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Background: Breast cancer is a life-threatening condition affecting women around the world. The early detection of breast lumps using a breast self-examination (BSE) is important for the prevention and control of this disease. The aim of this study was to examine BSE behavior and its predictive factors among female university students using the Health Belief Model (HBM).Methods: This investigation was a cross-sectional survey carried out with 334 female students at Urmia University of Medical Sciences in the northwest of Iran. To collect the necessary data, researchers applied a valid and reliable three-part questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test, in addition to multivariate logistic regression statistics in SPSS software version 16.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).Results: The results indicated that 82 of the 334 participants (24.6%) reported practicing BSEs. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that high perceived severity [OR = 2.38, 95% CI = (1.02-5.54)], high perceived benefits [OR = 1.94, 95% CI = (1.09-3.46)], and high perceived self-efficacy [OR = 13.15, 95% CI = (3.64-47.51)] were better predictors of BSE behavior (P < 0.05) than low perceived severity, benefits, and self-efficacy. The findings also showed that a high level of knowledge compared to a low level of knowledge [OR = 5.51, 95% CI = (1.79-16.86)] and academic undergraduate and graduate degrees compared to doctoral degrees [OR = 2.90, 95% CI = (1.42-5.92)] of the participants were predictors of BSE performance (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The study revealed that the HBM constructs are able to predict BSE behavior. Among these constructs, self-efficacy was the most important predictor of the behavior. Interventions based on the constructs of perceived self-efficacy, benefits, and severity are recommended for increasing women's regular screening for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the chronic disease self-management program on empowering haemodialysis patients and their quality of life (QoL). A before and after interventional approach with no control group was designed. Based on convenience sampling, 53 patients were selected with respect to the inclusion criteria. First, the information required for evaluating the QoL of patients was collected using kidney disease quality of life instrument. Next, the self-management program was implemented. Three months later, the effects of the intervention were assessed using the same questionnaire. Results indicated that the average of total scores of QoL (general and specific domains) increased after the intervention (P = 0.000). The relationships between the QoL scores and socio-demographic characteristics were not statistically significant. Moreover, it was found that the intervention had no effect on cognitive abilities, social interactions, and sexual performance (P > 0.05). This article outlined an organized approach for applying project management principles to quality improvement in health system. The program will be useful if it is accompanied by other therapeutic and welfare actions and comprehensive supports of public and private charity organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a disabling psychiatric disorder with frequent recurrences. Besides pharmacotherapy, psychoeducation could be helpful in reducing symptoms as well as recurrence of this disorder, leading to improvement of patients' quality of life. This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of a culturally adjusted structured program for training Iranian BD patients. Method: In a 6-month course (spring and summer 2014), 24 BD patients, visiting the outpatient clinic of Ibn-Sina Hospital in Mashhad and experiencing euthymic phase, were allocated in to 2 groups of intervention and control. The intervention group received 8 sessions of psychoeducation in four weeks. Patients in the control group received the usual treatment. The patients were evaluated with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale, and Short Form 36 before the intervention and 4 weeks later, and the results were compared using independent t test. The patients were reexamined after 6 months for recurrence, hospitalization, treatment adherence, and visiting a psychiatrist, and were compared with patients in the control groups. Results: There was a significant difference in the intervention group in improvement in quality of life before and after treatment (p<0.003). In addition, the difference was significant between the 2 groups in the number of recurrence (p<0.001) and hospitalization (p<0.000) in 6 months. Conclusion: In addition to pharmacotherapy, psychoeducation of patients with BD can improve their quality of life and decrease the risk of disorder recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nowadays, some of the patients, such as the patients with tracheostomy are taken care of at home. The quality of life of these cases may decrease due to the appearance of changes, limitations caused by tracheostomy and improper care. Objectives: This research was performed in order to discover the effect of videotape for home instruction on the quality of life of tracheostomy cases. Patients and Procedure: A quasi-empirical research was carried out on 80 cases by a tracheotomy in Amir Elm Hospital and theImam Khomeini Medical Center in Tehran. Patients were randomized into two teams of invasion and check through the randomized block design method. At the time of discharge and after a routine training from the clinical staff, the two groups completed a questionnaire regarding the demographic information and the sf-36 