[Comparing the metacognitive and pharmaceutical therapies of the obsessive compulsive disorder]

Due to the small number of studies on obsessive compulsive disorder and the existence of non-pharmaceutical treatments, it is possible to introduce the Metacognitive therapy as an alternative with long-term effects. The purpose of present study was to compare the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy versus pharmaceutical therapy on the patients with obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. This research is a quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups. The participants were equally assigned into two groups with 8 members, metacognitive therapy [14 sessions] and pharmaceutical therapy [one month]. Pretest and posttest were given to both groups: MCQ30, YBOCS, DASS21, BDI and II, STAY-T. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS 18 using t-test, chi-square and covariate analysis. The results showed a preference for metacognitive therapy in decreasing obsession intensity [P=0.006] with pretest mean of 50.13 +/- 2.07 and posttest mean of 10.25 +/- 2.81, negative variables of metacognition [P=0.001] with pretest mean of 15.00 +/- 2.72 and posttest mean of 11.75 +/- 2.25. A significant relationship was observed between the general functioning and the pharmaceutical therapy [P=0.042] with pretest mean of 60.25 +/- 4.83 and posttest mean of 61.75 +/- 5.28. However, no significant differences were observed between the two types of therapy as far as depression [0=0.09], worry [p=0.07] and anxiety [p=0.2] are concerned. The results indicated better results with metacognitive therapy in reducing the obsessions, stress and negative metacognitive beliefs. However, enhancing the overall functioning of the patients can be achieved with pharmaceutical therapy. There were no signification correlation between the two types of therapy for treating depression, worry and anxiety

Presence of atrazine in the biological samples of cattle and its consequence adversity in human health

Cattle can be considered as an important source for herbicides through nutrition. Therefore, herbicide residue in animal products is a potential human exposure to herbicides causing public health problems in human life. Triazines are a group of herbicides primarily used to control broadleaf weeds in corn and other feed ingredients and are considered as possible human carcinogens. To evaluate trace residue of these pollutants molecular imprinted solid phase extraction [MISPE] method has been developed, using biological samples. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein of 45 Holstein cows in 3 commercial dairy farms in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Urine samples were also taken from the cows. The mean +/- SD concentrations of atrazine in serum and urine samples of the study group [0.739 +/- 0.567 ppm and 1.389 +/- 0.633 ppm, respectively] were higher [P < 0.05] than the concentrations in serum and urine samples of the control group [0.002 +/- 0.005 ppm and 0.012 +/- 0.026 ppm, respectively]. Atrazine in the feed ingredients ingested by cattle could be transferred into the biological samples and consequently can be considered as a potential hazard for the public health

[Changes in unprotected sexual behavior and shared syringe use among addicts referring to Methadone Maintenance Treatment [MMT] centers affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Shiraz, Iran: an uncontrolled interventional study]

AIDS is a lethal disease, for which there is no treatment or any vaccine to prevent it. The injection-drug use and unprotected sexual behavior are two factors important in HIV transmission. This study was conducted to determine changes in high-risk sexual and injection-drug use behaviors associated with HIV among drug users referring to Methadone Maintenance Treatment centers in Shiraz, Iran. This before-after interventional study with no control group included drug-users [n=694] referring to all the 7 MMT centers in Shiraz, Iran in 2009. The data were collected by interviewing patients and using a questionnaire. The software used for data analysis was SPSS 15, the statistical test being the Wilcoxon test. The average age of the clients was 36.5 +/- 9.5 years. Most of them were males [% 92.1] and single [% 43.1]. 37.3% of them being injection-drug users. The proportion of the injection-drug users having had at least one shared injection one week before referring to an MMT center was 23.3%, which decreased to 9.2% after one week. Analysis of the data also showed that 25.2% of the addicts had had at least one unprotected sexual contact during the previous month; the proportion decreased to 21.0% one month after referring to an MMT center. The reductions in the mean numbers of both shared injections and unprotected sexual contacts were statistically significant [p <0.001]. Considering the effectiveness of the MMT centers in reducing risky behaviors of injection-drug users, it is essential to expand these centers at both the national and regional levels quantitatively and qualitatively and encourage drug-users to refer to them and seek help. This will help greatly in the prevention of HIV

[ comparative study on evaluating the mental health of mothers with uncontrolled asthmatic children using SCL-90-R]

Asthma is a common pulmonary disease in children that was associated with reversible hypersensitivity of pulmonary airways. It introduces as a psychosomatic disorder with interrelated different psychic and somatic domains which can exacerbate each other. It has been documented that for the effective management of this disease both medical and psychological considerations are crucial. In this regard, we aimed at evaluating psychiatric symptoms in the mothers who have uncontrolled asthmatic children. This is a case-control study that was done on 50 mothers of uncontrolled asthmatic children and 50 mothers of healthy children. Considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a method of simple non- probability sampling was adopted to evaluate each of the cases for psychiatric symptoms, using SCL-90-R. SCL-90-R is a standard tool that is used for evaluating nine psychopathological elements, including psychosis, paranoid ideation, phobia, hostility, anxiety, depression, interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive and compulsion symptoms and somatizations. It shows the existence and severity of the psychiatric symptoms occurring for one past week. Two groups of participants were evaluated and matched based on some intrusive elements. There was not any significant difference between the two groups of study in terms of children's and mothers' age, birth age, number of children in the family, job, parents' education and their marital status, argument in the family, physical or mental diseases, smoking and addiction in the family. However, it was found that the mean scores of depression, somatizations, psychosis, anxiety, obsession, interpersonal sensitivity and phobia were significantly higher in the asthmatic group. Moreover, mean global severity index was significantly higher in the asthmatic group. Further, as the findings suggest, the odd ratio for serious psychiatric symptoms in the mothers with asthmatic children was 2 while it was calculated as 2.54 for any other psychiatric symptoms. Due to the fact that psychiatric aspects are prominent among both children suffering from asthma and their family, we suggest that psychiatrists cooperate in managing asthma. We believe that the psychotherapy of asthmatic children's family would be an effective way for better management of the disease as well as helping to improve mental health in the society

Satisfaction evaluation of blood donors of Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization in 2003

Satisfaction of blood donors plays a critical role in providing safe and adequate blood supply for patients. This study aimed to evaluate the level of satisfaction of blood donors in Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization [IBTO]. This was a cross-sectional study with the involvement of 2508 blood donors selected in proportion to the average distribution of blood donors in different provinces of Iran. The random sampling method was used. Questionnaires were directly handed over to blood donors. There was a positive relationship between behavior of physicians or other care staff with satisfaction level of blood donors. Physical conditions of donation sites play an important role in satisfaction level of blood donors. There was a negative correlation between education level and satisfaction of blood donors; the higher the education level, the less the rate of satisfaction. There was not any significant difference in satisfaction of blood donors in terms of sex. Satisfaction rate of blood donors was higher among those referring to blood drives than those to blood centers. Satisfaction rate among repeat blood donors was more than twice that among first-time blood donors [PVO.04]. The highest satisfaction value is attributed to the behavior of the personnel involved in phlebotomy and physicians. The lowest satisfaction value pertained to accessibility of blood donor centers. Overall satisfaction rate was more than 50% showing a figure, higher than our previous estimation