The results suggest that normal sperm have higher chance to bind HA and therefore, HA sperm selection procedure may select sperm with normal protamine content and low DNA fragmentation, but to confirm the effect of HA sperm selection on the ICSI outcome requires further studies.

Readiness to care for family, infant, and self are important during the postpartum period. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships of self-efficacy and postpartum depressive symptoms with functional status in randomly sampled Iranian mothers (n = 437). The study was cross-sectional and conducted in 2015. The mean (SD) of the total functional status score was 2.3 (0.2) out of a possible score of 1-4. The maximum and minimum scores in infant care were 4.0 and 2.2 and, in social and community activity, levels were 3.5 and 1.0, respectively. Significant inverse correlations were observed between postpartum depressive symptoms and total scores for functional status, self-care, and levels of social and community activity. A significant positive relationship was observed between self-efficacy and functional status and all of its subscales. In the multivariate linear regression model, postpartum depressive symptoms, nulliparity, and low income were significantly negatively related with functional status; maternal self-efficacy, having a spouse aged 26-35 years, high school diploma, lower educational level, and the spouse's job (shopkeeper) were significantly positively correlated with functional status. Early diagnosis and treatment of depressive symptoms and promotion of maternal self-efficacy may improve overall functional status of mothers in the postpartum.

Self-efficacy is an important indicator of a woman's successful transition to her maternal role and an important predictor of a mother's infant care behavior. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of the maternal self-efficacy scale in Iranian mothers. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 437 newly delivered mothers who were referred to health care centers in Bonab, Iran. A simple random sampling was performed. The research instrument included maternal self-efficacy. Translation validity was performed using the forward and backward translation method. Content validity was determined in qualitative (assessment of experts' opinions) and quantitative areas using the content validity ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI). Face validity was determined on 30 newly delivered mothers. To determine the construct validity, exploratory factor analysis was used. The reliability was determined in terms of reproducibility via Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) by test-retest and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). CVI and CVR were 0.91 and 0.94 respectively. Further, the reliability was approved both in terms of reproducibility (ICC = 0.98) and internal consistency (a = 0.89).Construct validity was confirmed using exploratory factor analysis (KMO = 0.90, Bartlett's test p \ 0.001) for the scale. The findings supported the validity and reliability of the research instrument. Therefore, it is recommended that the instrument can be used in both clinical practice and research.

BackgroundPain management after abdominal surgery is a critical issue in cancer patients undergoing laparotomy. Opioid analgesics commonly used postoperatively have significant side effects and can postpone restoring normal life. Administration of analgesics before the surgery by inhibiting pain cascades may be an effective method for more efficient pain control.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the effect of the preemptive use of oral pregabalin-acetaminophen-naproxen on pain control and morphine consumptions in cancer patients undergoing laparotomy.Patients and MethodsA total of 40 cancer patients scheduled for open abdominal surgery were randomized into the two groups. one group received combination of pregabalin 150 mg, acetaminophen 1 g and naproxen 250 mg (the PAN group) an hour before laparotomy. Following the surgery, morphine was administered on a protocolized schedule based on patients’ demand for pain control. Postoperative pain level was assessed using universal pain assessment tool (UPAT) at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours after the operation. The postoperative morphine dose and complications were noted. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.ResultsPatients in the PAN group had significantly lower UPAT scores at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours after the surgery than those in the control group (P = 0.008, 0.021, 0.008, 0.047, 0.004, 0.001, and 0.001). The mean dose of postoperative morphine consumption in the PAN group was 37% less than the control group (P = 0.001). The complications were not significantly different between the two groups.ConclusionsPreemptive use of pregabalin-acetaminophen-naproxen decreases intensity of pain and morphine consumption in the cancer patients after laparotomy without significant complications.

Recent studies have suggested that Mentha longifolia L. extracts (ME) have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. In this paper, we attempted to determine the effect of ME in a rat stroke model. Five groups of experimental animals were used (n=14); the first and second groups (control and sham, respectively) received intraperitoneal injections of daily-distilled water; the other three groups received 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day of ME for 21 days. Two hours after the last dose, each group was subdivided into a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) group operated for neuropathological assessment (neurologic deficit scores, infarct volume, brain edema, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability), and an intact subgroup for the assessment of brain and serum antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation, respectively. Pretreatment with ME resulted in a significant reduction in total infarct volume, brain water content and Evans Blue extravasation in the ischemic hemisphere compared with the control. ME in doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg/day increased brain antioxidant capability in comparison with the control. The antioxidant capacity of the serum in the 100 mg/kg/day group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain was significantly elevated in the control group in comparison with other pretreated groups. Moreover, ME in doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg/day reduced the MDA level in the serum. This study showed that intraperitoneal injection of ME reduced infarct volume, brain edema, blood-brain barrier permeability, as well as lipid peroxidation, and improved antioxidant power.