[Self-efficacy of midwives in order to provide reproductive health services in disasters, Tehran, 2014]

In addition to the knowledge and skills, midwives should have adequate self-efficacy in order to provide effective reproductive health services in disasters; because self-efficacy is one of the factors influencing proper performance in emergency and stressful situations. Sudden onset disasters indicate the need to evaluate the midwives self-efficacy more, as a predictor of the performance in providing reproductive health services. In this cross-sectional survey, 361 midwives who work in three areas of Tehran public hospitals, north, south and center after completing informed consent form, were participated by cluster random sampling. Data was collected by using a self-administered questionnaire and statistically analyzed by SPSS. The results are as follows: a total of 55, the self-efficiency score of midwives was moderate [38.3 +/- 8] and only 19% of the midwives had a good level of self-efficacy; The highest score of self-efficacy belonged to "collaborate with other team members in disaster" and the lowest score related to "adaptation to psychological stress with distress". There were significant correlation between self-efficacy with clinical experience [P=0.036], age [P=0.04], previous exposure to disasters [P=0.01] and completing the previous training course [P=0.04]. With Consideration to average midwives self-efficacy scores and its relationship with training courses, preparing midwives by education seems necessary

Effect of an educational intervention based on construal level theory on decision making in adolescents with premenstrual syndrome

In this study, the existing challenge about the association of construal level and temporal distance was examined. Doing so, the effect of two types of educational intervention on progress of decision making stages in students with premenstrual syndrome [PMS] was studied, based on theoretical concepts of construal level. The present study is a randomized field trial research conducted on 1578 high school students. A total of 255 students in the second stage of the precaution adoption process model were chosen randomly. They then went through educational intervention based on either low or high construal levels of relaxation method. Subjects in the intervention group showed a higher decision-making stage progression than in control group [p<0.001]. The two-stage progression was significantly salient in low construal level-based intervention group [p=0.012]. None of the demographic, premenstrual, and premenstrual syndrome severity characteristics were related to this progression. Inducing low construal level causes an individual shift toward desired action more rapidly. That is, there is a correlation between construal level and temporal distance. To accelerate the adoption of any health behavior, temporal distance can be taken as a basic and essential topic

Long-term progression pattern of chronic allograft dysfunction among kidney transplant recipients

There is little data about the pattern of disease progression in kidney transplant recipients with chronic allograft dysfunction [CAD]. Extrapolating the current classification of chronic kidney disease for CAD, we studied the pattern of progression of CAD in 5 stages among our kidney transplant recipients. We performed a retrospective cohort study on 214 kidney transplant recipients with CAD. The selection criteria were a functioning kidney allograft for at least 1 year after transplantation and a progressive decline in allograft function. An event history analysis in survival data was carried out based on the stages of CAD at baseline and the end of the study. At the beginning of the study, 54.7% of the patients had CAD stage 1; 37.9%, stage 2, and 7.5%, stage 3. At the end of study, 10.3% were in stage 2; 39.7%, stage 3; 23.4%, stage 4; and 26.6%, stage 5. Patients with CAD stage 5 were 17.1% of those in stage 1, 32.1% of those in stage 2, and 67.7% of those in stage 3 at baseline. There was a significant correlation between stage of CAD at the beginning of the study and the stage of CAD at the end [r = 0.465, P < .001]. Because the decline in kidney allograft function was relatively faster in advanced stages of CAD, strategies to increase allograft survival by improving the baseline level of allograft function can be more effective than strategies to slow down progression of advanced stages of CAD

[Maternal and umbilical cord blood serum levels of zinc, copper, magnesium, iron and calcium and their relationships with low birth weight]

Considering the various evidences due to effects of trace elements on the outcome of pregnancy, we decided to assess the effect of these elements levels in maternal and cord serum on low birth weight. An Analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 344 pregnant women in labour and their neonates in Maryam, Akbarabadi and Vali-e-Asr hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Iron, zinc, copper, magnesium and calcium concentrations in cord and mother serum were measured. Collected data were analyzed by spss13 software, using Chi-square and Logistic regression tests with significant level p<0/05.The characteristics of studied subjects were: Mean age: 27.02 +/- 5.3 years, pregnancy duration: 38.9 +/- 1.3 weeks, number of low birth weight neonates: 13 [3.8%]. Prevalence of trace elements deficiencies in mothers were: zinc: 26.7%, copper: 53.5%, magnesium: 72.4%, Iron:. 6%, calcium: 49.4%, and in neonates were: zinc: 3.5%, copper: 41.6%, magnesium: 67.4%, Iron: 3.2% and calcium: 2.3%. In Chi-square test, a significant negative relationship between maternal calcium deficiency and low birth weight [p=.011] was found and logistic regression analysis showed a significant negative relationship between maternal calcium serum and low birth weight [odd: 0.27,%95CI: 0.09-0.77]. Delivering low birth weight neonates were more common in mothers with calcium deficiency and other elements did not show any significant relationships with low birth weight. It is possible to find different results about the effect of these minerals on pregnancy outcome with more samples and in different settings. It is recommended to perform more research on effects of trace elements on neonatal and maternal pregnancy outcomes to help prevent mother and fetus mortality and morbidity

Decreased T cell response to mitogen and increased anti-cytoplasmic antibody in drug-free schizophrenic patients

Apart from genetic and environmental factors, activation of autoreactive mechanisms has been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In recent years, considerable work has been carried out to understand the role and contribution of the immune system in this disease. To investigate the T cell response to phytohaemagglutinin [PHA] and determine the serum levels of anti-nuclear antibody [ANA], anti-cytoplasmic antibody [ACA], and circulating immune complexes [CIC] in schizophrenic patients. A total of 30 drug-free schizophrenic patients and 42 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. T cell proliferation in response to PHA was measured using Methyl Thiazol Tetrazolium test. ANA and ACA were measured by indirect immunofluorescence. CIC concentration was determined using poly ethylene glycol precipitation assay. Mean PHA response was 1.96 +/- 0.83 in patients and 3.72 +/- 1.39 in healthy controls [p < 0.001]. ANA and CIC concentrations were not significantly different between two groups. In addition, ACA was detected only in patients. Increased production of ACA together with lower T cell response to mitogens in our patients provides evidence for the involvement of autoimmune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia

Increased natural killer cell activity in schizophrenic patients

Schizophrenia has been associated with altered immunity. Different studies regarding natural killer cell activity [NKA] in schizophrenic patients have shown inconsistent results. To evaluate NK cell activity in schizophrenic patients in comparison with healthy control individuals. 30 medication-free schizophrenic patients and 41 healthy sex, age and smoking status matched individuals were included in this study. NK cell activity of case and control subjects was measured by Methyl-Thiazol-Tetrazolium [MTT] test. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS 11.5 software. NK activity of patients and normal subjects had a mean of 36.94 +/- 26.15 [Mean +/- SD] and 22.31 +/- 17.92, respectively. A significant increase in NK activity in schizophrenic patients compared to controls [P = 0.011]. Among patients, NK activity of smokers was significantly lower than that of non-smokers [P = 0.02]. Other demographic factors didn't show any influence on NK activity. The higher activity of NK cells in the schizophrenic patients as compared with the control population could explain the low incidence of cancer in these patients. Decreasing the effect of smoking on NK activity in the patients could be one of the responsible factors for the inconsistency in the results of different studies