poorandokht afshari

This review aims to investigate the impact of economic sanctions, as a form of economic crisis, on medical education.

This research is a review of studies published between 1995 and 2023. A search was conducted in electronic sources, databases, and information repositories. The initial search yielded 313 articles. In the first screening, which involved examining the titles, 173 unrelated articles were removed, leaving 158 articles for the abstract screening stage. During this stage, 95 unrelated articles were excluded, and after accessing and reviewing the full text of the remaining 63 articles, 35 were deemed eligible for review.

Economic sanctions are defined as restrictions imposed by one country on the international trade and investment of another to force a policy change. Academic and research systems are often overlooked areas that are severely impacted by sanctions. In Sudan, for example, sanctions led foreign organizations to refrain from cooperating with academics in the country, particularly regarding the publication of articles. Importantly, the negative effects of economic sanctions on education cannot be easily remedied, even long after the sanctions are lifted.

The effects of sanctions on education and health have been proven in many countries, including Sudan, Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Iraq. There is an urgent need to specifically focus on the consequences of sanctions on medical education above all other aspects.

Domestic violence against women has been a longstanding concern that has become exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated home quarantines. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of domestic violence against women and its related factors in Ahvaz, Iran. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 reproductive-aged women in Ahvaz, Iran. Data collection included a demographic questionnaire and the Hurts, Insults, Threaten, Scream (HITS) questionnaire. Participants were also asked about their experiences of violence before the COVID-19 pandemic. Six public health centers from the west and east banks of the Karun River were randomly selected. Fifty women meeting the inclusion criteria from each center, identified through medical records, were invited to participate using a convenient method. Data collection took place from September 2020 to December 2020. Women completed the demographic questionnaire and HITS survey. Overall, 119 (39.7%) of the women studied reported experiencing domestic violence during the home quarantine period, with insults being the most frequent form at 88 (29.3%). Women with more children were 1.724 times more likely to experience violence (95% CI: 1.201-2.474). Those with husbands having lower educational attainment, such as a high school diploma, were 5.02 times more likely to experience domestic violence (95% CI: 1.570-16.075). Women's age and occupation did not show a significant relationship with violence. The prevalence of domestic violence among Iranian women increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers should focus on identifying women as victims of violence, particularly during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Maternal near miss (MNM) is defined as any life-threatening event during pregnancy, delivery, or within six weeks after the termination of pregnancy.

 This cross-sectional study aimed to assess sexual function in women with (n = 140) and without MNM (n = 246).

 Eligible participants were women with MNM and basic literacy who had given birth at least 8 - 12 weeks prior to the study. Participants were recruited from Imam Khomeini and Taleghani hospitals, while women without MNM were recruited from two public health centers in Ahvaz. Data collection commenced in December 2020 and concluded in March 2021. A demographic questionnaire and the Female Sexual Function Index were used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests, chi-square tests, and multiple linear regression.

 The predominant mode of delivery among MNM women was cesarean section (70%, P < 0.05). The most common causes of MNM were preeclampsia (41.43%) and placenta accreta (24.29%), followed by hypertension and diabetes (17.86%). Women without MNM reported significantly higher scores in sexual satisfaction (β = 0.355, 95% CI: 0.019, 0.690, P = 0.035), lubrication (β = 0.707, 95% CI: 0.435, 0.980, P < 0.0001), sexual arousal (β = 0.394, 95% CI: 0.116, 0.522, P = 0.007), sexual desire (β = 0.319, 95% CI: 0.116, 0.522, p = 0.002), and total sexual function score (β = 1.768, 95% CI: 0.306, 3.230, P = 0.018). Women who had undergone cesarean section reported lower scores in sexual satisfaction (β = -0.646, 95% CI: -0.983, -0.309, P < 0.0001), orgasm (β = -0.620, 95% CI: -0.965, -0.275, P < 0.0001), sexual arousal (β = -0.473, 95% CI: 0.159, 0.439, P = 0.001), and total sexual function score (β = -3.181, 95% CI: -4.655, -1.707, P < 0.0001). Older women scored significantly lower in all components of sexual function except for pain.

 The study results indicated that all components of sexual function, except pain, were lower in women with MNM. A significantly higher number of women who had undergone cesarean section experienced MNM and sexual dysfunction. Health policymakers should focus not only on the causes of MNM, particularly cesarean sections, but also on assessing the sexual function of women affected by MNM.

