Nurses' learning of Infants' venipuncture based on Kolb's learning theory

IntroductionLearning methods and styles greatly affect both instruction method and perception of the learners. Due to the high rate of infant hospitalization and the need for technical procedures such as venipuncture, it is necessary to provide neonatal nurses with a correct and effective training for correct techniques.ObjectiveTo determine the learning rate of nurses about venipuncture insertion based on Kolb learning theory.MethodA clinical trial was carried out in 2018, recruiting 60 nurses from selected hospitals, affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The participants were given a pretest and then were filmed while preforming venipuncture with the exception that those recruited to the intervention group were trained based on Kolb's theory after the pre-test. A post-test was conducted with the whole participants after one month. Then, data were analyzed by SPSS 21 software.ResultsThe results showed that the average result in the intervention group was 58.83% before intervention and increased to 78.67% after the intervention. The paired t-test also showed a significant difference before and after the intervention (P < 0.001). Also, independent t-test showed that the mean increase of learning rate of the intervention group was significantly higher after the intervention compared to the control group (P < 0.001).ConclusionUsing Kolb's learning theory, nurses could better learn infants' venipuncture.     

The effect of progesterone supplementation on pregnancy rates in controlled ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination cycles: a randomized prospective trial

Objective

To evaluate the effect of vaginal progesterone as luteal phase support on pregnancy rates in controlled ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination cycles in couples with unexplained or mild male factor infertility.

Study design

290 Patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in a prospective randomized controlled trial. All patients underwent controlled ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination: 148 patients were randomized to start with a supported cycle and 142 patients with an unsupported cycle. In supported cycles, patients received vaginal progesterone once daily from the day after insemination until 12 weeks of pregnancy or, in non-pregnant women, for 14 days. No progesterone was given during unsupported cycles. The main outcome measures were clinical pregnancy rates per cycle.

Results

In total, 148 cycles with luteal phase support and 142 cycles without luteal phase support were performed. The clinical pregnancy rates per cycle were higher for cycles with luteal phase support than for the unsupported cycles (24.3% vs. 14.1% respectively, p = 0.027).

Conclusion

The use of vaginal suppositories as luteal phase support significantly improved clinical pregnancy rates in controlled ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination in patients with unexplained or mild male factor infertility.     

Effects of a combination of Nigella sativa and Vitex agnus-castus with citalopram on healthy menopausal women with hot flashes: results from a subpopulation analysis

The goal of the current study was to evaluate the efficiency of a phytotherapeutic intervention consisting of a combination of Nigella sativa and Vitex agnus-castus with citalopram in the control of hot flashes in healthy menopausal women. An 8 week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was performed among 46 women aged between 40 and 60 years experiencing an average of more than four hot flashes per day recruited during July 2016 to June 2017. Data on severity of vasomotor symptoms were collected at the end of the eighth week. Herbal medication or placebo capsules were administered once daily in morning. At the end of the 8-week treatment period, analyses of covariance demonstrated the superiority of herbal combination with citalopram over placebo and citalopram for three MENQOL domain scores including vasomotor (p?<?.001), physical (p?=?.036), psychosocial (p?=?.001) but no significant differences were observed in terms of sexual function (p?=?.231). Based on the results, the addition of a combination of N. sativa and V. agnus-castus to the citalopram may be a potential clinical application for improving therapeutic outcomes. Larger randomized, controlled trials are also warranted for further investigations of these symptoms.     

Determinants of incidence and clearance of high-risk human papillomavirus infections in rural rakai, Uganda.

BACKGROUND: We used self-administered vaginal swabs to assess the incidence and clearance of carcinogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in rural Rakai, Uganda. METHODS: Women provided self-administered vaginal swab at annual home-based visits. Type-specific carcinogenic HPV incidence and clearance and risk factors were assessed. RESULTS: Carcinogenic HPV incidence was 17.3 per 100 person-years among HIV-positive women compared with 7.0 per 100 person-years among HIV-negative women (P < 0.001). HPV-51 had the highest incidence followed by HPV-16 (1.8 per 100 and 1.5 per 100 person-years, respectively). In multivariate model, HIV-positive women were twice as likely to have incident infection compared with HIV-negative women. Younger women were at higher risk for incident infection, as were women with higher lifetime and recent sexual partners, and high perception of AIDS. Married women were less likely to have incident infection. Approximately half of all carcinogenic HPV infections cleared over the study follow-up of 3 years. HPV-31, HPV-35, and HPV-16 had the lowest clearance (16.7%, 27.9%, and 38.3%, respectively). In multivariate model, HIV-positive, women over 30 years with higher HPV viral, burden and more lifetime sex partners were less likely to clear infections. CONCLUSIONS: Self-collected vaginal swabs provide accurate HPV exposure assessment for studying HPV exposure and epidemiology and can be an important tool for research in populations unwilling to undergo pelvic exam.     

