Modern Care Journal
Volume:14 Issue: 3, Jul 2017

Cystic echinococcosis (CE), called hydatidosis, is caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus spp. This disease is reported from different parts of Iran, where numerous cyst surgeries are done. It has been determined that there are different genotypes of E. granulosus. A particular genotype of E. granulosus may create different clinical symptoms. Therefore, we used molecular methods to determine the genotypes of hydatid cysts surgically removed in Birjand hospitals.
In this cross-sectional study, all available paraffin-embedded samples (9 cases) of patients during 2006 to 2015 who underwent surgery for hydatidosis were studied. The diagnoses were confirmed retrospectively by pathologists from the department of pathology, Birjand University of Medical Sciences. The profile of cyst size, location, and fertility of the cysts were recorded and their mitochondrial cox1 and nad1 genes were sequenced. The data were analyzed using bioinformatics software to identify their genotypes.
All the human isolates (8/9) except one were genotype G6 of Echinococcus canadensis, while one isolate belonged to G1 genotype (sheep strain) of E. granulosus sensu stricto (s.s.). The localization of the parasite in the patients infected with G6 was determined to be as follows: liver (3), lung (3), and intra-abdominal (2). In the patient infected with genotypes G1 of E. granulosus, the cyst was isolated from the abdominal cavity; only this patient had undergone a previous surgery for the treatment of hydatid cysts. All the nad1 sequences of G6 cysts of E. canadensis belonged to a haplotype, which was the case of cox1 sequences.
It seems that the main cause of human hydatidosis in South Khorasan province is genotype G6 of Echinococcus canadensis. It should be noted that CE caused by G6 genotype grows faster than those caused by G1. Some studies have revealed a higher tendency of this genotype to infect the brain and pulmonary tissue that shows the clinical significance of G6 genotype in this region.

Providing patients with comfort is the basis of nursing care and a favorable outcome of nursing care measures. Comfort is of special importance to hemodialysis patients because they spend a large part of their lives in hemodialysis units and are constantly dealing with different physical and mental health problems. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of comfort-based interventions (back massage along with patient and family education) on the level of comfort among hemodialysis patients.
As a randomized controlled trial, this study was undertaken in 2016 in the hemodialysis unit of Shahid Chamran hospital, Ferdows, Iran. A convenience sample of forty hemodialysis patients was recruited. Patients were alternately allocated to control or intervention groups based on their hemodialysis days. The hospice comfort questionnaire was completed for all participants at the beginning and at the end of the study. This questionnaire showed that the comfort needs of patients were related to muscle cramps, headache, back pain, nausea, lack of knowledge about arteriovenous fistula care, dietary and treatment regimens, itching, rest and sleep disorders, and impaired comfort. Patients in the intervention group received massage as well as patient and family education in six consecutive hemodialysis sessions, while their counterparts in the control group solely received the routine care services of the study setting. The SPSS software (v. 18.0) was used for data analysis through running the paired- and the independent-sample t tests. The significance level was set at less than 0.05.
The mean scores of comfort and its environmental and psychospiritual dimensions significantly increased in the intervention group (P 0.05). However, after the intervention, there were significant between-group differences in the mean scores of comfort and its environmental dimension as well as in the pretest-posttest mean difference for the environmental dimension of comfort.

Aging population is increasing progressively. Therefore, determining factors behind their life satisfaction is among research priorities. The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation of grandparent-grandchild relationship and older adults’ life satisfaction.
This cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study was done on 377 older adults who were 60 years of age or older and lived in Kashan, Iran. Participants were selected via multistage sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was used for the assessment of grandparent-grandchild relationship and life satisfaction. Collected data were entered into the SPSS software (v. 23.0) and analyzed by running the Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses.
Participants aged 70.24 ± 8.20, on average, and were mostly female (62%). The mean scores of the association, emotional, and functional attachment dimensions of grandparent-grandchild relationship were 56.81 ± 13.18, 77.75 ± 16.64, and 68.22 ± 15.71, respectively. Moreover, the mean of life satisfaction was 81.40 ± 17.01. Life satisfaction was positively correlated with the association, emotional, and functional attachments (r = 0.31, 0.41, 0.35, respectively; P Grandparent-grandchild relationship can significantly improve older adults’ life satisfaction. Therefore, strategies are needed to strengthen this relationship.

Medical universities need to fulfill many requirements to achieve the goals of the Holistic Scientific Map on Health development based on Iran’s 20-year vision plan. This study aimed to determine information and communication technology requirements for the Holistic Scientific map on health from the perspectives of the administrators of medical universities.
This qualitative study was done in 2017 using the Delphi method and the nominal group technique. Sampling was done purposively and heterogeneously to recruit 20 junior, middle, and senior university managers. The MAXQDA software (v. 10.0) was used for qualitative data management and the SPSS software (v. 16.0) for quantitative data analysis.
Medical universities need to fulfill 20 information and communication technology requirements to achieve the goals of the Holistic Scientific Map on Health. The most important requirements are “creating electronic health record” (score: 691), “increasing internet bandwidth and speed” (score: 668), “establishing a customer relationship management system” (score: 667), “developing telehealth system” (score: 623), and “establishing a disease record system” (score: 586).
Creating an electronic health record is the most important requirement for reaching the goals of the Holistic Scientific Map on Health. However, there are different barriers and problems in fulfilling this requirement.

