نرگس شمس علیزاده

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common human infections. Although the association between H.pylori infection and Alzheimer's disease has been suggested in some studies, few studies have dealt with the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and memory function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the memory function in the students with H.pylori infection.

This case-control study was performed in Sanandaj universities. 106 H.pylori positive and 119 H. pylori negative students were compared using Wechsler memory test. In order to analyze the data, independent t-test and multiple regression were used.

The results of this study showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between Wechsler memory final score and H.pylori infection (p = 0.24). But there was a statistically significant relationship between the visual memory subscale (p = 0.01) and mental control (p =0.003). By controlling the confounding effect of age, H. pylori had a negative effect on mental control (P = 0.03). Also, male gender (p = 0.02) and Helicobacter pylori infection (p = 0.007) had a negative effect on the visual memory.

In our study H.pylori infection was not significantly related to the overall memory function of the individuals, but due to the association of this infection with some subscales of memory, further studies are recommended.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which the facts surrounding a person are interpreted as abnormal. The treatment aims to reduce symptoms and the possibility of disease recurrence.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of spironolactone on schizophrenia symptoms.

In this double-blind analytical and clinical study, 44 patients were randomly divided into two groups. The study was carried out in Quds Hospital and centers for psychiatric patients in Sanandaj city in 2019 and 2020. The number of patients decreased to 32 due to drug side effects and unwillingness to continue treatment. The instrument used was the scale test of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Datum were analyzed using chi-square and ANOVA with repeated measurements and independent t-tests by SPSS-23 software.

The results showed that out of 44 patients studied, 37 (84.1%) were men and 7 (15.9%) were women. The imbalance was due to the small sample size. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of sex distribution, literacy level, marital status, employment history, and background medication use (P>0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of reducing negative symptoms (P=0.666), positive symptoms (P=0.748) and general symptoms (P=0.342).

According to the finding, spironolactone has no significant effect on reducing negative, positive, and general symptoms. Therefore, it is suggested to carry out more studies using this drug (by removing the limitations of this study) and other drugs.

Home-Visit is a recently growing approach for patients with chronic mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of this approach in some therapeutic factors in the patients with BID.

In this randomized control trial study, among bipolar I patients discharged from Ghods Psychiatric Hospital in Sanandaj, those who met our inclusion criteria, after informed consent, randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. The evaluators were unaware of the patients' groups. The intervention group received 1-year intervention of home-care services, whereas the control group doesn't receive any intervention, except for their pharmacological treatment. Hamilton-Depression-Rating Scale and Young-Mania-Rating-Scale were used to record possible changes during the steps of our study (before, 6-months and 12-months after intervention). Data were analyzed using SPSS.

Our study included 26 patients (19 men, 7 women). 13 assigned to intervention group (Mean age= 36.15, SD=15.04), and 13 assigned to control group (Mean age=34.92, SD=5.15), which did not show any significant difference at the baseline (T=.279, p= .783). The results implied that the intervention group had significant decrease in all of the three variables, including frequency of hospitalization (p=0/001), mania (p=0/002), and depression (p=0/006), compared to the control group. These changes remained the same during the one year follow-up period.

Results showed that home-visit was effective in, decreasing the severity of the symptoms, frequency and length of hospital stay in BID patients. It seems possible that increased length of interventions can lead to better outcomes.

Sleep status is one of the most important components of health-related quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

This study aimed to investigate the correlation of sleep quality with health indicators and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

In this cross-sectional, analytical study, a total of 250 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, referred to the specialized rheumatology clinic of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (Sanandaj, Iran) during 2019-2020, using the Standard Questionnaires of Visual Analog Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Multidimensional Questionnaire of Fatigue and Disease Activity. To analyze the data, Spearman's correlation test, independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression analysis were performed in SPSS-23.

A total of 42 male patients and 208 female patients with rheumatoid arthritis were included in this study. The sleep quality of 98% of the participants was inadequate. A higher pain intensity (P<0.001), higher disease activity (P<0.05) and depression and mental fatigue (P<0.01) were associated with the patients’ lower sleep quality.

