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Background & Aims Caring for a patient undergoing hemodialysis is a stressful experience that causes a heavy care burden. With the outbreak of COVID-19, family caregivers of these patients had increased worry about the risk of infection in the dialysis centers. This fear can make their care burden heavier. This study aims to investigate the impact of coping skills training on the care burden experienced by family caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis. Materials & Methods This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2020 on 60 family caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis at the Comprehensive Treatment Center for Special Diseases in Birjand, Iran. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received coping skills training in six sessions. All participants completed the Zarit burden interview before, immediately after, and one month after the intervention. The data were analyzed in SPSSsoftware, version 19. Results The two groups were homogeneous regarding demographic information (P>0.05). Both groups had a moderate to severe care burden before the intervention. A significant difference was reported in the care burden score of the intervention group after training (P<0.001). Conclusion Coping skills training can reduce the care burden of the family caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis. Therefore, coping skills training can be used by nursing managers to reduce the care burden of family caregivers of patients with hemodialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic disease that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain. It primarily affects women and negatively impacts many aspects of a person’s psychological and social life. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive therapy based on mindfulness and compassion therapy on automatic negative thoughts, psychological symptoms, pain intensity, and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. Methods & Materials This research is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design with two experimental and one control group. The statistical study population consisted of all individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome referred to Mehregan Pain Clinic in Mirdamad (District 3), Seyed Khandan Clinic (District 4), and Taleghani Hospital Pain Clinic (District 1) in Tehran City, Iran. Of them, 30 patients were randomly selected and divided into three groups of experimental 1, experimental 2, and control; each group will include 10 people. The instruments used in this study included the World Health Organization quality of life questionnaire (WHOQOL BREF), pain intensity questionnaire (PIS), psychological symptoms questionnaire (Anxiety, Stress and Depression [DASS]), and automatic negative thoughts (QNS). Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University (Code: IR.IAU.ARAK.REC.1400.005). Results The analysis of covariance showed the effectiveness of both cognitive therapies based on mindfulness and compassion therapy on four variables of pain intensity, psychological symptoms, automatic negative thoughts, and quality of life (P<0.05). Comparing the two intervention methods showed that both therapies had almost the same effect on pain intensity, psychological symptoms, and automatic negative thoughts (P<0.05) but the effectiveness of mindfulness intervention on the quality of life was significantly higher than compassion intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion The results indicate that cognitive therapy based on mindfulness and compassion therapy are suitable for people with fibromyalgia under appropriate treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are known as a health-threatening factors and the most important cause of mortality worldwide and also in Iran. Thus, it seems necessary to intervene in order to increase public awareness of the risk factors and to enhance their motivation for reducing those factors via the theory-based education Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of educational intervention based on health belief model on nutritional behavior of patients with myocardial infarction admitted to the hospitals in Guilan province during 1395-96( 2017-2018). Materials and Methods: This study is a randomized controlled experimental trial. Eighty-six patients with myocardial infarction were randomly assigned into two case (43) and control (43) groups. Data from both groups (demographic and health belief model and nutritional behavior) were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire before and a month after educational intervention. After fulfilling the requirements based on HBM, educational intervention took place in case group. Control group did not receive any kind of intervention, they just received the routine notes from hospital. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 using suitable statistical tests (chi-square test, Spearman coefficient and independent t-test). Results: In terms of demographic characteristics, no significant differences were seen between the groups. Before intervention, no significant differences were seen between mean scores of HBM constructs, awareness and nutritional behaviors in the groups, while after intervention there was a significant difference between them (p<0.001). Results also showed a significant difference in case group before and after receiving educational intervention (p<0.001). But there was no significant change in the control group before and after educational intervention (p<0.001). Conclusion: The present study showed that intervention based on HBM, emphasizing awareness and nutritional behavior of patients with myocardial infarction, could have a positive effect on the nutritional behavior of the patients and consequently their health status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Till now multiple devices have been introduced in order to predict the "patients"' disability, function, muscle force and mortality in the acute phase of stroke. Objective: Determination the relationship between electroencephalography (EEG) findings and change of disability, functional status, functional independency, muscle force and mortality of the patients with ischemic stroke. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was performed on 47 patients in the range of 50-90 years old involved by ischemic stroke in the territory of middle cerebral artery, referred to Poursina Hospital in Guilan-Rasht in the north of Iran. At first, for all the patients a brain CT and after 48 hours a brain MRI or CT scan were done routinely to confirm the diagnosis. EEG accomplished during 48-72 hours after stroke, and the "patients" were grouped in 3, according to EEG abnormality: normal EEG, moderate and severe abnormal EEG. The patients disability, functional independency, functional status, and muscle force, respectively were assessed by Modified Rankin Disability, FIM, Bethel index and Medical Research Council scale(MRC) and their mortality in the first 48 hours, one week and three weeks afterstroke. The data were processed by software SPSS 20 using Chi square, independent T, Post Hoc Tukey, Kruskal-Wallis, Anova, Repeated Measure Anova and Sphericity. Results: A total of 47 patients (48.6% men, 53.2% women) with mean age of 73.09±9.01 years old participated in this study. Left middle cerebral artery involvement was evident in 46.8% of the patients and the others had right side involvement. First and second groups included 15 patients and third group17 patients and there wasn't any statistically significant difference between groups in age and sex. (P>0.05) No significant difference was found, either between groups in means and change of means of Rankin score, FIM, Barthel Index and MRC during the study period. (P>0.05) Conclusion: EEG findings can't determine prognostic value for functional outcome and mortality of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cerebrovascular disease is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Data on epidemiology of stroke, its pattern and risk factors, are scarce. Seasonal variation in the incidence of stroke and role of meteorological factors in its occurrence, have been investigated in several studies. These studies show that there were different patterns in stroke incidence across different areas. Objective: To investigate the seasonal pattern of stroke incidence and the association between daily stroke occurrences and meteorological factors among the patients admitted to the Poursina Hospital, northern Iran, in (2012). Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Poursina Hospital in Rasht. All the patients with acute onset of neurological symptoms during (2012), after performing imaging studies and confirmation of the diagnosis of stroke, were enrolled. Age, sex, history of diabetes and hypertension, and date of stroke occurrence were recorded for all patients. The number of stroke episodes, temperature and humidity were recorded on all days of the year. Distribution of stroke cases among seasons according to study variables, was analyzed using chi-square test. To compare the average number of strokes per day among different seasons, kruskal-wallis test was used. The relationship between the number of strokes per day and meteorological variables was analyzed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results: During the study period, 869 patients with diagnosis of stroke were admitted. Significant seasonal differences in the mean of ischemic stroke occurrence per day and mean of intracerebral hemorrhage occurrence per day, with peak rates in autumn, were observed. In the study of meteorological variables based on multiple linear regression with stepwise method, minimum temperature was inverse linear predictor of both overall stroke occurrence per day and ischemic stroke occurrence per day. For intracerebral hemorrhage occurrence per day, maximum temperature was inverse linear predictor and maximum humidity was direct linear predictor. Conclusion: This study suggests a seasonal pattern in the incidence of stroke and a possible role of meteorological factors in the incidence of stroke in this area. Attention to this seasonal pattern can be useful for medical centers to provide better services to their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]