Acclimation to higher temperature and antioxidant supplemented diets improved rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) resilience to heatwaves.

Coldwater species are challenged with increasing water temperatures and fluctuations over their upper thermal limits. This study evaluated the potential of acclimation to higher temperature and dietary antioxidants capacity to mitigate the adverse effects of heat shocks in rainbow trout. To this end, rainbow trout fingerlings were acclimated at optimal (14 °C) and high (20 °C) temperatures and fed on selenium (5 mg/kg) and polyphenol (2 g/kg) supplemented diets for 60 days and then were exposed to heat shocks by increasing water temperature up to 30 °C. Growth performance, survival rate, haemato-immunological parameters, and expression of HSP70α, HSP70ß, HSP90ß, and IL-1ß genes were measured to evaluate the hypothesises. The rainbow trout acclimated to 20 °C and fed on antioxidants supplemented diets showed a significantly higher aftershock survival rate. Moreover, fish acclimated to higher temperature showed higher red blood cell counts as well as serum total protein and albumin during the acclimation trial and heat shocks phase. Acclimation to higher temperature and feeding on antioxidants remarkably enhanced fish immune and antioxidant capacity in comparison to fish adapted to cold water and fed on the basal diet measured by improved respiratory burst and lysozyme activities and upregulation of IL-1ß expression during exposure of fish to heat shocks. Furthermore, fish acclimated to higher temperature, especially those fed on antioxidant supplemented diets, showed lower expression levels of HSPs genes during the heat shock phase, indicating that high heat shocks were less stressful for these fish in comparison to cold water acclimated fish. This finding was also supported by lower cortisol levels during heat shocks in fish acclimated to higher temperature. In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that acclimation to higher temperature and/or fed on diets supplemented by selenium and polyphenol, can help to mitigate the adverse effects of the heat shock in rainbow trout.

Association of social capital with mental health and quality of life among low- and high-risk pregnant women.

INTRODUCTION: Social capital means having resources and support in relationships and social ties. It can affect the individual's quality of life and mental health. The present study investigated the association between social capital with psychological status and quality of life among low-risk and high-risk pregnant women. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 394 pregnant women receiving prenatal care in urban comprehensive health centers in Qazvin, Iran. Two-stage sampling was used to select comprehensive health centers by random cluster sampling and then pregnant women randomly. Social capital, quality of life (QoL), psychological status, and demographic and obstetric characteristics were assessed. Uni-variable and multivariable linear regression models were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Among the participants, 267 had low-risk pregnancies (67.77%) and the remainder were high-risk. The mean age of participants was 27.94 years (SD=5.86), the mean gestational age was 23.63 weeks (SD=7.71). The mean overall quality of life score among low-risk pregnant women was 32.00 (SD=5.27) and among high-risk pregnant women was 29.70 (SD=3.65). High-risk pregnant women experienced significantly higher anxiety and depression and fear of COVID-19. Social capital had a significant and weak relationship with anxiety among low-risk pregnant women (r = 0.22, p < 0.001). Also, a weak and significant relationship between social capital and anxiety (r = 0.24, p = 0.007), depression (r = 0.24, p = 0.007) and fear of COVID-19 (r = 0.27, p = 0.002) was found among high-risk pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Women with high-risk pregnancies experienced lower quality of life, higher anxiety and depression, and greater fear of COVID-19. There was also a weak relationship between social capital and the aforementioned variables among high-risk pregnant women. Designing and implementing interventions to increase quality of life and reduce anxiety and stress among high-risk pregnant women appears to be warranted.

Intensive care unit, cardiac care unit, and emergency department nurses' perceptions of medical device-related pressure injuries: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Nurses' perception of medical device-related pressure injuries (MDRPIs) may affect their performance, but there is a lack of studies in this area. PURPOSE: The current study aimed to examine intensive care unit (ICU), cardiac care unit (CCU) and emergency department nurses' perception of proper prevention of MDRPIs and care for individuals with such injuries. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted in 4 general hospitals in Iran in 2021. All nurses (N = 310) working in ICUs, CCUs and emergency departments of these facilities were invited to complete a researcher-made demographic checklist and an 11-item questionnaire to assess attitudes toward MDRPIs. The questionnaire item responses were scored from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) with the total score for the 11 items ranging from 11 to 55. A score of 11 to 25 was categorized as indicating a negative attitude toward proper prevention of MDRPIs and care for such patients; a score of 26 to 40 indicated a neutral attitude, and a score >40 indicated a positive attitude. RESULTS: A total of 260 nurses fulfilled the data collection tool. The response rate was 83.8%. The mean total score of attitude toward MDRPIs was 41.7. No significant relationship was observed between the total score of nurses' attitudes and their demographic variables. Of the 260 participants, 159 stated they had not received any trainings on MDRPIs at nursing schools during their education, 212 stated they had not participated in any scientific workshops on MDRPIs, and 167 described their knowledge about the prevention and care of MDRPIs as insufficient. CONCLUSION: Among ICU, CCU, and emergency nurses in Iran, most had a positive attitude toward the prevention and care of MDRPIs, but steps should be taken to offer more opportunities for nurses to increase their knowledge in this area.

The relationship between tooth decay with stress and BMI among elementary students in Iran.

Background: Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases among children worldwide. Stress and body mass index are also amongst the arguable risk factors which will affect people considerably. They include biological (hormones and blood sugar), socio-economic, and environmental factors and also lifestyle. In the present study, the relationship between tooth decay with stress and BMI in children was therefore investigated. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study of a descriptive-analytical type. A total of 350 students who were referred to the clinic of the faculty of dentistry at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences during 2021-2022 were selected through convenience sampling method to participate in the study. First, the students underwent a dental examination after being measured on their height and weight. Then, two questionnaires; namely, demographic information and Children's Stress Symptom Scale (CSSS) of Scherer and Ryan-Wenger were completed by the children's parents through self-reporting. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 23 and then descriptive statistics and logistic regression were applied. Results: The mean BMI of the participating students was in the normal range. The prevalence of tooth decay among participants was 76.9% (269 people). The mean and standard deviation of stress scores was 6.85 ± 4.01 out of 26, which was at a low level. Also, the mean and standard deviation of the BMI were 22.78 ± 5.28, which was within the normal range. The results of the logistic regression showed that the variables of "father's level of education," "family's economic status," "the experience of the toothache during the past year," "the oral health status," "the frequency of tooth brushing," "flossing," "stress," and "BMI" were influential factors in tooth decay (P <0.05). Conclusion: Students who had improper BMI, more stress, less educated fathers, families with poor economic status, the experience of toothache within the past year, poor oral health status, and those who used toothbrushes and floss to a minimal degree suffered more tooth decay. Therefore, it is necessary that we pay more attention to these students in designing and implementing educational programs to prevent tooth decay.

Hypocholesterolemic activity of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) fruits.

Background Lipid profile disturbances are important risk factors for cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes mellitus and finding safe and multifaceted agents is persuaded in this regard. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of cornelian cherry dried powder (CCDP) on serum lipid profile as well as liver antioxidant capacity, HMG-CoA reductase level and activity, and LDL receptor level in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods Forty-eight male adult Wistar rats were randomly allocated into eight equal groups and were treated for 4 weeks as follows: negative control (normal rats, basic diet); positive control (diabetic rats, basic diet), T1 to T4 groups: diabetic rats fed with basic diet containing 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 g/ 100 g BW CCDP, respectively; T5: diabetic rats fed with basic diet plus 10 mg/kg lovastatin in drinking water and T6: normal rats fed with basic diet containing 1 g/ 100 g BW CCDP. Results Administration of CCDP had no significant effect on serum glucose levels in diabetic rats however decreased total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and liver antioxidant capacity as compared to positive control rats (p<0.05). Although HMG-CoA reductase level showed a significant decrease only in T3 group, its activity was reduced in all diabetic CCDP and lovastatin-treated groups as compared to positive control. LDL receptor level remained statistically the same among positive control and CCDP-treated groups. Conclusions In conclusion, the present study confirms hypocholesterolemic effect of CCDP in diabetic rats and demonstrated that this effect was at least partly due to inhibition of liver HMG-CoA reductase activity.