Mediating role of coping styles on the relationship between personality types and mental disorders in cardiovascular patients: a cross-sectional study in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Many mental problems lead to the occurrence of physical diseases, causing worse consequences of diseases. Despite many studies in the field of personality types and types of mental disorders, this relationship and the mediating role of coping styles in cardiovascular patients are still not well known. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the mediating role of coping styles in the relationship between personality types and mental disorders in cardiovascular patients. METHOD: The present study is a cross-sectional study that was conducted on 114 cardiovascular patients at the heart center in Bushehr, Iran. The sampling method is simple random sampling. Demographic information form, MCMI-III questionnaire, NEO-FFI questionnaire, and Lazarus and Folkman coping styles questionnaire were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 and Amos 24 software. Descriptive statistics methods (mean, variance and percentage), Pearson correlation, and structural equation model (SEM) were applied to analyze the data. RESULTS: The findings showed that the two variables of personality types and problem-oriented explain 15.2% of the variable of mental disorders, of which 10.7% is related to the variable of personality types and 4.5% is related to the intermediate variable of problem-oriented. Among the personality types, the neurotic personality type has the biggest role (0.632) and has a direct and significant effect on mental disorders. Also, the personality types of extroversion (-0.460), agreeableness (-0.312), and responsibility (-0.986) exert inverse and significant effects on mental disorders. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed the frequency of personality disorders and other mental disorders among heart patients. Problem-oriented coping style plays a mediating role between personality types and mental disorders.

Herbal Treatment of COPD and Asthma According to Persian Medicine: a Review of Current Evidence.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common pulmonary diseases. The current therapeutic outcomes are not satisfactory and may cause adverse events such as cardiovascular complications. In this study, we aimed to discuss some effective medicinal herbs for the management of COPD. Materials and Methods: In this review, we looked for effective medicinal herbs for productive cough with thick and sticky mucus in Persian medicine sources such as Qanoon fi al-Teb, Exir Azam, and Zakhire Kharazmshahi. Then, to find relevant evidence about them, the data sources (PubMed and Google Scholar) were searched in the English language without time restriction from inception up to March 2022. Results: We found that Zataria multiflora, Thymus vulgaris L, Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Crocus sativus L., Nepeta bracteata Benth., and Hyssopus officinalis have beneficial effects on COPD due to their properties including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. In addition, considering asthma COPD overlap (ACO), medicinal herbs including Cordia myxa, Adiantum capillus-veneris, Cinnamomum verum, Viola odorata, Borago officinalis, Linum usitatissimum and Vitis viniferia L. were found to have useful effects on asthma. Conclusion: Considering the mentioned beneficial mechanisms of action of these medicinal herbs, they could be used as a complementary therapy in COPD and asthma. However, more experimental and clinical research should be done to confirm their clinical effects.

Production of CFTR Mutant Gene Model by Homologous Recombination System.

OBJECTIVE: The most common mutation in cystic fibrosis (CF), (ΔF508-CFTR), results in impaired protein maturation, folding and transportation to the surface of the cell. As a consequence of impaired protein maturation and/or transport from the extracellular matrix to the cell, different systems are influenced, including gastrointestinal system and glandular system, reproductive system and respiratory systems. CF models are essential tools to provide further knowledge of CF pathophysiology. With this aim, we designed a transgenic CF model based on the homologous recombination (HR) system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, a specifically designed construct containing the CFTR gene with F508del was cloned into a PTZ57R cloning vector and then the construct was transformed into the male pronucleus by microinjection after in vitro fertilization (IVF). Then the rates of blastocyst formation and embryonic development at 72 hours after IVF, were evaluated using the inverted microscope and the insertion of the construct was approved by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. RESULTS: The CFTR gene was successfully cloned into the PTZ57R cloning vector and overall, from 22 injected cells, 5 blastocysts were observed after pronuclear injection of the CFTR gene construct. PCR verification of the blastocyst with CFTR-specific primers represented complete recombination of CFTR into the mouse genome. CONCLUSION: For the first time we designed a unique genome construction that can be detected using a simple PCR method. The pronuclear injection was performed for the transformation of the genome construct into the male pronuclei using microinjection and the development of zygote to the blastocyst stage has been observed following transgenesis.

