ABSTRACT
Background: Phobia as a psychological disorder seems to be aggravated during health crises like the current COVID-19 outbreak. On the other hand, people's knowledge about a situation can help decrease the resulting fear. Study design: This is a cross-sectional analytical study to evaluate the COVID-19 related phobia and to measure knowledge, attitude, and practice of our target Iranian population about COVID-19. Methods: In this study, DSM-5 specific phobia questionnaire, adapted to SARS-CoV2-19 infection, was used to evaluate the COVID-19 related phobia. Moreover, the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire, specific for SARS-CoV-2 infection, was applied. Results: Phobia score was significantly higher in 1st-degree relatives of healthcare staff (20.38±5.82) than healthcare staff (18.36±5.68) (p=0.021). Females showed a significantly more severe phobia (20.27±5.41) than males (17.72±5.35, p=0.001). COVID-19 phobia was significantly more severe in those with past psy-chiatric conditions than in those without psychiatric history (p<0.05). The 1st-degree relatives of healthcare staff had a significantly lower level of knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 infection (8.19±1.65) than healthcare staff (9.08±1.28, p=0.001). Additionally, age had a positive significant correlation with knowledge and practice towards SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusion: Both Iranian healthcare staff and 1st-degree relatives of healthcare workers are suffering from moderate COVID-19 phobia. Females are more concerned than males about COVID-19. Phobia is more severe in people with underlying psychiatric conditions than other people. The knowledge level of Iranian healthcare workers and 1st-degree relatives of healthcare staff about COVID-19 is acceptable but it needs improvement in certain areas.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Phobic Disorders , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Health Personnel/psychology , Humans , Iran/epidemiology , Male , Phobic Disorders/epidemiology , RNA, Viral , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Geographic information systems (GIS) analysis has not been widely used in underdeveloped countries to ensure that vulnerable populations have accessibility to primary health-care services. This study applied GIS methods to analyse the spatial accessibility to urban primary-care centres of the population in Kermanshah city, Islamic Republic of Iran, by age and sex groups. In a descriptive-analytical study over 3 time periods, network analysis, mean centre and standard distance methods were applied using ArcGIS 9.3. The analysis was based on a standard radius of 750 m distance from health centres, walking speed of 1 m/s and desired access time to health centres of 12.5 mins. The proportion of the population with inadequate geographical access to health centres rose from 47.3% in 1997 to 58.4% in 2012. The mean centre and standard distance mapping showed that the spatial distribution of health centres in Kermanshah needed to be adjusted to changes in population distribution.
Subject(s)
Geographic Information Systems , Health Services Accessibility , Primary Health Care , Urban Health , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Health Services Needs and Demand , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Iran , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
إن تحليل نظم المعلومات الجغرافية لم يستخدم على نطاق واسع في البلدان النامية للتأكد من إمكانية وصول الفئات الضعيفة من السكان إلى خدمات الرعاية الصحية الأولية. إن هذه الدراسة طبقت طرق نظم المعلومات الجغرافية لتحليل إمكانية الوصول إلى مراكز الرعاية الصحية الأولية الحضرية بالنسبة للسكان الذين يعيشون في مدينة كرمنشاه بجمهورية إيران الإسلامية، وذلك بحسب الفئات العمرية والجنس. ففي دراسة وصفية تحليلية على مدى 3 فترات زمنية تم تطبيق طريقة تحليل الشبكات وطريقة المركز الوسطي وطريقة المسافة القياسية باستخدام نظام ArcGIS 9.3.وكان التحليل يستند إلى دائرة ذات نصف قطر قياسي يبعد 750 متراً عن المراكز الصحية، وسرعة مشي تبلغ 1 متراً واحداً لكل ثانية، وزمن وصول منشود إلى المراكز الصحية مقداره 12.5 دقيقة. إن نسبة السكان الذين يصعب عليهم الوصول الجغرافي إلى المراكز الصحية ارتفعت من 47.3% في عام 1997 إلى 58.4% في عام 2012.ولقد أظهر رسم خرائط المركز الوسطي والمسافة القياسية أن التوزيع المكاني للمراكز الصحية في كرمنشاه يحتاج إلى تعديل يتناسب مع التغيرات في توزيع السكان
Geographic information systems (GIS) analysis has not been widely used in underdeveloped countries to ensure that vulnerable populations have accessibility to primary health-care services. This study applied GIS methods to analyse the spatial accessibility to urban primary-care centres of the population in Kermanshah city, Islamic Republic of Iran, by age and sex groups. In a descriptive-analytical study over 3 time periods, network analysis, mean centre and standard distance methods were applied using ArcGIS 9.3. The analysis was based on a standard radius of 750 m distance from health centres, walking speed of 1 m/s and desired access time to health centres of 12.5 mins. The proportion of the population with inadequate geographical access to health centres rose from 47.3% in 1997 to 58.4% in 2012. The mean centre and standard distance mapping showed that the spatial distribution of health centres in Kermanshah needed to be adjusted to changes in population distribution.
