International Journal of Health Studies
Volume:4 Issue: 4, Oct-Dec 2018

Soft tissue injuries (STIs) of lower extremities are considered as a very common complaint in those patients that were admitted to the emergency department. One of the main purposes in these patients' treatment strategies is early returning to work and regular activities. This study purpose was to compare the results of two lower limb (leg) splinting

standard-sized short leg splinting, and also half-sized short leg splinting.

In this randomized controlled clinical trial research, we enrolled those patients with STI of the lower limb and without bone fracture. The setting was Haftom Tir trauma center and all patients signed the written consent before the study starting. We categorized participants into two groups: standard-sized short leg splint and halfsized short leg splint. The data were entered into SPSS 18 software and also were analyzed using that.

300 patients were included in this study totally. The splinting complications were similar in two groups, but the splint fracture and skin burn frequency were significantly lower in half-sized short leg splint (P.V<0.005). The mean score of pain and swelling frequency had no significant differences in both groups (P>0.005).

The results indicated that the performance of standardsized and half-sized short leg splinting was similar in lower limbs STIs. The difficulties were less in half-sized short leg splint. Therefore, this study recommend that emergency physicians could consider half-sized short leg splinting in STIs, but the recommendation may be considered as valuable when this study results reassess in other clinical trials with multicenter researches and more sample size.

Cardiac arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities, congenital and acquired heart disorders could threat the human life in scuba diving. This study purpose was to investigate and analyze the electrocardiographic changes in scuba divers.

This quasi-experimental study was accomplished on scuba divers of saltwater in the Persian Gulf. Electrocardiogram (ECG) was taken during 10 min before, immediately and also by passing 60 min from diving. All ECGs were interpreted by an emergency medicine specialist regarding heart blocks, sinus arrhythmia and the heart rate changes, QT and PR intervals, QRS complex, ST segment and T wave. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software ver19. Significant level was set at 0.05.

37 males with the mean age of 35.7±4.27 years old were enrolled in this study. There was observed no significant change in the mean of the heart rate, mean of the QT interval and T wave change between two age groups cases (<35 and >35 years old), BMI groups (<25 and >25 kg/m2), depth of water groups (<25 and >25 m) and water temperature groups (14 to 15 and 16 to 17 ̊C), in the studied time periods (P.V> 0.05, in all of the cases); but the mean of the pulse rate, mean of the QT interval and T wave change indicated significant difference between the studied time periods (P.V=0.005, 0.001 and 0.001, respectively).

This study indicated significant changes in pulse rate, QT intervals and T waves between studied periods in scuba divers; consequently, special attention to these changes is required.

Physical and mental health are significantly related to adequate sleep and sleep satisfaction. Sleeping disorder is one of the most severe occupational risks for modern firefighting services. Thus, the current study was conducted to evaluate sleep quality and its effective factors in firefighters.

This descriptive-analytical study was carried out among all firefighters in Shahroud, Iran, in 2017. All data were collected by a two-part questionnaire containing demographic information and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), which was completed while interviewing the participants. Finally, data were analyzed by SPSS software.

PSQI was obtained as 7.65±2.98, which classified into "Low Quality." Sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction had a significant relationship with sleep quality (P<0.05). Moreover, the results demonstrated that PSQL score had a strong relationship with age and BMI (F-model= 21.78 and P<0.001 and r=0.701).

Results of this study showed that firefighters have not adequate sleep quality. It is suggested to participate young people in missions since their sleep quality was better. Also, weight loss is suggested for overweight people in order to improve their sleep quality.

Marital satisfaction is one of the factors affecting life which influences the permanence and durability of the married life. This study aimed at assessing marital satisfaction and some of its associated factors.

In this cross-sectional study, 500 married women who referred to health care centers and obstetrics and gynecology clinics in 2017 were evaluated using the Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale. The collected data were analyzed using Chi-square and one-way analysis of variance.

The mean score of marital satisfaction was 118.33±22.06. Based on the marital satisfaction score, 6 (1.2%) of the participants had low marital satisfaction; 132 (26.4%) had moderate marital satisfaction; 281 (56.2%) had a high marital satisfaction and 81 (16.2%) had very high marital satisfaction. Significant relationships were observed between marital satisfaction and age (P.V=0.005), length of marriage (P.V=0.001), age of spouse (P.V=0.003), number of children (P.V=0.003), age at the first marriage (0.024), woman’s education and husband's education (P.V=0.001), income (P.V=0.001), pregnancy experience (P.V=0.001) and childbirth experience (P.V=0.001). However, there was no significant relationship between marital satisfaction and job, husband's job and place of residence (P.V≥0.005).

Since marital satisfaction was found to be associated with age, education, age of the spouse, length of the marriage, number of children, income, pregnancy experience and childbirth experience, the establishment of marital counseling in health care centers and providing premarital counseling for the couples can help them improve their marital satisfaction.

