Prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and their psychosocial correlates among medical students during COVID-19 pandemic.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) among medical students during COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate their association with related sociodemographic features and other psychological symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, students from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences with no major exam in the preceding or following month were surveyed during April to August 2021 through stratified available sampling. Data were collected by a structured online questionnaire distributed through social media platforms. OCS were assessed using Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) and COVID-related stress was evaluated using COVID Stress Scale (CSS). Overall, 347 students with a mean age of 22.67 ±â€…2.56 years were included in this study, of whom 30.3% had probable obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; OCI-R score ≥21). Mean CSS scores in students with and without probable OCD were 38.64 ±â€…19.82 and 26.72 ±â€…16.63, respectively (P < 0.005). Total CSS score was significantly correlated with OCI-R score (r = 0.38, P = 0.001). Around one-third of the medical students reported significant OCS during COVID-19 pandemic, which was associated with higher COVID-19-related stress. Further research provides insight into management of OCD and related disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cardiac Complications in COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The newly emerged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) seems to involve different organs, including the cardiovascular system. We systematically reviewed COVID-19 cardiac complications and calculated their pooled incidences. Secondarily, we compared the cardiac troponin I (cTnI) level between the surviving and expired patients. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted for manuscripts published from December 1, 2019 to April 16, 2020. Cardiovascular complications, along with the levels of cTnI, creatine kinase (CK), and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) in hospitalized PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients were extracted. The pooled incidences of the extracted data were calculated, and the unadjusted cTnI level was compared between the surviving and expired patients. RESULTS: Out of 1094 obtained records, 22 studies on a total of 4,157 patients were included. The pooled incidence rate of arrhythmia was 10.11%. Furthermore, myocardial injury had a pooled incidence of 17.85%, and finally, the pooled incidence for heart failure was 22.34%. The pooled incidence rates of cTnI, CK-MB, and CK elevations were also reported at 15.16%, 10.92%, and 12.99%, respectively. Moreover, the pooled level of unadjusted cTnI was significantly higher in expired cases compared with the surviving (mean difference = 31.818, 95% CI = 17.923-45.713, P value <0.001). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 can affect different parts of the heart; however, the myocardium is more involved.

Opioid Dependency and Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A major health concern in the developing countries is opioid addiction, which has controversial cardiovascular side effects. We aimed to investigate whether Myocardial Infarction (MI) and its risk factors are associated with morphine dependency in the Iranian population. METHODS: Electronic databases, including PubMed, Medline, Scopus, SID, Element, and Magiran were searched to find published articles including the keywords morphine, coronary artery disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: Twelve studies involving 25,800 people were included in this systematic review and metaanalysis. Morphine dependency was significantly associated with MI with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 2.28 (95%CI=1.26-4.11). It neither has significant associations with hypertension (AOR=0.952; 95%CI=0.696-1.301) nor diabetes (AOR=0.895; 95%CI=0.644-1.246). Morphine dependency also had no significant association with hyperlipidemia with a Crude Odds Ratio (COR) of 0.906 (95%CI=0.786-1.045). CONCLUSION: Morphine dependency was significantly related to MI, but its risk factors were not significantly associated with morphine dependency. The increasing prevalence of opioid abuse in developing countries may be a reason for the growing incidence of MI in younger ages and individuals with no risk factors. Besides, physicians should consider the presence of impurities in morphine-based opioids and their possible effects on health.

Communication barriers between basic scientists and clinicians in regenerative medicine: A qualitative study from Iran.

RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES: Cell-based therapeutics are among the latest advances in health care technologies. The rapid evolution of stem cell science in Iran has necessitated the application of scientific achievements in clinical settings. However, various issues hindered their translation, in particular, impediments in the interactions of basic stem cell scientists and clinicians. We highlighted the impediments in the interactions of stem cell scientists and physicians involved in the opinion of professionals from both groups. METHOD: This qualitative research was conducted with thematic analysis, performed by purposive sampling. Thirty-two distinguished stem cell scientists and clinicians were interviewed to identify their perspectives on this matter. MAXQDA 2018 was used to classify the axial codes based on factors related to communications inefficiencies. The analysis of coded data recognized 18 subthemes and six major themes. RESULTS: Central themes include different registers of the two parties, counterproductive clusters hampered networking, external communication barriers, the competition to access resources, leadership conflicts, and the dissatisfaction of stakeholders with their share. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the impediments were seemingly global, for example, the incoherent medical and basic science educational systems, the vulnerable career path of physician-scientists, and an increasing tendency towards overspecialization. However, some local specific issues were also described, for example, limited funding opportunities and the negative impacts of the division of medical education from the ministry of science, research, and technology in Iran. Proposed interventions include the reinforcement of physician-scientist programs, designing a distributed leadership model, and bringing back the scientific integrity to higher education in Iran.