Health Technology Assessment in Action
Volume:7 Issue: 3, Jun 2023

Medical students, as a part of the first line of combating COVID-19, have been exposed to harm caused by mental disorders.

This study investigated how stress management training affects the mental health of medical students and interns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

sixteen training and internship students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences from 2020-2021 were included in this intervention study. The intervention group completed the stress management training course in 6 sessions. Mental health dimensions were collected with the SCL90 questionnaire before and after intervention in both groups. SPSS 22 software and Mann-Whitney U-test, Wilcoxon, Chi-square, and Fisher’s exact test were utilized for data analysis.

The basic data showed no significant differences between groups (P > 0.05). After the intervention, the mean scores of physical complaint, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal relations, depression, anxiety, aggression, fear, paranoid and psychotic dimensions in the intervention group significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In controls, the obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, and aggression dimensions significantly decreased (P < 0.05). However, in controls, there was no significant difference in the mean score of other dimensions before and after intervention (P > 0.05). Before the intervention, the frequency distribution of various levels of sensitivity to interpersonal relationships in the two studied groups was the same (P > 0.05); after the intervention, these levels were significantly different between groups (P < 0.05). After intervention, the control group had a higher frequency distribution of individuals with degrees of depression (P <
0.05).

The mental health of medical internship students during a crisis can be improved by stress management training, which reduces anxiety and depression. Therefore, stress management courses are recommended in stressful situations.

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the development of public sports and well-being through medical universities in the country.

The method of the present study was a qualitative. The theory of the foundation was used to construct a conceptual model of the research. The statistical population included professors of sports management, managers and experts in medical universities and sports organizations, and physical education coaches and teachers in medical universities. Purposeful sampling was performed with 14 interviews until saturation was reached. The research tool was a semi-structured interview in which the results were analyzed by open, axial and selective coding.

Factor affecting the development of public sports and health through medical universities in the country were categorized in three category including causal, contextual and intervening factors. In relation to causal factors, 13 sub-categories and four main categories were identified. In underlying factor, 45 sub-categories were obtained in 7 main categories and in the intervening factor, 34 sub-categories were obtained which were identified and categorized in 8 main categories.

Assess how relevant precedent within the EMA (a key regulator) and NICE (a key HTA body) can inform how such novel medicines targeting asymptomatic conditions can be brought to market from a regulatory and payor perspective.

All phase 2 or phase 3 clinical trials with "asymptomatic", "presymptomatic", "subclinical", "premanifest", or "preclinical" as a condition key word were downloaded from clinicaltrials.gov. Trials were cleaned to identify those for novel medicines with a primary target to treat asymptomatic conditions. EMA and NICE reports for such drugs were downloaded online in December 2021 and analysed to understand how they assessed the evidence. 

278 clinical trials were identified. Of those, only 8 had relevant matching reports from EMA and/or NICE. 7 of these 8 received a positive review from EMA, and 4 of these 8 received a positive recommendation from NICE. Those receiving positive recommendations showed or were assumed to show statistically significant survival benefit given a short life expectancy of untreated patients. 

There is no precedent within EMA or NICE for approving or funding new medicines for asymptomatic patients where survival benefit cannot be established. Additional research is warranted to understand how regulatory and payor agencies can prepare for future generations of innovative medicines.

The present study investigated the effects of motivational psychotherapy on depression in adolescents.

This quasi-experimental study utilized a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The research population consisted of all female students of the second grade of high schools in Birjand city in the academic year of 2022 - 2023. Thirty participants were randomly selected and allocated to the experimental and control groups. The intervention was performed on the experimental group for 12 weeks, while no intervention was performed on the control group during this period. One week after the sessions, the posttest was performed on both groups. Beck Depression Inventory (1961) was used to collect data and covariance analysis to analyze them.

The mean age was 17.23 in the experimental group. The analysis of variance showed that motivational psychotherapy had a significant effect on reducing depression in teenagers.

These results emphasize the importance and effectiveness of motivational psychotherapy and can open a new way for psychotherapists to conceptualize and treat psychological disorders.

The international ovarian tumor analysis (IOTA) study technique is a specialized method for classifying and identifying adnexal growths. It employs 10 simple ultrasound directions to characterize masses as benign or malignant.