 There is evidence that maternal near miss (MNM) may adversely affect sexual function later in life.

 This study aimed to evaluate the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on the sexual function of women with MNM.

 Forty-eight women with MNM were randomly assigned to 2 groups: CBT (n = 24) and control (n = 24). Women in the CBT group received 8 counseling sessions based on CBT. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Women were requested to complete the FSFI questionnaire before and after the 8-session intervention. A total score of > 26 was considered normal sexual function. The intervention started in June and was completed in October 2021. The Shapiro-Wilk test, independent t-test, Chi-square test, and Mann-Whitney test were used to analyze the data.

 The scores of all components of sexual function improved in the CBT group compared to the control group as follows: Sexual desire (3.77 ± .64 vs. 2.25 ± .53, P < 0.001), sexual arousal (3.72 ± .45 vs. 2.40 ± .48, P < 0.001), lubrication (3.13 ± .35 vs. 2.60 ± .36, P < 0.001), orgasm (3.11 ± .45 vs. 1.0 ± .42, P < 0.001), sexual satisfaction (4.25 ± .52 vs. 2.83 ± .81, P < 0.001), pain (2.36 ± .80 vs. 4.21 ± .54, P < 0.001), total score of sexual function (20.37 ± 1.44 vs. 15.3 ± 1.40, P < 0.001).

 While CBT significantly improved the sexual function of women with MNM, their sexual performance score still did not fall within the normal range. Our results indicate that women with a near miss may require additional counseling sessions or alternative interventions.

 There is a paucity of research investigating the changes in thyroid hormones in individuals affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

 This study aimed to evaluate the levels of thyroid hormones in individuals affected by COVID-19 infection in Ahvaz, Iran.

 This was a comparative cross-sectional study on 78 patients with COVID-19 infection and 80 individuals without infection. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (TT3), and tetraiodothyronine (TT4) were measured in hospitalized patients at baseline and one month after recovery and in participants without infection. The data were analyzed using a paired t-test, the Chi-square test, the Wilcoxon test, and the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

 The level of TSH at baseline in the hospitalized patients was significantly lower than that in the control group (1.24 ± 1.08 vs. 2.05 ± 1.02 mlU/L, respectively, P < 0.0001). The mean level of TT3 was 1.20 ± 0.24 and 1.28 ± 1.25 ng/dL in the case and control groups, respectively (P = 0.188). The level of TT4 in the case group was high at baseline in comparison to the control group (8.48 ± 2.27 vs. 7.76 ± 1.43 ng/dL, P = 0.076), which was reduced in the follow-up period. Thirty-five (44.8%) patients had severe disease and were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The level of TSH was non-significantly lower in patients with severe disease than those with moderate disease.

 Patients with COVID-19 infection showed abnormalities in thyroid hormones, such as decreased levels of TSH and TT3. Patients with severe COVID-19 showed lower levels of TSH and unchanged levels of TT3 and TT4 in comparison to the patients with moderate disease. Further investigation into thyroid function in patients with COVID-19 is recommended.

Context: 

The recent growth of research and the vast amount of knowledge available highlight the necessity for synthesizing existing research in a reliable and high-quality manner. The substantial body of qualitative meta-synthesis studies on chronic diseases indicates the need for a deeper understanding of this methodology. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to explain the process of meta-synthesis in qualitative research.

 This was a narrative review with predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, followed by a web search using relevant keywords. Initially, 980 relevant articles were selected. Subsequently, the titles, abstracts, and full texts were assessed for eligibility using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist. Finally, 21 articles were included in this study.

 Various approaches have been adopted to address the meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. Common types of qualitative meta-synthesis include meta-narrative, critical interpretive synthesis, meta-study, meta-ethnography, grounded formal theory, thematic synthesis, textual narrative synthesis, framework synthesis, and ecological triangulation. However, concerning chronic diseases, the most commonly used methods were ethnography and Sandelowski and Barroso’s method.

 Meta-synthesis is a method for integrating the results of studies, re-understanding the findings, and ultimately interpreting them to generate new insights beyond what is obtained from individual studies. Given the extensive body of qualitative research on chronic diseases, it is recommended to conduct this type of research to develop new knowledge based on the findings of previous studies.

 Learning clinical skills on “real patients” not only endangers patient safety but also raises many ethical concerns.