quality of life. Then, the intervention team was given a CD containing the routine training for patient care to watch at home. After two months, the participants completed the sf-36 questionnaires again, and the data were entered into SPSS version 20. The information was investigated by using the statistical tests. Findings: The statistical investigation demonstrated that the comparison between the two groups after the intervention in the overall quality of life (p = 0.003) and all the concepts included: the physical role (p = 0.02), the mental role (p = 0.01), energy and fatigue (p = 0.03), motion health (p = 0.005), social functioning (p = 0.06), disorder (p = 0.001), common health percentage (p = 0.002) and physical functioning (p = 0.001) in the arbitration team, being higher than in the check one. Conclusion: Using the videotape education additionally to routine care has a significant effect on the improvement of the quality of life in these patients. Therefore, the use of this method is recommended as a complementary program for tracheostomy patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nausea and Vomiting due to chemotherapy are the most distressing side effects of this treatment in breast cancer patients. Apart from pharmacological factors, non-pharmacological factors including psychological factors such as emotions and emotion regulation have a significant impact on the incidence and severity of these side effects. Because emotion regulation is one of the main factors leading to different behaviors in different individuals in response to various situations, the aim of this research is the study of difficulties in emotion regulation as a predictor of incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods: In this is descriptive correlation study (Oct 2012-Feb 2013), 300 breast cancer patients referred to Reza clinic and Omid and Qaem hospitals in Mashhad were selected through available sampling. They completed Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and nausea and vomiting scale (MANE). To data analysis SPSS software, factor analysis and regression analysis were used. Results: The results of regression analysis showed that difficulties in emotion regulation can predict the incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients (P<0.01). Conclusion: Considering the findings, difficulties in emotion regulation can predict the incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether aftercare services reduced the number of rehospitalizations and length of hospital stay among patients with severe mental disorders. Methods: A total of 120 patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective or bipolar disorder between the ages of 15 and 65 were recruited from 2010 to 2012 for a randomized controlled trial. The participants were followed up for 20 months after discharge from a university-affiliated hospital in Tehran, Iran. The selection procedure was random sampling. Sixty patients received aftercare services, which included treatment follow-up, family psychoeducation, and patient social skills training, and 60 patients received treatment as usual. Number of hospitalizations and length of hospital stay were primary outcome measures, and severity of psychopathology and severity of illness were secondary outcome measures. The quantitative primary and secondary outcomes measures were compared by using repeated-measures analysis. Results: Three members of the control group did not complete the study. The cumulative number of hospitalizations during the follow-up period was 55 for the control group and 26 for the intervention group. Length of stay was significantly greater in the control group compared with the intervention group (rate ratio=2.38, 95% confidence interval=2.17-2.62). Psychopathology was less severe in the intervention group compared with the control group (p<.001). Conclusions: Aftercare services are efficacious for reducing both the need for rehospitalization and the severity of psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a quantitative structureproperty relationship (QSPR) study is developed for the prediction of gas to dimethyl sulfoxide solvation enthalpy (Δ HSolv) of organic compounds based on molecular descriptors calculated solely from molecular structure considerations. Diverse types of molecular descriptors were calculated to represent the molecular structures of the various compounds studied. Multiple linear regression (MLR) was employed to select an optimal subset of descriptors that have significant contributions to the Δ HSolv overall property. Our investigation revealed that the dependence of physicochemical properties on solvation enthalpy is a nonlinear observable fact and that MLR method is unable to model the solvation enthalpy accurately. It has been observed that support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN) demonstrates better performance compared with MLR. The standard error value of the test set for SVM is 1.731 kJ mol−1, while it is 2.303 kJ mol−1 and 5.146 kJ mol−1 for ANN and MLR, respectively. The results showed that the calculated Δ HSolv values by SVM were in good agreement with the experimental data, and the performance of the SVM model was superior to those of MLR and ANN ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This scoping review aimed to investigate the status of breast cancer (BC) preventive behaviors and screening indicators among Iranian women in the past 15 years. BC, as the most common cancer in women, represents nearly a quarter (23%) of all cancers. Presenting the comprehensive view of preventive modalities of BC in the past 15 years in Iran may provide a useful perspective for future research to establish efficient