فهرست مطالب fatemeh salmani

The toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been proven in the female reproductive system. Thymoquinone (TQ) is a natural antioxidant and bioactive component of Nigella sativa.

We evaluated the efficacy of TQ on ovarian tissue following toxicity induced by AgNPs in female mice.

24 female NMRI mice (5-6 wk, an average weight of 33 gr) were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 6/each): control, AgNPs (500 mg/kg, gavage), TQ (2.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection), and TQ+AgNPs. Mice were treated every day for 35 days. Serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone were measured. The optical disector and stereological techniques were utilized to estimate the follicular count, their volume at different developmental stages, and the structure of ovarian tissue.

In the AgNPs group, the serum concentrations of TAC (p = 0.01), luteinizing hormone (p < 0.001), follicle-stimulating hormone, the volume of corpus luteum (p < 0.001), and the number of follicles decreased significantly compared to the control group. Nevertheless, AgNPs significantly increased the MDA level. In the TQ+AgNPs group compared to the AgNPs group, a significant decrease in MDA level (p < 0.001) and a significant improvement in TAC (p = 0.03), and hormonal levels, the number of primary, preantral, and antral follicles (p = 0.04), and the volume of corpus luteum (p = 0.01) were observed.

TQ improved the number of follicles by reducing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in AgNPs-damaged ovarian tissue.

Nurses working in COVID-19 emergency and intensive care units may experience increased stress due to the special working environments. This stress can lead to burnout and negatively impact their quality of life. This study aimed to compare the quality of professional life (QPL) and job burnout among nurses working in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards in Birjand teaching hospitals.

This descriptive-analytical study involved 182 nurses working in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards at teaching hospitals in Birjand. The number of nurses from the two categories of wards was proportional, with 91 nurses from the COVID-19 wards and 91 nurses from non-COVID-19 wards. A demographics form, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Walton Quality of Work Life Questionnaire were used to collect data. The data were analyzed in SPSS 26 software using independent t-test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, and analysis of variance. The significance level was set to P < 0.05.

Of the 182 nurses studied, 91 (50%) worked in COVID-19 wards. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean QPL score between nurses in the COVID-19 (81.46 ± 17.21) and non-COVID-19 wards (87.89 ± 17) (P=0.02). There was also a statistically significant difference in the mean job burnout score between nurses in the COVID-19 (78.32 ± 17.21) and non-COVID-19 wards (87.46 ± 17.21) (P=0.02). Among the components of job burnout, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores for lack of achievement (P ≤ 0.001) and depersonalization (P ≤ 0.001) among nurses working in the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards.

A significant disparity exists between nurses in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards concerning the QPL and job burnout. It is recommended that administrators implement strategies to mitigate nurses' job burnout and enhance their QPL, such as conducting psychotherapy sessions and periodically transferring nurses from high-stress units to other wards.

The quality of reports plays a crucial role in patient care. Statistics reveal instances of negligence in patient care due to ineffective reporting by nurses, underscoring the need for enhanced efforts in nursing student education. Given the variety of methods available for teaching report writing, this study aimed to compare the efficacy of workshop and virtual training approaches in improving the quality of report writing among nursing students at Birjand University of Medical Sciences.

This interventional study involved 111 nursing students from Birjand, randomly allocated into three groups of virtual training (n=36), workshop training (n=36), and control (n=39). For students in the workshop training group, educational content was delivered through a workshop comprising three 4-hour sessions covering six topics. For the virtual training group, educational material was provided as text, audio, and visual files via Telegram over one week (six days dedicated to training and one day for summarizing the content) and sent to students daily at specified times. The status of students' report writing skills was assessed before and after the intervention (immediately and two weeks post-training).

The mean score for report writing quality immediately after the completion of the workshop training program was 91.4 ± 58.80 in the workshop training group, significantly higher than that in the other groups studied. Moreover, the mean score for report writing quality two weeks after completing the training program in the workshop training group was 16.5 ± 91.78, significantly higher than that in the other two groups. The mean difference in report writing quality scores immediately after training completion in the workshop training group was significantly greater than in the other groups (P<0.001).

Based on the findings of this study, the workshop method was more effective than the virtual approach for teaching report writing to nursing students.

