The severity of andropause symptoms and its relationship with social well-being among retired male nurses: a preliminary cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Andropause is a syndrome that occurs due to decreased androgen levels in men. Various aspects of health, such as social well-being, can affect andropause status during men's retirement. This study aimed to determine the severity of andropause symptoms and its relationship with social well-being among retired male nurses. METHODS: This preliminary cross-sectional study was conducted on 284 retired male nurses in Ardabil (northwest of Iran). The participants were selected through the census sampling method. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the Male Andropause Symptoms Self-Assessment Questionnaire (MASSQ), and the Social Well-Being Scale (SWBS). Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22.0). RESULTS: The study found that the overall mean scores of the severity of andropause symptoms and social well-being among retired male nurses were 57.24 ± 12.62 (range = 35-91) and 94.54 ± 12.77 (range = 75-123), respectively. The highest and lowest mean scores between dimensions of social well-being were related to social contribution (20.26 ± 2.47) and social acceptance (15.26 ± 2.77), respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that subscales of social well-being, age, marital status, and spouse's menopause were predictors of the severity of andropause symptoms among retired male nurses. The selected predictors accounted for 53.1% of the total variance in severity of andropause symptoms (F = 36.613, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results showed a moderate to severe prevalence of andropause among retired male nurses and a significant association between andropause and social well-being. The study suggests further research to examine sexual orientation and other factors that may affect andropause in retired male nurses.

Enhancing drugs absorption through third-degree burn wound eschar.

Antimicrobial therapy remains the most important method of wound infection treatment. Systemically administered antimicrobials may not achieve therapeutic levels in wound. On the other hand, some topically applied antimicrobials cannot penetrate eschar well enough. Therefore, an attempt has been made here to increase permeation of topically applied drugs through eschar using the so-called skin penetration enhancers. To perform this investigation, effects of different potential penetration enhancers on permeation of chlorhexidine, silver sulfadiazine and nitroglycerin through human third-degree burn eschar was evaluated. Results showed that water, glycerin, saline, sodium lauryl sulphate (SDS) and ethanol tend to reduce permeation of chlorhexidine through burn eschar. But, water, glycerin, hexane:ethanol and ethyl acetate:ethanol were able to increase permeation of silver sulfadiazine significantly by about 1.2-1.8 times, while saline, SDS and dimethyl sulfoxide were not able to change its permeation. Glycine showed 2.7 times enhancement toward permeation of nitroglycerin, followed by water, hexane:ethanol mixture, saline and SDS with enhancement ratios of 1.8-2.3. Urea, ethanol and citral were not able to increase permeation of nitroglycerin through eschar. This study shows that permeation of drugs through burn eschar can be improved by penetration enhancement including hydration; the effect depends on the nature of the penetrant.