Quality of life and its related factors among participants in Shahrecord - Iran cohort study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine quality of life and its related factors among participants in Shahrekord Cohort Study in southwest of Iran. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The present study was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study approved by Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. One thousand participants in the Shahrekord cohort study were selected through a convenience sampling method, and entered the study based on the inclusion criteria. Participation in the study was completely voluntary, and a written consent form was obtained from each participant. Data gathering tools were a demographic questionnaire and the short version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Data were collected through face-toface interviews by trained individuals. Collected data were then analyzed using SPSS v24. FINDINGS: No significant relationship was observed between the physical health and also the environmental health and participants' sex. However, in other dimensions of quality of life including psychological health, the social relationship health, general perception of health, and the overall quality of life score, male participants reported a better quality of life (p<0.05). No significant relationship was observed between the physical health, the psychological health, and the general perception of health with participants' levels of education. However, there was a significant relationship between the social relationship health, the environmental health, and the overall score of quality of life with participants' levels of education (p<0.05). In other words, higher level of education improved the social relationship health, the environmental health, and the overall score of quality of life. Being married in men showed a positive relationship with the social health, the general perception of health, the psychological health, and the overall quality of life score (p<0.05). However, the physical health and the environmental health had no relationship with marital status in men. Being married in women only improved the social relationship health, and it was not associated with other dimensions measured by the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Smoking, addiction, alcohol consumption, and cell phone use were not associated with any of the dimensions measured in the questionnaire. Diabetes caused a decline in the environmental health as well as the general perception of health (p<0.05). Cardiovascular disease also caused a decline in the psychological health, the social relationship health, and the general perception of health (p<0.05). ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The results of the present study showed that female, illiterate and unmarried participants, and those with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases reported a poorer quality of life in some dimensions compared to other participants; using the cell phone, smoking, alcohol consumption, and addiction had no relationship with the quality of life.

Investigating the effect of quarantine caused by COVID-19 on mental health and social trust.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the effect of quarantine caused by COVID-19 on people's mental health and social trust. METHOD: In this study, the sample size covers 2919 people in the southwest of Iran that was selected cluster sample method and was evaluated online using tools of social trust and a checklist of mental disorder syndrome. RESULTS: Due to the results, COVID-19 affected all people's mental health negatively, but there was a significant difference between the rates of COVID-19 caused anxiety and the dimensions of the psychological problems and social trust different between men and women and married and single people, and also the education level. There was no significant relationship between any of the demographic variables and social trust variables, corona anxiety, and dimensions of psychological problems. And there was a negative and significant relationship between the dimensions of social trust and the dimensions of psychological problems. Moreover, the social trust rate in the subjects was desirable. Based on the results and the cutoff point of 2.5 as a border of healthy and unhealthy psychological dimensions, 4.5% had pathological anxiety, 7.3% had pathological depression, 5% had aggression, and 5.9 % had pathological obsessive-compulsive disorder. Depression had the highest scores, and aggression had the lowest scores. CONCLUSION: Due to this study's results, policymakers should consider measures that should be taken in crisis to support all people, especially vulnerable people in psychological, economic, social, spiritual, and psychological fields. On the other hand, the government must train the public through the mass media to cope with COVID-19.

A Comparative Analysis of Patients' Quality of Life, Body Image and Self-confidence Before and After Aesthetic Rhinoplasty Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Having desired facial features creates a better mental image, results in increased self-confidence and boosts social activities to a more acceptable level. The goal of the current study is to investigate how rhinoplasty surgery affects patients admitted to Shahrekord surgical clinic. METHODS: The study was conducted on 100 patients randomly selected and referring for rhinoplasty surgery. The required information was collected through demographic questionnaires of rhinoplasty outcomes F 36 and Rosenberg's self-esteem scale. The questionnaires were filled out by patients before surgery and 3 months after surgery. The data were analyzed using SPSS and data mining software. FINDINGS: Out of the hundred participants, 63% were female and 37% were male. The number of individuals in the studied groups decreased in older age groups so that most of the participants were in the 20-24-year group followed by 25-30 y/o group. Patients from other age groups were less frequent. In terms of educational attainment, the highest frequency was associated with a BSc and the lowest with a diploma. In terms of employment status, the highest frequency was among students and the unemployed and employees and the self-employed followed. Body image and self-esteem were significantly improved after surgery (p < 0.005). Although not statistically significant, quality of life was improved too after surgery. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, physicians and patients should measure the pros and cons of the surgery before making a treatment decision. It also showed that rhinoplasty leads to an increase in quality of life and self-esteem. Prior to surgery, specialist consultation should be performed, and rhinoplasty should be performed if a specialist physician allows it. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or the Online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Comparison of Effect of Lavandula officinalis and Venlafaxine in Treating Depression: A Double Blind Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Major depressive disorder is a chronic disease which may be associated with other mental illnesses. Lavandula officinalis and venlafaxine, herbal and chemical drugs respectively, are used to treat depression. Despite pharmacotherapy, major depressive disorder has a complicated pattern of resistance and recurrence. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of L. officinalis and venlafaxine in treating depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, 120 patients referred to the psychiatry clinic of the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran, were randomly selected. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups: venlafaxine (Control Group), venlafaxine + L. officinalis (L. officinalis Group), and venlafaxine + placebo (Placebo Group). All the patients underwent treatment for six weeks. Depression test was administered to the three groups at different time intervals before the treatment, four weeks after the treatment and at completion of the treatment. The data were analysed by SPSS version17.0. RESULTS: Depression scores of all the groups decreased over time (p=0.001). The depression scores were significantly different between the control and L. officinalis groups (p=0.004), and the control and placebo groups (p=0.002), but were not significantly different between the L. officinalis and placebo groups (p=0.95). CONCLUSION: Adding L. officinalis or a placebo is equally effective in decreasing mean depression score and venlafaxine obviously decreased this score.