Detection of enteroviruses by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in cell culture negative stool specimens of patients with acute flaccid paralysis

The aim of this study was the detection of a 114 base pairs amplicon in 5' non-translated region of enterovirus genome in stool specimens of patients with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) which were negative on cell culture. One hundred and twenty stool specimens were collected from AFP cases and tested with cell culture (RD, L20B and Hep2 cell lines). RT-PCR was carried out for the specimens with negative cell culture result. A 10% raise in enterovirus detection was observed with RT-PCR. This increased sensitivity can improve the detection of enterovirus serotypes which grow poorly in cell culture, and can thus alter significantly the medical care of patients with acute flaccid paralysis.     

SDF-1 and CCR5 Genes Polymorphism in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

The frequency of SDF1-3'A and CCR5Delta32 in patients with head and neck cancer were determined in this study. The frequencies of alleles and genotypes of SDF-1 and CCR5 were assessed by PCR method in 156 patients with malignant head and neck cancer, 125 (80.1%) cases with squamous cell carcinoma and 31 (19.9%) cases with salivary gland tumors and compared with 262 age-sex matched healthy control individuals. SDF-1 genotypes in patients with SCC of head and neck, but not with salivary gland tumors, showed a statistically significant difference compared to the normal group (P < 0.005 for SCC and P = 0.3 for salivary gland tumors). There were no significant differences in the frequencies of SDF1-3'A allele, CCR5 genotypes and alleles between patients and controls. Based on the present study SDF1-3A may be associated with the susceptibility of patients to SCC of head and neck cancer.     

In situ synthesis of holey g-C3N4 nanosheets decorated by hydroxyapatite nanospheres as efficient visible light photocatalyst

The interesting g-C₃N₄ nanosheet morphology has drawn huge attention in photocatalytic applications because of its special features. Nonetheless, the relative activity of these nanosheets is still controversial due to the low available active sites and the high recombination probability of photo-induced charge carriers. In this work, in situ sol–gel approach was applied to synthesize holey g-C₃N₄ nanosheets/hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanospheres with plentiful in-plane holes. Herein, the presence of Ca²⁺ plays a key role in the formation of holey defects on 2D g-C₃N₄. In-plane holes provide nanosheets with more active edges and diffusion channelsv, resulting in a tremendous enhanced mass and photo-induced charge transfer speed. Moreover, the holes make highly numbered boundaries, which lead to the prevention of aggregation. On the other hand, distributed nano-HAp spheres on these nanosheets can form effective heterojunctions having high photo-degradation ability of pollutants. Intrinsic O-vacancies inside HAp unit cells mainly affect the capture of photogenerated electrons, pollutant molecules, and O₂ gas. The synergistic presence of O-vacancies and holey defects (C-vacancies) on 2D g-C₃N₄ plays a key role in raising the photocatalytic performance of holey g-C₃N₄/HAp. It can be concluded that the proposed preparation method is a promising approach for simultaneous synthesis of holey g-C₃N₄ and surface heterojunctions of Ca-based materials. This new structure has shown significant degradation ability of bisphenol A, a prominent pollutant, with a low amount (0.01 g) and short time.

The interesting g-C₃N₄ nanosheet morphology has drawn huge attention in photocatalytic applications because of its special features.     

Prevalence of helicobacter pylori infection in patients with digestive complaints using urea breath test in mashhad, northeast iran

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection is the most common gastrointestinal bacterial disease worldwide. Although using culture is considered as the golden standard method for diagnosis of H. pylori infection, urea breath test is a notable alternative method because it is an easy, quick, and non-invasive approach. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with digestive discomforts using urea breath test in Mashhad County, northeast of Iran. Methods: The study involved 814 patients, 467 women and 347 men, aged 17-80 years, with gastrointestinal symptom from January 2007 to November 2008. The urea breath test was performed and the patients ingested a solution of isotope labeled urea. The expired air was collected and was analyzed using the Heliprobe breath card (Noster System, Stockholm, Sweden). Results: The results of the test were positive for 698 out of 814 (85.75%) patients including 403 (86.30%) of women and 295 (85.01%) of men. However, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. Positive cases were classified by age. The highest prevalence rate of H. pylori infection was observed among 50-60 years old patients. Conclusions: The infection of H. pylori is very common among patients who have gastric complain and can be easily diagnosed by noninvasive urea breath test. Since H. pylori infection is related to poor prognosis outcomes such as gastric cancer. Therefore, screening and treatment of infected people especially symptomatic cases using urea breath test is a priority.     

Erdheim‐Chester disease with long‐standing diabetes insipidus and generalized edema

Erdheim‐Chester disease (ECD) is a rare non‐Langerhans histiocytosis. ECD is detected more frequently due to increased awareness of healthcare providers and improved diagnostic tools. This report describes a 51‐year‐old woman with a history of weakness, bone pain, xanthelasma palpebrarum, and diabetes insipidus. ECD is a multisystemic condition with a poor prognosis. This disease should be considered in patients with diabetes insipidus, bone pain, and multiorgan involvements.