 This is a qualitative study designed and implemented using the content analysis method. The studied population included all midwifery students of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences who had recently passed the course: “Introduction to the Principles and Techniques of Patient Care at Clinical Skill Centers (CSC)”. Data were analyzed by conventional content analysis method.

 Overall, 156 codes were extracted from the research data, which were organized into 9 categories and 28 subcategories after removing or merging similar codes. The midwifery students’ experience of attending CSC was reflected in the form of three main themes (i.e., self-regulation, mentoring, and support management) and nine sub-themes (reinforcing intrinsic motivation in students, building self-confidence in students, mentor as a model, proper formulation and implementation of rules in CSC, training communication skills, the need to apply modern training methods, revising the structure, practice, and schedule of student groups).

 According to the findings of the present study, it could be concluded that primary education in CSC plays a very important role in reducing the stress of working with patients, professionalism, increasing self-confidence, and teaching clinical skills to students. Of course, achievement of this goal heavily relies on the crucial role of teachers of this course, who act as mentors responsible for planning, organizing, and modeling in addition to teaching.

Importance of hand hygiene with the COVID-19 has been raised around the world from 2019. We aimed to determine the effect of hand skin health in menopausal women during the covid-19 pandemic.

It was a cross-sectional study which has conducted on 94 subjects those were referred to menopause clinic in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz city during September to November 1999. The tools of this study were the Personal Characteristics Questionnaire and Hand and skin self-assessment tool (Appendix 3 of “WHO GUIDELINES ON HAND HYGIENE IN HEALTH CARE “). Data has entered and analyzed by using software SPSS version 22. The level of significance was considered as less than 0.05.

The mean age of women participating in the study was 53.6. The average frequency of hand washing outdoors was 5.28 and 10.43 indoors. Most women (94.7%) had reported at least some degree of skin problem and reported that their hand skin problems increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finding this study has shown that about 95% of women had felt at least one problem in their hands. During COVID-19 pandemic, hand washing with disinfectants were repeated more and more, furthers skin of the hands will be two times more damaged as compared to normal conditions, so the need to increase hand health training as part of general health, especially in older adults' women in advance.

Purpose of the review: 

The aim of this paper is to review Iran’s activities on resilience during home quarantine of outbreak of COVID-19 disease.

Governmental activities were included; closing of all schools and universities, changes in office hours, closing shrines, delay in repayment of loans until three months, electricity and water costs were reduced for a month, and urging people not to visit each other, and do not take a trip during the Iranian new year. Also, the municipality and the Islamic Republic's army began to disinfect public passages.

Medical activities:

 All medical staff and health providers provided care and treatment of patients in hospitals. Furthermore, midwives and other public health workers continued work in the health center. Also, physicians and other health workers such as midwives began setting up systems to answer questions from the public. Telephone counseling with women on any issues related to pregnancy, lactation, sex issues and other problems were provided by midwives. Staff of pharmacology schools started to prepare alcoholic sanitizer. Public activities were included; various groups of people have begun collecting public assistance to provide masks and disposable clothing for the health workers. Some groups started to disinfect the ATMs.

Clinical education is specifically significant in nursing and midwifery schools. For optimal education, it is essential that students receive feedback from instructors before encountering patients to prevent harm in actual settings. This study aimed to determine midwifery students' viewpoint about feedback and its impact on learning in Clinical Skills Centers (CSCs).

This was a descriptive study whose participants took part through census sampling (n=32). Considering the inclusion criteria, 27 students were eligible, who participated after filling out written informed consents. The first phase of the study was qualitative, using content analysis approach to explain midwifery students' viewpoints in CSCs. Using elicitation method, and considering CVR and CVI, a questionnaire was prepared containing 22 items in four sections.

The majority of the students (69.8%) had a positive view about learning in CSCs, 77.8% felt they had a moderate to high level of knowledge about CSC, and 88.9% believed that they should review their learnings before starting a new session in CSC. They mostly believed that the old and poor quality models are the most important problems they encountered (66.7%.). Students alleged that getting feedback from lecturers improves learning, but they preferred to receive it privately.

Although satisfied with clinical skills centers, shortcomings and inappropriate behaviors can affect students’ interest and motivation. Students feel positive about receiving feedback in CSC, since receiving productive feedback enhances motivation and optimizes learning.

