مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی بابل
سال هجدهم شماره 5 (پیاپی 104، اردیبهشت 1395)

Involvement of fathers, as important members of every family, in the care of premature infants is a major challenge. Therefore, it is essential to understand the feelings of fathers towards infant care. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of kangaroo care on tension in fathers of premature infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit.
This quasi-experimental study was carried out in 2015 on 25 pairs of fathers and premature infants, hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital of Yazd, Iran. Kangaroo care was applied for 60 min every day over two weeks after feeding the infants and changing their diaper. After wearing a hospital gown, fathers sat on a chair in a comfortable position (angle of 45-60°). Then, the nurse placed the infant under the father's gown in a vertical position on the father's chest (chest-to-chest placement). The fathers completed the parental stress scale before and after the intervention.
FINDINGS: The mean total score of tension in fathers was 122.64±11.00 before the intervention and 90.72±13.04 after the intervention (p The results of the present study showed that kangaroo care could be effective in reducing tension in fathers of premature infants, hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units.

Sleep disorders in nurses due to rotational shiftwork and diversity of the working time are highly prevalent, which can be improved by aromatherapy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of aromatherapy with lavender essential oil on sleep quality of nurses covered by social security.
This clinical trial study was conducted in 78 nurses randomly divided into two groups of lavender and sesame oil (placebo). The participants used lavender essential oil and sesame oil for two hours in early hours of their shift for four weeks. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was employed to evaluate sleep quality of both groups pre-intervention and at the end of the second and fourth weeks of the intervention (IRCT: 201407176342N4).
FINDINGS: According to the results, mean ages of the lavender and placebo groups were 34.87±4.85 and 36.49±5.38 years, respectively. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding anthropometric variables (i.e., the mean height, weight, and overtime working hours). In addition, the groups were homogenous in terms of gender, marital status, work shift, department, and educational level. The results indicated no significant difference between the lavender and sesame groups regarding the mean scores of sleep quality (7.79±3.78 vs. 7.44±4.24); this mean was not significantly different between the groups at the end of the second and fourth weeks, as well.
In this study, lavender essential oil had no significant impact on sleep quality of the nurses

Chronic diseases, such as heart failure, have an adverse impact on the life of the patients and their families. Responsibilities of patient care may give rise to tension and anxiety, affecting the mental and physical health of caregivers. Educational interventions have been shown to enhance the quality of care, as well as the mental and physical health of patient caregivers. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a designated educational intervention on the improvement of quality of life in caregivers of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).
This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 120 family caregivers of CHF patients admitted to the Cardiac Care Unit of Ghaem Hospital of Mashhad, Iran in 2014. Participants were selected via available sampling and randomly allocated to two groups of intervention and control. Designated educational program consisted of face-to-face interviews with the participants in the intervention group, while control subjects only received routine care and training. Data were collected using the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) to assess the quality of life in both groups before and one month after the intervention (IRCT: 2014072118552N1).
FINDINGS: In this study, no statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of demographic characteristics and eight domains of SF-36 at the beginning of the study. One month after the designated educational intervention, total mean score of quality of life was 81.82±2.75 in the intervention group and 75.97±4.36 in the control group, which had a statistically significant increase compared to before the intervention (p According to the results of this study, implementation of designated educational programs could improve the quality of life of the caregivers of CHF patients.

Neonatal resuscitation training for healthcare workers can prevent pregnancy-related mortality and reduce disability among birth asphyxia survivors. Since the participation of nurses in workshops is not always possible for recertification, in this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of self-learning, using the new edition of neonatal resuscitation textbook on the improvement of nurses’ skills and knowledge in this area.
In this cross-sectional study, 58 nurses at Babol hospitals, who had received the neonatal resuscitation certificate less than two years ago, were provided with the new edition of neonatal resuscitation textbook (published in 2011). Practical training was performed under the supervision of a trained instructor at the skill laboratory. After eight weeks, a knowledge test was performed based on the textbook, and Megacode skill test was carried out, using the skill assessment checklist in the textbook. The scores were rated as follows: poor ( 19). Afterwards, the mean scores of the previous workshop and self-learning were compared.
FINDINGS: The comparison of knowledge scores revealed that 39.4% and 56.9% of the subjects obtained favorable scores in the previous workshop and self-learning (p=0.27), 10.4% and 36.2% obtained acceptable scores (p=0.05), and 44.8% and 6.8% had poor scores (p=0.0002), respectively. Moreover, the comparison of skill scores showed that 48.3% and 34.5% of the subjects obtained favorable scores in the previous workshop and self-learning (p=0.33), 34.5% and 43.1% had acceptable scores (p=0.052), and 17.2% and 22.3% obtained poor scores (p=0.56), respectively.
Based on the obtained results, self-learning is more effective in improving theoretical knowledge rather than practical skills. Therefore, participation in skill workshops is recommended for the improvement of neonatal resuscitation skills.

In traditional Iranian medicine, use of medicinal herbs is prevalent for the treatment and alleviation of pain and inflammation. Echinophora Platyloba is one of the major medicinal herbs with confirmed anti-cancer, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal effects. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the analgesic effects of E. platyloba hydroalcoholic extracts in male rats.
In this experimental study, 42 rats were divided into six groups, i.e., control group, extract groups (80, 100, and 300 mg/kg via intraperitoneal injection), morphine group (1 mg/kg via intraperitoneal injection), and naloxone group (1 mg/kg of naloxone along with 300 mg/kg of the extract). To evaluate the analgesic effects of the extracts, rating, tail flick, and formalin tests were performed.
FINDINGS: In the writhing test, doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg of the extracts could decrease the rating score from 43.3±22.61 to 27.31±2.34 (p According to the present results, E. platyloba hydroalcoholic extracts have central and peripheral analgesic effects.