Search

Introduction: Suicide is one of the public health challenges which affect the individual, family, and even society. Because of the fact that accurate data collection on suicide attempts in different population areas is necessary, this study was conducted to determine the epidemiological and demographic characteristics of suicidal patients in Semnan, Iran. Materials and Methods: The present descriptive-retrospective study was performed on the clinical files of 809 suicidal patients referred to Kowsar Hospital in Semnan during 2015–2018. Using a checklist, biographical information, and marital status, suicide methods, physical diseases, previous psychiatric diseases, causes of suicide, and outcomes of suicide were collected, and then, the data were analyzed using EXCEL software. Results: Out of 809 subjects, 27% had a history of chronic psychiatric diseases, 1% of the statistical population (12 people) died, and 99% of the people (797 people) survived. The prevalence of suicide attempts was higher among women, single people, housewives, and people in the age group of 18–24 years. Family issues have been cited as the cause of 495 cases (61%) of suicide attempts in our study. Conclusion: Since suicide attempts are more common among young single women because of family issues, this important issue should be given more attention by health policy makers in Semnan province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Theater therapy is one of the effective treatment methods in teaching communication skills. Due to the deficiency in verbal and non-verbal skills of the body, regulation and expression of emotions and as a result affecting the life satisfaction of people with schizophrenia, this study was conducted with the aim of the effect of theater therapy on their emotional skills. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, cases were randomly selected from patients referred to Atieh Psychiatric Occupational Therapy Center and were divided into control and experimental groups. Theatrical therapy was performed in groups for 60 minutes in an eight-session program over two weeks. Bar-On emotional intelligence questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention in both groups and the results were evaluated after normality according to Kolmogorov-Smirnov test using paired t-test. Results: In this study, 20 patients with schizophrenia including 6 females and 14 males participated. Each person was randomly divided into 10 groups of treatment and control (treatment group including 5 women and 5 men, control group 1 woman and 9 men). The data showed that there was no difference in any of these subscales of the Bar-An emotional intelligence questionnaire in the experimental group compared the control group. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be said that theater therapy in this group of patients has little effect on emotional intelligence; but it can be used as a complement to behavior change, and reducing depressive symptoms by methods such as self-presentation, role deviation, and future predictions that motivate them to talk and play with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Post-Operative Cognitive Disorder (POCD) in surgeries under general anesthesia is a relatively common event and its diagnosis after surgery is particularly important in the elderly. In this study, the frequency of cognitive disorders after cataract surgery with different anesthetic methods in the elderly was evaluated to identify the effective factors and identifying the appropriate method with the lowest incidence of cognitive impairment. Materials & Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 108 patients over 60 years of age who were referred to Semnan hospitals for elective cataract surgery were randomly assigned into three groups of anesthetics (local, inhalation, and intravenous) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was done for cognitive assessment in three steps: before surgery, three and seven days after the operation. Results: The groups were matched based on age and gender. Patients had no difference in preoperative cognitive test. In cognitive test on the third and seventh day after surgery, in order to assess the cognitive effects of anesthetic drugs, there was a significant difference between different anesthetic methods, which was higher on the seventh day. Among the three different methods of anesthesia (inhalation, intravenous, local) that were used in cataract operation, the least cognitive impairment was observed in patients with local and the most cognitive impairment was in patients with inhalation anesthetics. Conclusion: The use of local anesthesia for cataract surgery has the lowest postoperative complications compared to other general anesthetic procedures, and it is recommended to use this method if not contraindicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the prevalence of depression and its severity in Iranian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to identify useful clinical correlations of the depressive symptoms. Patients and methods: One hundred and forty patients (28 males, 112 females; mean age 46.4±13.5; range 19-80 years) who met the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for RA in the outpatient rheumatology clinic of the Fatemieh and Amir hospitals in Semnan were included. The patients were divided into two groups including patients with active RA (n=56) and with inactive RA (n=84). One hundred and forty age and gender-matched healthy volunteers who work at the hospital without a history of rheumatological disorder were also included as controls. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Iranian version of the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Results: The overall prevalence of mild-to-moderate depression was 30.4% in the active RA group, 22.6% in the inactive RA group, and 12.1% in the control group. Severe depression was only observed in two of the subjects. One of those was in the active RA group, and the other was in the control group. Multivariate analysis showed that female gender as well as levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were associated with the development of depression in RA patients. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of miid-to-moderate depression in patients with active RA is notably higher. Thiscan be strongly associated with the gender and serum inflammatory markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies on the prognosis of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) versus non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (non-STEMI) have shown different results. The present study was designed to compare the early outcome and left ventricular systolic function of patients with ST and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. Methods: The patients' information was derived from 10,065 consecutive patients hospitalized in Tehran Heart Center with acute MI (2007 patients with STEMI and 8058 with non-STEMI). The baseline clinical characteristics, post-MI complications, left ventricular systolic functions, and 30-day mortality rates were compared. Results: A history of current cigarette smoking, opium addiction, and brain stroke was more frequent in the STEMI patients, whereas hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and obesity were found more in the non-STEMI group. Ejection fraction was higher in the non-STEMI patients than that in the STEMI group, and anterior wall infarction was detected more frequently in the STEMI cases. A history of coronary artery bypass grafting and also percutaneous coronary intervention was observed more in the non-STEMI group. Amongst the in-hospital complications, ventricular arrhythmias (1.4 vs. 0.5, P<0.001) and pulmonary edema (0.4 vs. 0.1, P=0.002) were more prevalent in the STEMI cases. The 30-day mortality rate in the STEMI group was higher than that in the non-STEMI group (5.5 vs. 2.4, P<0.001). Early mortality in both groups was dependant on advanced age, diabetes mellitus, post-MI bradycardia, and atrioventricular block. Also, female gender and pulmonary edema in the STEMI group and family history of MI in the non-STEMI patients could predict 30-day mortality. Conclusion: There were several differences in the baseline characteristics and early outcome between the two types of STEMI and non-STEMI. The 30-day mortality rate was higher in the STEMI group than that in the non-STEMI group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gabapentin seems to be a safe and well tolerated medication for treating heroine dependence. This study examined the efficacy of gabapentin for relieving withdrawal-related pain due to heroin use. Sixty men were recruited from an inpatient psychiatric ward of Fatemieh hospital in Semnan and randomized to receive either placebo (n = 30) or gabapentin (1800 mg/day) (n = 30) for 7 days. Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) was measured as a self-administered scale for grading body pain at baseline, and on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7. Mean of pain score had a significant decrease trend in both gabapentin and placebo groups. Pain severity during the most of detoxification duration was significantly lower in gabapentin group compared with the placebo group. It is suggested that gabapentin may have an effective role in removing heroin withdrawal-related pain.