مجله طب پیشگیری
سال دهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 29، بهار 1402)

The efforts of scientists in the world are focused on the COVID-19. They are trying to expand their knowledge of how to care for patients with this disease, and develop vaccines and treatment methods. As our knowledge of the pathophysiology of COVID-19 continues to expand rapidly, it is also important to answer questions about the psychological effects of the disease [1].

Based on the needs of the elderly, there are various treatment methods such as spiritual therapy. Spiritual therapy encourages therapists to address the important spiritual beliefs of patients at the right time and use interventions by considering their spirituality during recovery. The present study aims to review the effects of spiritual therapy in the elderly. Information sources or data: In this systematic review study, after searching in reliable databases (IranMedex, Google Scholar, SID, PubMed, Scopus), related articles published from 2010-2020 were extracted. The review of studies was done using a step-by-step matrix approach. The qualitative evaluation of the articles was done using the Joanna Briggs Institute tools.

Of 3561 found articles, 30 related articles were selected, of which 20 articles were finally selected for the review which were descriptive and analytical studies and clinical trials.

Spiritual therapy affects various aspects of life in the elderly, including which quality of life (QoL), life expectancy, depression, death anxiety and mental strength.

Considering the positive effects of spiritual therapy on the physical and mental health of the elderly, managers, nurses, and all people who are in contact with the elderly can use this type of treatment to improve the general conditions and increase the QoL of this group.

This study aims to meta-analyze the studies on the effects of regular physical activity on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

In this study, a search was conducted for the related articles in Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Web of Science, SID, MagIran, and IranDoc databases. Articles published until April 2021 were searched using the keywords multiple sclerosis, MS, exercise, physical activity, inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, and cytokines. For accuracy in selecting and evaluating the methodological quality of the studies, the physiotherapy evidence database (PEDro) scale was used. Comprehensive meta-analysis software was used for meta-analysis.

Of 408 found articles, 9 were finally selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria (six studies for BDNF and three studies for IL-17) for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis results showed that regular physical activity did not increase the difference between the control and experimental groups in the levels of BDNF and IL-17. These exercises could not cause significant changes in people with MS.

Although regular physical activity alone cannot affect cytokine levels in MS patients, it can be used as a complementary treatment along drug therapy in these patients, because it not only does not increase the inflammation or severity of the disease, but also can help these patients reduce the risk of secondary disorders.

Poisoning caused by the bites and stings of poisonous animals is one of the most important causes of injury and death in the southern regions of Iran. The present study was designed and implemented with the aim of determining the epidemiological factors and indicators related to venomous bites and stings in the high-risk areas of Bashagard county.

This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 in the medical archive of Baqiyatallah-al-Azam Hospital in Bashagard city. Based on the prepared checklist of demographic variables, data related to bites, stings and implemented therapeutic measures were collected. For descriptive analysis, absolute and relative frequency, Mean±SD were calculated. To check the difference between the variables, the chi-square test was used at the significance level of (α=0.05).

In total, 201 cases of bites and stings caused by poisonous animals were recorded. The gender ratio of the patients was 63% female and 37% male. In terms of occupation, the most injuries occurred among housewives (33.5 %). The results of the X2 test showed that there is a significant difference between the distributions of the duration of hospitalization in the studied victims according to age group (P<0.005, df=6, X2=201). Also, there was a significant difference between the distribution of hospitalization time in the studied victims and the type of bites and stings (P<0.005, df=4, X2=22.4).

The results showed that educated people, women and the age group under 10 years are more at risk. Using these results, effective interventions can be made to reduce cases of poisoning caused by poisonous animals by implementing appropriate training programs in the field of personal protection.

This study aims to determine the epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniosis (CL) in Aran va Bidgol city in Isfahan, Iran.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 1020 patients with CL referred to the leishmaniosis treatment centers in Aran va Bidgol city during 2018-2020 who had complete records in these centers and their smear test was positive for CL.

Of 1020 patients, 60.6% were male. Their mean age was 34.5 years and 94.1% of them were Iranian. The CL was more common among housewives (24.5%) and 43.6% of patients had a history of travel to other cities. Moreover, 10.1% reported more than 6 ulcers. The ulcer size was less than 3 cm in 74.4% of patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between the age of patients and the location of the lesions (P<0.01). The ulcer size had a statistically significant relationship with the patients’ sex, occupation, place of residence, and age (P<0.001).

