EXCLI Journal

Psychosocial factors associated with resilience among Iranian nurses during COVID-19 outbreak

2021-07-24T23:02:03+02:00

In the face of COVID-19, healthcare workers need to cope with the ongoing stressors at play and keep psychological distress at a minimum level. This study examined the psychosocial and demographic factors associated with nurse's resilience in the hospitals of Ahvaz that is one of the top cities infected with COVID-19 in Iran. The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 387 Iranian nurses in Ahvaz city. For data collection purposes, three online questionnaires (including Copenhagen Psychosocial, Demographic, and Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale) were distributed among the participants. The mean resilience score was equal to 61.8±14.8 for 387 nurses. Resilience had a statistically significant negative correlation with quantitative demand (r=-0.273, P<0.008), work pace (r=-0.262, P<0.011), emotional demand (r=-0.226, P<0.030), stress (r=-0.458, P<0.000), and burnout (r=-0.287, P<0.005). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that stress, job satisfaction, burnout and age were the main predictors of nurses' resilience during the (COVID-19) pandemic (R²=0.45). We identified psychosocial and demographic predictive factors that may contribute to greater resilience among nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings of this study can be used to implement psychosocial interventions to amplify the resilience of medical staff during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Correlation between gut flora and plasma lipid in hypothyroidism during pregnancy

2021-07-24T11:59:44+02:00

Objective:To investigate the correlation between gut microbiota and plasma lipid metabolites in patients with hypothyroidism during pregnancy.

Methods:Gut microflora characteristics was surveyed using 16S rRNA sequencing approach in 55 pregnant women (27 with hypothyroidism and 28 normal controls).Untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technology(LC-MS) was used to compare plasma lipid metabolite differences between the two groups of pregnant women,followed by Spearman correlation analysis between gut microbiota and plasma lipid metabolites and serological indicators.

Results:1.The levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) of pregnant women in the hypothyroidism group were elevated（p=0.018）, and for their children, neonatal head circumference and body length were decreased(p＜0.001). 2.The 16S rRNA and Prediction of flora function results indicated that the abundance of Prevotella, Haemophilus, and Roseburia increased,while that of Blautia decreased in the hypothyroidism group(p < 0.05),and the pathways of flagellar assembly and primary immunodeficiency in the hypothyroidism group were dominant. 3.There were 42 differential metabolites in these two groups(VIP>1.0, p<0.05),such as phosphatidylethanolamine(PE),phosphatidylinositol (PI) and sphingomyelin(SM),and 7 enrichment KEGG(Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) metabolic pathways of differential metabolites,such as glycerol phospholipids metabolism,autophagy,etc. 4.The abundance of Prevotella was positively correlated with CRP; Roseburia was positively correlated with PI; Blautia was positively correlated with SM and negatively correlated with PE.

Conclusion: The gut microbiota-host interaction may participate in the occurrence of hypothyroidism during pregnancy through inflammatory immune responses and lipid metabolites in the body. The interaction between Blautia and SM may be a potential target for further studies on the pathogenesis of hypothyroidism during pregnancy.

Prospects and challenges of growth factor-loaded electrospun wound dressings for diabetic wound healing: a review

2021-07-23T23:17:47+02:00

Impaired wound healing is of the conspicuous characteristics of diabetic mellitus disease. Reduced blood flow, poor immune responses, infection, endothelial dysfunction, elevated levels of reactive oxygen species, and metabolic disorders cause wounds to heal more slowly in these patients. Previous studies have reported useful impacts of growth factors in management of such wounds. However, due to their short half-life and the need for high dose in case of systemic administration, a suitable delivery platform with sustained release profile may boost their healing potential. Controlled and localized delivery of growth factors via electrospun nanofibers have been extensively explored in previous studies. The electrospinning method; although not new, has been proven extremely effective in developing advanced drug delivery systems due to their structural advantages, high encapsulation efficacy, tunability, and high surface to volume ratio. In the current review, careful integration of current research regarding the applications of growth factors delivery through electrospun fibers in diabetic wounds healing has been done. This review will not only give an insight into the current updates, but will also highlight the future perspectives and challenges.