L'analyse des systèmes d'information géographique n'a pas été très utilisée dans les pays en développement pour garantir que les populations vulnérables ont accès aux services de soins de santé primaires.La présente étude a appliqué des méthodes des systèmes d'information géographique pour analyser l'accessibilitéspatiale aux centres de soins de santé primaires urbains pour la population de la ville de Kermanshah (République islamique d'Iran) par tranche d'âge et par sexe. Dans une étude analytique-descriptive sur trois périodes, une analyse des réseaux et des méthodes de mesure des distances moyenne et standard jusqu'aux centres ont été appliquées à l'aide du logiciel d'information géographique ArcGIS 9.3. L'analyse reposait sur un rayon standard de 750 mètres de distance à partir des centres de soins, à une vitesse de marche d'un mètre par seconde et untemps d'accès souhaité aux centres de soins de santé de 12,5 minutes. La proportion de la population ayant un accès géographique inadéquat aux centres de soins a augmenté, passant de 47,3 % en 1997 à 58,4 % en 2012. Lacartographie de la distance moyenne et standard jusqu'aux centres a révélé que la répartition spatiale des centres de soins de santé à Kermanshah devait être ajustée aux changements dans la répartition de la population.
Subject(s)
Health Services Accessibility , Geographic Information Systems , Developing Countries , Primary Health CareABSTRACT
AIM: Using mucolytic agents that decrease viscosity of the gastric mucous and therefore, increase the permeability of antibiotics through gastric membrane has been offered as an additive treatment to achieve a higher rate of eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) infection. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of oral N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) on eradication of H. pylori infections in patients suffering from dyspepsia. METHODS: In this randomized double-blinded clinical trial, 60 H. pylori positive patients who were suffering from dyspepsia were included. They were divided into two groups. Both groups received three-drug regimen including pantoprazole 40 mg BD, ciprofloxacin 500 mg BD and bismuth subcitrate 120 mg two tablets BD. Experimental group (30 cases) received 600 mg of NAC besides three-drug regimen. Control group received placebo. The results of therapy were tested by 14C-UBT and were compared with each other two months after the first visit. RESULTS: H. pylori infection was eradicated in 21 (70%) and 17 (60.7%) patients in experimental and control groups, respectively (P=0.526). Regarding clinical and endoscopic variables, no significant difference was observed between the two groups except for erosive gastritis (0.041) and erosive esophagitis (0.031). CONCLUSION: Our findings offer that NAC has an additive effect on H. pylori triple therapy with pantoprazole, ciprofloxacin and bismuth subcitrate. Although NAC does not have any known activity against H. pylori, it can reduce the thickness of the mucus layer and increase the permeability of antibiotics at the site of infection. To evaluate this effect, more studies with larger sample size should be performed.
Subject(s)
Acetylcysteine/administration & dosage , Dyspepsia/drug therapy , Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy , Helicobacter pylori , Administration, Oral , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Double-Blind Method , Dyspepsia/microbiology , Female , Helicobacter Infections/complications , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Remission Induction , Young AdultABSTRACT
A premise was set up entailing the possibility of a synergistical combination of advantages of spectrophotometric and colorimetric matching procedures. Attempts were therefore made to test the performances of fifteen matching procedures, all based on the Kubelka-Munk theory, including two procedures utilizing the fundamental color stimulus R(FCS) of the spectral decomposition theory. Color differences CIE DeltaE(00) as well as concentration differences DeltaC(AVE) were used to theoretically rank the fifteen color matching procedures. Results showed that procedures based on R(FCS) were superior in accurately predicting colors and concentrations. Additionally, the metameric black component R(MB) of the decomposition theory also showed promise in predicting degrees of metamerism. This preliminary study, therefore, provides evidence for the premise of this investigation.
