[ effect of massage therapy by a nurse and the patient's companion on the anxiety of male patients hospitalized in CCU: a clinical trial]

Anxiety can change the heart rate and also increase the myocardial oxygen demand and the risk of mortality in patients with heart diseases. This study aims to examine the effects of massage therapy by a nurse or the patient's companion on anxiety of the male patients admitted in coronary care unit. An RCT was conducted on three randomly allocated groups [massage by a nurse, massage by a patient's companion, and control group] of male patients admitted to coronary care units of Kashan's Shahid Beheshti hospital [n=30]. In the intervention groups, total body massage was done for 60 minutes. The third group [control] did not receive any intervention. Data was collected using Spillberger anxiety inventory and was analyzed by SPSS-PC [v.11.5], using independent t-test, paired t test, One-way ANOVA, Tukey test, Chi-square, and Fisher exact test. The mean scores for the Stat and Trait anxiety of the two intervention groups were significantly decreased after the massage therapy sessions [p<0.001]. However, no significant differences were found between the mean scores of stat or trait anxiety of the groups who received massage by a nurse or by the patients' companion [P.0.05]. However, significant differences were found between the mean scores of stat or trait anxiety of the two intervention groups and the control group [P<0.05]. Considering the effect of massage therapy on decreasing the level of anxiety and finding no difference between the effect of massage by nurses and patients' companions, massage therapy by the patients' companions can be used as an anxiolytic method in CCU patients

[Coronary artery lesions and some of its related factors in more than 5000 patients in Kosar angiography center [Golestan province] from 2007 to 2009]

Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death in Iran and most parts of the world. Major factors are involved in severity and extension of arterial obstruction. There have been different reports about location and severity of coronary artery lesions. This study determines factors related to the severity of coronary artery obstruction in the patients in Kosar Angiography Center. This was a descriptive analytical study and included 5444 patients. The characteristics of every patient were recorded in a check list. After measurement of blood pressure of the patients and recording history of hypertension, diabetes and drug consumption, data were introduced into a special software and then SPSS [16.00] software. Data analysis was performed by ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests. p

[Evaluating the rate and way of delivering radiotherapy services as one of cancer treatment methods in middle income and low income countries]

Radiotherapy plays a prominent role in cancer treatment. Researches indicate that radiotherapy has been used for curing most of registered malignant cancers. It has been the best choice and sedation for treatment and control of local cancers with the least side effects. Therefore, safe and effective provision of radiotherapy services is crucial and complex. This study aims to show radiotherapy role in controlling cancer in middle and low income countries. This is a descriptive and comparative study with a cross-sectional time frame. The data are searched and abstracted from related databases of East European, Latin America, Asian and African countries. They have been compared for achieving required results. Some of low and middle income countries have only a limited access to radiotherapy services, along with no access for 22 countries from Africa and Asia. Studies conducted in 72 low and middle income countries showed that there are no radiotherapy services within 24 countries among them with more than one million populations. Africa has the least average of radiotherapy facilities megavoltage per million populations compared to East Europe with the most one. The results also demonstrate that the countries with more population and low income are able to buy and provide radiotherapy, whereas those with less population are hardly amenable to invest in this service. Radiotherapy is a necessary part for an interdisciplinary treatment of cancer, which can be delivered safely and cost-effectively in low and middle income countries. Around half of cancer patients are subject to at least one course of radiotherapy during their treatment. This procedure will be the most useful cure if it is accompanied by other operations such as surgery and chemotherapy