A comparison of nurses and elderly patients' perceptions of caring behaviors in intensive care units.

OBJECTIVE: Differences in patients and nurses' perceptions of caring behaviors arouse patient dissatisfaction. Continuous monitoring and assessment of caring behaviors has revealed its problems, and this in turn would promote care services by planning rational interventions and removing the problems. The present study aimed to compare nurses and elderly patients' perceptions of nurses' caring behaviors in intensive care units in accordance with Watson's transpersonal caring theory. METHODS: In this descriptive-analytical study, 70 nurses were selected using the census method, and 70 elderly patients over 60 years old were also selected using purposive sampling method from the intensive care units of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences during 2012-2013. Caring Behavior Inventory for Elders (CBI-E) was adopted in this research to detect the nurses and elderly patients' perceptions of caring behaviors. In the data analysis phase, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and Pearson correlation tests were used. RESULTS: The research findings revealed no statistically significant difference between the total scores of nurses' 83.80 (22.93), 95% CI [78.40, 89.20] and elderly patients' 80.09 (26.00), 95% CI [74, 86.20] perception of nurses' caring behaviors (P=0.379). From the viewpoint of the nurses and elderly patients, responding quickly to a patient's call 100.00 (0.00), 95% CI [100.00, 100.00] had the highest mean scores and patient participation in caring process had the lowest mean scores among nurses 22.86 (33.71), 95% CI [15.00, 30.80] and elderly patients 14.29 (28.41), 95% CI [7.63, 20.90]. CONCLUSION: This study indicated the elderlies and nurses' similar perceptions of caring behaviors in intensive care units. This finding would help nurses to recognize and prioritize the elderly patients' care needs, thereby promoting the quality of care services.

The TRIM proteins in cancer: from expression to emerging regulatory mechanisms.

New clinical evidence suggests that dysregulation of the ubiquitin-mediated destruction of tumor suppressors or oncogene products is probably engaged in the etiology of leukemia and carcinoma. The superfamily of tripartite motif (TRIM)-containing protein family is among the biggest recognized single protein RING finger E3 ubiquitin ligases that are considered vital carcinogenesis regulators, which is not shocking since TRIM proteins are engaged in various biological processes, including cell growth, development, and differentiation; hence, TRIM proteins' alterations may influence apoptosis, cell proliferation, and transcriptional regulation. In this review article, the various mechanisms through which TRIM proteins exert their role in the most prevalent malignancies including lung, prostate, colorectal, liver, breast, brain cancer, and leukemia are summarized.

Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal protozoan infections in children (2-15 yr old) from Lorestan Province, western Iran.

Intestinal parasitic infections are considered as one of the main socioeconomic and health problems around the world, mostly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasites in 366 children (2- 15 yr old) admitted to health centers of Lorestan Province, Iran. Microscopic examination was performed on 366 stools using the direct smear and formol-ether techniques as well as trichrome and modified Zeihl-Neelsen staining methods. The results showed that 48 children (13.1%) were infected with at least one or more intestinal parasites, of whom 4 (7.1%) had more than one type of parasite. The most prevalent parasites were Giardia lamblia (5.5%), Blastocystis hominis (3.1%), and Entamoeba coli (1.6%), respectively. The study showed that some risk factors such as gender, living in rural areas and consuming unwashed vegetables and fruits (p<0.001) were significantly related to intestinal protozoan infections. These results can be a catalyst for health providers to pay special attention to intestinal protozoan parasites among children in Lorestan Province, Iran. Moreover, intervention curriculums and teaching of children and environmental hygiene must be taken into consideration to prevent and control intestinal protozoan infections in this area.

Practical parasitology courses and infection with intestinal parasites in students.

Students who are working in research or educational laboratories of parasitology, as well as health care workers providing care for patients, are at the risk of becoming infected with parasites through accidental exposure. The main purpose of this study was to identify potential positive cases of intestinal parasitic infections among students who took practical parasitology courses compared with students who did not take any practical parasitology courses in Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran, in 2013-2014. A total of 310 subjects from various majors were invited to voluntarily participate in the study. Various demographic data were collected using questionnaires. Three stool samples were collected from each individual on alternate days. Saline wet mounts (SWM), formalin-ether sedimentation test (FEST), Sheather floatation test (SHFT) and trichrome and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining methods were used to diagnose the presence of intestinal parasites. The prevalence rate of intestinal parasites (IPs) among the students was 11.93%. There was a significant difference between majors in the infection with IPs (P<0.05). The most frequently observed IPs were Blastocystis hominis (4.51%) and Giardia intestinalis (3.54%). The results of this study showed that the transmission of pathogenic parasites in the educational course of practical parasitology could occur and must be taken into careful consideration.

Comparison of the RE and B1 gene for detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection in children with cancer.

