Crescent Journal of Medical and Biological Sciences
Volume:9 Issue: 4, Oct 2022

Quality of sexual life can be influenced by cultural and social contexts. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between structural determinants of health (such as education, income level, job, culture, and ethnicity) and quality of sexual life in women.

In this systematic review, we searched six databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, PubMed/Medline (NLM), Cochrane, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) to obtain all the related observational studies (cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control).

Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), the risk of bias in most of the included studies was fair. According to the results, the relationship between education level and quality of sexual life among women was significant in four studies. Also, in one study, job and income level were significantly correlated with women’s quality of sexual life.

Based on the results, structural determinants of health, including education, job, and income level were significantly related with women’s quality of sexual life.

One of the well-accepted beliefs about natural products, considering the advances of recently appearing new edges and features of herbal medicine, is paying more attention to cancer treatments. However, they have not been properly studied with reasonable/reliable clinical trials in human subjects in most cases. Therefore, seeking in vitro effects of herbs like Melissa officinalis (MO) in cancer therapy to identify the involved possible mechanism in conjugation with configurative/morphological aspects of treated cells seems quite necessary. In this study, we evaluated the co-treatment effect of anti-cancer drug methotrexate (MTX) and MO on HeLa cancer cells.

MTT assay was applied to assess the quantitative cytotoxicity effect of both MTX and Mo. Apoptosis assay via flow cytometry was used to determine the amount of apoptotic and necrotic cells. To further investigate the anti-cancer effects, DAPI staining and DNA ladder assays are used qualitatively to detect changes in the nuclei of cells that are a sign of apoptosis occurring and morphological modifications of DNA.

MTX and MO mixture showed high cytotoxicity and apoptosis rate compared to untreated cells. Furthermore, the morphological changes of MTX and MO mixture were more evident than that of single MO, MTX, and control groups.

These data regarding cell growth reduction and apoptosis induction in HeLa cancer cells showed that MTX and MO mixture can be an appropriate platform for cancer therapy.

Functional constipation (FC), or chronic idiopathic constipation, is one of the most common chronic disorders with no specific cause. Although FC is not associated with the progress of severe disease or additional mortality, it significantly decreases the patients’ quality of life. While several medications are available to treat constipation, there is no adequate treatment response in most cases. Herbal remedies are one of the most widely used options for FC.

In this double-blind controlled trial, all patients, researchers, and analysts were unaware of the ingredients contained in the drugs, as well as the assigned groups. We recruited a total of 90 elderly patients diagnosed with FC according to the Rome IV diagnostic criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients were divided into two equal groups (n=45 in each) receiving fig-walnut syrup and lactulose syrup. Then, CBC-FBS-TSH-CR-NA-K-CA tests were taken from all patients, and the developed syrups (walnut-fig or lactulose) were prescribed to patients (15 cc half an hour before bedtime).

While 43 (95.6%) patients responded to treatment in the intervention group, 41 (91.1%) patients responded to treatment in the conventional treatment group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of response to treatment (P = 0.677).

The results showed that the oral syrups developed in this study improved FC in the elderly and had no side effects.

Despite a variety of strategies, propofol injection pain (PIP) is still one of the most distressing adverse effects of the drug. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of metoclopramide, low dose of propofol, magnesium sulfate, and ondansetron in the prevention of PIP.

This double-blind clinical trial was conducted at Al-Zahra hospital an academic and referral center affiliated with Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran. A total of 120 eligible women candidates for elective gynecologic surgeries were divided into four equal groups of magnesium sulfate (30 mg/kg), ondansetron (4 mg), metoclopramide (10 mg), and propofol (15 mg). The primary outcome of this study was to decrease the pain severity of propofol injection.

The participants’ demographic characteristics, including age, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, and body mass index, had no significant differences between the four groups. A significant decrease in heart rate and mean arterial pressure were observed in four groups; however, the difference was insignificant. The mean pain intensity in the magnesium sulfate group was 1.57 ± 0.9, ondansetron 1.37 ± 0.89, metoclopramide 0.95 ± 0.93, and in propofol group was 1.25 ± 1.1 (P=0.036).

Metoclopramide could appropriately alleviate PIP. Considering some additional advantages, including antiemetic properties, preventing esophageal reflux, and less risk of postoperative ileus, this drug could be a safe and acceptable choice.

