Journal of Archives in Military Medicine
Volume:10 Issue: 4, Dec 2022

 Low back pain is one of the most common health problems worldwide, but there is no agreement on the most appropriate treatment intervention.

 The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Swiss ball training and ear acupuncture on pain and central muscle endurance in women with chronic non-specific low back pain.

 In this quasi-experimental study, 45 patients with non-specific chronic low back pain participated voluntarily. They were divided into three equal groups (Swiss ball, ear acupuncture, and control) based on random sampling, g each group consisted of 15 people. The Swiss ball and ear acupuncture groups underwent treatment for six weeks. The control group was asked to continue their daily activities before and after six weeks of the intervention. Pain and central muscle endurance were measured using visual analog scale (VAS) and McGill tests, respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired t-tests were used to analyze the data of inter-group and intra-group, respectively.

 The results of the present study showed that pain intensity and disability were significantly reduced in both groups of ear acupuncture, Swiss ball, and central muscle endurance increased (P = 0.001); however, no significant difference was observed between the two post-tests (P > 0.05).

 According to the results of the present study, it seems that both interventions, including ear acupuncture and Swiss ball, can reduce the severity of pain and also increase central muscle endurance in women with non-specific chronic low back pain.

 Two of the most important problems of the nursing profession are the job uncertainty experienced by those working in the field and the profession’s status in society. The nurses’ needs have not been adequately addressed by policymakers of the health care system in Iran.

 The present study, conducted in selected hospitals in Iran from March to August, aimed to evaluate the performance of hospitals in meeting the needs of nurses.

 The statistical population included 683 nurses from the selected hospitals. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire containing four items with 40 criteria.

 Hospitals meeting the needs of nurses were classified according to the importance coefficient and in order of importance as follows: job promotion (0.63), spiritual factors (0.62), material factors, (0.57), and job status (0.52).

 It was recommended that the corrective measures regarding job promotion, spiritual factors, material factors, and job status of the nurses should be designed and implemented by health system policymakers and hospitals’ managers.

 Invasive fungal infections are among the most important causes of death in patients with neutropenic fever. Early detection of the cause of neutropenia and appropriate treatment, including experimental antifungal therapy, plays a key role in reducing mortality and cutting financial costs for the individual and society.

 In this retrospective study, the records of 33 patients with fever and neutropenia who received antifungal drugs (including Amphotericin B, Voriconazole, Caspofungin, and Fluconazole) were evaluated. Neutropenia was defined as episodes of fever (axillary temperature > 38.2°C or oral temperature > 37.7°C) and neutrophil count < 500 /μL persistent for five days despite antibacterial therapy without an infectious etiology. For statistical analysis, SPSS software version 21 was used.

 In this study, out of 33 neutropenic patients receiving antifungal therapy, a fungal agent was defined in 19 patients (59%). Mucor species was the most common cause of fungal infections, followed by aspergillus and candida. Liposomal Amphotericin B and Caspofungin were the most common antifungal agents used for treating patients with neutropenic fever. Antifungal therapy in neutropenic patients resulted in 50% recovery and 50% mortality. Statistical analysis showed that neutropenic patients did not have a significant difference in response to treatments based on age groups and gender.

 The study highlights the importance of experimental therapy in neutropenic patients based on clinical criteria and risk factors, and with a diagnostic approach, rather than general treatment.

 Psychophysiological health status impairs during old age, and exercise is one of the factors that has a significant impact on the mental and physical health of the elderly. However, the impact of exercise on these indicators as well as the effects of exercise continuation or cessation have not been clearly identified.

 This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of doing regular exercise and cessation of exercise on physical and mental health indicators of the old people.

 A total of 395 old individuals with a history of at least five years of regular exercise who had either stopped exercising for two years or been engaged in regular exercise volunteered to participate in this study. Two questionnaires including Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire (by Aaron Beck) and McGill Pain Questionnaire were used to measure the depression and the pain perception, respectively. Cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR), and balance were measured using relevant tests. T-test and Pearson correlation coefficient test were used to analyze the data.

 The results showed that the indicators of physical health (i.e., cardiovascular fitness, disability, muscle pain, BMI, and WHR) in active old individuals were significantly different from those in inactive old ones; however, blood pressure and balance indicators were not different in active and inactive old individuals. Furthermore, psychological health indicators (i.e., life expectancy and depression) were significantly higher in active old individuals than inactive ones.

 In sum, continuation of physical activities during old age was found necessary to maintain some health indices. It was also found that the effects of previous physical activities on some health indices were not permanent.

 Two of the most important problems of the nursing profession are the job uncertainty experienced by those working in the field and the profession’s status in society. The nurses’ needs have not been adequately addressed by policymakers of the health care system in Iran.

 The present study, conducted in selected hospitals in Iran from March to August, aimed to evaluate the performance of hospitals in meeting the needs of nurses.

 The statistical population included 683 nurses from the selected hospitals. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire containing four items with 40 criteria.

 Hospitals meeting the needs of nurses were classified according to the importance coefficient and in order of importance as follows: job promotion (0.63), spiritual factors (0.62), material factors, (0.57), and job status (0.52).

 It was recommended that the corrective measures regarding job promotion, spiritual factors, material factors, and job status of the nurses should be designed and implemented by health system policymakers and hospitals’ managers.