The prevalence of CL in Aran va Bidgol city is high among young men living in rural areas and among workers and farmers. By providing the necessary education about this disease and improving the community and environmental health, the incidence of CL can be reduced.

With the declaration of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, quarantine method was applied almost in all countries to prevent the spread of the disease and reduce its transmission rate. This study aims to assess the body mass index (BMI) of people in quarantine during the pandemic in Hormozgan, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted at a 3-month period in Hormozgan province of Iran. Samples were 352 people over 15 years old who participated in an online survey.

The mean age of participants was 34.74±8.99 years, and 72.7% were female. The increase in mean BMI following the outbreak of COVID-19 compared to the pre-pandemic period was statistically significant for people aged 30 years and older compared to younger people (P=0.001). A significant increase of about 0.45 in BMI was also reported for people whose physical activity had changed following the outbreak (P=0.005). 

Reduced physical activities during quarantine along with overeating and subsequent increase in BMI can be a warning for the increase of obesity in the future.

Impaired control of trunk movement is one of the important mechanisms involved in the occurrence of chronic back pain. The present study aims to investigate the effect of six weeks of TRX exercise on general and specific motor function and quality of life (QoL) of middle-aged women with lumbar motor control impairment.

This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design using a control group. Participants were 30 middle-aged women with lumbar motor control impairment who were selected purposefully based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly classified into two groups of intervention and control, and quality of life by the 36-Item short form survey. General motor function was evaluated by functional movement screening (FMS) tests and specific motor function was evaluated by Luomajoki lumbar movement control dysfunction screening tests before and after the intervention. The intervention group received a TRX exercise program for six weeks (three sessions per week, each for 45 minutes), while the control group performed routine daily activities during this period. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software, version 21 using paired t-tests and ANCOVA. The significance level was set at 0.05.

The mean score of all variables related to general motor function (Cohen’s d=0.88-1.50), specific motor function (Cohen’s d=0.95-2.7), and quality of life (Cohen’s d=1.65) improved significantly in the experimental group from pre-test to post-test phase (P<0.05), but there was no significant change in the control group (P>0.05). The ANCOVA results showed that the means of all variables in the post-test phase were significantly higher in the TRX group compared to the control group (P<0.05).

Six weeks of TRX exercise improve the general and specific motor function and QoL of middle-aged women with lumbar motor control impairment. It is recommended that physical therapy and corrective exercise specialists use these exercise to improve the function of middle-aged women with lumbar motor control impairment.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease, whose effects has been less investigated on children in Iran. This study aims to investigate the findings of lung CT scan and the factors affecting it in children with COVID-19 in Bandar Abbas, Iran. 

This descriptive/analytical study was conducted on 73 children with COVID-19 confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test hospitalized in Children's Hospital in Bandar Abbas city in 2020. Their age and sex were extracted from their medical records and the CT scan images, ground-glass opacities, lymphadenopathy, pleural effusion, collapse, peribronchial cuffing, and the involved side of lung were examined. Data were analyzed in SPSS software using chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and independent t test.

Lung involvement was observed in 31.5% of children, of whom 60.9% had bilateral involvement. The most common finding was the ground-glass opacity (60.9%). The percentage of ground-glass opacities was significantly higher in girls than in boys (P=0.003). The age of children with pleural effusion was significantly higher than that of children without pleural effusion (P=0.034). Regarding other findings of CT scan, no significant relationship was observed with age, sex and side of lung involvement.

There is lung involvement in about one third of children with COVID-19 in Bandar Abbas city. To predict the severity of the disease and prevent pulmonary complications, affected children should undergo a CT scan during hospitalization.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women and has many psychological complications. this study aims to compare the effects of cognitive hypnotherapy (CH) and spiritual therapy (ST) on the death anxiety of women with breast cancer. 

This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design. The statistical population consists of all women with breast cancer referred to Mirdamad clinic in Gorgan, Iran. Of these, 30 patients were selected by a convenience sampling method and were divided into two experimental groups (CT and ST with 20 people) and one control group (n=10). The two experimental groups received interventions separately, while the control group received no intervention. All groups were measured for death anxiety before and after the intervention. The instrument was the Collett-Lester fear of death scale.

The ANCOVA results showed that, although CH and ST had a significant positive effect on reducing death anxiety, there was no significant difference between the two methods.

Both CH and ST are effective in reducing fear of one’ own death, fear of the process of one’s own dying, fear of the death of others, and fear of the process of others dying in women with breast cancer, and there is no significant difference between the two methods.