Midwifery students graduated as a midwife duty of healthcare will be undertaken in the field of health should have basic clinical skills. Self-evaluation, in particular the acquisition of skills and public speaking medical requirements for clinical expertise plays a vital role. Given the importance of clinical and communication skills teaching midwifery students during the period of this study is to assess the clinical competence of students are graduating midwifery training school for midwives in accordance with the goals efficiently through self-assessment in the course of gynecology. In this descriptional study, a researcher made questionnaire including 4parts: demographic information, clinical skills, clinical judgment, professional characteristics in Likert scale was completed by 51 senior midwifery students who were studied at nursing-midwifery school in Ahvaz Jundishapur medical sciences university in self-evaluation form. Data analysis was with software spss version 19. The results showed that 65.1% of continuous students in private gynecological desirable clinical competence, 31.6%average, and 3.3% reported undesirable, the batch of uncontinuous students, reported, 69.2%, 24.1% and 6.7%, respectively. In sum, although most students (70%) were assessed as satisfactory clinical competence but there is necessity to efforts to achieve the ideal level of training for planners and authorities of clinical teaching.

Today, for better assessment of midwifery care quality, in addition to maternal death, a useful supplementary indicator, called "maternal near miss" (MNM) is used. It means that mothers who have survived due to complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Limited studies have been conducted in this regard in Iran and no study has been performed in Khuzestan to evaluate this index. This study was performed with aim to determine the prevalence and factors related to MNM in Ahwaz hospitals in 2016.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 3002 delivery in 5 state hospitals in Ahwaz, from 22 May until 25 July 2016. WHO criteria was used for MNM including potential life-threatening conditions (cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, blood, coagulation, hepatic, and neurological disorders) and criteria for severe maternal complications (severe postpartum haemorrhage, severe pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, sepsis/severe systemic infection, and uterus rupture). The prevalence of MNM and related factors were investigated. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 22) and Chi-square, Mann-Whitney test, t-test and logistic regression. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The prevalence of MNM was 29.6 per 1,000 live births. The most common direct causes of MNM cases were preeclampsia (49.5%) and severe postpartum hemorrhage (38.2%). 26 of MNM (29.2%) were admitted in intensive care units. The lower gestational age (p <0.001), lower education level (p <0.008), and cesarean delivery (p <0.001) were more likely to resulted in cases of MNM.

As for the reasons of maternal death, preeclampsia and obstetrical hemorrhage were the main reasons for MNM. Cesarean and lower gestational age increase the likelihood of MNM.

Sexual activity and its satisfaction are the most fundamental dimension of human life and attention to this is an essential component of health care standards. There are several factors involved in the progression and development of female sexual disorders. The present study was conducted to evaluate sexual satisfaction and some of its related factors in Ahvaz city. This is a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study. The sampling method was convenience sampling. It was carried out on 685 women referring to health centers in Ahvaz for other medical treatments. The data collection tool was a two-part questionnaire consisting of section A, containing personal details such as age, length of marriage, number of offspring, age of the youngest child, age of the spouse, and methods of contraception and section B, containing sexual satisfaction questionnaire. This scale for sexual satisfaction questionnaire was used to analyze the data between a score of 25 to 125. The sexual satisfaction recorded by 40.9% of the women was high, in 48.2% moderate, in 10.5% low, and 0.4% reported sexual dissatisfaction. Education has significant and prominent effects on sexual satisfaction. According to the findings of the study, a relationship was shown between the demographic characteristics, the contraceptive methods, and sexual satisfaction. Therefore, the establishment of marital counseling classes in health centers seems necessary to enable women to improve sexual health issues and the use of group- or individual-treatment methods.

To promote normal childbirth the care during childbirth should be on evidence-based care. Evidence-based care practices promote physiological birth and midwives.  This study studied midwives’ awareness and performance about physiological childbirth in Ahvaz publiv maternity services. This descriptive study was conducted on maternity units in which 128 midwives were recruited using census sampling. The researcher made questionnaire were used for self-reporting of awareness and performance of midwives. Majority of midwives (86.7%) had Bachelor degree, had (1-7) year’s work experience (64.1). This study showed that the Ahvazi midwives had relatively good awareness of physiologic labour items however the performance of them was not as ideal as their awareness. Iranian midwives are informed about evidence-based practice in childbirth which indicates that attempts to promote physiologic childbirth has been useful, however multifaceted implementation strategies are necessary to promote the use of evidence-based practice in clinical practice and health care decision making during labour childbirth.