Castration is one of the most common methods of contraception in animals. This method can prevent animals from contracting various diseases, such as testicular tumors, and prevent the overgrowth of animal populations.

In this experiment, 10 adult and clinically healthy male Wistar rats weighing approximately 250-200 g were divided into two equal groups of control and treatment (n=5 in each). In the control group, normal saline and in the treatment group, 20% calcium chloride was injected into the testicular tissue. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and end of the experiment (day 21) and the superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and testosterone levels were measured. Then, the tissue samples of testis were evaluated on days 7, 14, and 21.

On day 21, SOD and GPx enzymes significantly increased in the treatment group compared to day zero (P=0.01). However, calcium chloride injection reduced the mean testosterone levels on day 21 compared to day zero (P=0.06). Meanwhile, the mean number of sperms in the right testis of treated mice significantly decreased (P=0.03). Seminiferous tubule necrosis significantly increased on day 7, neutrophil infiltration significantly increased on days 7 and 14, and calcification significantly increased on days 7 and 21 (P<0.01).

Although chemical sterilization using 20% calcium chloride can lead to testicular degeneration, it is not a recommended method because it does not reduce testosterone and activates oxidative stress biomarkers. However, the negative effects might be eliminated in future studies using some substances such as tannic acid.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a heterogeneous disorder with immune pathophysiology affecting quality of life (QOL) and productivity at work or education. This study aimed to evaluate the association between macro- and micro-nutrient intakes with QOL in AR patients.

Using convenience sampling method, this cross-sectional study included 60 AR patients in the age range of 15-60 years referred to the Allergy Clinic of Mohammad Kermanshashi hospital, Kermanshash, Iran from March to December 2018. Data including body composition, QOL, and nutritional status were collected. Independent t test, chi-square, and Pearson correlation were used for data analysis.

According to the results of Spearman test, while cholesterol intake level was directly associated with low QOL (P = 0.049, r=0.283), dietary zinc intake had a negative correlation with low QOL (P = 0.045, r=-0.262). However, there were no significant associations between other macro- and micro-nutrient intakes and QOL in patients.

In this study, higher intake of cholesterol, unlike zinc, had a negative effect on QOL in AR patients.

Therapeutic communication is a central element of the nurse-patient interaction in providing quality care to cancer patients. The present study aimed to evaluate effective characteristics of Iranian oncology nurses in their therapeutic communication that might determine the nature of nurses’ communication patients with cancer.

This was a qualitative study performed with a conventional content analysis method in 2020. The participants included 18 nurses working in oncology wards of educational and medical centers in northwestern Iran, selected by purposive sampling. In addition, data were collected using semi-structured interviews.

The qualitative data analysis led to the extraction effective characteristics of oncology nurses encompassed related of inner views and beliefs, family upbringing regarding therapeutic communication and personality characteristics. This is based on caringparticipatory attitude, empathy, trust, mutual respect. Inner satisfaction (Nurse’s and patient satisfaction), improved positive mutual approach (patient comfort and satisfaction with patient’s good feeling) positive outcomes of therapeutic communication nurses with cancer patients were.

The establishment of effective therapeutic communication with cancer patients requires a change in the philosophy and attitude of nurses toward the potential skills of this area. In addition, nurses must have self-awareness of the importance of therapeutic communication in the improvement of patient quality care and consequences. Moreover, they should receive proper education in this area to meet their needs and encourage holistic and patient-centered approaches in these individuals.

The avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femur head due to the death of the osteocytes of the bone marrow occurs because the organ is not supplied with sufficient blood. The prevalence of the problem is 10%-50% in adults. The etiology of the disease includes various factors such as trauma, cigarette smoking, drinking spirits, taking corticosteroids, genetics, metabolic disorders, human immunodeficiency virus, pregnancy, and the like. The treatment of necrosis can be conducted regarding the degree of the problem. In the present paper, a case was reported whose femur head necrosis was treated by applying Iranian Medicine without using common drugs in modem Medicine. The patient was a 46-year-old man who had felt severe pain in his left hip since a month before referring. The pain had gradually increased and the AVN of the femur head was diagnosed after magnetic resonance imaging. Finally, the surgery and arthroplasty of the femur head were recommended in this regard. In general, surgery and arthroplasty were recommended regarding the hard medicinal and complicated treatment of the AVN of the femur head. However, it is noteworthy that applying Iranian medicine capacities is possible for curing the disease.