ABSTRACT
Background: GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease [GERD] is the most common gastrointestinal disorders, which may be caused or aggravated by occupational stress. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of GERD in nurses working in hospitals of a province in Iran and assessing its relationship with their occupational stress
Materials and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional and correlational one. The study population included all nurses working in public hospitals of a province in Iran in 2016. The stratified random sampling was used. The data were collected using Nursing Stress Scale [NSS] and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire. The SPSS software version 22 and independent t, Chi-square, and Mann-Whitney tests were used for data analysis
Results: The prevalence of GERD and severe levels of occupational stress among nurses were 26.8%, and 25.9%, respectively. Statistical analyses showed no significant correlation between occupational stress and the risk of GERD, but a significant relation was found between the sex of the nurses and their occupational stress and between their type of employment and the risks of GERD
Conclusion: The prevalence of GERD among nurses had no significant difference with that in the general community. Although nursing is considered as a stressful job, it seems that nurses adapt themselves with the working conditions after a while and experience stress levels similar to other people in the community
ABSTRACT
Background: myocardial infarction is the main cause of death worldwide. Angiogenesis, a promising new therapy for the treatment of diffuse coronary artery disease, shows a poor response to conventional revascularization techniques. This study focused on improving myocardial function using endothelial cells [ECs] and mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] in a sheep animal model
Methods: acute myocardial infarction was induced in 18 sheep [12 treated cases and 6 controls]. Autologous MSCs and ECs were injected in the infarcted area and the border zone. Two months after transplantation, echocardiography, electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry were performed
Results: echocardiography in both MSC and EC groups revealed a significant improvement in the ejection fraction compared with the control group [p value < 0.05]. Vascular density, estimated by antibodies against the von Willebrand factor and smooth muscle actin, increased in both study groups. The pattern of vascularity in the MSC and EC groups was diffused. The electron microscopic evaluation of the infracted areas revealed cardiomyocytes in variable stages of development in the border zone in both EC and MSC groups
Conclusion: both ECs and MSCs were able to promote angiogenesis and improve cardiac function. Presumably, MSCs differentiate into ECs and cause angiogenesis as it occurs for ECs
ABSTRACT
Psoriasis is an inflammatory and proliferative disease. Psoriasis clinical features vary from plaque-type psoriasis to pustular form. Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease, which affects epidermal keratinocytes. Regard to serious side effects of chemical therapy in psoriasis patients, various projects were performed all around the world to find new therapeutic approaches for psoriasis. Various studies confirmed that Indigo naturalis treatment induced long-term remission in patients with psoriasis in all ages