Background:Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin are two acute phase reactants. CRP may be related to metabolic syndrome and ferritin which in turn could cause resistance to insulin and dysfunction of b cells of pancreases. The aim of the study was the evaluation of the relationship of these two acute phase reactants with some indices of diabetic control.Materials and Methods:In a quasi-experimental study, 67 patients with type 2 diabetes, serum CRP, ferritin, Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), post prandial BS, Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), triglyceride, Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were checked before and 3 months after the control of hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia.Results:The mean age of the patients was 56.5 ± 9.7 (30 to 82) years. There was no significant difference between CRP before and after study; however, serum ferritin significantly decreased after study with control of hyperglycemia. FBS, 2 hours post-prandial blood sugar (2hppBS), HbA1c and triglyceride of patients decreased significantly after control of hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia (P < 0.05); however, HDL and LDL cholesterol didn’t change (P > 0.05).Conclusion:Based on our results, serum ferritin decreased after decline of patients’ blood sugar, so might be we used it as one of the diabetes control indices for diabetic patients.

Background: Lateral epicondylitis (LE) is a common musculoskeletal disorder. Although varieties of modalities have been proposed for its treatment, the outcomes are uncertain, and the responses would diminish early by the time passage. The current study was aimed to assess the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) merely and in combination with topical corticosteroid for the treatment of LE. Materials and Methods: In the current double-blinded randomized clinical trial, 70 patients with the diagnosis of LE were randomly allocated to two intervention groups of ESWT merely (control group) (n=35) or ESWT plus topical corticosteroid (intervention group) (n=35). The ESWT was performed weekly for three weeks. Topical clobetasol was utilized within 30 minutes before ESWT for the intervention group, while Vaseline gel was used in a similar pattern for controls. Pain based on a visual analog scale (VAS), handgrip strength (HGS) and the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) were assessed for the patients before the intervention, following the intervention cessation, and within two months post-intervention. Results: Statistically significant improvement was found following both interventions in terms of pain, HGS, and function (P-value0.05). Conclusion: The findings of our study are in favor of ESWT use either merely or in combination with topical steroids for the treatment of LE, while the comparison of the two techniques revealed insignificant differences. [GMJ.2020;9:e1791]

BackgroundNurses' clinical education is critical in their empowerment process. Due to the extraordinary sensitivity of special wards, nurse training, especially for novices, appears to be more necessary and critical. The present study aimed at determining how triple-lumen flushing training based on the guideline affected the capacity of nurses in Namazi Hospital's pediatric intensive care unit.Methods The current study was a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test study conducted in December 2020 until April 2021 on 60 nurses working in the pediatric intensive care units of Namazi Hospital in Shiraz. The samples were counted and divided into two groups of 25 people using the census method. At the beginning of the study, all participants took a pre-test, and then one of the groups was chosen randomly and trained for 10 one-hour sessions based on the revised guidelines of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences professors of Nursing and Cardiology. The training was both theoretical and practical in nature. A four-choice test, a performance checklist, and a valid and reliable attitude questionnaire were used to evaluate the effect of empowerment training in changing the behavior of both intervention and control groups after two weeks. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 23 using descriptive and inferential statistical methods.Results Data analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in knowledge, skills, and attitudes between the intervention and control groups, with a statistically significant coefficient (p 0.000). There is a positive and significant correlation between nurses' clinical knowledge and their clinical skills (r = 0.290, p = 0.041). In other words, nurses' clinical skills have improved in parallel with their clinical knowledge. Furthermore, there is no significant correlation between nurses' attitudes and their level of clinical knowledge (r=0.066, p = 0.650). After the intervention, there is no significant correlation between nurses' attitudes and their level of clinical skills (r=0.030, p= 0.836).Conclusion The current study's findings revealed that the educational intervention of triple-lumen flushing based on the designed guideline has significantly contributed to the excellence and promotion of knowledge, and as a result, the ability of nurses. Developing and implementing guidelines can improve nurses' abilities in specialized areas, particularly in special care.