This study aims to investigate cognitive determinants of functional foods (FF) consumption which contain fiber among Iranian students based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

A cross-sectional study was carried out between March and May 2018 on the students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences (BUMS). A structured questionnaire was used which was validated with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.78.

515 questionnaires were completed, and the majority of the respondents were females. 20% of the participants were the primary household food purchasers, and familiarity with functional foods was the only effective factor regarding consumption. Subjective norms could predict the students’ consumption of the macaroni which contained fiber. In addition, monthly income of the family had a major effect on having the macaroni containing fiber. The parents’ education also impacted the consumption of these foods.

Attitudes and perceived control had a poorer effect on choosing the food containing fiber rather than subjective norms.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a debilitating respiratory disease and one of the main causes of death and disability in the world. Respiratory support treatments are among the methods for the recovery of these patients. The present study aims to assess the effect of breathing exercises and chest physiotherapy on the fatigue of patients with COPD.

This is a quasi-experimental study on 45 patients COPD who were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to two experimental groups of breathing exercises (n=15) and chest physiotherapy (n=15) and one control group (n=15). Before and 6 weeks after the intervention, Krupp’s Fatigue Severity Scale was completed by the patient. Data analysis was done using paired t-test, one-way analysis of variance and chi-square in SPSS software, version 26. 

The mean scores of fatigue severity were significantly different in all groups between pretest and post-test phases (P<0.001). The fatigue severity in the intervention groups was reduced, while it increased in the control group, after intervention. There was no significant difference in fatigue severity among the three groups at baseline, but the difference was significant after the intervention (P<0.001). 

Considering the reduction in fatigue severity after two supportive treatments, it is recommended that breathing exercises and chest physiotherapy should be used along with drug treatments for patients with COPD to improve their respiratory conditions.

 Since the early diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) is crucial, understanding its epidemiological characteristics can facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment. This study investigated CD's epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory characteristics in South Khorasan Province, Iran.

 This study aimed to clarify the epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, and laboratory findings of patients with CD in South Khorasan Province.

 This descriptive epidemiological research was conducted on 110 individuals with CD referred to the Gastroenterology Clinic from March to August 2019. The data were acquired via a comprehensive questionnaire, encompassing the participants' demographic specifications, medical records, the symptoms of the disease, laboratory diagnostic evaluations, and biopsy results. The data were employed for epidemiological inquiry, and the corresponding analyses were performed in SPSS v. 22.

 The participants' mean age was 28.38 ± 15.25 years,78 (70.9%) were men, and 32 (29.1%) were women. The most common clinical gastrointestinal symptoms included abdominal pain in 70 (63.6%), diarrhea in 44 (40%), constipation in 43 (39.1%), and nausea in 35 (31.8%). Of the 83 biopsy cases, 3 (3.6%), 4 (4.8%), 9 (10.8%), 21 (25.3%), and 43 (55.4%) belonged to Marsh-I, Marsh-II, Marsh-IIIa, Marsh-IIIb, Marsh-IIIc categories, respectively.

 Most participants were male and aged 10 to 20 years. Abdominal pain was the most common clinical symptom. All the pathologically examined patients showed evidence of CD, while approximately two-thirds were serologically positive.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is expanding to epidemic levels globally due to the progressing prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM). In this study, the association between factor V Leiden (FVL), MTHFRC677T, and FXIIIVal34Leu polymorphisms and diabetic retinopathy was investigated in Eastern Iran.

This case-control study enlisted the participation of 300 people (diabetic patients=100, diabetic retinopathy patients=100, healthy controls=100), and polymorphisms were examined by Tetra primer ARMS-PCR.

The frequency of FVL (p=0.294) and FXIIIVal34Leu (P=0.349) polymorphism showed no significant results between the genotype frequency in the mentioned groups. In contrast, MTHFRC677T SNP was significantly different in diabetic patients and controls (P=0.008). The MTHFRC677T polymorphism was found to be connected with increased systolic blood pressure in patients who had the TT genotype (130.96±11.92mm/Hg; P=0.011).

Our study recommended that the MTHFRC677T polymorphism may offer to DR development. Studies with larger sample sizes and a wider spectrum of populations are authorized to verify this finding.

