Modern Care Journal
Volume:19 Issue: 4, Oct 2022

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan of the Apicomplexa phylum with widespread distribution in animals and humans. Toxoplasma gondii is also an important cause of infectious diseases in women of reproductive age.

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of anti-T. gondiiIgG antibody and its associated risk factors among women of reproductive age referring to Birjand Comprehensive Health Center, East of Iran.

A total of 300 serum samples were collected from women who were referred to Birjand Comprehensive Health Center to be screened for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Analytical and descriptive statistics were carried out using SPSS software version 20. Descriptive statistics were reported as a percentage and mean (SD). The Chi-squared test was applied to assess the univariate association between independent variables and outcome. The significance level in the test was considered P < 0.05.

The results showed that 8.3% of the subjects with an average age of 27 years were IgG-positive. Contact with cats had a significant effect on positivity for IgG and disease frequency (P < 0.05). On the other hand, age and the place of residence (urban or rural) had no significant effect on disease frequency (P > 0.05). Urban or rural location in all age ranges had no significant effect on IgG positivity (P > 0.05).

Considering the high percentage of T. gondii among negative people in the target population, it is necessary to inform women of the reproductive age about the importance of testing and health issues related to T. gondii.

Sleep disorders are common during pregnancy and can lead to other problems before, during, and after delivery.

The study was conducted to compare anxiety and depression among pregnant women with and without sleep disorders

This cross-sectional study was performed on pregnant women referring to the health care centers in Babol, Iran (2018 - 2019). Women with singleton pregnancies, who met the study criteria, were chosen from selected health centers and entered the study through the convenience sampling method. Data were collected using Questionnaires. The participants answered four questionnaires, including Demographic, Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaires. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 22, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The average ages of participants were 26.40 ± 4.76 years. The present study showed a statistically significant correlation between the score of depression and sleep quality (r = 0.11, P = 0.008). In women with poor quality of sleep, the mean of trait anxiety was significantly higher than in women with good quality of sleep (P = 0.016). There was a significant association between depression scores and sleep quality subscales. Logistic regression demonstrated that people with high anxiety levels were 2.3 times more likely to have sleep problems than those with low anxiety levels.

Sleep quality is correlated with anxiety and depression. Health professionals should be aware that women with poor sleep quality may develop mental health problems. Therefore, screening for mental health and referring them to a clinical psychologist may help their sleep quality. To investigate the causal relationship between the study variables, it is necessary to conduct an extensive cohort study that starts before the pregnancy.

 Very little information on maneuver simulations (MS) effectiveness in radiation triage (RT) training is currently available.

 The present study aimed to compare the effect of MS and scenario workshops (SW) on rescuers' learning of RT.

 This quasi-experimental study was conducted on rescuers in July 2020. For this purpose, two military medical centers were randomized into two groups, intervention (MS) and control (SW). The main tool was the researcher-made Radiation Triage Knowledge Questionnaire (RTKQ). In this respect, the pre-test was performed using the RTKQ questionnaire. The first post-test, two weeks following the intervention, was also done through the RTKQ and the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), and the second post-test was conducted four weeks after the intervention, only via the RTKQ.

 In total, 30 rescuers with a mean age of 22 participated in this study. During the pre-test, the difference in knowledge between the two study groups (intervention and control) was not significant. In the first post-test, no significant difference was also observed in the levels of knowledge between MS and SW groups respectively (80.0 ± 8.9 vs. 79.3 ± 0.8), but the difference in skills between the study groups was significant (89.3 ± 10.3 vs. 61.3 ± 16.0). In the second post-test, there was a significant difference between the mean value of the levels of knowledge (76.0 ± 9.1 vs. 64.7 ± 10.9) and skills (written scenarios) (71.3 ± 9.9 vs. 54.0 ± 0.14) in two study groups.

 Both training methods improved RT knowledge and skills, but MT was more effective than SW in boosting and maintaining knowledge and skills up to one month after the intervention. The utilization of MS in RT training was also accompanied by greater effectiveness.

 The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged an unprecedented number of publications on epidemiological, pharmacological, immunological, and medical issues. Studies have also been performed on hemodynamic changes in the patients admitted to different wards.

 This study aims to determine the hemodynamic status of the COVID-19 patients under anesthesia.

