Application of optimized dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for determination of melatonin by HPLC-UV in plasma samples.

Melatonin (N-acetyl-3-(2-aminoethyl)-5-methoxyindole) is biologically active as a neurohormone and antioxidant agent. The optimized dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet detection (HPLC-UV) was used for the analysis of melatonin in human plasma. Influence variables such as volume of extracting (carbon tetrachloride: CCl4) and dispersing solvents (acetonitrile: ACN), pH and ionic strength, extraction time and centrifugation time were screened in a 2(6-2) fractional factorial design (FFD) and then the significant variables were optimized by using a central composite design (CCD). At optimum conditions values of variables set as pH 6.0, 1.5 mL ACN, 140 µL CCl4, 1.0 min extraction time and 3.0 min centrifugation at 4,500 rpm. At optimum conditions method has linear response over 2.0-500.0 ng mL(-1) with detection limit of 0.5 ng mL(-1) with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 5.0%. The values of intra-day and inter-day RSD were 4.3% and 8.5%, respectively. The method was applied successfully for the analysis of melatonin in plasma sample.

Suicide in the Islamic Republic of Iran: an integrated analysis from 1981 to 2007.

Although the rate of suicide is low in Muslim countries, there is evidence that it is increasing integrated analysis was made of data on suicide attempts (nonfatal and fatal) from studies carried out in the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1981 to 2007. Of 54 published studies concerning suicide, 48 (covering 26 768 cases of attempted suicide) satisfied the inclusion criteria. The weighted mean rate of suicide attempts was 26.5 per 100 000 and the average rate of death by suicide was 6.7 per100 000. The mean age of suicide attempters was 25 years; on average 41.8% were male, 50.5% single and 70.0% from urban areas. Most suicide attempters were not working: 54.2% on average were housewives, 24.5% students and 21.0% unemployed men. Medical history showed that 16.2% of suicide attempters had a history of disability and 42.0% had a history of psychological disorders. The rates were compared with studies from other nations/religious groups.

Controlling anxiety in physicians and nurses working in intensive care units using emotional intelligence items as an anxiety management tool in Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Today, anxiety is one of the most common problems of mankind, to the extent that we could claim that it predisposes human to many physical illnesses, mental disorders, behavioral disturbances, and inappropriate reactions. The intensive care unit is a stressful environment for its staff, especially physicians and nurses. These stresses may have negative effects on the mental health and performance of the nurses and physicians. But the complications caused by this stress can be prevented by training emotional intelligence components. In this study, the impact of training emotional intelligence components on stress and anxiety in nurses and expert physicians is examined. METHODOLOGY: A cross-interventional, pre- to post-, case and control group design was used and inferential study design was implemented. Our study included 150 registered hospitals physicians and nurses, who were widely distributed. In the study, a ten-question demographic questionnaire, a 20-question situational anxiety Berger (overt) questionnaire, and a 133-question Bar-on emotional intelligence questionnaire were used. RESULTS: Research results indicate that average score for the situational anxiety of the case group in nurses was 47.20 before the intervention and it was reduced to 42.00 after the intervention, and in physicians was 40.46 before the intervention and it decreased to 33.66 after implementation of training items of emotional intelligence, which indicates the impact of training of emotional intelligence components on reduction of situational anxiety. The average score of situational anxiety of control group nurses was 46.73 before the intervention and it decreased to 45.70. In physicians, it was 38.33 before the intervention and it increased to 39.40 during post-test. However, t-test did not confirmed a statistically significant difference between the average score of situational anxiety of both case and control groups before the intervention, and there was a statistically significant difference between the average score of both case and control groups after training components of emotional intelligence (P = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Training emotional intelligence components reduces situational anxiety of nurses and physicians working in intensive care units and their emotional intelligence score increased and situational anxiety score was significantly reduced.

Suicide in the Islamic Republic of Iran: an integrated analysis from 1981 to 2007

Although the rate of suicide is low in Muslim countries, there is evidence that it is increasing. An integrated analysis was made of data on suicide attempts [nonfatal and fatal] from studies carried out in the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1981 to 2007. Of 54 published studies concerning suicide, 48 [covering 26 768 cases of attempted suicide] satisfied the inclusion criteria. The weighted mean rate of suicide attempts was 26.5 per 100 000 and the average rate of death by suicide was 6.7 per 100 000. The mean age of suicide attempters was 25 years; on average 41.8% were male, 50.5% single and 70.0% from urban areas. Most suicide attempters were not working: 54.2% on average were housewives, 24.5% students and 21.0% unemployed men. Medical history showed that 16.2% of suicide attempters had a history of disability and 42.0% had a history of psychological disorders. The rates were compared with studies from other nations/religious groups