Annals of Military and Health Sciences Research
Volume:20 Issue: 3, Sep 2022

 The purpose of this study is investigating the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction training in reducing post-traumatic stress and its effects at the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic in abused and unattended adolescents in correctional centers.

 The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest and posttest design in a control group. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all abused and unaccompanied adolescents in correctional centers. The sampling method was convenient, and 30 adolescents were selected based on the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to two groups of 15 (experimental and control). Withers et al.'s (1993) list of post-traumatic stress disorder was used to collect data.

 For statistical analysis of data, covariance analysis and independent t-test were used with the help of SPSS software. The results showed a significant difference between the control and experimental groups (P < 0.05) in such a way that the stress reduction training based on stress mindfulness after the accident had a direct and significant effect at the 95% confidence level.

 Considering that badly-supervised and unsupervised teenagers are a vulnerable segment of society, mindfulness training is a suitable way to reduce future harm.

Context: 

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection is a zoonotic disease, endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, but recently has re-emerged outside Africa and caused some concerns.

Evidence Acquisition:

 The current study aimed to briefly present a narrative mini-review on different features of MPXV. Data were gathered from Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and PubMed databases and also WHO and CDC websites, using ''Monkeypox'', ''Variola'', ''Bioterrorism'', and ''Bioweapon'' keywords.

 Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is categorized into two genetic clades with different outcomes. The incubation period of infection is 5 - 21 days, and infection by Central African clade may lead to a clinical representation similar to smallpox with about 10% mortality rate. Monkeypox virus (MPXV) can infect a wide range of mammals, and its natural reservoir is almost unknown. It is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa and is rarely seen outside Africa. Its most reliable detection is based on nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). Treatment is mainly supportive, and some selective drugs are developed for severe cases. Avoiding close contact with wild animals and infected patients is the first line of prevention. Prior vaccination with smallpox or MPX vaccines is also protective. Due to similar symptoms of human monkeypox and smallpox, it may be a candidate for bioterrorism. However, there is no evidence of recent intentional spread of MPXV.

 This study has tried to provide a summary of MPXV infection. Despite recent concerns, there is still a very low risk of the MPXV pandemic. However, it is recommended to be alert for such infection and provide essential readiness against it.

 Psychological capital and mindfulness approaches based on cognitive therapy provide a practical and positive framework that helps the prevention of psychological disorders and also the improvement of quality of life.

 The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of psychological capital and mindfulness training in improving the quality of life of Aja Medical Students.

 In a case-control study, 75 medical students were divided into three equal groups: Control, psychological capital, and mindfulness. Psychological capital and mindfulness groups were trained for 90 minutes each week for six weeks according to Luthans and Kabat-Zayn methods, respectively. Students responded to a short version of the WHOQO-26 questionnaire before, one, and four months after the end of interventions. The one-way ANOVA and Student Newman-Keuls as a post hoc test were used, and P < 0.05 was considered significant.

 Physical health was significantly lower, but social, mental, and environmental health were higher in the psychological capital and mindfulness groups than in the control group. Physical health was significantly lower, but social and environmental health were higher in the mindfulness group than in the psychological capital group.

 Both psychological capital and mindfulness training may effectively improve quality of life.

 COVID-19 is accompanied by various symptoms such as fever, dry cough, and fatigue in 80% of cases. Many people with COVID-19 suffer from different symptoms after recovery, similar to the initial symptoms of this disease, such as weakness, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Prolonged recovery time and the consequences of hospitalization and COVID-19 in these patients can affect their occupational balance.

 The present study compared occupational balance, fatigue, depression, and anxiety among hospital-discharged COVID-19 survivors with healthy individuals.

 This cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2022 in Imam Reza Hospital. The statistical population consisted of hospital-discharged COVID-19 survivors and healthy individuals included in the study (70 individuals per group). Evaluations were performed in one session using the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OB-Quest), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS).

 The mean scores of depression (8.46 ± 3.78 vs. 4.29 ± 2.91), anxiety (9.34 ± 4.38 vs. 4.46 ± 3.09), and fatigue (44.29 ± 10.02 vs. 28.49 ± 9.87) were higher in hospital-discharged COVID-19 survivors than the healthy individuals. Furthermore, the rate of depression was directly related to anxiety (r = 0.773) and occupational balance disruption (moderate and severe levels) (r = 6.77).

 According the results demonstrated that hospital-discharged COVID-19 survivors had more disrupted occupational balance than the healthy individuals and experienced higher levels of anxiety, depression, and fatigue after discharge. Given the poorer occupational balance of hospital-discharged COVID-19 survivors than the healthy individuals, they need proper training after discharge to maintain a balance between different aspects of their lives and occupations. Therapists can also design and implement new interventions to improve the occupational balance of COVID-19 survivors.

 Neutropenia is a common side effect of chemotherapy and one of the most common causes of severe infection and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies. Some studies showed that antimicrobial prophylaxis resulted in lower febrile neutropenia (FN) episodes and mortality rates.

 We aimed to determine the efficacy of prophylaxis with ciprofloxacin in patients with hematological malignancies.

