Shiraz Emedical Journal
Volume:25 Issue: 2, Feb 2024

Healthy aging is an important concept developed by theWorld Health Organization with the aim of enhancing the health of older adults, highlighting the positive aspects of aging, and reinforcing their social roles.

Since the concept of healthy aging can be interpreted differently by older adults in various societies, this study aimed to explore the perspectives of Iranian older adults regarding healthy aging.

A qualitative descriptive design and content analysis was employed to gather data from 15 purposively selected community-dwelling older adults aged over 60 years in Ilam and Khuzestan provinces, Iran. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed following Graneheim and Lundman’s (2004) content analysis guide.

Five main themes and 16 subthemes emerged. These 5 main themes include social participation, mental health, a healthy lifestyle, maintenance of functional ability, and adequacy of economic status.

Based on the results, healthy aging is a multidimensional concept. It is recommended that health policy-makers and providers of elderly healthcare services take these factors into account when planning and delivering services aimed at promoting the health of older adults.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic granulomatous disease, ranking as the second cause of death by infectious agents in 2021. Tuberculosis affects millions worldwide, with valvular TB being a rare manifestation, accounting for less than 1% of extrapulmonary TB cases. Valvular TB is often diagnosed through imaging and laboratory evaluations, and the treatment involves prolonged antibiotic therapy and might require surgical intervention for damaged cardiac valves.

A 60-year-old female patient with diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis was referred for a cardiac assessment prior to hand wound debridement surgery. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed a mass on the mitral valve, and subsequent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) confirmed a large, mobile mass with abscess-like density. A blood culture study was negative for infective endocarditis, and a biopsy of the wound revealed necrotizing granuloma positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Anti-TB medication was initiated, resulting in a significant improvement in the valve mass. No cardiac complications were reported during the follow-up.

In suspected cardiac TB patients with a high risk of surgery or patients reluctant to undergo an operation, quadruple chemotherapy can0 serve as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool.

Spontaneous abortion (SA) is a common pregnancy complication with challenging prediction and prevention for healthcare providers. It can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and grief for parents. Self-talk (ST) is a communication skill with a significant role in the relationship of events and emotions and can facilitate the management of most emotional and behavioral disorders. However, there is limited information about its effects on women with SA.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of positive ST on anxiety and grief among women with SA.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2021 using a two-group pre-test-post-test design. Eighty women with SA were randomly selected from a teaching hospital in Zahedan, Iran, and were alternately allocated to an intervention group and a control group on a weekly basis. Participants in the intervention group received education about positive ST in eight 20-minute sessions held twice weekly. Data were collected before and 2 months after the intervention using a demographic questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Perinatal Grief Scale. The SPSS v. 16.0 software was used to analyze the data at a significance level of < 0.05 using the Shapiro-Wilk, paired-sample and independent-sample t tests, and chi-square test.

The agemeanof the participants was 26.40 ± 5.63 years in the intervention group and 24.45 ± 5.11 years in the control group. The groups did not significantly differ from each other respecting baseline demographic and clinical characteristics (P > 0.05). The mean scores of anxiety (control: 4.57 ± 1.98, intervention: 2.60 ± 1.59) and grief (control: 64.85 ± 22.68, intervention: 50.97 ± 16.522) significantly decreased in both groups (P = 0.001, P = 0.003), and the amount of decrease in the intervention group was significantly more than the control group (P < 0.05). Accordingly, the pre-test mean scores of anxiety (P = 0.74) and grief (P = 0.95) did not show significant between-group differences, and the post-test mean scores of anxiety (P < 0.001) and grief (P = 0.004) in the intervention group were significantly less than the control group.

Positive ST is effective in significantly reducing anxiety and grief among women with SA. Nurses and psychologists can use positive ST to reduce post-SA psychological complications among afflicted women.

Familiarity with and management of drug side effects is among nurses’ main educational needs with respect to pharmacological care in psychiatry departments.

This study aimed to determine the effects of psychotropic drug education through mobile learning and group discussion on nursing students’ learning, satisfaction, and attitude.

This educational intervention was done at EbneSina Psychiatric Hospital, affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, in 2018. A total of 28 students were randomly divided into 2 groups, each containing 16 and 12 subjects. The first group underwent the educational intervention through mobile learning. The second group received the educational intervention through group discussion. The students’ learning and satisfaction were assessed and compared before and 2 weeks after the intervention. Attitudes were also assessed within the mobile learning group. Data were analyzed using paired and independent sample t-tests.

The results revealed a significant difference in satisfaction between the 2 groups after the intervention (38.69 ± 4.78 in the mobile learning group vs 33.13 ± 5.51 in the discussion group; P = 0.02). However, no significant difference was found after adjustment for baseline, age, and sex. The results also indicated that the students in the mobile learning group developed a significantly more positive attitude after the intervention compared to the baseline (P = 0.038).

The study findings indicated that the utilization of smartphones for learning about psychotropic drug management in psychiatric departments might be effective in enhancing student’s learning outcomes, satisfaction, and attitude. Thus, further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to be conducted on other medical and nursing apprenticeships.

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a surgical technique to correct developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Various THA-based methods have been developed for managing end-stage osteoarthritis in patients with DDH Crowe type III or IV.

In this study, we evaluate the Harris hip score (HHS) before and after cementless THA without subtrochanteric shortening osteotomy (STO) in patients with DDH Crowe type III or IV who were candidates for THA, as well as complications and the need for revision surgery.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with DDH Crowe type III and IV, who were candidates for cementless THA using theWatson Jones technique without shortening STO. The HHS was calculated and recorded in their medical files before surgery. Patients with missing or incomplete medical files, without written informed consent, with neurovascular diseases, immunosuppressive drug use, congenital bone and articular anomalies, low back pain radiating to the lower extremities, simultaneous fractures, a history of lower extremity fractures, or joint infections were excluded. The HHS was recalculated during outpatient follow-up. Neurovascular defects and the need for reoperation were also evaluated. All data were recorded and analyzed.

Thirty-two patients were enrolled with a mean ± SD age of 50.34 ± 15.45 years, most of whom were women (75%). The patients were followed for 2 to 7 years. Postoperative nerve defects were observed in only 1 (3.1%) patient. Hip reoperation was performed in 1 (3.1%) patient. The mean ± SD of HHS before surgery was 50.10 ± 12.48, which increased significantly to 77.99 ± 15.60 after surgery (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the HHS was evaluated before and after the intervention for each gender, showing a significant increase in both.

Cementless THA without shortening osteotomy can improve HHS in patients with DDH Crowe III and IV, providing satisfactory outcomes. Furthermore, complications, such as neurological defects and the need for reoperation, are minimal with this method.