JOURNAL OF RAFSANJAN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES AND HEALTH SERVICES
Year:2019 | Volume:17 | Issue:10 |Papers Count:9

Background and Objectives: Self-esteem is one of the important issues in mental health. Religious beliefs and remembrance of God are among factors affecting self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to investigate the self-esteem of students of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences who participated in the I’ tikaf ceremony in 2015. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive study where the individuals participating in the I’ tikaf ceremony were selected by census (n=75 ) and 75 persons were selected via simple randomization method from among the students of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences in 2015. Data were collected using a demographics form and Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. The data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics (t-test, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, and paired t-test) at the significance level of p <0. 05. Results: There was a significant difference between the total score of self-esteem in the I’ tikaf group before and after the ceremony (p=0. 001 ), but there was no significant difference in the control group before and after the ceremony (p=0. 17 ). The mean difference of self-esteem total score in the I’ tikaf group was more than that of the control group, which was statistically significant (p=0. 01 ). Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be said that participation in this ceremony and similar rituals can improve the variables of mental health such as self-esteem, which its universality requires the exact planning of those in charge.

Background and Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most common work-related disorders, which have high prevalence not only among hard and hurtful jobs, but also in office jobs. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders its associated factors among Education Office employees in Arak in 2016-17. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was done by census method on 412 employees of Education Office in 2016-17. Data was collected using a questionnaire including three sections, the first section included demographic characteristics, the second section Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire (NMQ) and the third section Body Map Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using chi-square test. Results: Considering the results, 56. 6% (197 )of participants had felt pain and inconvenience in at least one of the 9 areas of the body during the past 12 months. The highest prevalence of pain was found in the areas of lower back (36. 5% ), neck (26. 4% ) and knee (25. 6% ) and the lowest prevalence of pain was in the area of elbow (9. 4% ). Data analysis also showed that prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is sex-dependent, so that it is more common in women (p=0. 024 ) Conclusion: Musculoskeletal disorders are highly prevalent in administrative staff especially in women, and these individuals are at the risk of suffering from these disorders. Therefore, it is suggested to provide necessary education and intervention in this regard.

Background and Objectives: The subtilisin genes (SUBs ) of Trichophyton rubrum play an important role in destroying the keratin to produce a nutritional source and virulence. This study was carried out to determine the presence of subtilisin genes in T. rubrum isolated from patients with dermatophytosis in Tehran in 2017. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was performed on 32 patients with fungal infections referring to Tehran University of Medical Sciences from July to September 2017. Based on microscopic and macroscopic observations, T. rubrum was isolated and identified. Dermatophyte DNA was extracted and SUB1, SUB2, SUB3, SUB4, SUB5, SUB6 and SUB7 genes of T. rubrum were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR ) using specific primers. The relative frequency of the seven genomic sequences was also calculated. Results: Seven species of T. rubrum were isolated from the clinical specimen of skin (5 cases ) and nail (2 cases ). The presence of subtilisin family (SUB1-7 ) was reported with a frequency of 57%. While SUB5 gene was observed in all isolates (100% ), the SUB6 gene with the lowest frequency (4 out of 7 cases ) and SUB1-7 genes presence in isolates from nail samples were reported. Conclusion: The presence and absence of subtilisin genes in T. rubrum DNA may indicate the importance of genes in different stages of dermatophyte infection (adherence, invasion and inflammation )and the type of nail and skin structure.

Background and Objectives: Genu varum is one of the lower limb malalignments that is associated with changes in the lower limb biomechanics during walking and running. The selected corrective program has the least complications for children. Therefore the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of a period of corrective exercise training program on the running ground reaction forces in children with genu varum. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 17 children with genu varum from Hamadan city were volunteered to participate in 2016. Tests were done in the form of pre and post-tests. Corrective exercises were performed on subjects over a 16-week period. Paired sample t-test was used for statistical analysis of data. Results: In the dominant limb, the peak vertical ground reaction force during push-off phase demonstrated a significant increase during the post-test compared to the pre-test (p=0. 012 ). In the non-dominant limb, the findings showed that impulse decreased significantly in the anterior-posterior direction during the post-test compared to the pre-test (p=0. 039 ). Also, at the non-dominant limb in the free moment, the negative peak showed a significant increase after the training period (p= 0. 015 ). Other components such as vertical loading rate, impulse and free moment at the positive and negative peak showed no significant difference between the pre and post-test (p> 0. 05 ). Conclusion: The findings indicated that the corrective exercises used in the present study improved peak ground reaction forces, impulse and free moment values, but did not have any significant effect on the loading rate.

Background and Objectives: Increasing surfactant D and Clara cell proteins (from epithelial cells of lung )in the blood is a sign of respiratory system damage. Endurance swimming is an anaerobic activity that involves activating macrophages and neutrophils. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of one session of endurance swimming activity on the serum concentration of surfactant D and Clara cell proteins in elite swimmers. Materials and Methods: The present study was a Clinical trial performed in 1395 with a two stage pre-test and post-test design. The statistical sample was randomly selected from Tabriz Team swimmers (n=20 ), 10 elite and 10 recreational swimmers. Clara cell and surfactant D proteins were measured after a session of endurance activity with an intensity of 70-75% of maximum oxygen consumption for 30 minutes. Data were analyzed using t-test and one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test (p≤ 0. 05 ). Results: Clara cell serum concentration increased significantly in both groups of elite and recreational swimmers after training intervention (p= 0. 001 ). Also, surfactant D increased significantly after training intervention only in the recreational swimmers group. Post-test results indicated that the mean value of Clara cell protein in the elite swimmers was higher than the recreational swimmers (p= 0. 001 )and surfactant D in the recreational swimmers was significantly more than the elite swimmers (p= 0. 002 ). Conclusion: A swimming endurance session seems to increase the serum levels of Clara cellc and surfactant D in swimmers and their increase indicates respiratory system inflammation.

Background and Objectives: Rumination in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD ) is one of the cognitive risk factors for suffering from mood disorders. On the other hand repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS ) as a non-invasive method is applied for treatment of MDD. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of rTMS on reducing rumination in patients with MDD. Materials and Methods: In the present randomized clinical trial study, from among the patients with MDD referring to Atieh Clinical Neuroscience Center in Tehran from December 2016 to September 2017, the number of 64 subjects were selected through convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into two groups of experiment and control. The experimental group during 10 sessions, received 10 rTMS on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with a frequency of 10 Hz and on the same site of cortex at the right site at 1 Hz for two weeks. The control group also received sham rTMS. The patients were first screened using a structural clinical interview and then Ruminative Response Scale was performed before and after the treatment. The data also were analyzed using chi-square test, independent t-test and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA ). Results: Bilateral rTMS caused a significant reduction in rumination (p=0. 033 )and brooding (p=0. 005 )compared to the control group. There was observed no significant change in pondering in the two groups (p>0. 05 ). Conclusion: According to the results, rTMS can be considered as a possible treatment for rumination reduction in patients with MDD.

Background and Objectives: Biological events are one of the main threats of the present century. The aim of this study was to survey knowledge and performance of Basij Medical Community members of West Azerbaijan in response to the biological events in 2016-2017. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, knowledge and preparedness of 142 members of the Basij Medical Community in West Azerbaijan province in response to biological events were evaluated using a reasercher made questionnaire during 2016-2017. The results were reported as descriptive statistics (number, percentage, mean and standard deviation ). Results: 110 participants (77. 4% ) had low knowledge regarding biological events. The highest level of knowledge with 97 participants (68. 3% )was related to required instructions in dealing with biologic incidents with large casualties. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed a low knowledge of the members of Basij Medical Community in confronting the biological incidents.