مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی ایلام
سال سی و یکم شماره 6 (پیاپی 143، بهمن 1402)

It seems that education focusing on the perceived threat is effective in informing people about water scarcity. Therefore, due to the position of educated people as role models in society, the present study aimed to assess the effect of education based on the perceived threat on water conservation behavior of students of Behbahan Faculty of Medical Sciences.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 62 operating room students of Behbahan Faculty of Medical Science in the academic year of 2017-2018, selected via multistage random sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, perceived threats, and water conservation behavior which was completed by students before the intervention. Thereafter, written and visual messages based on the perceived threat were prepared and presented in PowerPoint format with the cooperation of professors for four sessions in the last minutes of the classroom, and an opportunity was given for group discussion and exchange of opinions. In addition, message posters were installed in appropriate places, such as restrooms, and were sent to students using the SMS system. Two months later, the questionnaires were completed again. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 15) using the Paired t-test, Covariance analysis, and Pearson correlation coefficient. A p-value less than 0<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The mean age of participants was 20.61±1.32 years. There were 32 (51.6%) female and 30 (48.4%) male students. Before the training, the mean water conservation behaviors, susceptibility, and severity scores were 47.98±16.36, 61.74±21.23, and 59.03±21.09, respectively. After training, the aforementioned mean scores increased significantly to 77.55±14.59, 86±0.54, and 83.38±8.53, and there was a significant relationship between the variables (P<0.05).

The education caused an increase in students' perceived threat to the water shortage crisis and promoted water conservation behavior. It is suggested that similar studies be carried out in other groups to check the generalizability of the results at the community level.

The extraction of chemical compounds from plants is influenced by various factors, such as methodology and duration of extraction, sample preparation, and the type and concentration of solvent used. This study was performed to investigate the effect of extraction time and type of solvent on the contents of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity of Digitalis purpurea L. plant.

An experiment based on a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement with three replications was conducted at the Horticulture Laboratory at the University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran, in 2021. The experimental treatments included two levels of extraction duration (24 and 48 h) as the main factor, and two levels of methanol, ethanol, and acetone solvents (100% and 80%), compared with the control (distilled water), as sub-factors. Extraction of purple foxglove leaf powder was done by macerating 24 or 48 h using two levels of methanol, ethanol, or acetone as solvents (100%, 80%, and distilled water for the control). Evaluation of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity was performed. The resulting data were analyzed in SAS software version 9, and mean comparisons were performed by Duncan's Multi-Range Tests at the 1% and 5% probability levels. To determine the correlation between parameters, Pearson's correlation coefficient was checked using SPSS version 20 software.

The results showed that there was a significant difference between 24 and 48 h of maceration to extract chemical compounds (P<0.01). The highest amounts of total phenol (24.75 mg GAE/g dw) and antioxidant activity (71.36%) were obtained in 80% acetone extract, and the maximum flavonoid content (6.03 mg Q/g dw) was achieved in 80% ethanol and 48 h maceration time. Generally, increasing the maceration time from 24 h to 48 h caused a significant rise in the extraction of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between flavonoid content (P=0.86) and phenolic content (P=0.82) with antioxidant activity.

According to the results, increasing the extraction time and also utilizing hydroalcoholic solvents were more effective in extracting these compounds than pure alcohols.

Feeling alone and enduring distress are risk factors for suicidal thoughts, while parental bonds are protective factors. However, the complex mechanisms behind these factors have not been identified among people with a history of suicide attempts. Therefore, the present study aimed to predict suicide attempts through distress tolerance, feeling alone, and parental bonds in people with a history of suicide attempts.

The current research is a descriptive-correlational study, and the statistical population included all people with a history of suicide attempts in Isfahan, Iran, from among whom 120 people were selected through convenience sampling. The research tools included parental bond questionnaires by Parker et al. (1979), distress tolerance by Simmons and Gaher (2005), feelings of loneliness by Russell et al. (1980), and attempted suicide was made by the researcher. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive methods, including Mean and Standard deviation and inferential statistics (e.g., Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analysis) using the SPSS software (version 27) and PLS3 statistical software.

The results showed that among the predictor variables, feeling alone had the highest predictive power (64.7%), and in the second step, with the addition of parental bond with the mother, it increased to 0.701%, and in the third step, with the addition of Parenting bond with father reached 0.729%, and in fourth step with the addition of distress tolerance, it reached 0.743%, all of which are statistically significant.

Based on the findings of the present research, we can point out the influential role of feeling alone in predicting suicide attempts, and the need for families and policy-makers to pay attention to this prominent factor can play a major role in reducing suicide rate.

