KNOWLEDGE AND HEALTH
Year:2013 | Volume:8 | Issue:3|Papers Count:12

Introduction: Marriage and choice of spouse is one of the most important events of human life which affect not only the physical but also mental health of the individual. It is certain that any problem that arises in the family, the losses will concern the total structure and cultural value system of the society. Unfortunately, young couples do not allocate particular time and energy to preparedness to establish relationship and consequently experience the considerable amount of conflict in early years of marital life. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of choice theory education on increasing self-differentiation and intimacy in married couples.Methods: In this interventional study, 30 married couples of students (n=60) were selected and allocated randomly to case (15 couples) and control (15 couples) groups. Differentiation of Self-Inventory (DSI) and Marital Intimacy (MIQ) questionnaires were completed by students. The control group received no training. Intervention included 10 sessions of choice theory education.Results: results showed that choice theory education by grouping method is effective in increasing the self-differentiation of married students, in which the mean score of self-differentiation in case group increased from 170.2±19.2 to 191.8±10.1. Also, the effect of intervention on increasing the couples’ marital intimacy was not significant.Conclusion: Result of this research confirmed the effectiveness of choice theory education in increasing the self- differentiation, so regarding the cultural and social transition and also the increasing need of incipient married youth, it is recommended that education of these skills will be concerned in the academic and training centers.

Introduction: Apart from glucose, insulin release is stimulated or suppressed by some hormones and neural signs. Ghrelin is a gut hormone that stimulates growth hormone (GH) secretion, and recent studies have suggested its role in insulin secretion. The objective of this study was to determine baseline insulin’s relationship to ghrelin and GH concentration in asthma males.Methods: In this study, we measured the baseline blood levels of serum ghrelin and GH in adult obese males with mild to moderate asthma and assessed their relationship with serum insulin and pancreatic beta- cell function. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between insulin and other variables.Results: A significant negative correlation was found between fasting serum insulin and both ghrelin and GH concentration. In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between the beta- cell function and both serum ghrelin and GH (P<0.05).Conclusion: Our study findings demonstrated that in adult asthma patients, an increase in serum ghrelin and GH is accompanied by a decrease in serum insulin secretion, and the measuring of serum ghrelin or GH is a predictor of blood insulin level in these patients.

Introduction: Problems with sexual function have been reported to occur commonly in women with pelvic organ prolapsed. The aim of this study was to assess the sexual function in women who underwent surgical treatment of pelvic organ prolapsed.Methods: This is a before after study in which fifty legible patients suffering from pelvic organ prolapsed were assessed for sexual function) before surgery and three month after surgery. The data were collected through a demographic questionnaire, midwifery history and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The collected data were analyzed through paired T-test, chi-square and multiple linear regressions.Results: Mean FSFI total score improved from baseline 19±10.8 to 23.8±5.2 (P=0.01). Domain scores of desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain were increased significantly (P<0.05).Conclusion: Sexuality improved following surgery for either prolapsed or urinary incontinence, or both. It’s important to counsel women with POP for undergoing surgery.

Introduction: Health organizations regard behavior as a key foundation of today’s common diseases and health problems. This study was designed and implemented in Qazvin industrial Town in the first half of 2009 in order to assess the impact of educational interventions based on theory of planned behavior on improving safety behavior of porcelain industry workers.Methods: 75 workers in each intervention and control groups participated in a quasi-experimental randomized controlled trial. Demographic information and data related to TPB constructs, knowledge and safety performance were collected through a self-administered questionnaire and the safe operation checklist 3 months and 6 months after the intervention. Panel of experts, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, test-retest reliability coefficient and Kappa coefficient were used to confirm the psychometric properties of the tools. Educational intervention accompanied by booklets was applied in the form of four 45 to 60 minute training classes attended by 8 to 15 workers in each class through group discussion method focusing on theory of planned behavior constructs. The Data were analyzed by Repeated measure ANOVA.Results: The average age of participants was 31±7.4 years, and 65 percent of participants were male. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographics and the study main variables. After training, however, results showed significant changes of mean scores of attitude (from 17.17±5.37 to 25.6±4.45, P<0.001), subjective norms (from 4.73±2.05 to 6.95±1.49, P<0.05), perceived behavior control (from2.72±1.07 to 6.89±1.6, P<0.001), intention (from 7.97±3.61±10.86±2.76, P<0.05), self report behavior (from 2.20±1.01 to 3.6±1.22), knowledge (from 6.96±1.84 to 9.87±1.47) and safety behavior (from 6.32±1.45 to 8.5±2.11, P<0.05) in the experimental group, while no significant changes in these variables was observed in the control group.Conclusion: The research results show that TBP educational intervention is able to change workers’ awareness, attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control towards unsafe behavior and improve their safety performance.

Introduction: Hardiness is a personality characteristic which facilitates effective coping with stress and prevents from mental and physical problems. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hardiness trait on the use of coping styles.Methods: The population of the study included students at Payam-noor University of Golpaygan. Using a cluster sampling procedure, 8 humanities classes and 8 basic sciences classes were selected and 280 students from these classes participated in the study. The participants completed Ahvaz Hardiness Inventory and Young People Coping Style Scale. The data were analyzed through t-test, ANOVA and stepwise regression analysis.Results: The results showed no difference between boys and girls and humanities and basic sciences students in terms of the level of hardiness. Results of F test showed no significant difference between three coping styles in groups of basic sciences and humanities, but in refer-to-others strategy and non-efficient coping style, women had a higher average than men. A significant relationship was observed between hardiness and the problem-solving and refer to others coping strategies (P<0.001). Results of stepwise regression analysis showed that coping styles of problem solving and non-efficient coping predicted respectively 44 and 47 percent of the variance in hardiness. In other words, the relationship between hardiness and coping styles is influenced only by coping style of problem-solving and non-efficient coping strategies.Conclusion: The results of the research suggest that hardiness creates the inner attitude that will affect confronting of people with life problems and makes people to view mental stress realistically and open-mindedly. In this regard, developing educational and remedial programs at universities can be very helpful.

