Journal of Clinical and Basic Research
Volume:3 Issue: 2, Spring 2019

Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric disorders that can cause functional impairment, which necessitates development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and neurofeedback in reducing symptoms of anxiety. This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. Study population included 24 students with anxiety disorders who were referred to the psychological consultation center at Payame Noor University, Torbat-e Jam (Iran) in 2018. The subjects were selected based on psychiatric interview and the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. They were randomly divided into two groups: the first group received 10 weekly 90-minute sessions of cognitive-behavioral group therapy, while the second group received 10 weekly 30-minute sessions of neurofeedback. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20) at significance level of 0.05. The groups were matched in terms of age and education level. The mean pretest score of anxiety did not differ significantly between the groups (P=0.01). After the intervention, the mean score of anxiety decreased significantly in the cognitive-behavioral therapy group (P=0.001) and in the neurofeedback group (P=0.0001). There was a significant difference between the effects of neurofeedback and cognitive-behavioral group therapy (P = 0.012). Our results suggest that both cognitive-behavioral therapy and neurofeedback can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety in students. However, the effectiveness of neurofeedback is significantly higher than that of cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing the symptoms of anxiety.

Drug poisoning is a serious global health problem that sometimes requires hospitalization and intensive care. This study investigates clinical and demographic profile of acute poisoning cases admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of 5 Azar hospital in Gorgan, Iran. This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 440 acute drug poisoning cases (224 men and 190 women) who had been admitted to the ICU of the hospital from March 2008 to March 2018. Data were collected with a checklist and using the census method. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (version 16) and the Chi-square test. Of 440 cases, 54.1% were male and 43.7% were aged 20-29 years. Suicide attempt by self-poisoning was the most important type of poisoning (70.8%). Benzodiazepines (38.9%) and narcotic drugs (18.6%) overdose was the most common cause of acute poisoning. The majority of incidents (72.7%) were caused by a single drug. The average length of stay in the ICU was 4.21 ± 3.45 days. Acute poisoning-related mortality rate was 4.1%, which was primarily due to the use of narcotic drugs. Benzodiazepines and narcotics are the primary agents involved in acute poisoning requiring critical care. Moreover, methadone-based narcotics are the main cause of drug poisoning-related mortality.

Promoting and influencing the formation of professional behavior is one of the most challenging issues in education. The purpose of this study was to compare effects of context-based learning (CBL) and cooperative learning on professional behavior and critical thinking of anesthesiology students. This was a semi-experimental study that was conducted on 42 third and fifth semester anesthesiology students who were divided into a CBL group (n=21) and a collaborative learning group (n=21). Data were collected before the intervention and one week and a month after the intervention using a questionnaire designed by Goze et al. and the Ricketts' Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS (version 16) using the generalized estimation equation method, the Chi-square test, independent T-test and the Mann–Whitney U test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. After the intervention, the mean score of professional behavior and critical thinking did not differ significantly between the two groups (P>0.05), but time had a significant impact on the mean score of professional behavior and critical thinking of the students (P<0.05). Moreover, the mean score of critical thinking increased over time in both groups and then remained constant. The mean score of professional behavior increased over time in both groups but decreased later in the CBL group. The implementation of both learning approaches is equally effective in improving students' attitude toward professional behavior and critical thinking.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in women aged 35-54 years. Belief in God and spiritual experiences can help the patients endure physical pain and enhance their physical and mental well-being. The purpose of this study was to compare spiritual experiences and hope between survivors of breast cancer and healthy counterparts. This descriptive case-control study was performed in 2018, on 85 breast cancer survivors and 85 healthy women from the city of Yazd (Iran) who were selected via availability sampling. The subjects completed the hope scale (developed by Snyder) and the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (developed by Underwood and Teresi). Data were analyzed using independent t-test at significance level of 0.05. The mean score of spiritual experiences was significantly higher in breast cancer survivors (81.2±10.47) than in healthy counterparts (71.03±13.18) (P<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the mean score of hope between breast cancer survivors (30.47±5.29) and women without breast cancer (31.3±5.67) (P=0.28). Given our results, it is suggested to design and offer workshops and trainings on hope and hope-based therapies for highlighting the role of hope in improving disease status and patients' mental well-being.

Liver and esophageal cancers are common among the Iranian population. This study aims to explore the common up-regulated genes in liver and esophageal cancer tissues using expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and to identify the role of key genes in cancer development. EST profiles of protein-coding genes in normal and cancerous hepatic and esophageal tissues were extracted from the UniGene database. Genes with > 1500 transcripts per million were selected as highly expressed. The cancer to normal ratio of  up-regulated genes was calculated. The shared overexpressed genes between liver and esophageal cancer tissues were determined. Finally, functional classification and pathway analysis were performed on the genes using the STRING and Enrichr databases. Of 17,242 genes, 53 and 26 genes were overexpressed in the liver and esophageal cancer tissues, respectively. Nine up-regulated genes (APLP2, EEF1G, ENO1, HSP90AA1, HSP90AB1, HSPA8, KRT18, RPL4 and UBC) were shared between the two cancer tissues, which were involved in cell cycle progression through G2/M checkpoint, G1/S transition and DNA replication. They were also involved in the vascular endothelial growth factor, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 and estrogen signal pathways as well as the Toll-like receptor cascade. Based on the results, the identically up-regulated genes and underlying molecular mechanisms implicated in both cancers could be valuable targets for diagnosis and treatment of cancer.