The results of the present study revealed that depression and mental fatigue, pain intensity, and disease activity were associated with a lower sleep quality of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Therapists are recommended to consider the sleep status of these patients, as well as the mentioned variables.

The quality of sexual satisfaction of couples plays an essential role in marital dissatisfaction; therefore, sexual satisfaction training can be effective in reducing this marital problem. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of sexual satisfaction model training on reducing couples’ distress among couples referring to counseling centers.

This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest and a control group design. The statistical population of the study included all couples referring to counseling centers in Sanandaj City, in the academic year of 2019-2020. The instruments used in this research were Couple Burnout Measure (CBM). After selecting the sample and randomly forming two groups of 30 experimental and control groups, a pretest was conducted on the study groups. The researcher provided eight 90-minutes training sessions to the experimental group as a model of sexual satisfaction. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS.

This study was approved by Ethics Committee of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.MUK.REC.1397.5037). 

 The current research results revealed a significant difference (P≤0.001) between the experimental and control groups concerning marital boredom (F=35.581) and its dimensions, including physical fatigue (F=25.074), emotional exhaustion (F=39.031), and mental exhaustion (F=35.020); the effect of the educational program was equal to 0.42, 0.31, 0.41, and 0.39, respectively.

 The present study findings indicated that sex education model training was effective in reducing couples’ referrals to counseling centers.

Sexual dysfunction is ono of psychological effects of a hysterectomy.The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy on sexual dysfunction after hysterectmy in women referred toBesat hospital in sanandaj.
Design of this study was expeerimental study( before and after with control groups).The population includs women in Sanandaj who they referred to Besat hospital during one year that undergoing hysterectomy.Cognitive therapy was also conducted in several sessions and FSFI questionnaire was applied for measuring sexual function in women.The samples of this study 60 participants(30 control and 30 experimental groups) were randmly selected.
Theresults showed that CBT training hss signifcantly affect (pThe results showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy impact on women,s sexual satisfaction.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an assertiveness training program on medical students’ self-concept. This research method was a semi-experimental study with pretest, post test and control group. The sample consisted of 50 second semester students of Kermanshah university. Beck self concept questionnaire was used. Assertiveness skill training was offered to 50 second semester medical students of Kurdistan University in four sessions (each 2 hours). To analyze the data, descriptive and inferential statistics, were employed. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups in self concept (P

Medical students experience a high level of stress, with potential adverse consequences on their academic performance. Stressors cannot be modified in numerous cases but student's abilities to cope with stressors should be upgraded. In this study, we investigated the effect of stress management training (As part of the Life Skills Curriculum in Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences) on perceived stress, coping style in medical college students and also persistence of the effect of training. This was a quasi-experimental study (before and after). The sample size was 35 medical students and included all of the second semester medical students. Sampling method was census. Stress management training included four two-hour sessions for four consecutive weeks. Assessment was carried out by use of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-21) in four steps (before, immediately, 3 and 6 months after classes). Collected data were entered into SPSS17 software and analyzed by paired t-tests., ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test. Before training, the mean value for perceived stress among students was 33.42 which decreased to 32.70, 31.50 and 29.22, after one, three and six months after training, respectively. We found significant differences in perceived stress only between the stages conducted before training and six months after training. (P-Value: 0.012). The dominant style of copping with stress in all periods was that of problem oriented but changes in a variety of styles in different periods were not significant. In this study, reduced perceived stress can be related to the training, but the role of confounding factors should be kept in mind. Lack of change in the students´ coping style after training can be attributed to short-term training and defective contents of the training. It seems that other factors such as students’ level of education and compulsory training can interfere with the results of this study. Therefore, further studies are required to carry out alterations in the life skill curriculum in Kurdistan University of medical sciences.