Introduction: Patients with chronic and advanced kidney failure undergo hemodialysis treatment and because of various drug therapies have basic problems in their life style which affects their psychosocial operation. The purpose of this study was to determine the hemodialysis patients’ quality of life in Abadan and Khorramshahr in 2011.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which all patients (80 cases) referring to Abadan and Khorramshahr hemodialysis clinics completed a questionnaire which included two sections of demographic data and kidney diseases quality of life (KDQOL). Data analysis was done using SPSS-17 software and statistical tests such as ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Independent T test were used.Results: The mean score of life quality of the participants was 47.22±8.82 which indicates their low quality of life. Result showed that between quality of life and age (P=0.04 & r=0.5) and ESRD patience period (P=0.03 & r=0.23), there exists a statistically significant relationship. A positive and significant association was also observed between education and quality of life (p= 0.003) and between income level and quality of life (P<0.0001).Conclusion: Life quality of Hemodialysis patients is low and authorities need to provide these patients with more social support and see into their welfare.

Introduction: Peripheral neuropathy is an important complication of diabetes mellitus. It has been shown that hyperglycemia and oxidative stress are major etiological factors in neuropathy and contribute to its development. Since regular exercise and oral magnesium supplementation can reduce hyperglycemia induced by diabetes and also have antioxidant effects, therefore this study was designed to examine the effects of regular exercise and magnesium sulfate administration on thermal pain threshold in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats.Methods: 30 male Wistar rats weighed 220±10 gwere made diabetic by streptozotocin (60 mg/kg, subcutaneously). One week after diabetes induction, animals were undergone swimming training and magnesium sulfate treatment for 8 weeks; first, they swim 60 min for 3 weeks, then 90 min for 2 weeks, and finally 120 min for 3 weeks. Magnesium sulfate (10 g/l) was added into the drinking water once diabetes was established (One week after diabetes induction) and continued for 8 weeks. 48 h after the end of each stage, tail-flick test was performed to assess the effects of training and magnesium sulfate on thermal pain threshold. The comparison of means was done using independent- sample t-test and repeated measure analysis of variance.Results: A significant decrease in thermal pain threshold was seen in diabetic rats through 5 and 8 weeks. Diabetic induced hyperalgesia were decreased significantly by training and magnesium sulfate. Combined effects of training and magnesium sulfate on thermal pain threshold are significantly higher than one of them alone.Conclusion: It is concluded that regular exercise and magnesium sulfate administration may be able torestore thermal hyperalgesia in diabetes. Future studies are required to establish the effects of these factors on treatment and/or management of painful conditions.

Introduction: Measurement of Maximum aerobic capacity (VO2-max) is important in physiologically fitting the laborers to the job. This study was conducted to estimate the aerobic capacity and physical work capacity (PWC) of workers of galvanize department of Semnan rolling pipe Company and also determine the relative frequency of workers whom their jobs were proportional to their physical work capacity.Methods: 50 male workers of Semnan rolling pipe company were selected randomly to participate in this cross-sectional study. Tuxworth & shahnavaz methods were applied to measure instances VO2-MAX. Independent-Sample t-test and correlation technique were used to analysis the data by SPSS software.Results: Average maximum aerobic capacity of workers was 2.88±0.033 liters per minute and the average of physical work capacity was 4.76±0.54 kilocalories per minute. There was a significant relationship between body mass index and aerobic capacity. The result showed that 36 percent of subjects expend more energy than their physical work capacity to perform their duties during the work time.Conclusion: According to the ILO classification, the average physical work capacity of the workers fall into a category of light energy; accordingly, on average, these workers had physical ability to performe less or lighter duties. More than one-third of these workers need to undergo job modification or to change their present job to a job with less energy consumption.

Introduction: With regard to the long history of traditional medicine in Iran and its various branches such as Pharmaceutics and many books and treatises existant from ancient times, this research seeks to find the real position of pharmaceutics art in Safavid period.Methods: The data and methods of this research are based on the study of Iranian scholar’s books and epistles on the Pharmaceutics and medicine in the Safavid period and preceding ages. These data were gathered from the mentioned references and analyzed then used for explanation of this issue.Results: The findings of the study show that although pharmaceutics art and Iranian traditional medicine in Safavid period had a good position in comparison to other near eastern countries, this period never saw physicians such as Mohammad ibn Zakarya Razi, Ibn Sina, Ali ibn Rabban Tabari and Sayyed Ismaeil Jorjani and never saw outstanding books such as Al-Havi, Al-Qanun fi al-Tib, Zakhirah Kharazmshahi and so on.Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, it can be said in spite of historical and political problems, Iranians in every age were superior to their foreign contemporaries in pharmacy and the recognition of medical plants. Noting the climatic variety of Iran and the growth of many of medical plants in every region of Iran and especially the availability of the ancient books and treatises on this field, it useful activities for reviving this industry can be performed. This action can lead to efficient helps to reestablishment of Iranian traditional medicine and rescue this time-honored heritage from ignorance and extinction.