Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy on the Quality of Life of Patients with Lung Cancer.

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common and life-threatening cancers in men around the world. Therefore, it is important to pay particular attention to the psychological status of patients with lung cancer due to their greater vulnerability during treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on the quality of life of patients with lung cancer. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study, with a pretest-posttest design and a three-month follow-up, was conducted in the summer of 2019. Thirty patients with lung cancer, who were referred to Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran, Iran, were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. In the pretest stage, the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was completed by both groups. The experimental group received mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy for eight sessions, while the control group did not receive any intervention. In the posttest stage, both groups were examined again, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 by repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results: The findings showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups after mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy. In other words, the mean score of quality of life increased in the experimental group as compared to the control group (P<0.001). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy in increasing the quality of life of patients with lung cancer was confirmed. Therefore, psychological screening is suggested to improve the quality of life of patients by taking advantage of clinical trials and appropriate intervention models during medical treatment.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Sleep Hygiene Index in the General Population.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate sleep hygiene may result in difficulties in daily functioning; therefore, reliable scales for measuring sleep hygiene are important. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2014 to May 2015, 1280 subjects, who were selected by cluster random sampling in Kermanshah province, filled out the SHI, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), and insomnia severity index (ISI). A subset of the participants (20%) repeated the SHI after a four to six-week interval to measure test-retest reliability. Then, we computed the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients of SHI against PSQI, ESS and ISI, to demonstrate the construct validity of the SHI. The factor structure of the SHI was evaluated by explanatory factor analysis. RESULTS: The interclass correlation coefficient was 0.89, and SHI was found to have good test-retest reliability (r = 0.89, P < 0.01). The SHI was positively correlated with the total score of the PSQI (r = 0.60, P < 0.01), ESS (r = 0.62, P < 0.01) and ISI (r = 0.60, P < 0.01). Exploratory factor analysis extracted three factors, namely "sleep-wake cycle behaviors" (four items), "bedroom factors" (three items), and "behaviors that affect sleep" (six items). CONCLUSIONS: The Persian version of the SHI can be considered a reliable tool for evaluating sleep hygiene in the general population.

Effects of single, brief exposure to an 8 mT electromagnetic field on avoidance learning in male and female mice

The present study investigated the effect of extremely low frequency (8 mT, 50 Hz) electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on avoidance learning in mice and compared the effect of an ELF-EMF in adult male and female mice. Learning was evaluated using a passive avoidance learning procedure in a standard wooden box, in which, despite their instinctive tendencies, mice learn to stay on a small platform to avoidant an electric shock. Before each learning session, the animals were exposed to an 8 mT, 50 Hz ELF created by a round coil. Immediately after 60 min exposure to the ELF-EMF, the mice were subjected to avoidance learning. The animals in the sham-exposed control group were placed in the coil for 60 min but were not exposed to the EMF and were subjected to the same behavioral procedures as the experimental group. The comparison of learned behaviors in the experimental and control groups showed that exposure to an 8 mT, 50 Hz ELF for 60 min significantly affected passive avoidance learning in both male (p < .023) and female (p < .015) mice.

Effects of single, brief exposure to an 8 mT electromagnetic field on avoidance learning in male and female mice

The present study investigated the effect of extremely low frequency (8 mT, 50 Hz) electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on avoidance learning in mice and compared the effect of an ELF-EMF in adult male and female mice. Learning was evaluated using a passive avoidance learning procedure in a standard wooden box, in which, despite their instinctive tendencies, mice learn to stay on a small platform to avoidant an electric shock. Before each learning session, the animals were exposed to an 8 mT, 50 Hz ELF created by a round coil. Immediately after 60 min exposure to the ELF-EMF, the mice were subjected to avoidance learning. The animals in the sham-exposed control group were placed in the coil for 60 min but were not exposed to the EMF and were subjected to the same behavioral procedures as the experimental group. The comparison of learned behaviors in the experimental and control groups showed that exposure to an 8 mT, 50 Hz ELF for 60 min significantly affected passive avoidance learning in both male (p < .023) and female (p < .015) mice.(AU)