Co-detection of bocavirus and bacteria in a respiratory specimen from a pregnant woman using multiplex real time PCR; a pathogenic role, or a bystander?

A pregnant woman presented by cough and dyspenia. Employing a respiratory multiplex real-time PCR, Human bocavirus (HBoV), Haemophilus influenza and Staphylococcus aureus were positive at cycle thresholds (CTs) of 21, 35 and 33.5, respectively. The patient was diagnosed for bacterial respiratory infection superimposed by bocavirus due to a relative high CT value. Patient's condition improved using bronchodilators and corticosteroid without any further antibiotic treatment. HBoV is not exclusively a bystander pathogen in some patients.

Characteristic manifestations of acute paint thinner-intoxicated children.

In this study, we evaluated the acute clinical and para-clinical abnormalities arising from paint thinner (PT) poisoning in children. Data were collected from 2008 to 2013, and sourced from the medical records of PT-intoxicated children and through questionnaires. A total of 42 children were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 37.2±2.4 months. The participants ranged from10 to 96 months of age; with a median age of 3 months; and a modal age of 24 months. The sex ratio in the study was 22 males (64.9%) to 20 females (35.1%). Clinical biochemistry results of participants revealed the significant presence of alkaline phosphatase (ALP, 569.25±151.58U/L), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, 576.14±164.97 IU/L). Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis was also carried out. Chest X-ray predominantly revealed right side alveolar air space consolidation. These results confirmed hepatotoxicity and pneumonia in PT-intoxicated children. The study also revealed that positive outcomes were achieved in patients with early treatment and management. In addition, the current finding confirmed the timely transfer of the victim to the poisoning center.

Clinical and biochemical analysis of acute paint thinner intoxication in adults: a retrospective descriptive study.

CONTEXT: Paint thinner contains a mixture of various aromatic hydrocarbons. A few studies have reported biochemical abnormalities and clinical symptoms of paint thinner intoxication among adult patients. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to design a retrospective descriptive study to evaluate clinical and laboratory biochemistry abnormalities due to paint thinner intoxication among adult patients. METHODS: Data were obtained by using questionnaires from paint thinner-intoxicated patients recruited at the Loghman-Hakim General Teaching Hospital Poison Center. RESULTS: Clinical and paraclinical data from a total of 37 patients, 24 males (64.86%) and 13 females (35.14%) with the mean age of 34.35 ± 14.15 years and mode of 22 years, was obtained and analyzed. Patients' ages ranged between 15 and 70 years. The estimated mean consumed dose was 246.70 ± 390.72 ml with a mode of 60 ml (range of 1-1500 ml). Nausea, vomiting, asthma, sore throat, stomach ache, drowsiness, dizziness, agitation, cough and diarrhea were the most frequent clinical features, respectively. Reported tissue damage biomarkers were alkaline phosphatase (ALP, 233.84 ± 122.06) and lactate dehydrogenase enzymes (LDH, 749.33 ± 471.03 IU/l). They reflected development of liver and pulmonary toxicities. Arterial blood gas (ABG) showed acidosis without hypoxia in adult paint thinner-intoxicated patients. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Focusing on biochemical abnormalities and clinical toxicity symptoms is essential for screening organs in paint thinner toxicity. In addition, they provide good information for physicians/clinical toxicologists to perform appropriate conservative treatments in adult paint thinner-intoxicated patients.

Classification of wheeze sounds using cepstral analysis and neural networks.

Wheezes are abnormal, continuous sounds heard over large airways and chest. They are divided to two groups based on relative intensity of airway obstruction. They are usually heard in asthma, pneumonia, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). We present a classification method to discriminate between polyphonic and monophonic wheeze sounds using multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network and mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC). Wheeze signals are divided to segments with 50% overlap. MFCC features are then extracted. Groups with different numbers of MFCC powerful features are compared by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The test results show an accuracy of 92.8%.