Effect of aromatherapy with rose essential oil on the nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The present study aims to determine the effect of aromatherapy with rose essential oil on the rate of nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients. Materials and methods: This randomized controlled trial included 66 cancer patients who were randomly divided: the rose essential oil aromatherapy group (n=33) and the control group (n=33). The sampling period ranged from November 2022 to March 2023. The state of nausea and vomiting was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale. Results: The average scores of nausea and vomiting of both the second and third cycle in three time periods after chemotherapy (first, second, and third six hours) were significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group (P<0.001). Also, in the second cycle of chemotherapy, unlike the third cycle of chemotherapy, there was a significant interaction between group and time (ηp2=0.100, P=0.001, F (84.70, 1.37) = 6.91). In other words, the amount of difference between the mean scores of nausea and vomiting of the two control and intervention groups depended on the variable levels of time and vice versa. Conclusion: The results indicate the reducing effect of aromatherapy with rose essential oil on the severity of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy in cancer patients. Therefore, it is recommended to be used in chemotherapy to reduce the severity of nausea and vomiting according to the patient's condition.

Lactobacillus ruteri compared with placebo as an adjuvant in quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic as an adjuvant in quadruple therapy for H. pylori eradication compared with placebo. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was conducted on 450 patients with confirmed H. pylori infection. We randomly allocated patients (1:1) to receive probiotic (Lactobacillus ruteri, 100 mg) or placebo as an adjuvant in quadruple therapy with bismuth subcitrate 240 mg, pantoprazole 40 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg and clarithromycin 500 mg all twice daily for 14 days. The primary outcome of the study was the H. pylori eradication rate at eight weeks after the end of treatment using 14C-urea breath test. The secondary endpoint of study was patient-reported side effects of drugs. The study protocol was approved by the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20080901001155N32). RESULTS: H. pylori eradication rates were higher in the probiotic group, compared to placebo, but this difference was not statistically significant, according to both intention-to-treat (78.7 % (95 % CI; 71.24-86.16) versus 72 % (95 % CI; 64.9-79.1), respectively) and per-protocol (80.1 % (95 % CI; 73.7 - 86.5) versus 75.2 %(95 % CI; 68.4 - 82), respectively). About 69.7 % of patients in the probiotic group experience side effects compared to 98.6 % in the placebo group that was statistically significant (P-value < 0.001). Headache and all gastrointestinal adverse events except constipation were significantly lower in the probiotic group compared to placebo (P-value < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Adding Lactobacillus ruteri to quadruple therapy did not significantly improve the eradication of H. pylori. However it reduced the frequency of drug-associated side effects.

Factors Associated with Quality of Life among Caregivers of People with Spinal Cord Injury.

PURPOSE: Often people with spinal cord injury (SCI) require help from their caregivers to carry out activities of daily living. Such assistance may affect caregiver quality of life (QoL). This study investigates the QoL and its associated risk factors among caregivers of people with SCI to find possible ways to increase their QoL. Material and Method. A convenience sample of 135 Iranian caregivers of people with SCI participated in a cross-sectional study from the Brain and Spinal Injury Repair Research Center of Tehran (BASIR), Iran, from June 2018 to October 2019. The World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQoL-BREF), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS), and a demographic questionnaire were administered. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was then applied to identify risk factors associated with caregiver QoL. RESULTS: Moderate to highly significant negative correlations were observed between all domains of the WHOQoL scale and subscales of the CBS and the BDI-II. After controlling for demographic and clinical variables, depression, burden, and level of injury were found to predict caregiver QoL significantly. Furthermore, QoL was lower in caregivers of people with quadriplegia than paraplegia (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The level of injury, self-perceived caregiver burden, and depression are associated with QoL for the caregivers of people with SCI. A holistic approach incorporating caregiver training, psychological interventions, and adequate support may enable better QoL for these caregivers.

Prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder among nursing students in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic: A web-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a public health emergency that poses anxiety symptoms to nursing students (P. Li et al., 2020). Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of anxiety and its associated factors in nursing students in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We performed this web-based cross-sectional study on 174 nursing students in Iran, between 4 and 24 April 2020. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using social media like Telegram and WhatsApp. Anxiety was measured via the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were undertaken to examine independent predictors of anxiety. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows, version 16.0. RESULTS: The mean GAD-7 total score was 6.05 ± 4.77, and the prevalence of GAD using a cut-off value of 10 for the GAD-7 was 20.7%. According to the adjusted analysis, GAD was significantly associated with having chronic diseases (OR = 5.74, 95% CI: 1.39-23.72), long time thinking about COVID-19 (OR = 14.09, 95% CI: 4.36-45.54), and death of family members, relatives or friends due to COVID-19 (OR = 4.53, 95% CI: 1.08-18.93). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of GAD is considerably high in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Thus, a holistic approach, including management policies, psychosocial interventions, and training, is critical to reducing anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as during any outbreaks of other infectious diseases in the future.

Effect of Bovine Serum Albumin Supplementation in Tris-Soybean Lecithin-Based Extender on Quality of Chilled Ram Epididymal Spermatozoa.

Objective: This study was designed to assess the effects of using tris-soybean lecithin (TSL)-based extender supplemented with bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the quality of ram epididymal spermatozoa during refrigerated storage. Method: Epididymal sperm were collected from 22 Zandi rams, diluted in TSL-based extender at different concentrations (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%) of BSA, and stored for 5 days at 4°C. Sperm parameters including motility, viability, plasma membrane integrity, chromatin protamination, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were evaluated at 0, 24, 72, and 120 hours of refrigeration. Results: The addition of 10% BSA to the extender significantly improved sperm viability at 24 and 120 hours of refrigerated liquid storage (p < 0.05). An enhancement in plasma membrane integrity was observed along with a decrease in MDA level by increasing the concentration of BSA from 0% to 10% (p > 0.05). Sperm motion characteristics were higher in the BSA-free group at 120 hours of preservation (p < 0.05). No statistical difference was found for nuclear protamination between experimental groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: BSA supplementation in TSL-based extender can preserve the viability of epididymal ram spermatozoa during liquid storage at 4°C.

Intrauterine infusion of autologous platelet-rich plasma in women undergoing assisted reproduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Prior studies have provided conflicting results regarding the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the intrauterine infusion of PRP on the outcome of embryo transfer (ET) in women undergoing IVF/ICSI. We searched databases, including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database of Clinical Trials (CENTRAL). Meta-analysis using a random-effects model was performed to calculate the pooled estimates. Seven studies involving 625 patients (311 cases and 314 controls) were included. The probability of chemical pregnancy (n = 3, risk ratio (RR): 1.79, 95 % confidence intervals (CI): 1.29, 2.50; P < 0.001, I2 = 0 %), clinical pregnancy (n = 7, RR: 1.79, 95 % CI: 1.37, 2.32; P < 0.001, I2 = 16 %), and implantation rate (n = 3, RR: 1.97, 95 % CI: 1.40, 2.79; P < 0.001, I2 = 0 %) was significantly higher in women who received PRP compared with control. There was no difference between women who received PRP compared with control group regarding miscarriage (RR: 0.72, 95 % CI: 0.27, 1.93; P = 0.51, I2 = 0 %). Following the intervention, endometrial thickness increased in women who received PRP compared to control group (SMD: 1.79, 95 % CI: 1.13, 2.44; P < 0.001, I2 = 64 %). The findings of this systematic review suggest that PRP is an alternative treatment strategy in patients with thin endometrium and recurrent implantation failure (RIF). Further prospective, large, and high quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to identify the subpopulation that would most benefit from PRP.

Factors associated with quality of life among mothers of children with cerebral palsy.

AIM: To identify the factors pertaining to the quality of life (QOL) among the mothers of patients with cerebral palsy. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 203 mothers of children with cerebral palsy were selected using convenience sampling. The World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), the Beck Depression Inventory, the Caregiver Difficulties Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, and a demographic information questionnaire were administered to these caregivers. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was used to detect the factors associated with QOL. RESULTS: Moderate to high significant negative correlations were observed between all WHOQOL-BREF domains and the other measures. The demographic/clinical variables were controlled, and hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was run. The results indicated that depression, the burden of care, fatigue, and the type of cerebral palsy could significantly predict QOL in these mothers. Furthermore, QOL was lower in the mothers of children with tetraplegia than those of children with other types of disabilities (P < .05). CONCLUSION: QOL of mothers of children with cerebral palsy is negatively impacted by various factors such as burden of care, fatigue, and psychological symptoms. Thus, a holistic approach, including training (carrying, positioning, feeding, and how to manage the self-care of children) and psychological interventions, is required to improve QOL among this population.

Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation and oxidative stress parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.

Omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3 FAs) supplementation effects on oxidants and antioxidants are always controversial. Oxidative stress (OS) is one of the major mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the finding of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) examining the effects of omega-3 FAs on OS markers. Five databases including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of science, and Cochrane were searched up to May 5th, 2019 with no language restriction. RCTs included if they compared OS indices among subjects who received omega-3 FAs supplements and subjects who supplemented with placebo. To estimate the effects of omega-3 FAs supplementation, standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were pooled using random effects model. Of 5,887 publications, 39 trials involving 2,875 participants were included for the meta-analysis. The pooled analysis of data indicated that omega-3 FAs significantly increased serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (SMD: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.72, P< 0.001; I2= 60%), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (SMD: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.30, 1.16, P= 0.001; I2= 83%) activity and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) (SMD= -0.42, 95% CI: -0.62, -0.21; P < 0.001; I2= 74%) compared to the placebo group. However, the effects of omega-3 FAs on nitric oxide (NO) (SMD: -0.17 , 95% CI: -0.77, 0.43, P = 0.57; I2= 91%), reduced glutathione (GSH) (SMD= 0.23, 95% CI= -0.17, 0.64, P= 0.25; I2= 75%), superoxide dismutase (SOD) (0.12 , 95% CI: -0.40, 0.65, P= 0.64; I2= 89%) and catalase (CAT) (0.16, 95% CI: -0.33, 0.65, P= 0.52; I2= 75%,) activities was not significant. Supplementation with omega-3 FAs significantly improves MDA, TAC levels, and GPx activity. Thus, omega-3 FAs can be mentioned as enhancer factors in antioxidant defense against reactive oxygen species (ROS).

The Effects of Supplementation with Chromium on Insulin Resistance Indices in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Recently, the effects of nutritional supplementation on improvement or prevention of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have been considered. Several studies have been carried out on the effect of chromium supplementation in improving PCOS patients. This study aimed to summarize the available findings regarding the effect of chromium on improving the polycystic ovary syndrome. The review includes randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing chromium treatment with placebo or other treatments in women with PCOS. Women with PCOS diagnosed according to the ESHRE/ASRM or NIH criteria in reproductive age were eligible. Electronic searches using the MeSH terms were conducted in the following databases: Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library. Effects were measured as weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for studies of PCOS and control subjects were calculated by using random-effects model. The initial search yielded potentially 100 relevant articles of randomized clinical trials on dietary chromium supplements: 16 from Pubmed, 36 from Embase, 29 from Scopus, and 19 from Web of Science. After studying these publications, 5 were potentially eligible and retrieved in full text. The five studies included in the meta-analysis reported data on 137 women with PCOS and 131 controls. A meta-analysis of 5 studies showed a non-significant difference in fasting insulin between chromium, and placebo or other treatment (mean difference (MD): -1.14; (95% CI: -4.11 to 1.83, p=0.45). We retrieved two randomized controlled trials, in which Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) was compared between chromium, and placebo or other treatment in 156 women with PCOS. Meta-analysis of two RCTs showed no significant difference in QUICKI score between chromium and placebo (MD: 0.01; 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.04, p=0.34). Two randomized controlled trials compared Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) between chromium, and placebo or other treatment in 81 women with PCOS. After combining the data, there was a significantly lower HOMA-IR in the chromium group (MD: -1.68; 95% CI: -2.42 to -0.94, p<0.001). One RCT reported a significant difference in Homeostatic Model Assessment-beta-cell function (HOMA-B) between chromium and placebo groups (-15.5±32.3 vs. +13.6±23.1, p<0.001). No significant effect of chromium on fasting insulin and QUICKI score was found in women with PCOS. Chromium supplementation significantly improved HOMA-IR and HOMA-B among patients with diabetes. The magnitude of the effect is small, and the clinical relevance is uncertain. Future trials in well characterized studies that address the limitations in the current evidence are needed before definitive claims can be made about the effect of chromium supplementation.