According to Beck''s cognitive model، the experiences of the people result in development of assumptions or schemas about the self and the world. These assumptions contribute to the organization of perception and control and appraisal of behavior. Some of these assumptions are rigid and resistant to change and therefore are dysfunctional. The purpose of this study was to determine the schemas of individuals attempting suicide by self-poisoning according to Beck''s cognitive model and determine their relationship to suicide. This was a case–control study. Our case group (n=204) included the patients admitted to Tohid Hospital due to suicide attempt. Control group consisted of healthy individuals (n=204) who had been matched with case groups. The participants completed Young Schema Questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory. Collected data were analyzed by means of logistic regression model and correlation test. Results showed that enmeshment/undeveloped self-unrelenting standards/ hypercritical schemas can be risk factors for suicide attempts. Depression had correlation with emotional deprivation، abandonment/instability، social isolation/alienation، and self-sacrifice schemas. In non-depressed participants، undeveloped self and emotional deprivation schemas were associated with suicide attempt. In general، undeveloped self-schema might contribute to suicidal behavior independently. Emotional deprivation both directly and indirectly (by inducing depression) could precipitate suicidal behavior.

Objective (s): This study was، designed to evaluate the effect of an educational program on postpartum depression among primiparous women. This was a quasi-experimental study carried out in two urban health centers in Sanandaj، Iran. The intervention group received an educational program on postpartum depression in three sessions: 10-14 days، 6 and 8 weeks after delivery. Each session that lasted for 20 minutes. In addition، booklets were circulated to mothers for guidance. The control group (mothers) only received the routine postpartum care. Both groups completed The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale 8 and 12 weeks after delivery and were compared between two groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups at baseline. However، there was a significant difference between depression scores in two groups one month after intervention (P=0. 001). The results showed that the educational program among primiparous mothers was effective.

Assessment the quality of prenatal care can determine current status and be aware of effectiveness of measures taken in order to improve the quality of cares. Donabedian model is a good model of care in the health care field. Based on Donabedian model، the process of care is an important part of the trend of providing and receiving services that can assessed in technical and interpersonal interactions parts. The aim of this study was to assess the situation of presented prenatal care based on Donabedian model. This descriptive study was conducted on 320 women who referred to health centers for taking prenatal care in Mashhad، Iran، 2012. Method of sampling was multi-stage. Data was collected using a questionnaire contain information of care providers and participants and an observation checklist based on Donabedian model that divided into two parts of technical and interpersonal interactions. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16، Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square. P value less than 0. 05 was considered significant. The overall mean of the process of care was 47. 92±8. 70. Results of divided of care process into two parts technical performance and interaction interpersonal showed that the average scores of technical performance was 23. 2±4. 71 and the interaction interpersonal scores was 22. 76±5. 02. Results of the study showed that the status care providing process was intermediate in 93. 7% of cases. Given the current level of quality of care، increasing the number of care providers per population covered in health cares، sensitization of prenatal care and giving information seems to be necessary.

Suicide is the third most common cause of death between 15 and 44 years of age. Medical students are one of the high risk groups. Suicidal ideation is regarded as a predictive factor for suicide attempt. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence rate of suicidal thoughts and its related factors among the students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. In this descriptive - analytical study، 452 students with different fields of study in medical sciences were selected randomly. Using Beck Inventory (BSSI) the rate of suicidal thoughts was determined. Data were entered into SPSS V. 16 software and analyzed by x^2 and logistic regression. p <0. 05 was considered significant. In this study 34. 3 percent of the students were male and 65. 7 percent were female، with a mean age of 21. 16 ± 2. 41 years. 32. 7 percent of all students and 42. 7percent of medical students had mild to severe suicidal thoughts. A significant relationship was observed among academic fields، residential area، performance of religious obligations، history of suicide attempts and current suicidal thoughts (p<0. 01). This study indicated a high prevalence rate of suicidal thoughts among the university students which calls for more attention by the university officials in order to take necessary measures for prevention of suicidal attempts among the students.