Early, accurate and effective diagnosis of toxoplasmosis can make an important contribution to the prevention and control of disease, especially in people who are at risk. In this study, two commonly used genomic repeats of Toxoplasma gondii, RE (GenBank accession number AF146527) and B1, were compared to each other in nested-PCR assay. Five hundred and thirty-five blood samples from children with leukemia were tested for the presence of T. gondii antibodies using enzyme immunoassays. One hundred and ten DNA samples of these patients (50 IgM+, IgG+, 10 IgM-, IgG+, and 50 IgM-, IgG-) were analyzed by nested-PCR. The specificity of two nested PCR assays was determined using the DNA samples of other parasites and human chromosomal DNA. As a result, 82% (41/50) and 68% (34/50) of the IgM+, IgG+ samples were positive on duplicate RE and B1-nested PCR analyses, respectively. None of the 10 IgM-, IgG+ seropositive samples was detected positive after testing RE and B1-nested PCR assays in duplicate. One (2%) of the 50 seronegative samples was positive by duplicate RE-nested PCR but none of them were positive by duplicate B1-nested PCR. The detection limit of the RE-nested PCR assay was 640 fg of T. gondii DNA whereas this rate for B1-nested PCR was 5.12 pg of the DNA template. No cross-reactivity with the DNA of other parasites and human chromosomal DNA was found. The results indicate that an RE-based nested PCR assay is more sensitive than B1 genomic target, of those tested, for detection of T. gondii. It is noteworthy that in comparison with B1-nested PCR, RE-nested PCR could detect the T. gondii DNA in seronegative samples too.

A comparison of nurses and elderly patients' perceptions of caring behaviors in intensive care units / Comparación de las percepciones del personal de enfermería y de los pacientes de edad avanzada sobre las conductas de cuidado en las unidades de cuidados intensivos

Objective: Differences in patients and nurses’ perceptions of caring behaviors arouse patient dissatisfaction. Continuous monitoring and assessment of caring behaviors has revealed its problems, and this in turn would promote care services by planning rational interventions and removing the problems. The present study aimed to compare nurses and elderly patients’ perceptions of nurses’ caring behaviors in intensive care units in accordance with Watson's transpersonal caring theory. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 70 nurses were selected using the census method, and 70 elderly patients over 60 years old were also selected using purposive sampling method from the intensive care units of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences during 2012–2013. Caring Behavior Inventory for Elders (CBI-E) was adopted in this research to detect the nurses and elderly patients’ perceptions of caring behaviors. In the data analysis phase, Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney U, and Pearson correlation tests were used. Results: The research findings revealed no statistically significant difference between the total scores of nurses’ 83.80 (22.93), 95% CI [78.40, 89.20] and elderly patients’ 80.09 (26.00), 95% CI [74, 86.20] perception of nurses’ caring behaviors (P=0.379). From the viewpoint of the nurses and elderly patients, responding quickly to a patient's call 100.00 (0.00), 95% CI [100.00, 100.00] had the highest mean scores and patient participation in caring process had the lowest mean scores among nurses 22.86 (33.71), 95% CI [15.00, 30.80] and elderly patients 14.29 (28.41), 95% CI [7.63, 20.90]. Conclusion: This study indicated the elderlies and nurses’ similar perceptions of caring behaviors in intensive care units. This finding would help nurses to recognize and prioritize the elderly patients’ care needs, thereby promoting the quality of care services.(AU)

Objetivo: Las diferencias en las percepciones de los pacientes y las enfermeras sobre las conductas de cuidado despiertan la insatisfacción de los pacientes. El seguimiento y la evaluación continuos de las conductas de cuidado han puesto de manifiesto sus problemas, lo que a su vez promovería los servicios de cuidado mediante la planificación de intervenciones racionales y la eliminación de los problemas. El presente estudio tenía como objetivo comparar las percepciones de las enfermeras y de los pacientes ancianos sobre las conductas de cuidado de las enfermeras en las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos de acuerdo con la teoría de Watson's Transpersonal Caring. Métodos: En este estudio descriptivo-analítico, se seleccionó a 70 enfermeras mediante el método de censo, y 70 pacientes ancianos mayores de 60 años mediante el método de muestreo intencional de las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos de la Lorestan University of Medical Sciences durante 2012-2013. En esta investigación se adoptó el Caring Behavior Inventory for Elders (CBI-E) para detectar las percepciones de las enfermeras y de los pacientes ancianos sobre las conductas de cuidado. En la fase de análisis de datos, se utilizaron las pruebas de Kruskal-Wallis, U de Mann-Whitney y la correlación de Pearson. Resultados: Los resultados de la investigación no revelaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las puntuaciones totales de las enfermeras, 83,80 (22,93), IC del 95%: 78,40-89,20, y las de los pacientes ancianos, 80,09 (26,00), IC del 95%: 74 - 86,20, de percepción de las conductas de cuidado de las enfermeras (p=0,379). Desde el punto de vista de las enfermeras y de los pacientes de edad avanzada, la respuesta rápida a la llamada de un paciente (100,00 [0,00], IC del 95%: 100,00-100,00) tuvo las puntuaciones medias más altas y la participación del paciente en el proceso de cuidados tuvo las puntuaciones medias más bajas entre las enfermeras (22,86 [33,71], IC del 95%: 15,00-30,80)...(AU)