Today, with the increase of chronic diseases, paying attention to the model of family empowerment is considered a basic pillar in the field of medical education, and the role of the family in supporting and caring for patients undergoing hemodialysis is important. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the consequences of family empowerment in hemodialysis patients using the family-centered empowerment model.

The present study is an integrated review based on Russell's 5-stage model. All internal and external articles in the period from 2015 to 2022 that used the family-centered empowerment model and patients undergoing hemodialysis were searched. To find related articles in Persian language databases SID, Iran Doc and Magiran and English language, Pub med, Web of science, Scopus, and Google scholar scientific search engine with keywords " Hemodialysis Patients ", " Family centered care " and "family-centered empowerment" and the English words "Hemodialysis Patients", "Family-centered care" and "Family-centered Empowerment" "Chronic kidney disease" were searched. 30 articles were found in this field, and according to the purpose of the study, finally 8 articles were reviewed and analyzed. Data analysis was done according to Russe(2005).

The findings of the present study showed that the family-centered empowerment model among hemodialysis patients has been investigated in 9 studies and has had an impact on various dimensions of life of hemodialysis patients and their families, including quality of life, care pressure, self-efficacy, self-care, and resilience.

The results showed that the implementation of the family-centered empowerment model had an impact on the various outcomes of hemodialysis patients, so it is suggested to try to improve the quality of life of patients and their families, reduce the care pressure of caregivers, and increase the self-efficacy and self-care of patients by implementing the family-centered empowerment model. It is also possible to take a step towards improving the health of these patients by teaching this empowerment method to the nurses of the hemodialysis department. ​

Social media and psychological issues related to it, have attracted increasing attention nowadays and have been the subject of many studies in this field. Meanwhile, Instagram was studied in this research due to its many features and the special attention of young people to this platform. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of body image in using Instagram.

This correlation study was conducted in a sample of 375 students. Data were collected using “body image” and “use of Instagram” questionnaires.

According to the results, students used Instagram more than average. They were relatively satisfied with their body image. Also, the results showed that the higher the apparent dissatisfaction and functional interference of the respondents (as components of body image), the higher their use of Instagram.

