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Background Chemotherapy is one of the main systemic therapies for cancer, but often has significant negative effects on the physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual and social aspects of patients' lives. Therefore, it is important for nurses to understand patients' experiences of chemotherapy to provide effective care and management. Aim To explore Iranian patients' lived experiences of chemotherapy. Methods Nine hospital inpatients who had undergone at least one whole course of chemotherapy participated in 14 in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analysed using a phenomenological approach and themes were generated. Findings Participants described a broad range of experiences of chemotherapy. They perceived chemotherapy as altering their lives; causing physical and psychosocial suffering; bringing about uncertainty, but also hope; and representing a crucial means of fighting cancer -- and, for some, a gift from God. Conclusion Being aware of the effects of chemotherapy on patients' lives is important in planning nursing interventions. Nurses need to develop strategies that will moderate the negative effects of chemotherapy, identify patients' support systems and potential sources of hope, and use these to assist patients in coping with the disease and its treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanoma is known as an aggressive tumor which shows an increasing incidence and poor prognosis in the metastatic phase. Hence, it seems that diagnosis and effective management (including early diagnosis, choosing of the effective therapeutic platform, caring, and training of patients for early detection) are major aspects of melanoma therapy. Early detection of melanoma is a key point for melanoma therapy. There are various diagnosis options such as assessing of biopsy, imaging techniques, and biomarkers (i.e., several proteins, polymorphism, and liquid biopsy). Among the various biomarkers, assessing circulating tumor cells, cell‐free DNAs, cell‐free RNAs, and microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as powerful diagnosis tools for melanoma patients. Deregulations of these molecules are associated with melanoma pathogenesis. After detection of melanoma, choosing of effective therapeutic regimen is a key step for recovery of melanoma patients. Several studies indicated that various therapeutic approaches including surgery, immunotherapy, systematic therapy, radiation therapy and antibodies therapy could be used as potential therapeutic candidates for melanoma therapy. Caring for melanoma patients is one of the important components of melanoma therapy. Caring and training for melanoma patients could contribute to better monitoring of patients in response to various therapeutic options. Here, we summarized various diagnosis approaches such as assessing biopsy, imaging techniques, and utilization of various biomarkers (i.e., proteins, CTCs, cfDNAs, and miRNAs) as a diagnostic biomarker for detection and monitoring patients with melanoma. Moreover, we highlighted various therapeutic options and caring aspects in patients with melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The rate of mortality in the perinatal period is considered one of the most important health indices in a community. Therefore, effective factors should be identified and appropriate strategies should be developed to maintain and enhance the health level of the neonates as a vulnerable group. Accordingly, the present study aimed to determine the rate of perinatal mortality in Semnan. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on perinatal death certificates at the neonatal department of Amiralmomenin hospital of Semnan University of Medical Sciences during 2016-2017. Based on the aim of the study, an anonymous self-administered questionnaire was developed and used. Results: The findings indicated that 55.9% of the newborns were premature. In addition, 89.1% of the infants weighed less than 2500 g. Further, 35.8% of the deaths were due to prematurity while 1.9 of them were related to a congenital anomaly. Finally, a significant relationship was found between the gestational age and causes of death (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In general, authorities are recommended to develop and equip maternity centers and provide access to experienced personnel in developing countries. Moreover, based on the findings, developing neonates care centers and having access to intensive care special for high-risk neonates are considered essential issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National Health Information Network (NHIN) is a network in which all healthcare organizations, government agencies and other health-related organizations are connected to each other in order to exchange information about health. Due to the necessity of a framework for NHIN development, in this paper, according to the literature review, a definition for NHIN framework was provided, and then the NHIN-related projects were reviewed in the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK), NHIN and National Program for Information Technology in the NHS (NPfIT), respectively. The Review of NHIN framework in the countries studied show some similarities and differences in each dimension that are discussed in this framework. NHIN guiding principles in the NHS NPfIT were not regarded or were considered incomplete, compared to the US. NHIN architecture in the US is decentralized while it is centralized in the UK. Based on the review of NHIN framework, these two countries represent important points that can be used in many other countries. However, it can be said that the development of NHIN not only means the implementation of national system or systems, or the binding of local health information systems, but it also needs to build on a framework in which many of the issues related to the formation of NHIN would be considered, including the cooperation between government, private sector and stakeholders with regard to local, national and international needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new current-fed zero-current switching (ZCS) three-phase dc–dc converter topology is proposed in this paper. The converter architecture consists of a current-fed three-phase three-leg IGBT bridge, three single-phase high-frequency transformers with star-connected primary, and three single-phase rectifier bridges. Each secondary winding of the high-frequency transformer forms the input for single-phase rectifier bridges at the output. The parallel-connected outputs of these bridges supply the desired load. The three-leg IGBT-based primary bridge is modulated with constant frequency phase-shift pulse width modulation technique. ZCS for all the primary IGBTs is achieved with the aid of transformer leakage inductance, small auxiliary ac capacitors connected in parallel to secondary side of single-phase transformers and modulation