Most of the anticholinergic agents abuse are among the medications used for the treatment of neuroleptics induced parkinsonism. These drugs are abused orally or parenterally in psychiatric patients dominantly in psychotic patients. We reported a case of anticholinergic drug dependence in a patient who received it for reduction of withdrawal symptoms but abused it by smoking later.CASE: A 25 year old opioid dependent man previously treated with methadone referred to psychiatry clinic for detoxification of opioids. But he abused prescribed Hyoscine-NBB tablets by smoking willfully in order to reduce nausea and abdominal pain. He continued to abuse because of its euphorogenic effects and withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety, insomnia and loss of appetite appeared when he discontinued. During 16 days of admission maintenance methadone therapy began to treat the opioid dependence and hyoscine was tapered concurrently. Despite significant improvement he did not follow the treatment when discharged.

Anticholinergic medications may be potentially abused when prescribing for relief of withdrawal symptoms in substance detoxification.

Background and Suicide is an important problem and its prevention is a worldwide priority. Previous suicide attempt is the most anticipator of death following complete suicide. Ëvaluation of intention to die as a major factor in severity of suicide attempt can be useful in suicide prevention programs. This cross-sectional study was carried out on163 patients with suicide attempt by poisoning who were admitted in Sanandaj hospitals in 2008. Descriptive and interpretative analyses including Çhi-square test were performed for data analysis using SPSS software. There was a significant relationship between age، history of previous suicide attempt، education and planed suicide with intention to die. No significant relationship was found between gender، marital status، notification of attempt and the suicide method with intention to die. Çonclusion: Âs the majority of suicide attempters thought that they will be dead afterwards، suicide attempt by poisoning should be considered as a serious problem. More attention should be paid to all suicide attempters specialty those who have older age، lower education level، a history of previous suicide attempt and planned suicide.

Suicide is one of the most important community health problems which is related to many different factors in different communities. Methods and Materials: This was a case-control study and patients with suicide attempt admitted in Sanandaj hospitals were regarded as the case group. Control group was selected and matched for age. Data were introduced into SSPS 12.0 software and were analyzed by means of x2 test.

Suicide attempt was more frequent in females (71.1%), in those with age of 20-24 years (31.1%) and in those with high school education (56.1%). There was a significant relationship between number of family members and life events with suicide attempt (P=0.01, P<0.05 respectively). No significant relationship was found between suicide attempt and marital status. The most common ways for suicide attempt were by using drugs and poisons. 6.7% of patients attempted suicide by self-burning. Self-burning was more frequent in married women and had 100% mortality.

High frequency of suicide attempts in young women calls for attention to mental health in this group. Preventing suicide attempts by self-burning, particularly in married women indicates the importance of public education as well as reassessing marital condition, and family life training and education about handling interpersonal problems within families.

Quality of life is one of the important factors in evaluating health problems in different societies.

In this descriptive-analytic study 700 individuals aged 15 to 64, were selected through the random sampling method in Kurdistan, western part of Iran, in 2007 and their quality of life was evaluated by Euro His questionnaire. Data was analyzed by SPSS software using independent t, ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multi-variable regression tests.

In this study, quality of life in men was significantly better than women (P=0.001), and in rural regions was better than urban regions (P=0.01). People with more exercise activities had better quality of life (P=0.002), while the smokers (P<0.05) and also the elder people had worse quality of life (P<0.001, r= -0.197); the heavier (P=0.01, r=0.095) and the taller ones had better quality of life (P<0.001, r= 0.193). Uneducated people had lower quality of life (P<0.001, F=13.246), while more income was leading to higher quality of life (P<0.001, F=13.814).

Between adults of Kurdistan, western part of Iran, quality of life was worse significantly in women, elder people, people with lack of exercise and with smoking habit.

Postpartum depression is a disabling illness which can influence in the women's social relationship and their ability to achieve the task of neonatal care. Early diagnosis of depression and recognition of its related factors, preventive and therapeutic measures can be considered which can lead to health of mother, neonate, family and society. The aim of this study was to investigate postpartum depression and its relation to unplanned pregnancy and baby gender in the women who had given birth in community oriented medical clinic of Kermanshah University. This was a cross-sectional study. 531 primiparous women, who had referred to community oriented clinic between 10-40 days after delivery, were included in this study and evaluated for depression. Sampling method was census. Data were collected by use of Edinburgh postnatal Depression scale (EPDS) and an informational form about demographic characteristics, baby gender, planned or unplanned pregnancy and history of depression. SPSS software was used and data were analyzed by means of analytical statistics (chi-square and t-test). 40.7% of the subjects had postpartum depression. Postpartum depression revealed a significant relationship with unplanned pregnancy and the history of depression (p=0.002), but no significant relationship was found between postpartum depression and neonatal gender. Postpartum depression has a high prevalence in our study affecting approximately 50% of mothers. Therefore screening for postpartum depression should be considered mandatory in postpartum care. Also special measures should be considered for women with unplanned pregnancy and history of depression during pregnancy and postnatal period.

