Jundishapur Journal of Chronic Disease Care
Volume:12 Issue: 2, Apr 2023

 Emotional processing plays an important role in dealing with stress related to chronic diseases.

 The present study aimed to investigate the effects of psychodynamic group psychotherapy (PGP) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on body image and emotional processing in patients with colorectal cancer.

 This quasi-experimental research adopted a pre-test/post-test control group design with follow-up. The statistical population included all patients with colorectal cancer visiting Poursina Hakim Health Centers of Isfahan in 2022. The convenience sampling method was employed to select 42 participants who were then assigned to a mindfulness-based stress reduction group (eight 150-minute sessions), a psychodynamic group psychotherapy group (fourteen 120-minute sessions), and a control group as simple random sampling. The control group did not receive psychotherapy intervention during the treatment sessions for the experimental groups and was placed on the waiting list. There were 14 participants in each group. The Multidimensional Body-Self-Relations Questionnaire and Emotional Processing Questionnaire were used for data collection in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. The repeated measures ANOVA were then used for data analysis in SPSS 26.

 According to the results, both MBSR and PGP improved body image and emotional processing equally and effectively in patients with colorectal cancer (P < 0.001). The effects of both interventions on body image remained constant among patients over time (P < 0.001). However, only the effect of MBSR on emotional processing remained constant and stable over time.

 PGP and MBSR are therapeutic methods that may positively affect body image and emotional processing in patients with colorectal cancer. Improving body image and emotional processing may lead to improved mental health and adaptability.

 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) has affected over 200 million individuals worldwide, and finding a treatment to control and eradicate the disease is considered a critical issue. Different drugs and therapies have been used since the beginning of the pandemic; however, effective infection control has not been achieved. Convalescent plasma (CP) that contains immune factors (neutralizing antibodies and inflammatory) can be an effective way to treat some infections, as it was previously used to control the pandemic.

 the present study aimed to assess the effect of CP infusion on some clinical indicators of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

 This study investigated the effects of CP treatment on some clinical factors, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and D-dimer among 125 patients in two groups, including a CP-treated group and a non-treated control group, in Ali-Asghar Hospital of Shiraz, Iran.

 Mortality rate analysis between CP-treated and control groups showed a 31% reduction (53% and 84% mortality in CP-treated and non-treated control groups, respectively). In addition, the clinical factor analysis of CP-treated patients showed a significant change in D-dimer on the seventh day (P = 0.036) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) (P = 0.00), lymphocyte count (P = 0.00), platelet (P = 0.005), and ESR (P = 0.007) between the first and fourth days of treatment. Moreover, CP-treated patients were separated into two age groups. It was observed that on the fourth day, the rate of SpO2 and lymphocyte count were significantly different in patients under 50 years compared to patients ≥ 50 years (P = 0.004 and P = 0.011, respectively); a similar finding was shown for lymphocyte count on the seventh day after CP infusion (P = 0.012). The results also revealed a significant difference between males and females in lymphocyte count after CP treatment on the fourth and seventh days (P = 0.006 and P = 0.042, respectively).

 The results demonstrated the potential impact of CP infusion on the laboratory data of COVID-19-infected patients. Accordingly, this method could have a practical effect on reducing and even suppressing inflammation, infection, and mortality rate among these patients. However, further studies are needed to obtain more accurate results.

 Osteoporosis might result in an increased risk of bone fracture. Diagnosis of osteoporosis results in proper treatment and reduction of fracture rate.

 This study aimed to construct a predictive model of osteoporosis case finding in Iranian women.