 Due to the increasing popularity of social media, researchers have begun to investigate the possible consequences of this new media format on body image. There are some unique features of social media that distinguish them from traditional media and may help in understanding any effect they may have on body image: 1. Social media such as Instagram have their own users and are very popular among the younger generation. have; 2. People often present an idealized version of themselves on social media, uploading their most attractive images to their profile that can be edited and improved, and deleting any images they find unattractive; 3. Although social media contain images of a range of different types of people (eg, friends, family, strangers, celebrities), they are generally used to interact with peers.Young people are influenced by three main sources: parents, peers, and media. As a major factor in socialization, parents have a strong influence on their children's body image, and this can be directly or indirectly related to body weight or appearance in general, for example through their comments. As children grow older and enter adolescence, peers play an increasingly important role in body image concerns, especially when intimacy is a necessary component of receiving approval from others. Adolescents learn from their peers what type of body image is associated with popularity and attractiveness. Finally, the media plays a determining role, as young people in the media are often portrayed as attractive and perfectly fit, which may lead to body image concerns among those exposed to them. Past research has shown that certain social media environments, such as Instagram, may be effective in creating feelings of inadequacy and comparing oneself to others in terms of body image.Instagram contains a plethora of seemingly authentic images, many of which represent body ideals. Physical appearance actually plays an important role on Instagram, and studies have shown that teens and young adults experience distress, body dissatisfaction, and pressure to look perfect on social media. Since Instagram gives its users the opportunity to edit content before posting it on their profile, users tend to resort to behaviors such as image filtering.Previous studies have emphasized the importance and extent of using social media, especially the Instagram social network, in the world and in Iran, and clearly confirmed the mutual effect of its use with psychological issues, including people's attitudesabout their body image among the users of this network. It is important to note that most researches have focused on the role of using Instagram on psychological variables, but this research focused on the role of body image variable on the use of Instagram. Although two-way relationship is tested in correlation studies, the goal of the researchers in terms of predictor variables and criteria determines the direction of the analysis. Based on this, this research sought to determine the relationship between the body image of the studied community and the use of Instagram after examining the status of the variables of Instagram use and body image among the subjects under study (  University of Birjand students)?Instagram is a visual program that has given its users the ability to send photos, videos, selfies, live broadcasts, and in addition has created the necessary interaction so that users can react to the stories and posts of their followers. The many features of this platform and its attractiveness for young people made the community under study of this research to show high statistics of using this media (based on the results of the first question). This issue can provide many opportunities for society's decision makers to use these capabilities in the service of raising the standards of today's social life. Therefore, domestic similar platforms should be strengthened so that they can replace it due to the filtering of this social media. However, due to the international nature of Instagram, it is unlikely that a suitable alternative will be found for it; Therefore, it is suggested to facilitate favorable conditions for students to use this media along with their awareness about its benefits and harms. Because filtering media that is very popular among young people will cause dissatisfaction and hidden and open social aggressions.Data were collected using body image questionnaires (Littleton et al., 2005) and using Instagram (Lezbna, 2015). The body image questionnaire (Littleton et al., 2005) contains 19 items and uses a Likert scale (scored from 1 meaning never to 5 meaning always). The validity of this questionnaire using the correlation method with the self-report scale of body dysmorphic disorder was reported as 0.83 in the research of Littleton et al. (2005). Also, in a study conducted by Basak Nejad and Ghaffari (2006), the validity of this questionnaire was tested and confirmed using the correlation coefficient between this scale and the fear of negative evaluation of physical appearance (r=0.55). The reliability of the questionnaire in the research of Littleton et al. (2005) was evaluated by the internal consistency method and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient obtained was equal to 0.93. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the first and second factors was 0.92 and 0.76, respectively, and the correlation coefficient between the two factors (1. apparent dissatisfaction and 2. functional interference) was 0.69. In the research of Rostagarinia and Ali Khademi (2022), the reliability of this questionnaire using Cronbach's alpha method was 0.86 for the entire questionnaire, 0.84 for the first subscale (apparent dissatisfaction) and 0.71 for the second subscale (functional interference). It is reported that it indicates acceptable reliability of the questionnaire. In the present study, Cronbach's alpha of the whole body image questionnaire was 0.88, the first component (appearance dissatisfaction) was 0.84, and the second component (functional interference) was 0.77.The second questionnaire was the use of Instagram (Lezbna, 2015). This questionnaire contains 13 items and has been used in many personality and clinical research projects due to its high validity (Pouyanfar, 2019). In this research, the validity of thisquestionnaire was checked and confirmed using the content validity method (subject experts and professors). Lezbana (2015) reported the reliability of this questionnaire using Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.81 and Pouyanfar (2019) 0.83. In the current study, the Cronbach's alpha of the Instagram usage questionnaire was 0.81.

This study sought to identify the factors that influence online health-related behaviors among Iranian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak. The study utilized the Uses & Gratification and Self-Determination theories to explain the factors associated with workers' behaviors and their use of social media to share information about the pandemic. A decision tree technique known as the Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) was used to analyze the responses of 406 participants. The results revealed that healthcare workers' engagement in online health-related behaviors was primarily influenced by their attitude and motivation to use social media during the epidemic. Attitude was identified as the most important and first factor, while motivation was the second factor. The usefulness of information and interactions in the face of a health crisis can be linked to the development of self-efficacy and the promotion of social capital, as well as satisfaction with media. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of understanding the factors that drive healthcare workers' engagement in online health-related behaviors during a pandemic. The findings can be used to develop strategies to promote the use of social media for health-related purposes and improve healthcare workers' response to future pandemics.

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental state of the faculty members of medical universities responsible for educating students in various fields of medicine needs to gain attention.

This study aimed to analyze the psychological state of the Birjand University of Medical Sciences faculty members following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this study, 122 faculty members of Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Iran, completed an online questionnaire containing demographic information along with two standard scales of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress-21 (DASS-21) and Connor- Davidson Resilience Scale-25 (CDRISC-25). The data were analyzed using an independent t-test and ANOVA.

The prevalence of moderate to very severe depression, anxiety, and stress in the target group was 32%, 50%, and 41.8%, respectively. The lecturer rank members showed significantly lower resilience (P = 0.03). However, individuals with administrative positions had substantially higher resilience and lower depression and stress levels (P < 0.001). The resilience level was significantly higher in the participants with 10 - 20 years of work (P = 0.02). Master graduate members showed more depression and anxiety (P < 0.001). There was a significant negative relationship between resilience and stress, depression, and anxiety (P < 0.001).

