Lived Experience of Women Suffering from Vitiligo: A Phenomenological Study

Vitiligo is a chronic skin disease, which through change of appearance and body image, exerts a devastating effect on people, especially women. The objective of this study is to explore lived experience of women with Vitiligo by the hermeneutic phenomenology method. The purposive sample consisted of 16 Iranian women. Data analysis followed Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner (1989). The results showed four main themes: (1) Perceiving myself in a different light; (2) Vitiligo: Worry about others’ perceptions; (3) Vitiligo, Being influenced by cultural beliefs; and (4) Accepting and fighting the disease; Variations in experiences of living with Vitiligo. The women affected with Vitiligo during their marriage-ready years face various psychosocial problem s such as rejection by associates, isolation, divorce, and forced choice of a single lif

Detection of eight foodborne bacterial pathogens by oligonucleotide array hybridization

Background: Simultaneous and rapid detection of multiple foodborne bacterial pathogens is important for the prevention of foodborne illnesses. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of 16S rDNA and 23S rDNA sequences as targets for simultaneous detection of eight foodborne bacterial pathogens. Methods: Nineteen bacterial oligonucleotide probes were synthesized and applied to nylon membranes. Digoxygenin labeled 16S rDNA and 23S rDNA from bacteria were amplified by PCR using universal primers, and the amplicons were hybridized to the membrane array. Hybridization signals were visualized by NBT/BCIP color development. Results: The eight intestinal bacterial pathogens including Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Vibrio cholerae, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Enterococcus faecalis were appropriately detected in a panel of oligonucleotide array hybridization. The experimental results showed that the method could discriminate the bacterial pathogens successfully. The sensitivity of oligonucleotide array was 103 CFU/ml. Conclusion: This study showed that 16S rDNA and 23S rDNA genes had sufficient sequence diversity for species identification and were useful for monitoring the populations of foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, results obtained in this study revealed that oligonucleotide array hybridization had a powerful capability to detect and identify the bacterial pathogens simultaneously

The Lived Experiences of Pregnancy in Women with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): A Phenomenological Study

Introduction: Pregnancy is a challenging period for any woman; it is a more sensitive and challenging time for women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV-infected women are facing a sense of stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion during pregnancy. However, little is known about the experience of pregnancy in HIV-positive women. The present study aimed to explore the lived experiences in HIV-positive pregnant women. Method: This was a qualitative study with hermeneutic phenomenological approach. 12 HIV-infected pregnant women who referred to counseling center for behavioral diseases in Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, Iran, in 2014, were recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and the richness of data was achieved after 16 interviews during 40 to 90 minutes with participants. The data were analyzed using Diekelmann method. Results: Participants were between 22-39 years of age. After data analysis, the main theme (renewal of stigma) and 2 subthemes (blame and rejection) emerged. Conclusion: Although the experience of pregnancy in HIV-positive women was associated with renewal of stigma, pregnancy provides for blame and rejection. The findings of this study emphasize on the necessity of integrating training and education programs to reduce the stigma of HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Keywords: Social stigma, Pregnancy, HIV-positive, Women, Qualitative researc

Seafarers’ mental health status and life satisfaction: Structural equation model

Background: A variety of factors influence seafarers' health. Such factors might affect their satisfaction with life. Aims: To examine the relationships between seafarers' mental health status and satisfaction with life by using a structural equation method. Methods: In this survey, 470 seafarers were selected via convenience sampling method from two shipping companies. Validated questionnaires including Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder-8 (PTSD-8), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), Perceived Health status and Depression-Anxiety-Stress scale-21 (DASS-21) were used to assess different aspects of well-being and life satisfaction. The stratified path analysis method was applied to analyze the data. Results: 439 seafarers (200 officers and 237 non-officers) with a mean age of 34.5 (SD: 8.05) participated in the current study. The GHQ score directly affected satisfaction with life in both officers (β = 0.35) and non-officers (β = 0.40). Also, perceived health status directly and indirectly affected satisfaction with life among officers (β = 0.19) and non-officers (β = 0.06). While officers working days per month indirectly impacted satisfaction with life through the general anxiety disorder, perceived health status, depression, anxiety, stress and current mental health. In non-officers, generalized anxiety disorder had the most potent indirect effects on satisfaction with life through perceived health status and current mental health. Conclusion: Perceived health status, directly and indirectly, affected seafarers' satisfaction with life. Measures should be taken in order to improve seafarers' perceived health status and its effects on satisfaction with life

Fear of cancer recurrence and its predictive factors among Iranian cancer patients

Fear of cancer recurrence (FOCR) is one of the most important psychological problems among cancer patients. In extensive review of related literature there were no articles on FOCR among Iranian cancer patients. Aim: The aim of present study was to investigation FOCR and its predictive factors among Iranian cancer patients. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study 129 cancer patients participated. For data collection, the demographic checklist and short form of fear of progression questionnaire was used. Logistic regression was used to determine predictive factors of FOCR. Result: Mean score of FOCR among participants was 44.8 and about 50% of them had high level of FOCR. The most important worries of participants were about their family and the future of their children and their lesser worries were about the physical symptoms and fear of physical damage because of cancer treatments. Also, women, breast cancer patient, and patients with lower level of education have more FOCR. Discussion: There is immediate need for supportive care program designed for Iranian cancer patients aimed at decreasing their FOCR. Especially, breast cancer patients and the patient with low educational level need more attention