 In a randomized double-blinded clinical trial from 1 March to 1 September 2016, we assigned patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia into two groups. We used the random permuted blocks method for randomization. The first group received oral ciprofloxacin at a dose of 500 milligrams daily until the neutrophil count reached 1000 cells per microliter or fever occurrence, defined as the primary outcome. The second group received a placebo in the same shape and size. We compared FN episodes and the mortality rate in these two groups by SPSS-22 software, using chi-square, Fischer's exact tests, and student t-test at P-value < 0.05.

 Seventy-three males (60.8%) and 47 females (39.2%) entered our study. The mean age of the patients was 47 ± 14.6 years. Acute leukemia was the most common underlying malignancy in 81 out of 120 subjects (67.5%). Fever (P = 0.005) was significantly lower in the ciprofloxacin group, but the mortality rate (P = 0.783) did not differ between the two groups.

 We found that the prophylaxis with ciprofloxacin decreased FN in our patients but did not influence the mortality rate. We believe that antimicrobial prophylaxis may be helpful in neutropenic patients, especially in decreasing FN and its related comorbidity.

Context: 

The global use of the Internet has expanded e-commerce as a tangible representation of the information and communication technology (ICT) revolution in all industries. Like other sectors, e-commerce is essential in the healthcare sector for meeting patients’ increasing demands and providing high-quality and cost-effective healthcare services at clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare centers.

 We investigated the factors affecting the acceptance of e-commerce in healthcare centers and hospitals.

Evidence Acquisition: 

In this narrative review, articles indexed in PubMed, Emerald, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar and published from 2010 to 2021 were searched using the “e-commerce”, “healthcare”, and “hospital” keywords. Inclusion criteria encompassed being conducted in the field of e-commerce in medical and health centers in Iran and the world and published from 2010 to the end of December 2021. Studies in which the role of e-commerce was inconspicuous, those that were irrelevant to healthcare centers, studies failing to note effective research parameters in abstracts, and finally, scientific sources lacking full text were excluded. Finally, ten relevant papers were chosen and analyzed.

 Based on our findings, today's technologies, such as e-commerce, have influenced the quality of healthcare and investments in the healthcare industry. Besides, high-ranking managers of healthcare centers and hospitals should support the establishment and deployment of e-commerce by providing appropriate facilities to implement such systems, e.g., adequate hardware and software needed to install and efficiently run the system.

 In this way, the positive effects of e-commerce were shown in all aspects of healthcare centers, including improvements in healthcare services’ quality, enhanced financial performance, and facilitated service provision. It is suggested that health centers provide adequate hardware and software to easily install and run the E-commerce system and other e-health programs so that medical personnel can more easily accept these technologies.

Context: Spinal cord injury (SCI), a debilitating and catastrophic condition, leads to sensory motor impairments, paralysis, and high mortality. It consists of initial physical insult and secondary injury. Despite much research on SCI treatment, it is still one of the incurable damages because of its complex pathophysiology and limited neuronal regeneration ability. In recent years, stem cell therapy has been a promising and exciting strategy for SCI treatment. Evidence Acquisition: In this review, the articles published in PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Scopus from 2000 to 2022 were collected using keywords such as spinal cord injury, stem cell therapy, neuroprotection, neuroregeneration, neurotrophic factors, anti-inflammatory cytokines, and neural cell death. The articles whose full texts were available and met the inclusion criteria were examined. According to the inclusion criteria, 30 articles were analyzed.

Stem cell therapy can promote neuroplasticity and neuroregeneration in the damaged spinal cord. Grafted cells can reconstruct nerves and create new circuits after SCI. Stem cell transplantation can also replace lost oligodendrocytes, thus promoting axon remyelination. Many neurotrophic factors and anti-inflammatory cytokines are secreted by transplanted stem cells to decrease secondary injury and neural cell death, thus inhibiting the glial scar formation after SCI. Stem cells also have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-apoptotic effects. Grafted stem cells can block microglial activation and astrocyte reactivity and enhance revascularization.

Stem cells isolated from different tissues can be promising candidates and attractive options for treating the injured spinal cord. Despite remarkable progress in animal studies, cell transplantation's clinical efficacy and adequacy for SCI remain limited and dubitable. Many essential challenges must be considered in translation to the clinic. It is hoped that the invention of new methods and the anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and neuronal repair properties of stem cells can effectively improve the sensorimotor function of patients with SCI.

Scaphoid nonunion is not uncommon and may eventually lead to complications such as deformity, instability, and degenerative changes. Open reconstruction could jeopardize vascular supply and cause capsular contracture. Arthroscopic treatment of scaphoid nonunion is an effort to avoid such complications.

This study evaluated the mid-term results of arthroscopic assisted treatment of scaphoid nonunion.

Fifteen patients who underwent arthroscopic assisted treatment of scaphoid nonunion were included in the study. Ten patients had scaphoid waist fractures, while in five patients, the fracture was in the proximal pole. The union was evaluated radiographically three months, six months, and one year after surgery. The range of active motion, grip strength, and standard disability questionnaires such as disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH), patient-related wrist evaluation (PRWE), and modified Mayo wrist scales were evaluated one year after surgery.

Based on radiographic findings, all patients' fractures were satisfactorily united after three months. Functional scores, motion range, and grip strength improved to an acceptable level. There was no complication, including infection or nerve damage.

Arthroscopic treatment of scaphoid nonunion seems to be an effective method with low complications and favorable results.