scheme. Detailed operation with converter design and analysis are discussed. Digital simulation and experimental test results on a laboratory prototype are presented to investigate the converter design and operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Artificial intelligence has recently shown remarkable success in analyzing medical images due to the rapid expansion of deep learning algorithms. Objective: Researchers in this study aimed to provide accurate diagnosis and classification of acute lymphoblastic leukemia by processing microscopic. This diagnosis approach is based on deep learning, which is the core of the clinical decision system. Material and Methods: A large number of pathological images related to acute lymphoblastic leukemia and healthy cells are chosen. The dataset CodaLab competition included 12,528 images of 4,037 healthy cells and 8,491 leukemic cells. Extracted critical features were used to classify acute lymphoblastic leukemia and healthy cells by a pre-trained network, i.e., VGG 16. From the total number of images, 80% (10022 numbers) were used as training data and 20% (2506 numbers) as test data. The activation for all layers except the last layer was the ReLU function. Adam was selected for the optimization function with a learning rate of 0.0001. The intelligent diagnostic system was created using the Java programming language. Results: The training accuracy of the VGG-16 is 97.41%, and the validation accuracy is 84.62%. Precision, recall, and F-measure related to leukemia class are 0.88, 0.91, and 0.90, respectively. VGG-16 was used as the processing core in the decision support system. Conclusion: This system in medical centers is helpful for purposes such as timely diagnosis, reducing patient hospital stay and treatment costs, and improving the patient referral system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Software requirements are features that a software system must have in order to meet the needs and solve a specific problem for which the software was developed. Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify the requirements and capabilities of a telemedicine system that is used to provide treatment plans for breast cancer patients. Material and Methods: This qualitative study was conducted with the participation of oncology specialists active in breast cancer treatment (n=12) and faculty members of health information management (n=4) and medical informatics (n=4). Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Functional requirements were one of the main themes, which were grouped into six main categories, including basic requirements for all users, requirements specific for system administrator, requirements specific for physicians involved in providing a treatment plan to patients, requirements specific for residents, requirements specific for patients, and communication with other information systems. Also, non-functional requirements were grouped into five main categories, including security and privacy, usability, reliability and supportability, integrity, and efficiency. Conclusion: Software requirements are a complex combination of the needs of different people at different levels of an organization and the environment in which the system must be implemented. During the requirements engineering process, the development team must interact with the stakeholders of the system in order to identify the exact and complete requirements of the software system. Therefore, stakeholders and end users of the system play an important role in identifying system requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor eating habits and unhealthy nutrition is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases and a major threat to the current and future health of children and adolescents. Therefore, it seems necessary to use new and technology-based solutions in order to improve people's diet. Objective: Today, the use of digital technologies by nutritionists and their clients is increasing. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to investigate the roles and effectiveness of digital health-based interventions in diet and nutrition issues in children and adolescents. Material and Methods: In this narrative review study, the keywords "ehealth", "digital health", "mobile health", "Telemedicine", "Telehealth", "nutrition", "diet", "children" and "adolescent" in reputable databases including, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus to search and extract related literature with English language restrictions and no time limit. Results: The findings of the current research showed that various digital tools and technologies, including the Internet, computers, mobile apps, games, videos, social media, telemedicine, websites, and SMS text messaging have been used to develop practical digital interventions in the nutrition and diet field. The use of these technologies has led to an increase in awareness and self-monitoring, improvement of nutritional literacy, and change of attitude towards eating habits in children and their parents. Conclusion: Although there is considerable evidence on the effectiveness of using digital nutrition interventions, however, due to the heterogeneity in different studies, it is suggested that studies be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using these interventions in the long term period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Today, the use of digital games has increased in healthcare, and speech disorders are no exception. To ensure the effectiveness of these games in clinical settings, they must be evaluated and their results determined. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the methods and results of using these games in speech therapy. Material and Methods: Four databases, including Medline (through PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore were searched to retrieved related articles published until July 14, 2021 by keywords and Mesh terms related to "Game" and "Speech". Articles were included in this systematic review that developed and evaluated a speech therapy game for children. Results: After examining the abstract and title of 1133 articles, finally, 24 studies were included in this systematic review. This systematic review showed that the games designed in this field had been evaluated from the following three aspects: 1) evaluating the performance of the speech recognition system used in these games, 2) assessing the usability of designed games, 3) evaluating the effectiveness of the designed game with end users. The results of these evaluations have shown that the games designed in this field can increase entertainment, desire to continue treatment, and motivation in children. Conclusion: The use of digital games in speech therapy has great potential to make therapy sessions fun for children, thus increasing compliance with the treatments provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The most important factor in the