Electronic Physician

Background: Investing in adolescent health is one of the most important interventions in the health system. Accordingly, health-promoting schools organize their policies, methods, infrastructures, and activities towards protecting and promoting the health and well-being of the students, teachers, directors, authorities and society as a whole. Objective: To study the health policies of schools in the southeast of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on all governmental high schools (113 schools) which were enrolled by census sampling method in January 2017, in Zahedan, in the southeast of Iran...

Background: Positive Mental Health (PMH) enables people to cope with the common stresses of life and adversity to achieve their full potential and humanity. In many communities, promoting PMH via prioritized interventions has been considered as a key component of public health policies to optimize mental well-being. Objective: To set the priorities of interventional programs of Iranian PMH promotion according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Priority Public Health Condition (PPHC) analytical framework...

Background: The central veins' catheterization, required in critically ill patients, is more successful in larger veins. Some researchers hypothesized that hand preference might be associated with larger ipsi/contra central veins. Objective: To determine the diameter and depth of internal jugular and subclavian veins on both sides and its association with left- or right-handedness. Methods: This cross-sectional study, was conducted on patients referring for elective breast or thyroid check-up to Shahid Faghihi Hospital ultrasound unit, Shiraz, Iran, from September 2014 to May 2015...

Background: The educational environment is an essential component of student learning. Study of the educational environment is crucial to provision of a learning quality, student-centered program for nursing and midwifery fields. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the associations between baccalaureate nursing and midwifery students' perceptions of educational environment (SPEE) and grade point average (GPA), and comparison between students of nursing and midwifery field...

Background: Empathy is one of the essential components of physician-patient relationship that has a significant effect on treatment outcomes. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the empathy score among medical students in Mashhad, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study in 2015, 624 medical students at Mashhad University of Medical Science (Iran) completed the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE). Data were analyzed by SPSS ver...

Background: Increased subcutaneous fat thickness and depth of target organs in over-obese patients, results in weak signals and inadequate images. Tissue harmonic imaging has been used widely in obese patients and is believed to result in higher quality images. This superiority is not proved in modern machines with improved image quality in conventional mode. Objective: To compare the image quality between conventional and tissue harmonic ultrasound images. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from March 2015 to June 2016...

Background: Textile wastewater contains a significant amount of bio dye compounds including Reactive Black 5 (RB5) as an Azo dye that causes serious damage to the environment and aquatic life in receiving water resources. It is estimated that approximately 15% of the dyestuff is discharged into water bodies and 50% of those are Azo dyes. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of combining electrocoagulation and bio-adsorption methods using the active carbons from Kenya tea waste to remove RB5 from aquatic solutions...

Background and aim: Academic engagement is an important indicator of quality of higher education. This study aimed to explain the experiences of undergraduate nursing students in terms of student-related factors affecting academic engagement. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2017 at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 7 and 16 undergraduate nursing students at Mashhad School of Nursing and Midwifery; respectively...

Background: Subjective accounts of divorce seeking individuals is a useful complement to sociological and psychological causes of divorce at both individual and community level. Regarding the increasing trend of divorce worldwide, the need for a questionnaire measuring subjective reasons of divorce is felt more and more. Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and validate perceived causes of a divorce questionnaire in Iranian society. Methods: This was an instrument development study that carried out in 2016, based on extensive literature reviews and interviews with individuals referring to "Family Intervention Centers to Reduce Divorce" in Kerman, Fars and Alborz provinces (Iran)...

Background: Sex preference is one of the cultural problems of countries in the field of demographic issues. It can increase the number of pregnancies, reduce the interval between births and delay in seeking prenatal care, which can threaten the health of mother, baby, child and family, especially in traditional societies. Objectives: To determine the role of ethnicity on sex preference of different ethnicities living in North Khorasan Province (Iran). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using a multistage cluster sampling method and a researcher-made questionnaire of reproductive behavior on 1,000 women from 5 ethnicities (Fars, Turk, Kurd, Turkman and Tat) in North Khorasan Province in the summer of 2016...

Background: Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy, and surgical resection is the only therapeutic option with pancreaticoduodenectomy being considered the standard of care. It is essential to take into account the patients' Quality of Life after the resection, in order to make more informed decisions about treatment options. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine perceived Quality of Life levels among patients who undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy, in a period of six months after surgery...

Background: Bullying and victimization behaviors are a serious problem for students, peers, parents, and school teachers. These behaviors usually persist and cause communication problems. Objective: To determine the effect of education based on the socio-ecological theory on bullying in students. Methods: This educational study was of the field-trial type, and carried out on 237 middle school students in Gonabad City (Iran), from September 2015 to May 2016...

Background: Despite advantages of normal vaginal delivery (NVD) and disadvantages of caesarean section (C-section) and the increasing C-section rate Iran, appropriate training is essential in reducing this trend. Optimism is one of the important psychological determinants which is a combination of positive desire and attitude in people. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of optimism training as well as training the benefits of natural childbirth on attitude and intentions to choose the type of delivery...

Background: Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) is a syndrome that negatively affects a person's Quality of Life (QOL). The efficient self-management education program increases the individual's abilities and skills for following and participating in a long-term healthcare plan. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the self-management education program on QOL in people with CHF. Methods: This randomized controlled trial study was conducted on 60 people with CHF and without sensory-cognitive problem from April-August 2015...

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis is one of the most common diseases affecting the quality of life of patients. Patients suffer from high costs in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Frequent recurrence and failure of therapeutic protocols are among the most important issues in the management of this disease. In view of this, the use of traditional and complementary therapies to promote the treatment of this disease has been increasingly taken into account. Objective: Comparison of the effectiveness of the Persian Medicine Protocol with the conventional therapy in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis...

Objective: The aim of this research was to examine the effectiveness of the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for body image flexibility and body awareness in these patients. Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted at Kashan University of Medical Sciences clinics in Kashan, Iran, from December 1, 2017 to March 30, 2018. A sample of 75 patients with psychosomatic disorders was selected by convenience sampling. The selected patients were randomly divided into three 25-member groups...

Background: Gastroparesis is a recognized problem of type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus that is defined by delayed gastric emptying. Due to insufficient satisfaction of current treatments, the use of complementary and alternative medicine in this field seems essential. According to Persian medicine, Pistacia atlantica gum has proper effect on gastrointestinal disorder specially stomach diseases. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Pistacia atlantica gum on diabetic gastroparesis symptoms...

Background: Investigating female adolescents' health status is essential because of their two-fold role within the health of the community and the impending generations' health. Objective: The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among teen girls in Southeastern Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 457 tenth grade female adolescents in four public high schools in Zahedan in Southeastern Iran, in 2015...

Background and aim: Nonmedical use of prescription drugs needs particular attention. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of prescription-type opioids, methylphenidate and sedative-hypnotics use, and related factors in university students. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 524 students of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences were selected by multi-stage sampling in 2016. A self-report questionnaire had been used examining substance use, religious beliefs and parental support...

Background: Single parathyroid adenoma is the commonest cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. Localization of the affected gland preoperatively is a critical step in management. Surgery is considered as the main line of treatment for single parathyroid adenoma. Focused technique for parathyroid excision was found by many researchers to have a good success rate even without intraoperative parathyroid hormone measurement. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, safety, and adequacy of focused parathyroidectomy via an open lateral approach using preoperative positive Sestamibi (MIBI) scan and/or ultrasound without utilizing any intraoperative aiding tools...