Pharmacists are routinely providing reproductive health counseling in community pharmacies, but studies have revealed significant deficits in their competencies. Therefore, continuing pharmacy education (CPE) could be utilized as a valuable modality to upgrade pharmacists' capabilities. A randomized controlled trial was designed to compare the efficacy of CPE meetings (lecture based vs. workshop based) on contraception and male sexual dysfunctions. Sixty pharmacists were recruited for each CPE meeting. Small group training using simulated patients was employed in the workshop-based CPE. Study outcomes were declarative/procedural knowledge, attitudes, and satisfaction of the participants. Data were collected pre-CPE, post-CPE, and 2 months afterward and were analyzed using repeated measure analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U test. Results showed that lecture-based CPE was more successful in improving pharmacists' knowledge post-CPE (p < .001). In contrast, a significant decrease was observed in the lecture-based group at follow-up (p = .002), whereas the workshop-based group maintained their knowledge over time (p = 1.00). Knowledge scores of both groups were significantly higher at follow-up in comparison with pre-CPE (p < .01). No significant differences were observed regarding satisfaction and attitudes scores between groups. In conclusion, an interactive workshop might not be superior to lecture-based training for improving pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes in a 1-day CPE meeting.

Objective: Delirium is one of the most common complications in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Delirium is a definite cause for more extended hospital stays, higher mortality rates, and possibly persistent cognitive decline in the future. Antipsychotics have been frequently evaluated as first drugs of choice, but the most appropriate, evidence-based treatment is yet to be discovered. This study aims to compare the efficacy of haloperidol and olanzapine in patients admitted to our toxicology ICU. Methods: This double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial was undertaken on 35 ICU admitted patients with delirium in Loghman Hakim hospital in Tehran, Iran. The diagnosis was based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) criteria for delirium, and clinical toxicologists included the patients according to the study’s inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients received either haloperidol or olanzapine based on computerized randomization. The severity of delirium was measured with the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS) scoring on days 0 and 3 of ICU-admission. Results: The total sample size was 35 in which 16 patients received haloperidol, and 19 patients received olanzapine. The doses of haloperidol and olanzapine were 3 mg three times a day and 5 mg three times a day, respectively. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics and the scores of MDAS between groups. Conclusion: Olanzapine and haloperidol have the same efficacy in the management of delirium in toxicology ICU-admitted patients. They can be interchangeably used for delirium treatment in these patients.

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The current paper is an attempt to scrutinize and shed some light on Caryl Churchill's play Cloud Nine (1979) with the application of Mikhail Bakhtin's theories of carnival and carnivalesque explicated in his celebrated book Rabelais and His World (1984) which presupposes a world in which the flouting of, and challenging authority along with disrespect for, and disregard of, what is deemed sacred and valued are vital and instrumental, where individuals are liberated from any restrictions imposed on them outside carnival, and are permitted to pursue what pleases them without the least fear of being castigated, oppressed or interrupted by authorities. The selected work, as argued in the subsequent sections of the present article, presents a world where authority and social constructs as well as conventions are all undermined and mocked. What is thought of as truth is, therefore, mocked, and the characters are no longer restricted by imposed rules and regulations. It, however, celebrates the subversion and calling into question of gender roles and demonstrates how restrictive and oppressive these roles can be, and what it is like when one is not circumscribed by societal constructions and expectations, and is given the opportunity to enjoy themselves in an unlimited way. In the first act, everyone stands in an already pre-defined position, as expected by the authorities, where no transgression is tenable, and no one seems inclined to go beyond them. The second act, however, is set in London in 1979 and women are no longer restrained by rules, and the characters as a result grow. In what follows, the words carnival and carnivalesque will be first fully defined and elaborated on, and then applied to Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine to illustrate the abovementioned claim.