Marital satisfaction in Iranian infertile women: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Infertility is a severe crisis in life that, in addition to creating psychological problems and disrupting a parent's identity and role, negatively impacts couples' marital satisfaction. Different studies in this field have reported different results, so this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the marital satisfaction standard score among infertile Iranian women.

Method

The databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Scientific Information Database, and MagIran were searched without a time limit. We used the meta-analysis and a random-effects model to estimate the marital satisfaction pooled score. The heterogeneity of studies was examined with the I ² index and Cochrane's Q test. The correlation between the pooled score with the publication year and the mean age of women was evaluated using meta-regression. We assessed the publication bias by the Egger test.

Results

Seventeen studies with a sample size of 2,421 people were analyzed. The marital satisfaction pooled score of infertile women was 49% (95% CI: 39-60%). The marital satisfaction score in region 1 of the country (54, 95% CI: 42.7-65.3%) was higher than in other regions (45, 95% CI: 40-58%). Also, the marital satisfaction pooled score based on the Enrich scale (54, 95% CI: 39-69%) was higher than the score reported on other scales (45, 95% CI: 29-61%). Publication bias was not significant.

Conclusion

Infertile women have moderate to low marital satisfaction, rooted in the culture and context of Iranian society. It seems necessary to provide measures to strengthen marital satisfaction, strengthen family relationships and prevent family disintegration in these women.

Medical students’ satisfaction level with e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and its related factors: a systematic review

PURPOSE

This review investigated medical students’ satisfaction level with e-learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its related factors.

METHODS

A comprehensive systematic search was performed of international literature databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Persian databases such as Iranmedex and Scientific Information Database using keywords extracted from Medical Subject Headings such as “Distance learning,” “Distance education,” “Online learning,” “Online education,” and “COVID-19” from the earliest date to July 10, 2022. The quality of the studies included in this review was evaluated using the appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies (AXIS tool).

RESULTS

A total of 15,473 medical science students were enrolled in 24 studies. The level of satisfaction with e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic among medical science students was 51.8%. Factors such as age, gender, clinical year, experience with e-learning before COVID-19, level of study, adaptation content of course materials, interactivity, understanding of the content, active participation of the instructor in the discussion, multimedia use in teaching sessions, adequate time dedicated to the e-learning, stress perception, and convenience had significant relationships with the satisfaction of medical students with e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, due to the inevitability of online education and e-learning, it is suggested that educational managers and policymakers choose the best online education method for medical students by examining various studies in this field to increase their satisfaction with e-learning.

Comparison of therapeutic results of closed and open repair of mandibular condylar fractures

BACKGROUND

Mandibular condylar fractures mostly result from traumatic accidents or strife. There is still dispute on the effectiveness of various therapeutic methods. Here we aimed to evaluate and compare the open or closed repair methods for mandibular condylar fractures.

METHODS

This is a clinical trial that was performed in 2015-2021 in Iran on all patients that referred to our medical centers with mandibular fractures due to traumatic events. Those cases with severe lateral dislocation of the mandibular condyles or severe dislocations of the fractured parts were assigned to the open surgical treatment group. The other patients were treated using Arch bar + intermaxillary fixation (IMF). The patient's abilities of mouth opening were assessed in centimeters within 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after the operations.

RESULTS

726 mandibular fractures were evaluated. Our data showed that 302 fractures (41.6%) were in the mandibular condyles. Of the 302 condylar fractures, 172 fractures (57.1%) occurred due to automobile accidents and 82 fractures (27.5%) occurred due to direct trauma. 203 patients (67.2%) underwent the close surgical procedures using maxillary and mandibular fixation using arch bar + IMF. 99 patients (32.8%) underwent open mandibular fixation operation and internal fixation (ORIF). Assessments of mouth opening showed significant improvements in this ability within the follow-up period in both groups (P<0.001 for both). Furthermore, we observed that patients treated by the open mandibular fixation procedure had significantly better results within the 6 months and 1 year after the procedures but after 2 years, no significant differences could be observed between groups.

CONCLUSION

Both open and closed surgical approaches for condylar fractures are associated with significant improvements, however, patients that were treated with ORIF had better clinical results in the first year after the surgical procedures.

A Systematic Review of Potentially Effective Nonpharmacological Interventions for Reducing Fatigue among Iranian Patients Who Receive Hemodialysis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Fatigue control in hemodialysis (HD) patients requires a multidisciplinary approach. This study aimed to comprehensively review the available research literature regarding the nonpharmacological interventions used for reducing fatigue among Iranian HD patients.