Pregnancy is one of the most common background factors of sleep disorders. Sleep disorders can cause physical and psychological problems in pregnant women and may also cause some problems for fetus. This study was performed with aim to determine the relationship between sleep disorders during pregnancy with premature labor and low birth weight (LBW).
This analytical cross-sectional study was performed in 2012 on 400 pregnant women at third trimester who continuously referred to the Ganjavian hospital in Dezful. Data collection tools were the questionnaire of demographic and obstetrics information and the standard questionnaires of Intensity Sleepiness Index, Sleepiness Scale, Pitisburgh Sleep Quality Index. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 19) and Chi-square test. P The frequency of sleep disorders at third trimester of pregnancy was 63% that significant relationship was found between sleep disorders at third trimester of pregnancy and preterm labor (p=0.038), but there was no significant relationship with LBW (p=0.617).
There is a relationship between sleep disorders at third trimester of pregnancy and some undesirable outcomes of pregnancy such as preterm labor, so performing the needed measurements to treat sleep disorders can avoid these kinds of pregnancy outcomes.

Nowadays, there is a controversy regarding the efficacy of different educational methods on controlling of blood glucose in diabetic patients. This study was performed with aim to assess the effect of education thorough short massage system on blood glucose control of prediabetic pregnant women.
This clinical randomized trial was performed on 100 prediabetic pregnant women who referred to the selected health centers of Ahvaz in 2016. Women were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups equally. The control group received face to face education and intervention group received short massage in addition to face to face education. In both groups, fasting blood glucose (FBG) was evaluated before (between 12-14 gestational weeks) and after the education (between 24-26 gestational weeks) and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was assessed after the education. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20) and Chi-square and independent t and paired t-tests. P There was not statistically significant difference between two groups regarding to FBG and 1-hour and 2-hour OGTT after the intervention (P>0.05), but after intervention, the blood glucose level in intervention group was lower than that in control group. Based on paired t-test, there was not statistically significant difference between two groups regarding to FBG before and after the intervention (P Both methods of education through short message system and face to face education have similar effect and can decrease the blood glucose in prediabetic pregnant women; however, the effect was more observed in the group of education through short message system.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common health problem and has a profound effect on the quality of life and psychosocial aspects of the affected women. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of UI in reproductive age women.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2000 reproductive age women from February to June 2015. The women were selected from all of the primary health care centers of Dezful, using easy access sampling method. Body mass index (BMI) was measured and data were collected by demographic, detailed information regarding obstetric and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire- Urinary incontinence – Short Form(ICIQ-SF) ICIQ-SF questionnaires.
The women’s mean age was 33.6±8, and 57.7% (1154) of them reported UI. The prevalence of UI subtypes was recorded in 38.2% (441) stress UI (SUI), 44.9% (518) mixed UI, and 16.9% (195) urge UI. There was a significant association between the mean of pregnancies, mean of deliveries, mode ofdelivery, abortion, neonate>4 kg, irregular menstruation and UI (P The findings suggest that a significant proportion of reproductive age women were undiagnosed with UI and MUI was the most common type of UI in this age group. Regular menstruation was a protective factor but older age and vaginal delivery were risk factors for UI in this study.

Using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) is a stressful experience marked by lengthy and invasive medical procedures, high financial cost and relatively low success rate. Adoption is considered as one of the infertility treatment methods that can have great impact on healing emotional problems of infertile couples and can improve their relationship.
The current study aimed to investigate infertility-related stress and adoption in Iranian Infertile females with a history of ART failure, during year 2015.
This was a cross sectional study in which 30 Iranian infertile females, 30 to 45 years old, with primary infertility of five years or more, and history of ART failure, were investigated. Data collection instruments included the questionnaire of infertility and demographic factors, fertility problem inventory (FPI) and adoption questionnaire. The data were analyzed by SPSS V22, using descriptive statistics and Pearson test to assess possible correlations.
The mean of the total score of infertility stress of the participants was 186.1 ± 29.46 (moderate to high). All participants showed some level of infertility stress. The mean score of adoption was 38.4 ± 3.73 (moderate acceptance), 53.33% of which showed moderate acceptance. There was no relationship between infertility stress and adoption (correlation = - 0.13, P = 0.48).
Infertile females with a history of unsuccessful ART had a high level of infertility stress and moderate acceptance of adoption. We must pay more attention to psychological aspects of infertility and failure of treatment. There is an obvious need to increase society awareness about adoption and promote “adoption” as a sensible choice to form a family.