The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the target group was considerable. Strengthening resilience according to its protective role could be an effective solution.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the difference in knowledge, attitude, and performance in terms of food hygiene and safety between people with and without a history of Covid-19.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 712 people from August to September 2021 using a standard online questionnaire. The questionnaire had four sections, the first section includes demographic information, the second section includes seven questions related to participants' knowledge about food hygiene and safety, the third section includes ten questions about participants' attitudes, and the fourth section contains 10 questions related to participants' health performance. Multiple regression models were used to investigate the main predictors of knowledge, attitude, and performance. The significance level was considered as p < 0.05.

There were 271 (43%) people with a history of infection and 361 (57%) without infection. Demographic factors were not significantly different between people with and without a history of infection. The results of the present study showed that knowledge (p=0.05) and people's performance (p=0.002)  about food hygiene and safety have a significant relationship with the history of corona infection. However, people's attitude was not affected by the corona infection (p=0.17). Attitude was the major predictor of performance (p <0.001).

It can be claimed that contracting Corona has increased people's knowledge and improved performance regarding food hygiene and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic and has improved health conditions.

In recent years, the use of polymers in the packaging industry has increased significantly due to their excellent advantages over conventional materials. In the meantime, polyethylenes (PE) have become one of the most important options in the manufacture of polymer food packaging, due to high structural diversity, low cost, easy processability, and flexibility in the design and chain architecture and their effect on the control of polymer engineering properties. The aim of this article is to introduce the heat sealing process of polymer films with an emphasis on polyethylene polymer as well as methods and mechanisms related to this process. In the heat-sealing process study, the diffusion phenomenon of tangled chains through the interface and the effect of chain structure on improving the adhesion strength and increasing the heat-sealing capability of polyethylene films were studied. Understanding the factors affecting the chain diffusion phenomenon, by controlling these factors, the strength of the interface during the heat-sealing process can be increased, which leads to improvement the adhesion of the two polymers to each other. Also, different methods of modifying the structure of polyethylene chains and placing different side groups on the chain were introduced. Hyper branching in the polymerization stage, hyper branching using high-energy rays, and hyper branching in the reactive melt mixing state using free radical generators are the three main methods for changing the structure of polyethylene chains. Each of these methods has its advantages and limitations, and different methods are used according to the desired properties of the polymer.

Chronic kidney disease is a debilitating disease that can also affect the family caregivers of patients. Increasing awareness and empowering caregivers can improve the physical and mental condition of patients and the resilience of caregivers. This study aims to evaluate the effect of an intervention based on the family-centered empowerment model (FCEM) on the resilience of family caregivers of hemodialysis patients.

This is a randomized controlled clinical trial. Sixty family caregivers of patients in the hemodialysis department of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran were selected by a random sampling method using a random number table. Then, they were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n=30) and control (n=30). The assessment tools were a demographic form and the Connor-Davidson resilience scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data in SPSS software, version 18.

The results of independent t-test showed that the mean resilience score at baseline was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.29). After the intervention, it was significantly increased in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.001). In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-intervention scores of  resilience in the intervention group (P<0.001), but no significant difference was found in the control group (P=0.17).

The FCEM-based intervention increases the resilience of family caregivers of hemodialysis patients. Therefore, it is recommended that the planners in nursing education should make nurses aware of the importance of providing family-centered care to hemodialysis patients’ families for increasing their resilience.

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with significant mortality.

The present study aimed to identify the risk factors that contribute to hospital outcomes of patients admitted with COPD exacerbation.

This prospective cross-sectional study was performed on 74 patients hospitalized with COPD exacerbation. Pulse oximetry, complete blood count, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and venous blood gas were taken under standard conditions. The clinical condition of patients was scored based on the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and shortness of breath based on the standard, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) questionnaire. The patients were divided into three groups based on in-hospital outcomes (i.e., favorable, unfavorable, and terrible or worse). One-way analysis of variance, chi-square test, logistic regression model, and odds ratio (OR) analysis were used to determine the most important factors associated with outcomes. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Out of 74 patients, 43 (58.1%) and 31 (41.9%) subjects were male and female, respectively. The patients’ mean age was 68.19 ± 10.62 years. The number (%) of patients in favorable, unfavorable, and worse outcome groups was 27 (36.48%), 30 (40.54%), and 17 (22.97%), respectively. As the CAT and mMRC score increased, the chance of terrible outcomes also increased (OR = 1.22, confidence interval (CI): 1.10 - 1.35). There was no significant correlation between worse outcomes and hs-CRP. The PCT was significantly higher in the group with worse outcomes than in the groups with favorable and unfavorable outcomes (P < 0.01).

