[Comparative efficacy of Iranian and foreign methylphenidate in children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder]

Methylphenidate is one of the basic drugs in treating ADHD. According to many clinical studies, the foreign form of methylphenidate [ritalin] is more efficient than the Iranian form of the drug [stimidate]. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of stimidate and Ritalin in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactive disorder. In this double blind, randomized clinical trial, 200 children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder who referred to Isfahan psychiatric clinics were studied. For 100 of these patients ritalin was prescribed while others received stimidate. After 4 weeks, changes in severity of symptoms were evaluated with parental form of Conner's questionnaire. After 4 weeks of treatment, the mean decrease of Conner's number in Ritalin group was 19.63 +/- 13.5 and in Stimidate group was 3.29 +/- 7.2. Ritalin had effectiveness in treatment of 83.3 percent of the patients [>/= 6 reduction in Conner's number], but Stimidate was only effective in treating 37.5 percent of the patients. This study showed that foreign methylphenidate [Ritalin] is more effective than the Iranian form of the medicine [stimidate]

[Aggression and some of its demographic correlates in nurses of pediatric wards in hospitals affiliated to Isfahan medical university]

As a result of their stressful job, nurses are supposed to be vulnerable to aggressive behaviors. This study was done to assess the rate of aggression among nurses. This was a descriptive-analytic study on 100 nurses working in pediatric wards of all general hospitals in Isfahan in 2006. Aggression Questionnaire [AGQ] as well as a Demographic questionnaire was administered. Data was analyzed using Fisher Exact Test running SPSS software. A total of 23% of nurses had scores more than 45. Considering the sex, 10% of men, and 24.2% of women had scores more than 45. There was no significant relationship between aggression and sex. Considering the age group, 34.8% of the nurses in the age group of 22 to 29 years old, 16.6% of those in the age group of 30 to 39 and 7% of those in the age group over 40 had scores more than 45. There was a significant relationship between aggression and age. A rate of 14.9% of the single nurses versus 35.6% of the married ones had scores more than 45. A significant relationship was found between aggression and marital status. There was also a significant positive relationship between aggression and the years of service. No significant relationship was found between aggression and the level of education, shift of work, different wards of hospital, different hospitals and the salary pay. Based on the results of this study, aggression was higher in the lower age group and those with lower work experience. Aggression was higher in the married group. These results should be considered in planning appropriate mental health intervention

[Parental interaction patterns in children with ADHD and controls; a comparative study]

Communicational patterns of the parents can either positively or negatively influence children's personality. Parenting manner has long-term effects on behavior, function, expectations and eventually people's future personality. This study investigates parental interaction patterns in children with attention deficit- hyperactive disorder. In this study, 50 male children aged 7-12 years were selected in two groups including I] 25 students with ADHD referring to psychiatry clinics it3, Isfahan according to the diagnostic scale of DSM- IV and 2] 25 healthy boys selected by random cluster mukistage sampling from primary schools in five districts of Isfahan from Septamber 2005 until March 2005. Schaffer and Edgerton parental interaction questionnaire was filled for them. In "Communication" interaction pattern, the mean score of healthy children was 15.08, while the mean score of ADJID children was 13.42. In "admission" interactional pattern; the mean of the first group was 14.76, while the second group was 11.76. in "control" interactional pattern, mean of group one was 13.28 and the second group was 11.76. In "aggression control" interactional pattern, the mean of group one was 13 and the second group was 14.68. In "lack of aggressive attachment" interaetional pattern, mean of the first group was 13.36 and the second group was 16.67. The mean scores of parental interactional pattern in healthy children were all higher than ADHD children except for "aggression control" and "lack of aggressive attachment" interactional patterns. The more the parental "admission" interactional pattern score, the lower the signs of ADHD in children. The signs of severity are lower in cases with more positive parental "control" interactional patterns. If the scores of "lack of aggressive! attachment" and "aggressive/ control" interactional patterns are higher, ADHD signs are more severe