Considering the broad spectrum of using nanoparticles in food coatings as a potent antimicrobial agent and their possible cytotoxic effects and accidental consumption of these toxic materials, this study was performed. The present study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of chitosan and nano-chitosan in vitro.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 in the Laboratory of the Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. The XRD and FITR techniques were employed to study the characteristics of these nanoparticles. Moreover, two cell lines, HT-29 and Vero, were used to study the cytotoxic effects of chitosan and nano-chitosan by MTT assay, acridine orange, and ethidium bromide staining. One-way ANOVA and independent t-test were used to analyze the collected data with the help of SPSS software (version 19).

Based on the obtained findings, the maximum values of XRD at the angle of θ2 were observed at 20°. The highest peak appeared at 1530 cm-1, which was associated with tensile vibration of N-P-N. The spectrum diagram of chitosan due to the tensile vibration of synthetic nanochitosan of N-H bound appeared at 1646 cm-1. The results showed a proportional increase in the cytotoxicity with time and concentration of nanoparticles in the cells.

Since by increase in time and concentration of nanoparticles, toxicity was observed in cells; therefore, the time and concentration of chitosan nanoparticles are important in causing cytotoxicity. Considering the toxic effects of these nanocomposites on cancer cells, they can be used in cancer treatment, which requires further studies.

Exercise training and vegetarian diets have been accepted as suitable and non-pharmacological methods for improving lifestyle and mitigating obesity, and related metabolic diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effect of aerobic training and vegetarian diet on lipid profile of adults.

A comprehensive search of English and Persian articles was conducted on databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, SID, Magiran, and Google Scholar, up to February 2023. Meta-analyses were conducted to compare the effects of aerobic exercise and vegetarian diet on body weight, as well as lipid profile parameters (low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride and total cholesterol). Standardized mean differences (SMD), weighted mean differences (WMD), and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random effect model. Additionally, the I2 test was assessed the heterogeneity, and Funnel plots and Egger tests at a (significance level: 0.1) were employed to identify publication bias.

The meta-analysis, comprising 36 studies with 10,795 adults, showed that aerobic exercise and vegetarian diet significantly decreased body weight [WMD=-4.5, (CI: -5.68 to -3.31), p=0.001], low-density lipoprotein [SMD=-0.35, (CI: -0.44 to -0.26), p=0.001], high-density lipoprotein [SMD=-0.16, (CI: -0.29 to -0.03), p=0.01], triglyceride [SMD=-0.11, (CI: -0.17 to -0.05), p=0.001], and total cholesterol [SMD=-0.44, (CI: -0.57 to -0.32), p=0.001]. Data analysis utilized Comperhensive Meta-analysis software version 2.

The findings of the present meta-analysis showed the important role of exercise and vegetarian diet in improving lipid profiles. Therefore, aerobic exercise and vegetarian diet are recommended as non-pharmacogloical strategies for reducing body weight and improving lipid profiles in adults.

Psychological well-being is of paramount imporance for cancer patients and is affected by various factors, such as personality traits. The present study aimed to predict psychological well-being based on resilience and personality type D in cancer patients.

The current research was conducted based ona descriptive-correlatioal design. The statistical population of this research was made up of all cancer patients who were members of Maxa in Isfahan in 2021. The research sample included 220 cancer patients who were selected via aailable sampling. The data collection tools were demographic characteristics questionaire, psychological well-being questionnaire by Riff (1995), personality type D by Denault (2005), and resilience by Connor and Davidson (2003). The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 24). Descriptive statistics included mean, standard deviation, and percentage, while inferential statistics including Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The significance level was considered to be 0.05.

The correlation matrix illustrated that psychological well-being had a significant positive correlation with the total score of resilience (r= 0.701; P=0.001) and a significant negative correlation with personality type D (r= -0.517; P=0.001). Moreover, according to the results of multiple regression analysis, 38% of the variance of psychological well-being can be predicted based on resilience and personality type D variables (P=0.001). Resilience with beta 0.38 (P=0/001; T=0.639) positively and significantly and personality type D with beta -0.25 (P=0/001; T=-1.607) can negatively and significantly predict the psychological well-being of cancer patients.

Resilience and personality type D can predict the psychological well-being of cancer patients; Therefore, the psychological well-being of cancer patients can be affected by carrying out interventions related to resilience and D personality type.

Urinary control disorder is one of the most common disorders in children, which has important psychological consequences such as reducing self-confidence, anxiety, etc. This research was conducted with the aim of evaluating aggression in children with daily urinary disorders.