The COPD evaluation by the CAT andmMRCplays an important role in the in-hospital outcomes of hospitalized COPD patients with exacerbation. The serum level of PCT was also a determinant factor of prognosis in hospitalized patients with COPD exacerbation.

Age-related aspects of addiction are one of the most important public health challenges in the world and also in Iran. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the level of common cardiac factors in addicted and non-addicted older adults.

This case-control study was conducted on 230 older adults over 60 years in Birjnd, the capital of South Khorasan, Iran. A total of 115 older adults with at least one year of drug use history and 115 older adults without a history of addiction were included in the study. A questionnaire containing demographic and addiction information was completed for each subject. Body mass index (BMI), as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, was determined. Blood samples were taken from each individual after 12 hours of fasting to measure fasting blood sugar (FBS), and lipid profile (HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, and triglyceride).

There was no significant difference in FBS between addicted and non-addicted older adults (P> 0.05). In the lipid profile, there was only a significant decrease in triglyceride levels in the addicted group compared to their non-addicted counterparts (P=0.02). Mean blood pressure in the addicted group was significantly lower than that in the non-addicted group (P=0.01).

As evidenced by the results of this study, opium dependence does not seem to have a protective effect on blood sugar and lipid profiles. Therefore, education and promotion of community health literacy, especially among older adults, are necessary to improve traditional beliefs about opium use.

In recent decades, women’s participation in the labor market has increased dramatically. However, this has confronted working women with work-family conflicts.

This systematic review aimed to find the factors related to work-family conflicts befallen women working.

All scientific articles published on the subject from June 2000 until June 2021 were searched in five databases (Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar) using the Keywords of factor, female, working, work-life balance, life-work imbalance.

We found 3967 articles in the databases mentioned. After removing duplicate items, the titles and abstracts of 2573 articles were screened, 34 full-texts of which were reviewed, leading to the final selection of 31 articles (13 qualitative studies and 17 quantitative studies). Then we searched for the documents that cited any of the initially included studies, as well as the references of the primarily included studies; however, no additional articles were found in this step. We categorized the factors related to work-life conflicts into four categories and 22 sub-categories. The first category was individual factors (e.g., individual capacities and skills); the second category was interpersonal factors (e.g., spousal support and lack of family support); the third category was organizational factors (e.g., organizational policies and working hours), and the fourth category was cultural factors (e.g., patriarchal hegemony in society and family-friendly culture).

First, individual skills are needed to be paid more attention to, such as planning, which may be simply modifiable and has the potential to inform therapeutic interventions and preventative strategies. Second, foremen and directors should be informed about the importance of work-life conflicts experienced by women and their decisive role in creating a work-life balance to help improve their working conditions.

Education and assessment have changed during the COVID‑19 pandemic so that online courses replaced face‑to‑face classes to observe the social distance. The quality of online assessments conducted during the pandemic is an important subject to be addressed. In this study, the quality of online assessments held in two consecutive semesters was investigated.

One thousand two hundred and sixty‑nine multiple‑choice online examinations held in the first (n = 535) and second (n = 734) semesters in Birjand University of Medical Sciences during 2020–2021 were examined. Mean, standard deviation, number of questions, skewness, kurtosis, difficulty, and discrimination index of tests were calculated. Data mining was applied using the k‑means clustering approach to classify the tests.

The mean percentage of answers to all tests was 69.97 ± 19.16, and the number of questions was 34.48 ± 18.75. In two semesters, there was no significant difference between the difficulty of examinations (P = 0.84). However, there was a significant difference in the discrimination index, skewness, and kurtosis of tests (P < 0.001). Moreover, according to the results of the clustering analysis in the first semester, 43% of the tests were very hard, 16% hard, and 7% moderate. In the second semester, 43% were hard, 16% moderate, and 41% easy.