Children’s and adolescents’ rising animal-source food intakes in 1990–2018 were impacted by age, region, parental education and urbanicity

Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. Here, we use data from the Global Dietary Database and Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify global, regional and national ASF intakes between 1990 and 2018 by age group across 185 countries, representing 93% of the world’s child population. Mean ASF intake was 1.9 servings per day, representing 16% of children consuming at least three daily servings. Intake was similar between boys and girls, but higher among urban children with educated parents. Consumption varied by age from 0.6 at <1 year to 2.5 servings per day at 15–19 years. Between 1990 and 2018, mean ASF intake increased by 0.5 servings per week, with increases in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, total ASF consumption was highest in Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, and lowest in Uganda, India, Kenya and Bangladesh. These findings can inform policy to address malnutrition through targeted ASF consumption programmes.publishedVersio

Incident type 2 diabetes attributable to suboptimal diet in 184 countries

The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not well established. This risk assessment model estimated T2D incidence among adults attributable to direct and body weight-mediated effects of 11 dietary factors in 184 countries in 1990 and 2018. In 2018, suboptimal intake of these dietary factors was estimated to be attributable to 14.1 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI), 13.8–14.4 million) incident T2D cases, representing 70.3% (68.8–71.8%) of new cases globally. Largest T2D burdens were attributable to insufficient whole-grain intake (26.1% (25.0–27.1%)), excess refined rice and wheat intake (24.6% (22.3–27.2%)) and excess processed meat intake (20.3% (18.3–23.5%)). Across regions, highest proportional burdens were in central and eastern Europe and central Asia (85.6% (83.4–87.7%)) and Latin America and the Caribbean (81.8% (80.1–83.4%)); and lowest proportional burdens were in South Asia (55.4% (52.1–60.7%)). Proportions of diet-attributable T2D were generally larger in men than in women and were inversely correlated with age. Diet-attributable T2D was generally larger among urban versus rural residents and higher versus lower educated individuals, except in high-income countries, central and eastern Europe and central Asia, where burdens were larger in rural residents and in lower educated individuals. Compared with 1990, global diet-attributable T2D increased by 2.6 absolute percentage points (8.6 million more cases) in 2018, with variation in these trends by world region and dietary factor. These findings inform nutritional priorities and clinical and public health planning to improve dietary quality and reduce T2D globally.publishedVersio

Others\' Presence on the Life Experiences of People Stuttering

Objective: Stuttering is a disorder that not only affects the person's oral communications but also makes problems for behavioral aspects including both personal and social ones. This study aims at identifying the attitudes of such phenomenon and detecting the life experriences of those stuttering in order to help speech therapists carry out comprehensive and effective therapy plans to decrease stuttering and to contribute them to have a better and more convenient life and social activities. Materials & Methods: This reasearch has been done in a qualitative research and the phenomenology approach. Tewenty one adults who stutter purposefully selected and interviewed in deep and focus groups. The interviewees’ words were completely recorded and the subjects were written down by listening to the participants’ oral discriptions.The themes obtained from the life experiences of those stuttering categorized based on the Van Manon's method and analyzed as well. Results: The life experiences of people stuttering appeared in eight domains as below: 1- Being humiliated by others 2- Trying to content others in dialogue 3- Understanding of others of stutter 4-Other s Gender 5- Being ridiculed by others 6- Other s pity 7- Speaking completed by others 8- Other s Impatient and little attention 9- Other s Position and status Conclusion: Stuttering is a multi-dimensional disorder influencing on both making speech disabilities and all the aspects of the person's life. This disorder makes problems for inter- personal communications and influences the life quality of the one stuttering. According to the degree of its intensity, it affects on the occupational, family and educational situations. Others' presence highly arouses the outlook of the person stuttering. Meantime, the teachers, classmates and families play a significant role in the person's affections and emotions. Removing speech symptoms can not alone contribute to improvement,modifying the person's outlook is very essential to treat stuttering, though. Thus, the speech therapist is not able to cure stuttering only by removing thte speech symptom

An Epidemiological Study of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Rate and a Comparison with Other Poisonings Recorded in Mazandaran Department of Forensic Medicine, 2009-2011

Background: Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas. Since there is currently no information on the prevalence of carbon monoxide poisoning in Mazandaran, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of carbon monoxide poisoning and compare its prevalence with other poisonings recorded in Mazandaran Department of Forensic Medicine, from 2009 to 2011. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical study, in which the information was received from Mazandaran Department of Forensic Medicine. Results: Among the 2446 human deaths in 2009, 2010, 2011, 237 deaths were due to poisoning and 27 (11.4%) were due to carbon monoxide poisoning, which ranked third after narcotic and Aluminum phosphide intoxication. Poisoning in males was 1.7 times more than females. Co was the most common cause of deaths among people aged 21 to 30 years. Conclusion: Considering the fact that in most cases of poisoning deaths caused by CO (silent killer) come by quietly and in a hidden manner, CO actually makes any defense and escape impossible for the person and despite seeing the shadow of death, that person will inevitably surrender and will be defeated. Therefore, it is necessary to educate and inform the public through media and educational institutions about the risks and sources of CO poisoning