services for timely diagnosis and control of the disease. Materials and Methods: The English and Persian articles about BC screening modalities and their indicators in Iran were included from 2005 to 2020. English electronic databases of Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus, and Persian databases of Scientific Information Database (SID) and IranMedex were used. The critical information of articles was extracted and classified into different categories according to the studied outcomes. Results: A total of 246 articles were assessed which 136 of them were excluded, and 110 studies were processed for further evaluation. Performing breast self-examination, clinical breast examination, and mammography in Iranian women reported 0%–79.4%, 4.1%–41.1%, and 1.3%-45%, respectively. All of the educational interventions had increased participants' knowledge, attitude, and practice in performing the screening behaviors. The most essential screening indicators included participation rate (3.8% to 16.8%), detection rate (0.23–8.5/1000), abnormal call rate (28.77% to 33%), and recall rate (24.7%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated heterogeneity in population and design of research about BC early detection in Iran. The necessity of a cost-effective screening program, presenting a proper educational method for increasing women's awareness and estimating screening indices can be the priorities of future researches. Establishing extensive studies at the national level in a standard framework are advised [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raising cancer awareness among adolescents can increase their confidence in identifying cancer symptoms and develop healthy habits. This study tested the effectiveness of cancer education based on a new model among high schoolers. A non-randomized control group pre-post-test design study was conducted among 313 pairs of adolescent students and their knowledge-sharing partners in Lalitpur, Nepal. A baseline test was conducted before the education program, and it was followed up at two weeks and three months. Results were measured using a chi-square test, binary logistic regression, and a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. There was a significant interaction effect of intervention and time on students' knowledge, beliefs, self-esteem, and practice, along with a change in some scores of knowledge-sharing partners. Joint assignment supported the idea of diffusion of information within the family and in the neighborhood. The peer group discussion could encourage active learning and help students to participate visibly in problem-solving and reflecting more sustainably. Time constraints, lack of human resources, and support groups, might limit this program's usage; however, preparing guidelines, and connecting communities, organizations, hospitals, volunteer health workers, and survivors can help make it more sustainable and approachable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Nurses play an essential role in improving health‐related knowledge and self‐efficacy of patients through health education. This study aimed to investigate the effects of message‐framed informational videos on diabetes management knowledge and self‐efficacy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A quasi‐experimental pretest and posttest design with two experimental and one standard care comparison groups was carried out to examine the effects of the message‐framed videos. The two message‐framed informational videos were developed to provide health teachings about diabetes self‐care. The knowledge and self‐efficacy of the two video groups and lecture comparison group were measured before and after the intervention using valid and reliable instruments established by the authors. Results: After the intervention, the knowledge and self‐efficacy of the two experimental groups were significantly higher than the comparison group. No significant difference was found in the knowledge scores between the two experimental groups, but a significant difference was noted in the average increase in their self‐efficacy. Conclusion: Message‐framed informational videos can be effective in increasing the diabetes management knowledge and self‐efficacy, and a gain‐framed rather than loss‐framed approach can be superior in increasing self‐efficacy. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? The use of an informational video in providing health education to patients improves retention of information.Message framing may be used to provide health‐related information effectively regarding gains and losses of behavioural changes among patients. The majority of the literature has focused on the moderating effects of self‐efficacy on message framing.There is a dearth in message framing research in the nursing literature particularly in a patient setting with high risk for actual health problems like type 2 diabetes. Limited work has reported the magnitude of the effect of message‐framed videos on self‐efficacy. What this paper adds? Gain‐ and loss‐framed informational videos, created to provide health teachings about diabetes self‐care management, significantly increased the diabetes management knowledge of older adults with type 2 diabetes.Both message‐framed informational videos achieved a modest increase in diabetes management self‐efficacy of older adults with type 2 diabetes, but the gain‐framed messages were more effective than the loss‐framed ones. The implications of this paper: Nurses can use message‐framed informational videos to increase the diabetes management knowledge and self‐efficacy in patients with type 2 diabetes during health teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]