Tobacco smoking is attributed to pediatric disease and pediatric epidemics. This study aimed to indicate the attitudes of four- to six-year-old children toward cigarettes..
This cross sectional study was conducted by a questionnaire in 2011. Hundred and forty-five, children, aged four to six years, were randomly selected from eight kindergartens located in all four areas of Ahvaz. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze demographic data, Chi-square test to compare qualitative variables and Pearson correlation coefficient to compare quantitative data..
Results of the study showed that 76.4% of children knew what a cigarette is; 41.2% had talked about smoking with their parents; 1.4% had asked to buy one due to the attractive appearance of cigarette packs; 27.8% imitated the act of smoking. Children’s attitude toward smoking showed that 1.4% of them took smoking as a good act, 91.4% believed that smoking was a bad act and 7.1% had no idea about smoking..
Since parents’ behaviors affect their children, it is advisable to implement effective interventional programs to increase parents’ awareness about smoking and its harmful environmental effects..

Middle aged people, a large and productive group of the community whichare deprived from many services because of focusing on high-risk groups such as children, need strong support to comprehensively enhance their quality of life. This study was performed with aim to investigate the effect of SMS and face to face training on doing Kegel exercises in the middle-aged women.
This clinical trial study was performed on 100 middle-aged women in 2016. 47 cases received SMS and 46 face to face trainings for 4 weeks. At first, one session was held about the purpose of the study and the role of Kegel exercise in the prevention of pelvic muscle relaxation and urinary incontinence for women in both groups. Two training sessions were held for face to face training group as once in two weeks for 45 minutes, and for women in SMS training group, the same educational content was sent in the form of SMS as twice a week. After the completion of the trainings, a one-month opportunity was given to them to perform pelvic floor exercises. During this time, the case group was contacted twice a month to answer the questions, and to ensure they receive text messages requested of them to send blank SMS. After the specified time, both groups were contacted to answer about the frequency, duration and causes of failure to do exercises. Data analysis was done using statistical software SPSS (version 22) and independent t-test and Chi-square test. P There was no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of doing Kegel exercises (P=0.75) and its frequency (P=0.25). Two main obstacles in doing exercises in both groups were: amnesia (29.8% in SMS training group and 38.4% in individual training) and not having enough time to do exercises (21.3% in SMS training group and 19.6% in individual training), respectively.
There was no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of doing Kegel exercises and its frequencies, and using SMS training can be as effective as face to face training in offering middle-age trainings.

It seems that depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) use can have an effect on a woman’s oral health, and cause periodontal changes in adult women. However, there is little research in this regard and consensus has not been reached in the literature..
This study aimed to investigate the association between DMPA injection and periodontal health in reproductive age women..
This descriptive analytical study was conducted on 194 women aged 20 - 40 years in Ahvaz health care centers, southwest of Iran, during 2015. Ninety-seven women taking DMPA were assigned to the case group and 97 women who did not use DMPA were assigned to the control group. Periodontal parameters such as bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment loss were measured. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 19 using descriptive and analytic (Chi-square, Mann-Whitney and student’s t-test) statistical methods..
There was a statistically significant difference regarding bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment loss between the case and control groups. Totally, 56.7% of the women in the case group had periodontitis compared to 16.5% in the control group (P Based on our findings, the use of DMPA can affect the periodontal health status of women. Therefore, women who use this method must have a strict oral hygiene care program..

Prenatal care is correctly performing the principles with aim to keep mother's health and the birth of healthy infant. If prenatal care not be done correctly, it leads to increased rate of preterm labor, low birth weight and maternal and neonatal mortality. This study was performed with aim to evaluate the adaptation rate of presented prenatal care with standard guidelines at Ahvaz health care centers.
This descriptive study was performed on 392 pregnant women referred to Ahvaz health care centers related to Ahvaz Jundishapour University of Medical Sciences in 2012. After obtaining the written consent from pregnant women, simultaneous observation of provided prenatal care was performed and the related questionnaires were completed. Data was analyzed using SPSS software (version 18).
Presented prenatal care in health care centers had poor adaptation in 65.3% of cases and average adaptation in 34.7% with standard guidelines of country. Presented prenatal care at second trimester had poor adaptation in 66.3% of cases, average adaptation in 33.2% and good adaptation in only 0.5% of cases. Presented prenatal care at third trimester had poor adaptation in 77.3% of cases and average adaptation in 21.9% with standard guidelines
Presented prenatal care in therapeutic health centers is not adapted with standards of country and need to be controlled.

