Caring behaviors of burn nurses and the related factors

This study aims to explore and describe nurses' perceptions of their caring behaviors and related factors in several Tehran burn units. Grounded theory was used as the method of analysis. Thirty-eight participants were recruited. Data was generated by unstructured interviews and participant observations, and analyzed by constant comparison. Results revealed that responses to burnout and the type of caring behavior exhibited were affected most markedly by the personal characteristics of nurses and patients and the interaction between these two factors. Long-standing and intense organizational pressures in the burn units of Tehran, in addition to the sensitivity of nurses' characteristics to these pressures, suggest that attributing more importance to the social, political and ethical aspects of caring may aid in executing stress reduction programs and improving nurses' morale.     

Consanguinity in primary immunodeficiency disorders; the report from Iranian Primary Immunodeficiency Registry

PROBLEM: Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders (PiD) are a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders, with different modes of inheritance. This study was accomplished in order to determine the frequency of consanguineous marriages in the families of patients with PiD. METHOD: In this study, the records 515 Iranian PiD patients were reviewed during a 25-year period. RESULTS: The mean proportion of consanguineous marriages was 65.6% among PiD patients, while the overall rate was 38.6% in the country. The rate of consanguinity was 77.8% in cellular immunodeficiencies, 75.8% in combined immunodeficiencies, 72.5% in defects of phagocytic function, 58.6% in other immunodefiiencies, 54.1% in predominantly antibody deficiencies, and 50% in complement deficiencies. Moreover all patients with immunodeficiency associated with other diseases had consanguineous parents. Such marriages were most common in the parents of patients with Chediak-Higashi syndrome, severe combined immunodeficiencies, primary CD4 deficiency, ataxia-telangiectasia, selective IgG class deficiencies, chronic granulomatous disease, and Schwachman syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to inform the general population about the dangers of consanguinity, which is very common in some areas such as Iran. Premarital examination to avoid genetic diseases could be suggested, especially in a community where the rate of consanguineous marriage is high.     

DNA damage and repair in atherosclerosis

There is increasing evidence that human atherosclerosis is associated with damage to the DNA of both circulating cells, and cells of the vessel wall. Reactive oxygen species are the most likely agents inducing DNA damage in atherosclerosis. DNA damage produces a variety of responses, including cell senescence, apoptosis and DNA repair. This review summarises the evidence for DNA damage in atherosclerosis, the cellular responses to damage and the mechanisms of signalling DNA damage.     

Anatomically safe and minimally invasive transcrestal technique for procurement of autogenous cancellous bone graft from the mid-iliac crest

Background

Open iliac bone harvesting techniques can result in significant complications and residual morbidity. In reconstructive procedures where a small volume of autogenous cancellous bone graft is required, a minimally invasive technique for bone harvesting applied at the mid-iliac crest has been deemed satisfactory. We sought to assess the application of a well-established surgical technique to procure adequate volume of autogenous cancellous iliac bone graft with minimal trauma to adjacent structures.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the cases of patients who underwent a minimally invasive transcrestal mid-iliac bone graft procurement technique between May 2003 and December 2007. The technique was performed using a 3.5-mm Steinmann pin as a trocar and a 4.5-mm AO drill sleeve as a trephine. We administered a questionnaire, either in the clinic or by mail, to assess a number of parameters, including postoperative pain, dysthesia, parasthesia, status of the donor site wound and patient satisfaction.

Results

Of the 37 consecutive patients who underwent the procedure, data from 26 patients were available for assessment. Donor site pain resolved within a few days of the surgery, and none of the patients experienced symptoms of chronic pain. At the final review, none of the patients reported any unpleasant signs and symptoms related to the residual scar.

Conclusion

We recommend that the described minimally invasive trephine method be used when a small cancellous bone graft is needed. We found that patient morbidity was significantly lower with the trephine harvest technique than with open bone harvesting methods at the anterior iliac crest.     

The Association Between Gastric Endoscopic Findings and Histologic Premalignant Lesions in the Iranian Rural Population

Atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, and gastric dysplasia are histologic premalignant lesions (PMLs). Correlation between the gastric endoscopic findings and histologic PMLs is not clear. This study was designed to determine the possible association of endoscopic findings and histologic PMLs.Over 28 months gastric endoscopic findings of consecutive rural patients with dyspepsia were categorized into 3 groups: 1—normal, 2—ulcerative with or without concurrent abnormality, 3—abnormal non-ulcerative. Biopsies of antrum and body were taken from all included patients and examined for the presence of histologic PMLs. Any mucosal abnormality was also biopsied.From 7340 evaluated patients, an overall of 1973 patients were included. 55.7% of patients were in group 1; 3.8% in group 2 and 40.5% in group 3. A within sex analysis showed that the majority of male patients were in PMLs subgroup (P < 0.001) likewise in groups 2 and 3 (P < 0.001). The prevalence of histologic PMLs in groups 2 and 3 was significantly higher than group 1 (P < 0:001) but the difference was not significant between groups 2 and 3 (P = 0.484). Mean (±SD) age of patient with PMLs was 50.25 ± 17.71 whereas in patients without PMLs was 41.16 ± 16.48 (P < 0.001).This study has showed that abnormal gastric endoscopic findings, male sex and increased age can be considered as risk factors of the formation of histologic PMLs. Until further investigations we propose that any abnormality on gastric mucosa (ulcerative or non-ulcerative) could be biopsied for the evaluation of probable histologic PMLs especially in old men.