To evaluate the tests’ quality, calculating difficulty and discrimination indices is not sufficient; many factors can affect the quality of tests. Furthermore, the experience of the first semester had changed characteristics of the second‑semester examinations. To enhance the quality of online tests, establishing appropriate rules to hold the examinations and using questions with higher taxonomy are recommended.

One of the basic needs of patients and families during hospitalization in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) is the presence of a family member beside the patient. Family participation in patient care is accepted in public wards, but unfortunately in ICUs due to the structure and prohibition of visits in these wards, this issue faces many challenges. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of family participation in patient care on the level of consciousness and the parameters of mechanical ventilation in brain injury patients admitted to the ICUs.

This study was a quasi-experimental study. Thirty brain injury patients who had referred to selected hospitals in Isfahan in 2020 were included in the study by available sampling. Patients were assigned to two groups of 15 intervention and control) by random assignment of permutation. In the first-degree family intervention group, family members were present bedside the patients for three days, twice a day at 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM and performed a family-centered care program. The control group received routine ward care. The level of consciousness and the parameters of the mechanical ventilations were recorded and measured 15 min before, during and after care. The results of the study were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods and using Chi-square, independent t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance in SPSS software version 20.

The findings of the present study revealed that the level of consciousness of the two groups before the study was not statistically significant (P>0.05) but from the third day of the intervention, the mean level of consciousness was significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05). In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between the breathing rate and the tidal volume of the patients on the mechanical ventilations during three days (P>0.05). This is while the minute volume of the patients during the three days showed a significant difference in the intervention group (P<0.05).

The results of this study showed that family participation in simple patient care in brain injury patients with low levels of consciousness can increase their level of consciousness. This means, certain conditions should be provided in such departments for family participation in simple care matters under the supervision of the ward nurses.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 in 2020 and lack of an effective cure caused psychological problems among humans. This has been reflected widely on social media. Analyzing a large number of English tweets posted in the early stages of the pandemic, this paper addresses three psychological parameters: fear, hope, and depression. The main issue is the extraction of the related tweets with each of these parameters. To this end, three lexicons are proposed for these psychological parameters to extract the tweets through content analysis. A lexicon-based method is then used with GEO Names (i.e. a geographical database) to label tweets with country tags. Fear, hope, and depression trends are then extracted for the entire world and 30 countries. According to the analysis of results, there is a high correlation between the frequency of tweets and the official daily statistics of active cases in many countries. Moreover, fear tweets dominate hope tweets in most countries, something which shows the worldwide fear in the early months of the pandemic. Ultimately, the diagrams of many countries demonstrate unusual spikes caused by the dissemination of specific news and announcements.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common cause of the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) globally. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Crocin and Losartan on DN in diabetic rats. A single dose of Streptozotocin (50 mg/kg IP) was administered to 40 male Wistar rats to induce diabetes. Crocin and Losartan (50 and 25 mg/kg, respectively) were given orally for four weeks. The study groups were untreated control, Diabetes, Crocin, Losartan, and Losartan-Crocin. At the end of the intervention, blood was tested for FBS, urea, UA, Cr, albumin, TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TAC, and MDA. Serum levels of FBS, urea, UA, TG, TC, and LDL-C increased significantly in the diabetic group compared to the untreated control group (P = 0.001), while albumin and HDL-C decreased significantly (P = 0.001). In the Crocin group, serum FBS, urea, TG, TC, and LDL-C levels were significantly lower than the diabetic group (P = 0.001), while serum albumin levels were significantly higher (P = 0.02). Serum levels of TAC and MDA in the Losartan group increased (P=0.04) and decreased significantly (P = 0.001) compared to the diabetic group, respectively. The findings of the present study showed that Crocin could control hyperglycemia and prevent DN progression. It appears that combining Losartan with sufficient doses of Crocin improves its efficacy. However, understanding the exact mechanism of these changes requires further studies.

