Increased expression of PD-1 in CD8 + CD3 + T cells correlates with EBV viral load in MS patients.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the common autoimmune diseases. The exact etiology of MS is still unclear, but recent studies have shown the possibility of infectious agent involvement such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in MS pathophysiology. In this study, CD3 + CD8 + T cells of 25 new case MS patients were compared with healthy donors for expression of exhaustion marker, PD-1, using flow cytometry. Also, the expression of the EBV gene, BRCF-1, in PBMCs was analyzed using real-time PCR. Results revealed a lower frequency of CD3 + CD8 + T cells in MS patients. Also, increased expression of PD-1 was observed on CTLs which correlated with higher viral loads. Therefore, a lower frequency of CD8 + T cells but a higher exhaustion marker in MS patients reveals a new mechanism of EBV pathogenesis in MS development. The results suggest that inefficient immune control of EBV in patients with MS may cause exacerbation of the disease. Future studies on the mechanism of T cell exhaustion and chronic infections may aid in a better understanding of the disease and the design of effective therapies.

Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Group Counseling on the Mental Health of Midwifery Students.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted with the objective of investigating the effectiveness of solution-focused group counseling (SFGC) on promoting the mental health of midwifery students. METHODS: The present study is an intervention-based study with a pretest, a post-test, and a control group. The statistical population included all of the midwifery students studying in the midwifery department of the Bam University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran, who filled out the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in the screening phase. In the second phase, 40 individuals, having a low level of mental health based on the cutoff score of 23, were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups (intervention and control), each group with 20 participants. The intervention group participated in 5 sessions of 75 minutes for SFGC. Then, the post-test was held in both groups and the data analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney and the Kruskal-Wallis test with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA). The significance level was considered as p < 0.05. RESULTS: The findings showed that the mean of the post-test mental health scores of the intervention group (14.5 ± 50.35) and of the control group (23.6 ± 35.83) showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the comparison between the mean scores of the mental health subscales (physical symptoms, stress, social performance, and depression) showed a statistically significant difference in these groups, and SFGC improved physical symptoms, stress, social performance, and depression in the members of the intervention group. CONCLUSION: Solution-focused group counseling may improve all levels of mental health. This type of counseling is recommended to be used to solve the psychological problems and to improve the mental health of students, as well as of the staff of the health system.

Effectiveness of solution-focused group counseling on the mental health of midwifery students

Abstract Objective The present study was conducted with the objective of investigating the effectiveness of solution-focused group counseling (SFGC) on promoting the mental health of midwifery students. Methods The present study is an intervention-based study with a pretest, a post-test, and a control group. The statistical population included all of the midwifery students studying in the midwifery department of the Bam University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran, who filled out the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in the screening phase. In the second phase, 40 individuals, having a low level of mental health based on the cutoff score of 23, were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups (intervention and control), each group with 20 participants. The intervention group participated in 5 sessions of 75 minutes for SFGC. Then, the post-test was held in both groups and the data analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney and the Kruskal-Wallis test with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA). The significance level was considered as p < 0.05. Results The findings showed that the mean of the post-test mental health scores of the intervention group (14.5 ± 50.35) and of the control group (23.6 ± 35.83) showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the comparison between the mean scores of the mental health subscales (physical symptoms, stress, social performance, and depression) showed a statistically significant difference in these groups, and SFGC improved physical symptoms, stress, social performance, and depression in the members of the intervention group. Conclusion Solution-focused group counseling may improve all levels of mental health. This type of counseling is recommended to be used to solve the psychological problemsand to improve the mental health of students, as well as of the staff of the health system.

Trend and projection of mortality rate due to non-communicable diseases in Iran: A modeling study.

BACKGROUND: Following the epidemiologic and demographic transition, non-communicable disease mortality is the leading cause of death in Iran. Projecting mortality trend can provide valuable tools for policy makers and planners. In this article, we have estimated the trend of non-communicable disease mortality during 2001-2015 and have projected it until 2030 at national and subnational levels in Iran. METHODS: The data employed was gathered from the Iranian death registration system and using the Spatio-temporal model, the trends of 4 major categories of non-communicable diseases (cancers, cardiovascular diseases, asthma and COPD, and diabetes) by 2030 were projected at the national and subnational levels. RESULTS: The results indicated that age standardized mortality rate for cancers, CVDs, and Asthma and COPD will continue to decrease in both sexes (cancers: from 81.8 in 2015 to 45.2 in 2030, CVDs: 307.3 to 173.0, and Asthma and COPD: from 52.1 to 46.6); however, in terms of diabetes, there is a steady trend in both sexes at national level (from 16.6 to 16.5). Age standardized mortality rates for cancers and CVDs, in males and females, were high in all provinces in 2001. The variation between the provinces is clearer in 2015, and it is expected to significantly decrease in all provinces by 2030. CONCLUSION: Generally, the age standardized mortality rate from NCDs will decrease by 2030. Of course, given the experience of the past two decades in Iran, believing that the mortality rate will decrease may not be an easy notion to understand. However hard to believe, this decrease may be the result of better management of risk factors and early detection of patients due to more comprehensive care in all segments of society, as well as improved literacy and awareness across the country.

