Journal of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
Volume:25 Issue: 1, Mar 2021

Menopause is associated with physical and psychological as well as sleep problems that cause disruption in quality of life in women.

The question of whether the severity of physical and psychological symptoms correlated with the severity of insomnia in postmenopausal women is investigated in this study.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 214 postmenopausal women referred to health centers in Kermanshah city betweenMay2019andMay2020. Data collection tools includeddemographicandsocial characteristics questionnaires, Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Pearson correlation test using SPSS software.

The mean total score of insomnia severity was 14.3  5. Also, according to the severity of insomnia, 22 women had no insomnia, but 88 and 87 women had mild and moderate insomnia and 17 women had severe insomnia, respectively. Comparing the mean scores of 11 MRS items in different insomnia severities showed a significant difference in the rate of symptoms, so that in the physical domain, hot flashes and sleep problems, and in the psychological domain, depression items, irritability, anxiety, poor memory and lack of concentration were higher in the sever insomnia, but none of the items of the genitourinary domain were associated with the severity of insomnia.

Our study showed that in postmenopausal women, the rate of physical and psychological symptoms increases with higher severity of insomnia. Insomnia should be considered as a disorder that requires special attention and treatment in postmenopausal women.

Subcutaneous injection of enoxaparin causes local reactions, such as bruising and pain at the injection site. The pain induced by subcutaneous injection may lead to anxiety, fear of needle, and distrust in healthcare providers in the long run.

The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of topical cold compress on bruising and pain intensity at the subcutaneous injection site of enoxaparin.

This clinical trial was conducted on 100 patients in five groups. In the control group, subcutaneous injection was performed using the routine method. In the intervention groups, local cold compress was applied five minutes prior to the injection, five minutes beforeandfollowing the injection, five minutes after the injection, 20minutes following the injection, andfive minutes before and 20 minutes following the injection within 10 seconds. Data were collected using a researcher-made checklist containing two sections of individual characteristics and pain severity. In addition, pain intensity was evaluated using the visual analog scale
(VAS) immediately after each injection.

Group five showed a significant difference with the control group only in the mean pain severity (P < 0.05), while the mean pain intensity scores had no significant difference in the other groups compared to the control group.

According to the results, the application of local cold compress before and after the subcutaneous injection of enoxaparin sodium could effectively reduce pain intensity at the injection site.

Antibiotic resistance is spreading worldwide against the Gram-negative bacteria that cause nosocomial infections.

The present study aimed to determine the antibiotic resistance pattern of Enterobacter isolated from the blood, urine, wound, and sputum samples of the patients referring to Imam Reza Hospital in Kermanshah, Iran.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 649 patients with positive Enterobacter cultures at Imam Reza Hospital during 2016 - 2018. The isolates were obtained using laboratory tests based on the CLSI protocol. In addition, the standard disc-diffusion method was used to assess antibiotic susceptibility. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 20.

Most cases of positive Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from the patients admitted to the intensive care unit (35.6%) and emergency ward (21.9%), as well as the urine (51.6%) and sputum samples (20.5%), respectively. Levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and imipenem were the most effective antibiotics against Enterobacter with the susceptibility of 56.7%, 54.8%, and 53.3%, respectively.

According to the results, the antibiotic resistance of Enterobacter to ampicillin and ceftriaxone was high, and these antibiotics must be used correctly and reasonably. Furthermore, more epidemiological studies are required in Iran to provide national programs for preventing the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Rapid diagnosis in patients with acute pancreatitis is essential to optimal therapeutic outcomes. Upon clinical suspicion, various methods could be used to confirm the diagnosis based on the symptoms and examinations. Laboratory tests are an important diagnostic method in this regard based on the increased serum amylase/lipase. In this study, we described the case of a 31-year-old male patient presenting with the clinical signs of pancreatitis with normal amylase and elevated triglyceride in the follow-up. In case of strong clinical suspicion, other tests and diagnostic methods are recommended to confirm acute pancreatitis.

Systematic inflammations are associated with cardiovascular diseases. The production of inflammatory mediators increases in a sedentary lifestyle and reduces with regular exercise.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of eight weeks of spinning workout and green tea supplementation on the anti-inflammatory and inflammatory markers and body composition of overweight women.

This study was conducted on 32 overweight women who voluntarily participated in the research and were randomly assigned to the groups of spinning-green tea (SP-GT; n = 11), spinning-placebo (SP-PL; n = 11), and control (no exercise/placebo; n = 10). The experimental groups carried out eight weeks of spinningworkout three days a week non-consecutively with the intensity of 11 - 17 rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-(TNF-), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin- 10 (IL-10) were measured before the intervention and 48 hours after the last training session. In addition, body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%) were measured.