METHODS

In this systematic review, an extensive search of the literature was conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, using the keywords related to the purpose. Also, the Persian equivalent of these keywords was searched in Iranian databases, such as Iranmedex and Scientific Information Database (SID) from the inception to June 16, 2020.

RESULTS

Of 2,761 articles, 25 studies were included in the review. Among a total of 1,748 Iranian HD patients with a mean age of 54.17 (SD = 12.27) years, 61.38% were male. Interventions such as educational-based programs (n = 5), nutrition-based programs (n = 2), massage therapy (n = 3), exercise-based programs (n = 4), relaxation technique (n = 3), combination of relaxation technique and inhalation aromatherapy (n = 1), energy therapy (reflexology and acupressure) (n = 3), and mind-guided imagery (n = 1) were effective in reducing fatigue in Iranian HD patients.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

These simple, low-cost, and practical interventions can be used for the reduction of fatigue among HD patients by nurses. However, future well-designed studies are recommended to confirm the efficacy of these and other potentially effective interventions for reducing fatigue in HD patients.

Interleukin-6 role in the severity of COVID-19 and intensive care unit stay length

Evaluation of cytokine production in COVIID-19 disease, in which the cytokine storm is one of the most important pathological features in complicated cases, especially interleukin 6 as a pre-inflammatory cytokine that exacerbates the immune response, could help determine the pathophysiology of the disease. Examining the level of this cytokine along with other related factors can help to better understand the pathogenesis of this disease. In this cross-sectional study, 48 patients with COVID-19 whose disease was confirmed by swap testing were evaluated. The demographic information of the individuals, the symptoms of the disease, and the ward in which they were admitted were recorded. Blood samples were taken from patients to test for interleukin-6 levels by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA, Roche Diagnostics). Due to the lack of specific treatment protocols for patients and the use of supportive treatments based on meeting the nutritional needs for all patients, blood albumin levels and nutritional status of patients were also evaluated using Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) Form. Their calorie intake was assessed by calculating the number of calories received based on the type of nutrition and compared to the required amount calculated through the Harris-Benedict equation. 48 laboratory-confirmed 2019-nCoV infected patients were included in the study with the mean age of 46.4 ± 8.3 years. 21 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). There was no significant difference between the ICU admitted and patients admitted inward in terms of demographic characteristics, and history of previous diseases (p &gt; 0.05). The average interleukin 6 (IL-6) in patients was 72.3±34.4 pg/ml. ICU admitted patients had higher IL6 levels (p=0.001). The mean interleukin 6 level was 89.04±34.1 pg/ml in patients admitted for less than 7 days and it was significantly higher (119.2±28.3) in patients hospitalized for more than 7 days (p=0.001). there was no significant difference in terms of nutritional status and albumin level between ICU admitted and ward admitted patients (p &gt;0.05). Our study shows that there may be possible associations of IL6 and disease severity and ICU stay length.

The effect of wet-cupping on the severity of migraine headaches: Randomized controlled clinical trial

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the effect of wet-cupping on pain intensity in patients with migraines. Method: 132 patients were diagnosed with migraines. Pain intensity was evaluated based on the visual analogue scale. After homogenizing the data, patients were randomly divided into two (wet-cupping and control) groups. Paired t-test, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean of pain intensity of wetcupping (7.61+/-1.29) and control (7.22+/-1.21) before the intervention showed no significant difference (p=0.401). There was a significant difference between the mean of pain relief intensity of wet-cupping (2.4+/-1.9) and control (0.6+/-0.8) groups before and after interventions (p<0.001). Conclusion: Wet-cupping is an effective tool to treat migraine headaches. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials IRCT201110314495N2  

EFFECT OF THERAPEUTIC TOUCH ON PAIN RELATED PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

Introduction:

In patients with cancer, pain may influence their life style, and feeling of satisfaction and comfort, leading to fatigue, and cause impairment of their quality of life, personal relationships, sleep and daily activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of therapeutic touch (TT) on pain related parameters of in patients with cancer.

Methods:

In a randomized clinical trial a total of 90 male patients referring to Specialized Oncology Hospital in Mashhad, were conveniently selected and randomly divided into three intervention, placebo, and control groups. The intervention consisted of TT in 7 sessions for a 4-week period. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire along with the Brief Pain Inventory, which were then analyzed and compared using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests.

Results:

By comparing scores parameters of pain scales (general activity, mood, walking ability, relations with other people and sleep) in the three groups, there was no significant difference at the beginning of the first session. However, a significant difference was observed at the end of TT sessions between the three groups (p= 0.001). Furthermore, the groups were compared two-by-two by using Mann-Whitney test and Bonferroni correction, and the result indicated significant differences between the two intervention and placebo groups as well as between the two intervention and control groups.