This case-control study was conducted on 200 children aged 5 to 12 years in two groups (50 girls and 50 boys) and control (50 girls and 50 boys) who referred to the pediatric clinic of Amirkabir Arak Hospital in 1401 and with random sampling. Easy randomization and using Shahim's aggression questionnaire, the level of aggression was measured in two groups of cases and controls, and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 software.

In this study, 200 children, including 100 in the case group and 100 in the control group, with an average age of 7.17 years (±2.17) participated. No significant relationship was found between the two groups in terms of parents' education, place of residence, socio-economic status, number of children in the family, and history of mental illnesses in the parents. (P>0.05). The mean total score of aggression in the case group (±8.18) was 34.41 and in the control group (±5.17) it was 27.80. The total score of aggression and the mean score of reactive-overactive aggression and Physical aggression and relational aggression were significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (P<0.05).

In this study, children with daily urinary disorders were more aggressive than non-diseased children. Therefore, screening children with urinary disorders and, if necessary, psychiatric interventions such as teaching anger management methods are very important.

One of the problems of the elderly is a decrease in balance and quality of life of senior citizens. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the effect of fatigue on balance, motor function, lower limb strength, and quality of life of the two groups of elderly people at home and in a nursing home.

The present study was conducted based on a prospective quasi-experimental design. For this purpose, 35 elderly women at home and 35 elderly women in nursing homes in Miyaneh were selected via available sampling. To carry out the fatigue protocol, the subjects performed sitting and standing movements with their hands on their chests. Subjects were administered the relevant tests under normal conditions and without fatigue. In the second session, which was held 48 hours later, the subjects performed the fatigue protocol and then performed balance, motor function (TUG), and lower limb strength tests (number of takeoff and landing chairs). The quality of life in both groups was assessed using the Leipad Elderly Quality of Life questionnaire. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 24) using independent and dependent t-tests.

The results demonstrated a significant difference (P=0.001) between the two groups of elderly women in nursing homes and those living at home in terms of motor function, strength, and quality of life. Nonetheless, there was no significant difference (P=0.127) in the balance of the two elderly groups.

As evidenced by the results of this study, the quality of life of the elderly in nursing homes was lower than that of the elderly at home, and fatigue can exert a more marked effect on the motor function and strength of these people. Therefore, it is recommended to prioritize the design of exercise interventions with the approach of increasing the fatigue threshold to improve the parameters related to the quality of life of the elderly.

Mothers are more responsible for raising their children, and they are usually the main caregivers of disabled children. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of behavioral activation therapy on social avoidance in mothers of children with cerebral palsy.

This study with a quasi-experimental research design had a pre-test, post-test, and a control group. The research sample consisted of 40 mothers referred to Occupational Therapy Centers in Ilam, Iran, in 2021. Then, they were randomly assigned into an experimental group (n=20) and a control group (n=20). The experimental group received behavioral activation group therapy based on the protocol provided by Kanter, Bush, and Rush during eight 90-minute sessions in one group session per week[S1]. Information was collected using a social phobia questionnaire (SPI) by Connor et al. (2000) in two stages of pre- and post-interventions. Covariance analysis and SPSS software (version 27) were used for data analysis.

Based on the obtained results, at the end of the treatment, the social avoidance scores of the intervention group were significantly reduced compared to the control group (P<0.05).

The study showed that behavioral activation therapy has a favorable effect on reducing the severity of symptoms of social avoidance disorder in mothers of children with cerebral palsy. Therefore, this treatment is suggested as a complementary treatment along with drug treatments to improve psychological symptoms in these people.

 Domestic violence occurs in different ways in families. Parent abuse is a type of psychological, physical, or financial violence practiced by children against their parents. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of parent abuse in high school boy students during the coronavirus pandemic.

The research method was descriptive-cross-sectional. The statistical population was all mothers of high school boy students in Khuzestan, Iran, in the academic year 2020-2021, of which 676 were selected by multistage cluster sampling. In this study, the Parent Abuse Scale (boy version) and demographic inventory were used. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and percentage) and t-test using SPSS software (version 22).

The findings of this study showed that the prevalence of physical abuse is 6.2%, emotional abuse 5%, financial abuse 11.4% and parental abuse in Corona epidemics is 4.1%. In addition, the findings of this study compared to the studies before the Corona outbreak showed that the prevalence of parental abuse of high school boy students in Khuzestan province was lower in the context of the coronavirus epidemic.

Despite the fact that the number of parental abuses in Iranian society is significant, the rate of parental abuse in high school boy students during the Coronavirus in Khuzestan showed no increase. It is suggested to investigate strategies that have created and maintained positive interactions in the family.