مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان
پیاپی 645 (هفته اول دی 1400)

Due to the negative impact of night and long shift work on performance of physicians, this study was conducted to determine the relation between shift duration with cognitive function and quality of life among emergency medicine professionals.

In this cross-sectional study, 25 faculty members, residents, and specialists of emergency medicine were included, and their cognitive function [with Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV)] was evaluated at the end of a 12-hour morning shift, a 12-hour night shift, and a long shift, and compared between the three shifts. The quality of life of individuals was assessed using the quality-of-life questionnaire of the World Health Organization, and the relationship between cognitive function and their quality of life was assessed.

The mean score of cognitive function was 73.8 ± 3.58, 69.24± 4.73, and 59.8 ± 4.01 at the end of morning, night, and 24-hour shifts, respectively, and the difference between the three shifts was significant. The mean score of quality of life of the participants was 10.29 ± 80.52. A significant inverse correlation (0.386) was observed between the quality of life score and cognitive function in the 24-hour shift.

Findings showed that the cognitive function of emergency medicine professionals at the end of 24-hour work shift decreased significantly compared to morning and night shifts. In addition, at the end of 24-hour shifts, there was a significant relationship between the score of cognitive dysfunction and quality of life.

In this research project, our aim was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of autologous blood transfusion (ABI) and dry needling techniques in patients with refractory lateral epicondylitis.

This study was performed as a randomized clinical trial on 32 patients with refractory or recurrent lateral epicondylitis. After enrolling in the study, patients were divided into two treatment groups. In the first group, patients were treated with dry needling method and in the second group, with ABI. Patients' pain was measured and compared by two methods of visual analog scale (VAS) and Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) before the interventions, and 1 and 3 months after the intervention.

Based on both criteria, 1 and 3 months after treatment, there was significant reduction in pain in both blood transfusion and dry needling groups. There was no significant difference between the groups in reducing pain over time based on VAS and PRTEE criteria.

Pain scores according to both VAS and PRTEE criteria significantly decreased in both groups at 1 and 3 months after the interventions.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are known as a health problem in the world due to their resistance to most antibiotics. Pantone-valentine leucocidin (PVL) is one of the important toxins of this bacterium. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of methicillin resistance, and to investigate mecA and pvl genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Valiasr hospital in Tabriz, Iran.

In this cross-sectional study during 2009-2010, 142 Staphylococcus isolates were collected from hospitalized patients and identified using standard laboratory tests. Isolate resistance to common antibiotics in the treatment of staphylococcal infections was evaluated by disk diffusion method, and resistance to methicillin was investigated by cefoxitin disk method. The presence of mecA and pvl genes in the isolates was evaluated using specific primers and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

Of the studied isolates, 98 isolates were identified as Staphylococcus aureus. The highest antibiotic resistance level was observed against penicillin with 96.2%, and the lowest was determined against cotrimaxazole with 16.0%. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 63% of isolates. 26 isolates were identified as methicillin-resistance by phenotypic method. The mecA gene was detected in 13 isolates, of which 11 isolates were detected resistant and 2 isolates were sensitive to methicillin in the phenotypic tests. The pvl gene was not detected in any of the isolates.

The presence of high and multidrug-resistance to common antibiotics and the presence of methicillin-resistant isolates of Staphylococcus aureus in different wards of the hospital should be considered as a serious issue.