 In this cross-sectional analytical study of the two groups, 40 patient candidates for surgery and general anesthesia in the hospital were enrolled in the study based on the inclusion criteria, after signing written informed consent. The patient’s demographic information was obtained from the patient’s file and oral interview. Then, non-COVID-19 patients and patients with COVID-19 definitive tests were followed during the operation. During surgery, hemodynamic factors including pulse, blood pressure, SpO2 and respiration were monitored and recorded by a monitoring device. SPSS software version 19 was used to analyze the data.

 The mean ± SD of patients’ age was 47.55 ± 21.37. The data showed that systolic blood pressure before anesthesia and pulse before and during anesthesia in the COVID-19 group was significantly higher than that in the non-COVID-19 group (P < 0.05). Also, respiration and SpO2 before anesthesia were lower in the COVID-19 group than in the non-COVID-19 group (P < 0.05); while respiration and SpO2 during anesthesia were not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05). In the COVID-19 group, systolic blood pressure, pulse, and respiration during anesthesia were significantly lower than before anesthesia and conversely, SpO2 was higher (P < 0.05).

 The findings of the present study showed that patients who do not have severe COVID-19 and serious clinical symptoms do not go through severe hemodynamic changes during surgery. Therefore, it can be said that in emergencies, surgery can be performed by observing standard principles. However, more research is needed in this regard.

Despite the preventive role of resistance training (RT) in the progress of type 2 diabetes, its effects on diabetes-related kidney complications are still unknown.

This study was done to investigate the impacts of RT on kidney function of type 2 diabetic patients with the risk of nephropathy.

Twenty-two middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes (age: 52.8 ± 7.3, body mass index (BMI): 27.4 ± 3.1) were randomly allocated into the control group (CG: n = 12) or resistance training group (RTG: n = 10). Subjects performed a circuit RT program [three times a week, 60 min/session, six exercises, three sets, 8 - 15 repetitions, 50 - 80% one-repetition maximum (1RM)] for eight consecutive weeks. Clinical parameters, including insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance, were measured before and after eight weeks.

IGFBP-3 levels significantly increased (47.8%) in CG, while they remained unchanged in the RTG. eGFR levels significantly decreased (16.7%) in the CG but remained unchanged in the RTG. Fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) levels significantly decreased (16.7% and 27.2%, respectively) in the RTG compared to the CG; however, for fasting insulin, no significant change was observed (8.5%).

The results indicated that although RT did not improve the kidney function of the RTG, by improving the glycemic control, it prevented the development of renal dysfunction into diabetic nephropathy, while the renal dysfunction of the CG deteriorated over the training period, probably due to the lack of training intervention. Further studies with a longer training period are required to clarify the effects of RT on the development of diabetic nephropathy

Knowledge of the unpaired abdominal vasculature is important for uncomplicated operations. The absent celiac trunk has previously been reported; however, developmental alterations can result in a variety of branching patterns of the downstream arteries from the abdominal aorta.

A 53-year-old female patient with lymphoma underwent abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) for staging. She had a history of postprandial off-and-on abdominal pain since her youth. CT scan revealed an absent celiac trunk with common hepatic and splenic arteries directly originating from the abdominal aorta. Compression of the median arcuate ligament had narrowed and angulated the 2 branches.

When the celiac trunk is absent, its main branches may separately arise from the abdominal aorta. Also, due to the displacement of these branches, their path and diameter can vary from the normal.

Observance of patients’ rights and patient satisfaction with hospital services is one of the most influential factors contributing to the efficiency and quality of hospital services.

This study aimed to investigate the satisfaction of COVID-19 patients with patients’ bill of rights.

This descriptive, correlational study was performed in 2021 in Iran. A total of 147 patients with COVID-19 and meeting the inclusion criteria were included in this study using the available sampling method. Two questionnaires of “observing patient’s bill of rights” and “La Monica Oberst Patient Satisfaction Scale (LOPSS)” were used to collect the required data. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20 software.

There was a positive and significant relationship between patients’ satisfaction and observing patient’s bill of rights (r = 0.7, P < 0.001). The mean satisfaction of COVID-19 patients was 214.19 ± 52.02, and the mean of patients’ bill of rights was 118.23 ± 20.5, which were desirable. There was a significant relationship between age and patient satisfaction (P < 0.05). A significant relationship was also detected between the income level, education level, and length of hospital stay with patients’ bill of rights (P < 0.05).

In order to increase patient satisfaction and improve service provision, it was necessary to respect the patient’s rights. Therefore, it was recommended that effective strategies should be adopted in order to exercise the patients’ bill of rights when providing services to them.