Measuring the quality of life is one of the important indicators in evaluating health. The chronic disease is a one of the main cause of reduction in quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life and its influential factors in 15-64 years old people in Kurdistan province, Iran. In this cross-sectional study EUROHIS-QOL 8-item questionnaire was employed. Data was analyzed by SPSS statistical package. After adjusting the possible confounders, the mean score of quality of life was less in smoker 1.41 score versus non-smoker, in women 1.52 score versus men, in hypertension patients 1.41 score versus non-hypertension. The mean score of quality of life was reduced 0.05 per each year. It is recommended to implement some interventions to manage properly current chronic diseases in order to increase the quality of life. It also seems that EUROHIS-QOL (8-item) is a suitable tool to measure the QOL in Iranian culture.

Substance abuse is one of the most prevalent problems in young adults. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence rate of substance abuse among Kurdistan university students. This was a cross sectional and descriptive analytic study. The sampling method was census and sample size included all students of Kurdistan University (1186 student) in 2007. The data were collected and recorded in a questionnaire for each subject. Data were introduced into SPSS software and analyzed by mean of x2 test. The results of this study indicated the percentage of students who reported usage of substance one or more times in their lives as following: alcohol 17.1, cannabis 4.7%, opium 4.8%, heroin 0.7%, ecstasy 2.7, and other substances 5.2. Ongoing abuse of different substances was assessed as following: alcohol 1.1%, cannabis 0.1%, opium 0.1%, heroin 0.1 %, ecstasy 0.1%, other substances 0.2. There was a correlation between substance abuse and male gender (p<0.001), age (p<0.001), living with friends (p<0.001), and being medical student (p<0.01). There was no correlation between substance abuse and marriage and father education. All substances, except for opium, had been offered to the medical students for the first time by their friends. Curiosity was the most common motivation for cannabis and opium use and pleasure was the most common reason for alcohol, heroin and ecstasy use. The mean age of first use for different substances was 18.6, 18.3, 19.5, 20.3, and 20.2 years for alcohol, opium, heroin, ecstasy, and cannabis. Substance use among Kurdistan university students was similar to other universities of Iran. Although substance abuse by female students was much lower than male ones in Kurdistan University, it was higher in comparison to the results of studies in other universities.

Students at university are always exposed to a lot of psychological problems during their education due to experiencing new problems and different stresses. Thus, teaching life skills was added to medical and midwifery freshmen’s curriculum for the first time in Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, in 2006.This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the aforementioned program on the student’s knowledge and attitude to life skills and their psychosocial capabilities improvement. In this quasi-experimental study, cases were 51 medical and midwifery freshmen and control group included 42 medical and midwifery students who were in their second semester. Data was collected using a questionnaire which its validity and reliability were confirmed. The mean scores of the students’ knowledge and attitude increased significantly in cases in comparison to controls (7.19 in contrast to 4.66, P=0.0001 and 8.74 in contrast to 5.90, P=0.0001 respectively). According to two way ANOVA, field of study did not influence on the efficacy of education regarding students’ knowledge and attitude. Mean score of psychosocial capabilities increased significantly only in cases of midwifery group compared to their control group (24.75 in contrast to 20.14 with p=0.0001) Teaching life skills to students in a systematic and organized way, in a form of single unit course, had a significant effect on improvement of students’ knowledge and attitude to life skills, and psychosocial capabilities. It is obvious that education should continue for at least one year in order to have constant results.