The effect of green tea ointment on episiotomy pain and wound healing in primiparous women: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

The delayed healing of episiotomy wound and its associated pain is a major problem in obstetrics. Because green tea has analgesic and wound-healing properties, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of green tea ointment on episiotomy pain and wound-healing. The green tea extract was also standardized by measuring its Phenolic and flavonoid compounds, antioxidant activity, and one of its active components, that is, Epigallocatechin gallate. The present clinical trial was conducted on 99 primiparous women visiting Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman in 2015. The subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups, including a green tea ointment group, a placebo ointment group, and a routine care group. The 2 ointment groups smeared 2 cm of the green tea or placebo ointments onto their sutured area twice daily for a total of 10 days. The severity of pain was assessed in the subjects using the visual pain scale and wound-healing using the Redness, Edema, Ecchymosis, Discharge, Approximation (REEDA) scale before the intervention and on the 5th and 10th days after delivery. To standardize the extract, Epigallocatechin gallate was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Phenolic and flavonoid compounds, as well as antioxidant activity of the extract were also determined by spectrometry methods. Before the intervention, no significant differences were observed between the 3 groups in terms of their personal and obstetric details (p > .05), the severity of pain (p = .118), and the REEDA score (p = .212). On the 5th and 10th days after delivery, the severity of pain was significantly lower in the green tea group than in the other 2 groups (p < .0001). The mean REEDA score on the 5th and 10th days showed a better and faster healing in the green tea group compared to the other 2 groups (p < .0001). Total content of phenolic and flavonoids contents of green tea were 74.2 mg/g Gallic acid equivalent and 16.3 mg/g Rutin equivalent, respectively, and its antioxidant capacity was 46% of b-carotene. Green tea ointment appears to be effective in relieving episiotomy pain and improving wound-healing in this study. Further studies are recommended to be conducted on the effectiveness and safety of the different doses of green tea ointment.

Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Capsella bursa pastoris on Early Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Clinical Trial Study.

OBJECTIVES: Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is one of three main causes of maternal mortality and a life-threatening condition throughout the world. PPH can have irreversible complications for the mother even if it does not lead to death. This study was conducted to determine the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Capsella bursa pastoris on early PPH. DESIGN: The present study was a single-blinded, randomized, clinical trial. SETTING: The study was conducted in Afzalipour Hospital of Kerman in 2015. SUBJECTS: The subjects included 100 women who had given vaginal birth and met the study inclusion criteria. INTERVENTION: The participants were selected and randomly assigned into an intervention group (n = 50) and a placebo group (n = 50). Immediately after placental expulsion, the intervention group was given 10 sublingual drops of the hydroalcoholic extract of Capsella bursa pastoris plus an infusion of 20 U of oxytocin in 1 L of Ringer's solution, and the control group was given 10 sublingual drops of the placebo plus an infusion of 20 U of oxytocin in 1 L of Ringer's solution. OUTCOME MEASURES: The amount of bleeding was assessed in both groups. Hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were measured in all the participants 6 h after childbirth. The statistical analysis of the data was performed in SPSS-17 using the following tests: independent t, paired t, repeated measures ANOVA, Friedman's, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, Fisher's exact, and chi square. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups in baseline characteristics (p > 0.05). After the intervention, there was significant decrease in the amount of postpartum bleeding in both groups. However, the mean decrease in the amount of bleeding was significantly more in the Capsella bursa pastoris group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared with the mere administration of oxytocin, sublingual Capsella bursa drops appear to be effective in reducing PPH in this study. Further research regarding the efficacy and safety of various doses of Capsella bursa pastoris is required.

Comparative Investigation of Health Literacy Level of Cardiovascular Patients Hospitalized in Private and Educational Hospitals of Kerman City, Iran.

INTRODUCTION: literacy involves a complex set of abilities to understand and use symbolic systems of a culture for personal development and social development in a diverse set of skills required as an adult to exercise behavior are considered in society. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate Comparative investigation of health literacy level of cardiovascular patients hospitalized in private and public educational hospitals of Kerman city. METHODS: This study used survey methods, analytical and cross-sectional manner. Data was collected through questionnaires distributed among 200 patients of cardiovascular-hospitalization took place in the city of Kerman. To analyze the data in the description of the mean, standard deviation and frequency distribution tables and the level of analysis to determine the relationship between gender and marital status of health literacy test or nonparametric test Mann-Whitney T-Test and, for the relationship between group employment and residence, a one-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis test, to evaluate the relationship between age and income, Pearson and Spearman correlation to investigate the relationship between level of education and health literacy of SPPS software version 21 was used. RESULTS: The results showed that 10% of patients at educational hospitals in Kerman adequate health literacy, and 48% of patients in private hospitals had adequate health literacy. As a result, there is a significant difference of health literacy between the two types of hospital (p-value <0/0001). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that most patients had inadequate and border health literacy have been. Health plans, preparation of simple educational system and understanding, spending more time and have a discussion with the lower speed In connection with the patient's doctor and medical staff, Including ways to help patients with low health literacy and improve their health literacy is.