survival of people in sudden cardiac arrest is the presence of a person trained to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately after the occurrence of it. Virtual reality (VR) is a new technology that has been used for education in many medical fields. This technology has been proposed as a powerful tool for improving CPR performance. Objective: This systematic review aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using VR in CPR training. Material and Methods: Four databases, including Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore were searched to retrieved related articles published until May 25, 2022. This systematic review was conducted based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) guideline. All randomized trials that investigated the effects of VR on CPR education were included. Results: After reviewing the titles and abstracts of 3,348 retrieved studies, 42 studies seemed to be relevant, and after reviewing the full text of the articles, finally 10 articles were included in this systematic review. The oldest study was conducted in 2013 and the most recent one was conducted in 2022. The results of this research showed that virtual reality was as useful as face-to-face training in 100% of studies. The most positive effects of VR included improving knowledge retention, people's performance in terms of chest compressions, participants' satisfaction, ease of use, usefulness, appropriateness, and learning outcome. Conclusion: VR has great potential in increasing people's skills in CPR training and can be effective in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): To optimize the extraction method using response surface methodology, extract the phenolic compounds, and identify the antioxidant and biological properties of Stachys parviflora L. extracts. Materials and Methods: Maceration and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) (4, 7, 10 min treatment time, 40, 70, 100 % high-intensity and 60, 80, 100 % (v v-1) methanol purity) were applied to obtain the extracts. SEM was conducted to provide the microstructure of the extracted plant. MICs (colorimetric assay), MFCs (colony diameter), total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, radical scavenging capacity and extraction efficiency were determined. HPLC analysis was applied to measure the existent phenolic compounds. Results: A quadratic model (4 min treatment time, 74.5 % high-intensity and 74.2 % solvent purity) was suggested as the best (TPC: 20.89 mg GAE g-1 d.m., TFC: 6.22 mg QEs g-1 d.m., DPPH IC50: 21.86 µg ml-1 and EE: 113.65 mg g-1 d.m.) UAE extraction model. The optimized UAE extract was generally more effective against Gram-positive microorganisms (MIC: 10-20; MBC: 10-40 (mg ml-1)) than Gram-negative ones (MIC: 40; MBC: >40 (mg ml-1)). Moreover, it (MGI: 2.32-100 %) revealed more anti-mold activity than maceration (MGI: <28.77 %). Explosive disruption of the cell walls, therefore, enhanced extraction yield by acoustic cavitation, was elucidated using SEM. Caffeic acid, tannic acid, quercetin, trans ferulic acid and rosmarinic acid were determined as the phenolic compounds in the optimized extract. Conclusion: RSM optimization was successfully applied for UAE from S. parviflora. The considerable antioxidant and biological properties were attributed to the phenolic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:The objective was to explore mothers’ experiences after assisted reproductive technology (ART).Background:The experience of mothering in women after assisstive reproductions has not been fully understood.Study design:An interpretive phenomenology approach was used to conduct the study.Participants:A purposive sample of nine mothers who had babies through ART participated in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews.Findings:‘Super-mothering’ was the main theme emerging from the data, describing mothers who wanted to be exceptional by performing all of their mothering responsibilities without fatigue or exhaustion and who were ready to do everything in their power to support the child. This theme incorporates four sub-themes: (1) over-care; (2) over-protection; (3) over-emotional investment; and (4) over-expectation of themselves and others.Conclusion:The challenge to be a mother through ART is a stressful phenomenon, particularly so for the majority who are also first-time mothers. Healthcare professionals need to consider the concept of super-mothering in trying to understand and care effectively for this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the world there is a growing consensus that students' rights must be protected, regardless of race, creed, color, sex, religion, and socioeconomic status. One of these rights is the educational equity. However, little is known about these phenomena in nursing education. The aim of this study was to explore the educational equity from the perspective of nursing students. A qualitative study was conducted. Thus, we purposefully recruited for in-depth interviews 13 nursing students (8 female and 5 male). All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed by thematic analysis approach to identify categories and themes. Four main themes emerged from the data: Fair Educational Opportunity, fair evaluation, attempts to combat discrimination, and employing qualified teachers. It is argued that educational equity should be developed in higher education. Principles of equity and students' rights may form the most basic rationale for all formal and informal efforts to extend the right of equal access to education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aim: The HIV infection is a serious health problem with major effects on various aspects of life. It is essential to understand the lived experiences of patients living with HIV/AIDS. The present study was conducted to investigate affected patients' lived experiences. Methods & Materials: This qualitative study was carried out using an interpretative, phenomenological approach. Nineteen patients with HIV/AIDS were selected using purposive sampling method. Field notes, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analyzed using the hermeneutic approach developed by Diekelmann (1989). Results: From 19 participants, 57.9% were males. Mean age was 39 years; 42.1% were single; 47.4% had CD4 counts less than 200 cells/mm3. The main emerged themes were as follows: 1) death way; 2) halo of worries; 3) hope to cure. Based on the final step of the Diekelmann approach, "being in state of hope and fear" was emerged as a constitutive pattern in patients living with HIV/AIDS. Conclusion: Patients with HIV/AIDS experienced fears, doubts, worries, hopes and many emotional challenges in different aspects of their lives. Caregivers should understand and comprehend the emotional states of the patients. Health care providers should design effective interventions to help individuals to cope with HIV/AIDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]