[Musculoskeletal disorders risk assessment in patient transfers among hospital nurses using MAPO technique]

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders [WMSDs] are a serious problem among the nursing staff. Manual patient-handling tasks, such as lifting, transferring, and repositioning patients, are the major causes of WMSDs among nursing staff. The objective of the present study was risk assessment of musculoskeletal disorders during patient transfers by the movement-and-assistance-of-hospital patient [MAPO] technique among hospital nursing staff of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences [SUMS], Shiraz, Iran. This cross-sectional study included 400 randomly selected nurses from 75 wards in 11 hospitals in Shiraz. Data were collected using demographic and Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaires and the MAPO index checklist. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16. The means of age and job tenure of the subjects were 30.76 +/- 6.44 and 6.92 +/- 5.75 years, respectively. The 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was 88.2%. The results of assessment by the MAPO index revealed that more than 83% of the subjects were at risk, 20.5% of them exposed to high risk. Further analysis of the data indicated that the musculoskeletal disorders occurrence was significantly associated with the MAPO index score [p<0.05]. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders were found to be associated with the MAPO index. Therefore, MAPO is an appropriate tool for musculoskeletal disorders risk identification and assessment due to patient handling in the nursing personnel. In any attempt to improve the working conditions, patient transfer aids, environmental factors, and proper training should be taken into consideration

One-humped camel [camelus dromedarius] infestation with linguatula serrata in Tabriz, Iran

Linguatula serrata is one of well known members of Pentastomida which infects both human and animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of L. serrata in mesenteric lymph nodes, livers and lungs of camels slaughtered in Tabriz area, Iran. Mesenteric lymph nodes [MLNs], livers and lungs of 140 one-humped camels slaughtered in Tabriz, north-west of Iran were investigated for nymphs of L. serrata from July 2007 to June 2008. The organs were examined macroscopically and then a tissue digestion method was also done for investigation of liver and lung of the camels that had infected MLN. The liver and lung samples were mostly taken from condemned and rejected part of organs. The infection rate of L. serrata nymphs in MLNs, livers and lungs was 13.5%, 1.4% and 1.4% respectively. The number of isolated nymph in infected lymph nodes varied from 2 to 18 with a mean of 4.78. Only one nymph was isolated from each infected livers and lungs. The infection rate increased with age [p<0.05]. No significant difference in different sex groups and seasons was observed [p>0.05]. Considering this fact that consumption of undercooked camel liver was not common in the studied area, the zoonotic importance of this infection should be concluded

Tailoring of interventional procedures for HCC patients-review article

One of the most frequent primary malignant tumors in the world is hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]. Currently, the optimal treatment methods for HCC are hepatic resection and liver transplantation. Unfortunately, surgical therapies are suitable for 20% of patients and those who are not eligible for surgery should undergo interventional therapies. In the past decade, a variety of interventional procedures have been employed for local control of hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] including transcatheter arterial chemoembolization [TACE] and many tumor ablation techniques, such as percutaneous ethanol injection [PEI], radio-frequency ablation [RFA], percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy [PMC], laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy [LITT], cryoablation, and acetic acid injection. By development of new technologies in imaging and drug delivery, it is likely that in the future patients with HCC will be treated by combination therapies to improve patient survival. Computed tomography [CT] and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] have a crucial role in diagnosis and also follow-up of HCC patients treated by interventional procedures, by which the treatment efficacy, recurrence of disease and certain complications are evaluated. In this review article, we discuss the imaging modalities and also tailoring of interventional procedures for HCC patients