 A prospective diagnostic value study was designed, enrolling 317 asymptomatic women 50 years old or more referred for screening, at the Imam Hossein Medical Center, Tehran, Iran, for two years. The data was collected with the census method. A questionnaire including risk factors was completed, and bone mass densitometry (BMD) was done by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) method in all cases. According to standard curves, bone density of the femur and lumbar spine clarified osteoporosis status for each person. In the first step, univariate analysis with osteoporosis as the main outcome did use the chi-squared test, independent sample t-test. In the next step, factors with a P-value of less than 0.2 were included in the multivariate logistic model, and a predictive model was constructed. The goodness of fit test was applied to assess the model building. The area under the curve (AUC) calculated for the model and the best cut-point for risk of menopause according to the Youden index were determined. The significance level was set at 0.05 for statistical analysis. Statistical analyses did use the program SSPS version 17.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

 In 317 cases of the present study, the mean age of the population was 52.46 years old. Ninety-nine (%31.2) of these asymptomatic women revealed osteoporosis on the BMD test. Age and family history of osteoporosis were risk factors, and BMI, parity, and menopause age were protective factors for osteoporosis. Constructed model of osteoporosis prediction was as follows: (age × 0.149) + (family history × 0.963) - (BMI × 0.088) - (menopause age × 0.097) - (parity × 0.80). Optimal cutoff = 0.336 based on Youden method was chosen to predict the risk of osteoporosis.

 BMD test in Iran in more than 50 years old might find positive osteoporotic cases in at least 23.8%. BMD test in Iran in more than 50 years old might find positive osteoporotic cases in at least 23.8%. A model of osteoporosis probability constructed based on age, family history, menopause age, and parity in the present study can predict women at risk of osteoporosis.

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) seriously threatens the health and life of people with underlying diseases, such as patients undergoing hemodialysis.

This study aimed to determine the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis referring to hemodialysis centers affiliated with the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences between 2019 and 2021.

This was a retrospective descriptive-analytical study with a sample size of 144 hemodialysis patients with COVID-19. The data were collected by a demographic questionnaire, a checklist based on the presence of underlying diseases, the cause of the kidney failure, drugs received during hemodialysis, medications used for COVID, the result of COVID-19 treatment, and outpatient or inpatient treatment, and the checklist of laboratory indices extracted from the patient’s medical records. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20 and descriptive and analytical statistical tests.

The average age was 57.2 ± 14.42 years, and 64.6% were men, 35.4% were women, 64.6% recovered, and 35.4% died, although 42.4% of patients were treated on an outpatient basis, and 57.6% needed hospitalization. Also, 93.7% of patients were vaccinated. The average duration of hemodialysis treatment was 6.44 years, and diabetes accounted for 31.1% of the causes of kidney failure, and these people had a higher chance of mortality. Positive c-reactive protein (CRP) results were found in 72.2% of patients, and 54.2% had a positive erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). In addition, 22.2% of patients used mechanical ventilation, and 88.2% had positive PCR results. Iron, ferritin, albumin, and hemoglobin index were lower than normal in all patients. Patients with positive hepatitis B antigens were treated with sofosbuvir. In outpatient treatment, 65.6% used remdesivir, and 70.5% used dexamethasone. Regarding inpatient treatment, 75.9% used methylprednisolone, 56.6% used tocilizumab, and 54.2% used pirfenidone.

The rate of death and hospitalization in hemodialysis patients with COVID-19 was higher than that of normal people. Diabetes increases the chance of morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 in hemodialysis patients. The reduction of hemoglobin, iron, ferritin, and albumin weakened the therapeutic response of hemodialysis patients to COVID-19 and increased the chance of death. Although various drugs were used in the treatment of COVID-19 hemodialysis patients, the patients did not follow a single regimen.

 The proper decision-making on weaning patients from the ventilator, removing the endotracheal tube, reducing complications, and the way of cooperating between doctor and nurse is always one of the concerns of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses.

 This study aimed to determine the effect of clinical decision-making based on interactive education on the successful extubations of patients in the ICU.

 This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 50 nurses in the ICU of Ganjavian Hospital in Dezful, Iran, within August-December 2021. The nurses were selected based on inclusion criteria and randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. Clinical decision-making training regarding extubation was provided interactively for one month in five sessions in the experimental group. The data were obtained using a demographic information questionnaire, the Clinical Decision-Making Questionnaire by Lauri et al., and extubation checklist and analyzed using SPSS software (version 24) using descriptive and inferential statistics (i.e., chi-square test, covariance, independent t-test, and paired t-test).