Oxytocin, the most common medicine for labor induction, has maternal and fetal side effects and sometimes is not effective. Herbal medicines are alternatively utilized as safe methods. Dill includes tannin, which is a polyphenol with contractile properties, is potentially supposed to be able to induce uterus contractions.
The current study aimed to test the effects of Anethum graveolens (dill) seeds on induction of labor and compare it with oxytocin in term pregnancy.
Patients and A randomized clinical trial was conducted on 100 eligible participants without any delivery signs such as labor pain, rapture of membranes or bloody show. Participants were allocated to either the case or control group and receiving boiled Anethum graveolens seeds or induction with oxytocin, respectively. Therefore, 0.018 g/kg of dill seeds with a spoonful of sugar was solved in 250 mL of boiling water and brewed for about 10 minutes. Then it was filtrated. Subjects in the case group drank this solution only once after admission and they were infused with simple Ringer solution. The control group received standard protocol of labor induction with oxytocin. Participants were followed up to the delivery time.
Case group had a significantly better Bishop score following the intervention compared to the control group. The mean duration of active phase, second and third stages of labor were significantly lower in the case group. The control group had shorter latent phase than the case group.
Results showed that the boiled Anethum graveolens seeds was effective on labor induction.

Women with unmet need are those who are sexually active in the reproductive age, but do not use any method of contraception despite they do not want more children. These women are at risk of unwanted pregnancies and abortions that can lead to maternal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and related factors to unmet need for family planning among reproductive aged women in Khuzestan province, Iran, 2012-2013. Samples were selected randomly from nine cities in the province. Data was collected using a questionnaire which was completed by interview. A 46 item questionnaire was designed to collect data about unmet need in family planning. Data were analysed using SPSS ver19. Descriptive statistics, Independent t-test, chi-square, and logistic regression tests were utilized for analyzing data. Unmet need was 80 (3.42) for limiting and 288 (9.59) for spacing, The prevalence of unmet need in Khuzestan Province was 13%. The unmet need group had more pregnancies and live children compared to the met need group (P<0.05). The women with her husband with primary education compared to illiterate ones, women with university education compared to illiterate ones, women with good knowledge about contraceptive methods compared to those with poor knowledge, were less likely to have unmet need. The unmet need for family planning in the Khuzestan province is rather high compare to some statistics from other cities as well as in the whole country. Improving awareness about family planning can help women to decide about safer and more reliable contraceptive methods.

Every woman during different stages of her growth faces various crises, and one of these crises, menopause, may create different problems. In modern societies, psychological disorders and particularly depression is one of the problems of menopausal women.. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of depression in postmenopausal women referred to selected health centers of Ahvaz in 2014..Patients and This study was cross-sectional study. In this study, 1280 postmenopausal women aged between 40 and 65 years old who were referred to selected health centers of Ahvaz in 2014 were randomly enrolled. Hamilton depression scale and demographic questionnaire were used for gathering information. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and analytical statistics (Independent t test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation and logistic regression) were carried out (CI 95%).. The mean ± SD score of depression for the subjects was 9.37 ± 4.62. The results showed that 59.8% of the 1280 samples were depressed; in particular, 39.8% had mild depression, 16% moderate depression, and 4% severe depression. There is a significant and inverse relation between variables of age, exposure to cigarette smoking, and the relationship with their spouses and the level of their depression, so higher age, more exposure to smoking, and better relation with their husbands, lead to the less depression. The results showed that the level of education is associated with depression. The highest rate of depression was in illiterate women; the finding also showed that there is a relationship between income and the severity of depression (Regression Log). T test showed that the mean depression level of employed postmenopausal women is higher than housewives postmenopausal women, and this difference is statistically significant (P < 0.001).. A significant percentage of women in their menopause experience depression. This depression can be associated with variables such as exposure to cigarette smoke, certain personal characteristics (e.g. relationship with spouse), and socioeconomic status (education, income)..