After eight weeks of the intervention, BMI, BF%, and TNF- significantly reduced in the SP-GT and SP-PL groups (P0.05). Although the change in IL-6 was not significant in the intervention groups (P > 0.05), it significantly increased in the control group (P = 0.011). Moreover, a significant increase was observed in IL-10 in the SP-GT and SP-PL groups (P = 0.001).

According to the results, spinning workout improved the inflammatory markers and body composition independent of supplementation, while green tea had a greater effect on IL-10. Therefore, spinning workout could be used for the prevention of cardiovascular risk factors through the improvement of systematic inflammation.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and sleep disturbance and anxiety play a key role in the prognosis of these patients.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of problem-solving skills training (PSST) on the anxiety and sleep disturbance of cardiac patients.

This quasi-experimental study was carried out in three stages before, after, and during a two-month follow-up after eight PSST sessions (one hour each). Sample population included 20 male patients with heart failure who had undergone coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at Imam Ali Hospital of Kermanshah, Iran. The patients were randomly divided into the experimental (n = 10) and control groups (n = 10). Data were collected using Spielberger’s state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Data analysis was performed in SPSS using the analysis of covariance to compare the groups.

MANCOVAandTukey’s post-hoc test indicated a significant difference in the sleep quality score of the patients at the posttest (P= 0.001)andfollow-up (P= 0.017), as well as in the score of anxiety at the posttest (P =0.01)andafter the PSST intervention. However, no significant differences were observed in the scores of the control group at different stages of the study (P > 0.05).

According to the results, PSST could improve anxiety and sleep quality in patients with heart failure. Therefore, it is recommended that such training be provided to cardiac patients.

Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are important human bacterial pathogens, which are resistant to several antibiotics. One of the main causes of their resistance is the ability of biofilm formation.

The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of the extracts of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, V. alginolyticus, Pseudoalteromonas gelatinilytica, and Pseudoalteromonas piscicida isolated from sea anemone (Stichodactyla haddoni) against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.

Four isolated bacteria were identified using biochemical and molecular identification methods, and their extracts were obtained by mixing the cell-free supernatants from their old broth culture using ethyl acetate and methanol as the solvents. The agar well-diffusion and micro-dilution methods were also applied to determine the antibacterial activity, minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts. The ability of the extracts to inhibit biofilm formation and disrupt the preformed biofilm of the pathogens was attained through crystal violet staining in 96-well microtiter plates. To determine the nature of the extracts, they were exposed to protease enzyme, and the antibiofilm activity was compared with the untreated extracts.

The extracts of the four isolated bacteria inhibited bacterial growth and biofilm formation and disrupted the preformed biofilm of S. aureus (MIC = BIC = 600 g/mL) and P. aeruginosa (MIC = BIC = 300 g/mL). In addition, the active compounds of the extracts with antibiofilm activities were mainly proteases.

According to the results, V. parahaemolyticus, V. alginolyticus, P. gelatinilytica, and P. piscicida had antibacterial and antibiofilm potential against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, and their extract could also be further analyzed as an alternative to antibiotics.

Acinetobacter is a gram-negative coccobacillus, which is widespread in nature and causes several nosocomial infections, such as pneumonia, meningitis, endocarditis, skin and soft tissue infections, conjunctivitis, and bacteremia. Acinetobacter has also demonstrated resistance against multiple antimicrobial agents.

The present study aimed to investigate the antibiotic resistance pattern of the isolated Acinetobacter strains from the patients admitted to various wards of Imam Reza hospital in Kermanshah, Iran.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed on 726 patients with positive Acinetobacter cultures at Imam Reza hospital during 2016 - 2018. Bacterial isolates were identified using laboratory tests and based on the CLSI protocol, and the standard disc-diffusion method was used assess antibiotic susceptibility. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 20.

Most of the Acinetobacter-positive cases were isolated from the intensive care units (75.88%) and sputum (73.3%) and urine samples (10.1%). In addition, the highest and lowest resistance rate of the isolates was observed against ceftriaxone (96.6%) and ampicillin-sulbactam (58.7%), respectively.

According to the results, the bacterial isolates were multiple-drug resistant and showed resistance to ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, cotrimoxazole, ceftriaxone, cefepime, gentamicin, imipenem, ampicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, and  amikacin. The high resistance to imipenem is rather alarming as it is considered the ’last resort’ in the treatment of the infections caused by gramnegative bacteria. Therefore, monitoring programs are recommended to prevent the misuse of this drug in hospitals.