The aim of this study was to investigate the social factors related to smoking among students of Kharazmi University. By observing the evidence and being inspired by the theoretical foundations of some related sociological theories, this issue or notion was tested. The research method in this study was survey and a researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect information. The sample size was 400 people which was determined by multi-stage cluster sampling method from the statistical population of the study, ie all students of Kharazmi University. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software for descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Inference was made due to the strength and simplicity of the explanation based on logistic regression. Findings showed that there is a significant relationship between contextual variables (field of study, gender, etc.) with the tendency to smoke. Also, there is a relationship between problems and tensions in the family and personal life of a person, deprivation and dissatisfaction with life, social conditions and inappropriate environment, socio-cultural abnormalities, mismatch and coordination of goals and methods to achieve goals in society, with smoking. There is meaning. In general, based on the findings of the present study and its comparison with the findings of other studies conducted in the past decade, there should be further research and education to better understand and help students and young people not to enter the field of smoking and reduce Smoking should be done among those who have entered this field.

Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. Health beliefs play an important role in the development of health behaviors. In this study, the effect of educational intervention based on Health Belief Model on colorectal cancer screening behavior was investigated.

This study was performed as a randomized controlled intervention. The study population was 50–70‑years old in Khosf city. Initially, 120 eligible populations were randomly divided into intervention and control groups (60 people in each group). The data collection tool was a standard colorectal cancer screening questionnaire that was completed before, immediately, and 3 months after the intervention. The intervention consisted of eight 60‑min training sessions. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS19 software and statistical tests.

The mean age of the intervention and control groups was 63.53 ± 5.67 and 57.73 ± 5.77 years. In terms of mean scores of knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and perceived barriers were homogeneous before intervention. After the intervention, the mean score of the model constructs showed significant changes, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The rate of occult blood test in stool 3 months after training reached 90% in the intervention group and 15% in the control group.

The results of this study showed that by taking measures to reduce perceived barriers as well as increase knowledge, perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits and self-efficacy, the rate of participation in occult blood testing in feces can be significantly increased.

Dry skin is one of the most common skin complications associated with chronic renal failure in hemodialysis patients. Aloe vera gel and Violet oil can be effective in improving the symptoms of dryness through special mechanisms. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the topical effect of Aloe vera and Violet with hydroxyzine on dry skin of hemodialysis patients.

In this randomized crossover interventional trial, 36 people were selected according to the inclusion criteria and available sampling method. Following that, they were divided into three groups (12 cases per group) of A, B, and C by simple random sampling. The study consisted of three two-week intervention periods and two wash-out periods for one week. By performing a random allocation, all three groups received one of the interventions, including Aloe vera gel, Violet oil, or hydroxyzine tablets in each period. Data were collected using the VAS tool before and after the interventions by the co-researcher. The obtained data were then analyzed in SPSS software (version 16). Furthermore, SAS software (version 9.2) was also used to analyze crossover effects including period and carry-over effects. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The results showed that in the first and third periods, in all three treatments, the mean score of dryness intensity had a statistically significant decrease before and after the intervention (P<0.05); however, this reduction in the second period was not significant in none of the treatments (P>0.05). In addition, the effect of all three treatments showed no statistical significance on the severity of dryness in patients after the intervention (P>0.05).

All three treatments can improve the symptoms of skin dryness as equipotent in hemodialysis patients. However, further research is needed to confirm the results of this study.

Quarantine, an unpleasant experience, was implemented in many countries to limit the spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which it could associated whit lifestyle changes. The present study aimed to determine the changes in Iranian’s lifestyle during COVID-19 pandemic.

In the present cross-sectional study, 2710 Iranian people completed an online researcher-made questionnaire asking lifestyle regarding COVID-19, which includes five sections about physical activity, stress and anxiety, nutrition habit, sleep disorders, and interpersonal relationship in addition to demographic data from January to February 2021, using the multistage cluster sampling method.

The participants’ mean age was 33.78 ± 11.50 years and 68.3% of them were female. Traveling, sightseeing, and family visits have been eliminated from 91%, 83.5%, and 77.5% of participants’ lives, respectively. There were increase in stress level (P < 0.001), weight of the participants (P < 0.001), sleep problems (P < 0.001), and healthier foods (P < 0.001) but decrease in interpersonal communication(P<0.001) and the amount of physical activity( P < 0.001).

In summary, this study indicates some changes in lifestyle of Iranian people, including changes in some eating practices, physical activity, social communication, and sleeping habits during the pandemic. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, a comprehensive understanding of these behaviors and habits can help develop interventions to mitigate the negative lifestyle behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic.