The relationship between health literacy and the adoption of COVID-19 preventive behaviors: A cross-sectional study in Iran.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Health literacy (HL) is one of the effective factors in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic. Considering the high prevalence of COVID-19 disease, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between HL and the adoption of COVID-19 preventive behaviors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive-cross sectional study conducted on 214 students selected by simple random sampling method in Esfarayen Faculty of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2022. The data included demographic and background characteristics, health literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA), and a valid and reliable questionnaire to measure COVID-19 preventive behaviors. The data were analyzed using SPSS 23, descriptive statistics, and ordinal logistic regression tests. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of the scores of adoption of COVID-19 preventive behaviors and HL among students were 18.18) 4.02(out of 25 and 72.14) and 12.75 (out of 100, respectively. The results of the logistic regression test showed that the HL (P = 0.003), gender (P<0.001), mother's education (P = 0.039), educational level (P = 0.031), smoking (P = 0.032), and physical activity (P = 0.007) were effective factors in adopting preventive behaviors. CONCLUSION: Adopting preventive behaviors against COVID-19 was lower among students with lower levels of health literacy, male students, students with less physical activity, students with illiterate mothers, undergraduate students, and finally smokers. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to these students in designing educational programs. It is suggested to carry out more extensive studies to clarify the effect of HL on the adoption of COVID-19 preventive behaviors.

Volume-based and Surface-Based Methods in Autism Compared with Healthy Controls Are Free surfer and CAT12 in Agreement?

Objectives: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, and early detection is crucial. This study aims to identify the Regions of Interest (ROIs) with significant differences between healthy controls and individuals with autism, as well as evaluate the agreement between FreeSurfer 6 (FS6) and Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) methods. Materials & Methods: Surface-based and volume-based features were extracted from FS software and CAT12 toolbox for Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) software to estimate ROI-wise biomarkers. These biomarkers were compared between 18 males Typically Developing Controls (TDCs) and 40 male subjects with ASD to assess group differences for each method. Finally, agreement and regression analyses were performed between the two methods for TDCs and ASD groups. Results: Both methods revealed ROIs with significant differences for each parameter. The Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) showed that both TDCs and ASD groups indicated a significant relationship between the two methods (p<0.001). The R2 values for TDCs and ASD groups were 0.692 and 0.680, respectively, demonstrating a moderate correlation between CAT12 and FS6. Bland-Altman graphs showed a moderate level of agreement between the two methods. Conclusion: The moderate correlation and agreement between CAT12 and FS6 suggest that while some consistency is observed in the results, CAT12 is not a superior substitute for FS6 software. Further research is needed to identify a potential replacement for this method.

Comparing the Effects of Pulsatile and Continuous Flushing on Time and Type of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters Patency: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Peripheral intravenous catheters (PICs) patency techniques such as flushing are being developed. According to some studies, flushing can be used continuously or in pulsatile forms. This study aimed to compare the effects of pulsatile flushing (PF) and continuous flushing (CF) on time and type of PICs patency. Methods: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, 71 patients were randomly assigned into two groups of PF (n=35) and CF (n=36). The PF protocol was performed as successive injections of 1 mL normal saline (N/S) per second (sec) with a delay of less than 1 sec until the completion of 5 mL of solution. However, CF protocol was performed by injecting 5 mL N/S within 5 sec without any delay before and after each medicine administration. Data related to the time and type of PICs patency were collected using a patency checklist every 12 hours (h) up to 96 h. The statistical analysis was done by R statistical software (Version 3.5.1). Results: The results showed that the number of PICs remaining open was not significantly different between PF and CF groups during 96 h. The highest number of PICs excluded from the study was related to the time of 96 h as a result of partial patency in the two groups. Conclusion: There was no difference between CF and PF regarding the time and type of PICs patency. Thus, both techniques can be used to maintain the catheter patency.

The relationship between spiritual well-being, mental health, and quality of life in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cancer is the second cause of death after cardiovascular diseases in the world. Each year, more than 70,000 new cases of cancer and 30,000 deaths from cancer have been recorded in Iran. Cancer also reduces quality of life (QoL) by creating negative physical and mental symptoms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mental health, spiritual well-being and QoL among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. METHOD: About 208 adults suffering from cancer and receiving chemotherapy in Shiraz hospitals were entered in the study and they were asked to complete the Paloutzian and Ellison Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire, and Goranowski Mental Health, Quality of Life and Excitement Questionnaire. For data analysis, descriptive statistics including mean (standard deviation) and frequency (percentages) were used in table and chart format, moreover Spearman correlation tests were also used. RESULTS: The results of the study revealed that there was a positive and significant correlation between mental health and QoL (P = 0.001) in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The results of the study revealed that there was a positive and significant correlation between spiritual well-being and mental health (P = 0.001) and QoL (P = 0.01) in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, but there was a negative and significant Correlation between spiritual well-being and negative emotions (P = 0.47). On the other hand, there was a negative and significant correlation between mental health (P = 0.026) and QoL (P = 0.019) and negative emotions respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between spiritual well-being, mental health, and QoL in cancer patients.