Dementia prevalence is identified as one of the consequences of aging. Care for patients with dementia has significant consequences for caregivers like poorer physical health, emotional stresses, depression and high mortality risk. This study was accomplished in order to determine the cyber-based education effect on care burden in caregivers of elderly with dementia.

This study is a quasi- experimental study performed on 86 caregivers of elderly with dementia who were referred to the Taleghani Hospital. This study samples were selected in both intervention and control groups as available sampling. Data collection tool was Zarit's care burden Questionnaire that was completed by using telephone interview (before and by passing two months from the end of intervention). Cyberspace-based educational intervention was conducted for one month, in the form of videos, clips, photo and text. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 by applying Chi-square, independent t-test and paired t-test.

This study population included 86 participants (43 people in the intervention group and 43 people in the control group). The questionnaire reliability in this study was 0.92 (Cronbach's alpha=0.92) and the physical and psychology dimensional reliability were measured as 0.75 and 0.9, respectively. Results indicated significant changes in the reduction of total care burden after education in the intervention group (P<0.001). Moreover, the amount of physical burden (P<0.001) and psychological burden (P<0.001) have reduced after intervention.

With respect to finding, cyber- based learning is suggested for caregivers of elderly with dementia in order to reduce the care burden

Sanitary Pad of Nitrazine Test (SPONT) is one of the newest method to diagnosis premature rupture of membranes (PROM) that doesn't need women attending hospital and applying speculum. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of SPONT versus standard clinical assessment.

A prospective diagnostic accuracy study, 140 pregnant women with symptoms of PROM in 22-42 weeks of gestation were involved. The accuracy of SPONT in the diagnosis of PROM was compared with Nitrazine, Fern and Pooling tests that were performed at the same time.

The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of SPONT, routine Nitrazine, Fern and Pooling tests were 93.2%, 85.7%, 97.3%, 69.2%; 94.1%, 90.5%, 98.2% 73.1%; 80.1%, 95.2%, 98.9%, 46.5%; and 68.1%, 95.2%, 98.9% 46.5%, respectively. The sensitivity of SPONT was the same as routine Nitrazine test (P.V=0.811). SPONT has higher sensitivity than Fern test (P.V=0.008) and Pooling test (P.V<0.001). The accuracy of the applied tests was 92.1%, 93.6%, 82.8% and 72.8% respectively for SPONT, Nitrazine, Fern and Pooling tests. There wasn't significant difference between accuracy of SPONT and standard clinical assessment (92.1% vs. 89.3%).

The accuracy of SPONT was the same as routine Nitrazine test in PROM diagnosis that pregnant women can use it if they do not have immediate access to health centers.

The key role of leptin is regulation of appetite and body lipid and pregnancy is a condition associated with overeating, reduction in heating and adaptation of lipid cells, culminating in increased body fat mass. So, this study was conducted to examine the relationship between changes in pre-pregnancy BMI and leptin.

This Longitudinal study was conducted on 45 women in the first trimester of pregnancy using a longitudinal approach and convenience sampling method in Tehran city in 2015. The mothers in terms of pre-pregnancy BMI were divided into two groups: group A (n=22 with normal BMI) and group B (n=23 with high BMI), with maternal serum leptin being taken in 6-12 weeks and 15-20 weeks of pregnancy and measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The statistical data were analyzed by SPSS V.21 using Kolmogorov Smirnov, independent t-test, two-sample Chi square, Mann-Whitney, Regression, Pearson and Landa tests with P.V<0.05.

The mean age of mothers in the present study was 27.47±5.55 years with a minimum age of 19 and a maximum age of 37 years. The mean plasma leptin of the first and second trimesters of pregnancy was significantly higher in the high BMI group than in the normal group. The correlation showed that the first trimester leptin and changes in leptin levels of pregnancy with pre-pregnancy BMI were significantly higher in the normal group (P=0.04 and P=0.003).

BMI before and during pregnancy can be a predictor of maternal serum leptin in pregnancy weight gain.

The study approaches are among the effective factors in comprehensive academic achievement and performance. The aim of study was to identify the learning approaches of nursing and midwifery students of Shahroud university of medical sciences and its connection to their academic achievement.

This study is a descriptive - cross-sectional one which was conducted on 234 nursing and midwifery students of Shahroud university of medical sciences during the educational year of 2010-11. Data were collected by Approached and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIS) and also demographic information collection form. To determine the students’ academic achievement, their averages were used. To analyze the data, descriptive test and Chi-square test as well as the one-way ANOVA were used by SPSS version 16.

The results showed that more than 60% of students were using the in-depth approach. There was a significant relationship between the semester average among the nursing students and learning approaches (p value=0.032), while no significant relationship was observed between the semester average among the midwifery students and learning approaches (p value=0.270).

Regarding the study results, it seems that the manner of application of teaching techniques and methods, the environmental conditions of student, assessment method and motivation among the students are the probable causes of the results. To encourage the student to use the deep learning approach, it is needed to teach the systematic teaching methods to instructors and promote the teaching qualitatively.