Conclusion:

The results of the study showed that TT had a positive impact on the positive management of pain related parameters in cancer patients. Therefore, TT is suggested to be used by healthcare providers as a complementary method for managing pain and its parameters.

Effect of Therapeutic Touch in Patients with Cancer: a Literature Review

BACKGROUND

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) techniques has been growing. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine places therapeutic touch (TT) into the category of bio field energy. This literature review is aimed at critically evaluating the data from clinical trials examining the clinical efficacy of therapeutic touch as a supportive care modality in adult patients with cancer.

METHODS

Electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Scholar Google, and Science Direct) were searched from the year 1990 to 2015 to locate potentially relevant peer-reviewed articles using the key words therapeutic touch, touch therapy, neoplasm, cancer, and CAM. Additionally, relevant journals and references of all the located articles were manually searched for other potentially relevant studies.

RESULTS

The number of 334 articles was found on the basis of the key words, of which 17 articles related to the clinical trial were examined in accordance with the objectives of the study. A total of 6 articles were in the final dataset in which several examples of the positive effects of healing touch on pain, nausea, anxiety and fatigue, and life quality and also on biochemical parameters were observed.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results of this study, an affirmation can be made regarding the use of TT, as a non-invasive intervention for improving the health status in patients with cancer. Moreover, therapeutic touch was proved to be a useful strategy for adult patients with cancer.

Retinal vessel abnormalities predict coronary artery diseases

BACKGROUND

There are limited data supporting an association between retinal microvascular changes and cardiovascular mortality, but there is no convincing evidence of an independent or direct association with atherosclerosis in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. The present study examines the relationship between retinal microvascular changes and angiographic findings.

METHODS

Patients who were candidates for angiography were, at first, referred to the ophthalmology department for the determination of the severity of retinal atherosclerosis based on the Scheie classification. Angiography was carried out afterwards. Each patient completed a questionnaire, also providing information on risk factors. For each patient, the Gensini score was calculated using angiography findings.

RESULTS

A total of 168 patients (99 males and 69 females) with a mean age of 55.3±11.9 years were included in this study. The results show a significant association between CAD severity and retinal artery atherosclerosis (r = 0.47, p = 0.0001). In multiple regression analyses with CAD severity (using Gensini scoring) as a dependent variable, we observed a significant association between atherosclerosis scores based on Scheie criteria (β=0.31, p<0.0001), diabetes mellitus (DM) (β=0.29, p<0.0001), hypertension (β=0.23, p<0.0001), smoking (β=0.20, p<0.0001), and age (β=0.15, p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate that fundoscopic changes might be a predictor of CADs. However, more well-designed studies to verify these results are still needed.

The effect of the extract of Crocus sativus and its constituent safranal, on lung pathology and lung inflammation of ovalbumin sensitized guinea-pigs

Different pharmacological effects of Crocus sativus have been demonstrated on guinea pig tracheal chains in previous studies. In the present study, the prophylactic effect of the extract of C. sativus and its constituent, safranal on lung pathology and total and differential white blood cells (WBC) of sensitized guinea pigs was examined. Guinea pigs were sensitized with injection and inhalation of ovalbumin (OA). One group of sensitized guinea pigs were given drinking water alone (group S) and three groups were given drinking water containing three concentrations of safranal (S+SA1, S+SA2 and S+SA3 groups), three groups, drinking water containing three concentrations of extract (S+CS1, S+CS2 and S+CS3 groups) and one group drinking water containing one concentration of dexamethasone (S+D group) (n=6, for all groups). The lung pathology was evaluated in control, non treated and treated sensitized groups. Total and differential WBC counts of lung lavage were also examined. All pathological indices in group S showed significant increased compared to control group (p<0.05 for lung congestion and p<0.001 for other groups). Total WBC number (p<0.001), eosinophyl percentage (p<0.001) in lung lavage and serum histamine levels (p<0.01) were also increased in sensitized animals compared to those of controls. Treatment of S animals with dexamethasone, all concentrations of the extract and safranal significantly improved lung pathological changes, most types of WBC and serum histamine levels compared to group S (p<0.05-0.001). Treatment of S group with first concentration of safranal also decreased total WBC. Treatment with safranal was more effective in improvement of most pathological changes, total and differential WBC count as well as serum histamine level (p<0.05-0.001). These results showed a preventive effect of the extract of C. sativus and its constituent safranal on lung inflammation of sensitized guinea pigs. The results also showed that the effect of the plant is perhaps due to its constituent safranal.