 No difference was observed between the two groups in terms of demographic information (P < 0.05). After the intervention, the mean score of nurses’ clinical decisions and the number of successful extubations in the experimental group were higher than in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.014).

 Interactive training effectively improves decision-making skills concerning successful extubations. Therefore, it is suggested to use this method in educational programs to improve the clinical decision-making of nurses, students, and nursing managers.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has always been used as an effective method to improve emotion regulation and train patients to reduce mental disorders. Therefore, the current research has investigated the effectiveness of CBT on emotion self-regulation and its components in patients with schizophrenia.

This research was a semi-experimental study with an experimental group and a control group. The statistical population of this study included all patients with schizophrenia in Hayat Rehabilitation and Treatment Center for Chronic Mental Patients in 2021 - 2022. Among the above study population, a total of 30 people (n = 15 per group) with confirmed schizophrenia were selected and studied using the convenience sampling method. The experimental group received CBT for eight 60-minute sessions, but the control group received no training. Both groups completed the Self-regulation Inventory (SRI-25) at the pre-test and post-test stages. The data of this study were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) using SPSS software version 16.

Data analysis showed that after 8 sessions of CBT in the experimental group, the mean scores of emotion regulation and its sub-components significantly increased in the experimental group than in the control group (0.05).

Therefore, considering the effectiveness of CBT in improving the emotion self-regulation dimensions, it is advisable to use this training to improve emotion self-regulation in patients with schizophrenia.

Students’ academic performance and university output can be affected by mental health.

The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and worry and its relationship with the academic performance of medical students during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Iran.

In this descriptive-correlational research, 261 medical students participated in Iran. The standard Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Pennsylvania StandardWorry Questionnaire (PSWQ) were used to collect data. Similarly, students’ grade point averages (GPAs) were considered an indicator of their academic performance. The statistical analysis was carried out using IBM’s Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25.0. The level of statistical significance was reported at P < 0.05.

The prevalence of students’ worry, depression, anxiety, and stress (moderate to severe levels) was 93.5%, 75.1%, 71.6%, and 50.2%, respectively, revealing the tremendous negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ mental health. Likewise, there was an inverse relationship between students’ anxiety and GPAs. So with the increased anxiety, the students’ GPAs decreased. There was a significant relationship between the prevalence of worry, stress, depression, and anxiety among students and their employment, and it was found that employed students had better mental health.

The students’ mental health was unfavorable, threatening their academic performance. The current research offers valuable information to parents, educators, and other stakeholders. Consequently, a combination of efforts by the government, universities, and families or communities is needed to reduce the harmful and destructive effects on students’ mental health. Indeed, the harmful consequences of this prolonged epidemic require further investigations in the future.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders among school-age children.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of transdiagnostic therapy on children with ADHD who also had behavioral-emotional disorders and experienced excessive mind wandering.

This quasi-experimental study utilized a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all college students referred to the West Health Center in 2019. A sample of 30 patients was selected, and they were randomly assigned to either the TDT intervention group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15). The experimental group received TDT for eight sessions, withtwo90-minute sessions per week, while the control group did not receive any treatment. The Rutter Children Behavior Questionnaire (RCBQ) and the Mind Excessively Wandering Scale (MEWS) were among the research tools used. A multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data.

The study included 30 participants who were children with an average age of 11.2 ± 1.2 years. In the experimental group, the average score for emotional and behavioral disorders decreased from 30.33 to 23.40, and the average score for mental wandering decreased from 18.93 to 15.26 after the intervention. In the control group, the average score for theRCBQchanged from 30.86 to 30.60, and the average score for the MEWQ changed from 19.06 to 18.86 after the intervention. The TDT is effective in reducing behavioral and emotional disorders, as well as excessive mind wandering, in children with ADHD (P < 0.05).

Transdiagnostic therapy is effective in treating behavioral and emotional disorders, as well as excessive mind wandering in children with hyperactivity and attention deficit. Therefore, these individuals should incorporate transdiagnostic interventions alongside psychiatric therapies.