Hepatitis C is among the greatest global health challenges. It is a major risk factor for serious liver diseases. Stigmatization of hepatitis C by healthcare providers is one of the main barriers to its early diagnosis and effective treatment. The aim of this study was to assess hepatitis C knowledge and stigmatization among the students and the staff of Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
This descriptive-analytical epidemiological study was undertaken on 200 students, 100 nurses, 50 physicians, and 50 administrative staff affiliated to Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. A researcher-made hepatitis C knowledge and stigmatization questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected data were entered into the SPSS software (v. 18) and analyzed using the one-sample t-test and Pearson correlation analysis at a significance level of less than 0.05.
Participants were 278 women (69.5%) and 122 men (30.5%). The mean score of hepatitis C stigmatization was 82.33 ± 12.81 (out of a total possible score range of 28 - 140). This score was significantly lower than the possible mean score of the stigmatization questionnaire. Most participants obtained a low stigmatization score (63.8%) and a high knowledge score (66%). Hepatitis C stigmatization by participants was inversely correlated with their hepatitis C knowledge (r = -0.2; P People with greater knowledge about hepatitis C are less likely to stigmatize patients with hepatitis C. Therefore, educational interventions are needed to improve healthcare providers’ knowledge about hepatitis C in order to reduce the risk of hepatitis C stigmatization by them.

Neonatal infections are significantly correlated with maternal rectovaginal colonization with group B streptococcus during pregnancy. Therefore, screening programs are needed for identifying and treating group B streptococcus colonization among pregnant women. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of group B streptococcus rectovaginal colonization and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among pregnant women.
This descriptive-analytical study was conducted from June 2013 to June 2014 in 500 pregnant women admitted to the maternity unit of Valiasr hospital, Birjand, Iran. Rectovaginal samples were transported in Todd Hewitt broth to a university laboratory. The samples were cultured in blood agar medium and colonial growths in the medium were tested for chemical characteristics of group B streptococcus. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested via the agar disc diffusion method using Mueller-Hinton culture medium containing 5% - 10% sheep blood. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (v. 18.0) by running the Chi-square and Fisher exact tests at a significance level of less than 0.05.
The study findings revealed that the prevalence of group B streptococcus rectovaginal colonization was 5.2% (26 cases). The highest antimicrobial susceptibility of group B streptococcus was observed to ampicillin (92.2%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (88.5%), and penicillin G (88.5%), in sequence. Group B streptococcus rectovaginal colonization had significant relationships with age, number of parities, educational status, intrauterine contraceptive device use, history of drug abuse, history of vaginal or urinary tract infections, history of intrauterine fetal death, and history of neonatal death.
The prevalence of group B streptococcus rectovaginal colonization among pregnant women is 5.2%. Given the risks of infections for both women and their neonates, antibiotic therapy is needed to prevent and manage group B streptococcus colonization among pregnant women, particularly during delivery.

Pregnancy is associated with different problems and changes in the body. Fatigue is one of the pregnancy-related problems. It negatively effects quality of life and fetal growth and development. This study aimed at investigating the effects of Benson’s relaxation response on fatigue during pregnancy.
This two-group randomized controlled field trial was done on 54 pregnant females, who referred to the only urban healthcare center in Nehbandan, Iran, during year 2015. Females were purposively recruited and randomly allocated to control and intervention groups. Benson’s relaxation response was taught to the participants individually in the intervention group in 3 sessions and then, they were asked to perform relaxation exercises for 15 to 20 minutes twice daily for one month. Females in the control group received no relaxation training. Fatigue assessment was performed for both groups before and immediately after the intervention. The SPSS software (v. 21.0) was used for data analysis employing the paired-sample t, the independent-sample t, and the Chi-square tests as well as the one-way analysis of variance. The level of significance in all statistical tests was set at below 0.05.
During the study, fatigue significantly increased in the control group (P = 0.013) and significantly decreased in the intervention group (P = 0.035). Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the groups regarding the mean score of fatigue (P = 0.46), while after the intervention, the mean score of fatigue in the intervention group was significantly lower than the control group (P = 0.001).
Benson’s relaxation response is effective in reducing fatigue in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The prevalence of breast cancer is increasing among Iranian women. Breast cancer and its treatments can affect ones quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life and its contributing factors among patients with breast cancer.
This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2014 - 2015 on 108 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 - 2014 and had received cancer treatments for at least 3 months before recruitment to the study. Initially, a list of all eligible women was created based on the data available from the cancer record center in South Khorasan, Iran. Then, eligible women were contacted over the telephone and were invited to the study. The 30-item EORTC core quality of life questionnaire and the 23-item EORTC Breast cancer quality of life questionnaire were completed for participants through face-to-face interviews. Collected data were entered into the SPSS software (v. 16.0), where the two-way analysis of variance was conducted for data analysis at a significance level of less than 0.05.
The total mean score of quality of life was 2.01 ± 0.47. Around 85.2% of participants had low quality of life, 13.9% had medium quality of life, and 0.9% had high quality of life. Quality of life had significant relationships with marital status and income (P Only 0.9% of breast cancer patients have high quality of life and more than 85% of them have low quality of life. Women are at the heart of families and communities. Therefore, educational interventions and governmental support are needed for improving the quality of life among women with breast cancer.