This study aims to provide pre-operative information to help gynecologists manage ovarian masses, avoiding delays in malignancy treatment and unnecessary surgery for benign lesions.

This was a hospital-based observational study conducted in the radiology department on patients with clinical diagnoses of ovarian masses from August 2020 to March 2022 by prospective randomized sampling method. Patients with suspected ovarian pathology were evaluated using IOTA ultrasound rules and designated benign or malignant. The patients underwent a thorough history and clinical examination. Ultrasound was used to confirm the ovarian origin of the mass and differentiate it as benign or malignant. A transvaginal ultrasound was performed where necessary. Histopathological examination was the gold standard to confirm ultrasound and Doppler findings. Descriptive stats: Frequencies/percentages for categorical data, mean ± SD for normal, median with IQR for non-normal Uncertainty measured by 95% CI.

During the study, 50 women were eligible for the study, and the mean age of the participants was 45.3 years. Of 50 patients who underwent surgery, 38 cases were considered benign based on IOTA USG rules, of which 35 were benign and 3 were malignant histologically Eight cases were considered malignant based on IOTA USG rules, of which 6 were malignant and 2 were benign. Four cases were considered indeterminate, with two being benign and two being malignant histologically. If inconclusive cases are classified as malignant, the sensitivity and specificity are 75% and 88%, respectively.

USG is an easily available imaging tool that can be used as an initial modality in evaluating ovarian masses. IOTA simple ultrasound rules have diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing benign and malignant ovarian masses and help in management.

Upper crossed syndrome is a muscular imbalance disorder associated with various referred pains, especially jaw discomfort. Complications like temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis may link to forward head posture and mechanical head pains resulting from this syndrome.

The objective of this study was to compare the impact of corrective exercise on pain of TMJ in elderly women with upper cross syndrome.

A total of 30 elderly women with upper crossed syndrome were enrolled at the Kahrizak Elderly Care Center and randomly assigned to either a corrective exercise group or a control group. The experiment group underwent an eight-week training program. Pain levels and neck range of motion were assessed using a pain ruler and goniometer, respectively. In order to measure neck extension, the mean difference and effect size were determined using paired t-test and Cohen’s d, respectively. Referred pain ratings were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, with effect size calculations, to further understand the intervention’s effect on pain perception.

Both groups demonstrated significant changes in referred pain perceptions (P = 0.0441) post-intervention. However, regarding neck extension, neither the control nor the experiment group exhibited statistically significant alterations in neck extension (P = 0.4309).

These findings indicate that corrective exercises have a positive effect on alleviating referred pain in the jaw joint caused by muscle imbalance. Given the merits of corrective exercises as a non-pharmacological intervention, they are recommended as an effective approach for improving referred pain in the jaw.

Motivational psychotherapy has been investigated for its effects in the treatment of various disorders.

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of motivational psychotherapy in enhancing educational motivation among students.

This research employed a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with a control group. The study population comprised all female second-grade high school students in Birjand City during the 2022-2023 academic year. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 30 participants, who were then randomly assigned to the experimental (15 participants) and control groups (15 participants). The Harter Educational Motivation Inventory (1981) was used to collect data.

The mean age of the experimental group was 17.23 years. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that motivational psychotherapy had a significant impact on students’ educational motivation.

These findings emphasize the significance and effectiveness of motivational psychotherapy, offering new avenues for psychotherapists in the conceptualization and treatment of psychological issues in student

Context: 

The placenta performs a crucial function in nutrient exchange, but studying this tissue poses a number of challenges. Utilizing microfluidic and microfabrication technologies, a 3D placenta-on-a-chip model provides a biomimetic alternative for studying placental diseases and treatments.

To review and analyze the currently available placenta-on-chip data to study placental pathologies in patients.

By systematically searching the PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct databases, research papers that employed 3D printing techniques for the development of organoids and Organ-on-Chip (OoC) systems for in vitro experiments were gathered and scrutinized.

When exposed to glucose transfer, placenta-on-a-chip mimics the features of an in vivo human placenta. Microchips have the potential to become a platform for diagnostic purposes for placental diseases and a model for duplicating the important features of these diseases.

The microfluidic placenta-on-a-chip platform holds promise as an affordable solution with versatile applications. However, research is essential to develop a comprehensive in vitro pregnancy model in the future to expand our understanding of feto-maternal communication.