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BACKGROUND: Health-care workers (HCWs) as frontline soldiers are involved in the war against COVID-19. Not only their protection from COVID-19 is important but also their mental health is a concern. This study aimed to measure the psychological distress among HCWs in the time of COVID-19 in Isfahan, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the 2nd month of the spread of COVID-19 in Isfahan, Iran (March 16 to April 3). A total of 321 HCWs participated in an online survey and answered the General Health Questionnaire, the Insomnia Severity Index, and the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. t-test and ANOVA were used for comparing variables between groups. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the predictive factors of psychological distress. RESULTS: About 34% of our HCWs suffer from some levels of psychological distress. The result of multiple linear regression (R 2: 0.41) shows that the predictive variables with the highest value were insomnia, working as a medical resident, and lack of social support (standardized coefficient of beta: 0.51, 0.25, and 0.16, respectively; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The result of our study shows that about one-third of HCWs in COVID-19 special hospitals have some psychological problems. Being a medical resident, suffering from insomnia, and lack of social support are predictive variables.
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OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and document the reported adverse effect of a herbal-based laxative (Goleghand®) for the maintenance treatment of functional constipation in young children. METHODS: We conducted a randomized clinical trial from April 2019 to September 2020. Children aged 2-15 years with functional constipation defined according to the Rome IV criteria were eligible for study inclusion. Eligible children were randomly allocated to receive polyethylene glycol (PEG) or Goleghand®. The number and consistency of stools per day, painful defecation, abdominal pain, and fecal incontinence were reported weekly by parents. The statistical analyses were performed by determining means and standard deviations, t-test, Chi-square test, ANOVA repeated measures, and Fisher's exact test, with significance, accepted at the 5% level. FINDINGS: Sixty patients have been enrolled in the study. Parental satisfaction scores did not change significantly in either group or over the follow-up period. Our results showed that the effect of time (P < 0.001) and also the effect of group type (P = 0.01) on the number of fecal defecations was significant. The mean number of defecations increased first and then decreased significantly over time, but this decrease was more significant in the PEG group than in the Goleghand® group (P = 0.001). Furthermore, the effect of time on the fecal consistency score was significant (P = 0.047). The mean score of fecal consistency in both groups decreased over time. CONCLUSION: Goleghand® was similar in efficacy to PEG for 8 weeks of pediatric functional constipation treatment in this randomized clinical trial. Goleghand® can be considered as a new herbal laxative drug for pediatric functional constipation.
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A porous silicon/palladium nanostructure was prepared and used as a new electrode material for the simultaneous determination of acetaminophen (ACT) and codeine (COD). Palladium nanoparticles were assembled on porous silicon (PSi) microparticles by a simple redox reaction between the Pd precursor and PSi in an aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid. This novel nanostructure was characterized by different spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The high electrochemical activity, fast electron transfer rate, high surface area and good antifouling properties of this nanostructure enhanced the oxidation peak currents and reduced the peak potentials of ACT and COD at the surface of the proposed sensor. Simultaneous determination of ACT and COD was explored using differential pulse voltammetry. A linear range of 1.0-700.0 µmol L(-1) was achieved for ACT and COD with detection limits of 0.4 and 0.3 µmol L(-1), respectively. Finally, the proposed method was used for the determination of ACT and COD in blood serum, urine and pharmaceutical compounds.
