oil 2.5% on the quality and quantity of sleep in patients with acute coronary syndrome in a cardiac intensive care unit

The purpose of this three-group double-blind clinical trial study was to investigate the effect of acupressure (指壓 zhǐ yā) with valerian (纈草 xié cǎo) oil 2.5% on the quality and quantity of sleep in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in a coronary intensive care unit (CCU). This study was conducted on 90 patients with ACS in Mazandaran Heart Center (Sari, Iran) during 2013. The patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Patients in the acupressure with valerian oil 2.5% group (i.e., valerian acupressure group) received bilateral acupoint (穴位 xué wèi) massage with two drops of valerian oil for 2 minutes for three nights; including every point this treatment lasted in total 18 minutes. Patients in the acupressure group received massage at the same points with the same technique but without valerian oil. Patients in the control group received massage at points that were 1–1.5 cm from the main points using the same technique and for the same length of time. The quality and quantity of the patients' sleep was measured by the St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire (SMHSQ). After the intervention, there was a significant difference between sleep quality and sleep quantity in the patients in the valerian acupressure group and the acupressure group, compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Patients that received acupressure with valerian oil experienced improved sleep quality; however, this difference was not statistically significant in comparison to the acupressure only group. Acupressure at the ear spirit gate (神門 shén mén), hand Shenmen, glabella (印堂 yìn táng), Wind Pool (風池 fēng chí), and Gushing Spring (湧泉 yǒng quán) acupoints can have therapeutic effects and may improve the quality and quantity of sleep in patients with ACS. Using these techniques in combination with herbal medicines such valerian oil can have a greater impact on improving sleep and reducing waking during the night

The Comparison of Acupressure and Valerian Oil Effect on Sleep Satisfaction, Heart Rate in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of acupressure and valerian oil on sleep satisfaction, heart rate and Heart Rate Variability in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Methods: This study is a clinical trial on 90 patients with acute coronary syndrome. Samples of the population selected of Sample available then randomly assigned in each group. The group of acupressure with valerian oil received massage of acupoint bilatral with two drops of Valerian oil second night in hospital. Acupressure group patient, received same acupoint massage with similar technique but without oil. Patients in the control group, received massage on unreal points with similar techniques and at the same time. Patient’s heart rate was recorded at the intervention night before, during, immediately after and 5 minutes after the intervention. The satisfaction of sleep was measured by VAS criteria  Results: The results showed that after the intervention, sleep satisfaction in the acupressure and acupressure group with valerian oil was significantly higher than the control group; the increase was statistically significant (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between mean heart rate changes during and after and immediately after intervention with basal heart rate in the three groups (P<0.0001)  Conclusion: This study showed that Acupressure and Valerian oil can both increase sleep satisfaction, relaxation, and therefore reduce heart rate in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Use National Early Warning Score In The Prognosis Of Stroke Patients In The Emergency Department

Introduction: Few scoring systems are used in the emergency department to identify critically ill patients and anticipate patients' deterioration such as National Early Warning Score (NEWS). This study aimed to evaluate NEWS in patients with acute stroke and its relationship with treatment and type of stroke and patient outcome.Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, all patients over 18 years of age with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke, who presented through the emergency department, were involved. The variables of interest were collected; the NEWs score was calculated for each patient.Results: In assessing NEWS and its relationship with outcome based on the ROC curve, the area under the curve was equal to 0.417. Considering the high intensity of NEWS above 7, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, PLR, and NLR were 16.67%, 98.77%, 83.33%, 74.45%, 13.5, 0.84 respectively. In assessing NEWS and its relationship with stroke type on the ROC curve, the (AUC) was equal to 0.526. Considering the high intensity of NEWS above 7, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, PLR, and NLR were 8.33%, 94.95%, 16.67%, 88.53%, 1.65, and 0.97 respectively.Conclusion: In terms of outcome, NEWS seems to have acceptable specificity and positive and negative predictive values. Regarding the type of stroke, NEWS has an acceptable specificity but it only has a negative predictive value about the non-hemorrhagic type of stroke. This means that if the NEWS number is LOW, the probability is that the type of stroke is ischemic and the patient outcome is good.&nbsp

State of the Art in Combination Immuno/Radiotherapy for Brain Metastases: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives: Common origins for brain metastases (BMs) are melanoma, lung, breast, and renal cell cancers. BMs account for a large share of morbidity and mortality caused by these cancers. The advent of new immunotherapeutic treatments has made a revolution in the treatment of cancer patients and particularly, as a new concept, if it is combined with radiotherapy, may lead to considerably longer survival. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the survival rate and toxicities of such a combination in brain metastases. Methods: To perform a systematic review of the literature until January 2021 using electronic databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase; the Newcastle&ndash;Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the quality of cohort studies. For data extraction, two reviewers extracted the data blindly and independently. Hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI), fixed-effect model, and inverse-variance method was calculated. The meta-analysis has been evaluated with the statistical software Stata/MP v.16 (The fastest version of Stata). Results: In the first step, 494 studies were selected to review the abstracts, in the second step, the full texts of 86 studies were reviewed. Finally, 28 studies were selected consisting of 1465 patients. The addition of IT to RT in the treatment of brain metastasis from melanoma and non-small-cell lung carcinoma was associated with a 39% reduction in mortality rate and has prolonged overall survival, with an acceptable toxicity profile. The addition of IT to RT compared with RT alone has a hazard ratio of 0.39(95% CI 0.34&ndash;0.44). Conclusions: A combination of immuno/radiotherapy (IR) for the treatment of patients with BMs from melanoma and non-small-cell lung carcinoma has prolonged overall survival and reduced mortality rate, with acceptable toxicity. In terms of timing, RT seems to have the best effect on the result when performed before or simultaneously with immunotherapy