Kidney disease and its related psychological costs have significantly increased in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Qur'an recitation on anxiety in hemodialysis patients. Sixty hemodialysis patients were randomized to either Qur'an recitation or a control group. Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was completed by patients at baseline and 1 month afterward. The intervention involved listening to the recitation of the Qur'an in traditional cantillation voice. The control group received no intervention. The data were analyzed using Student's t test and general linear models. Recitation of the Qur'an was effective in reducing anxiety in the intervention group, decreasing STAI score at baseline from 128.5 (SD = 13.0) to 82.1 (SD = 11.3), compared to the control group which experienced no change in anxiety scores from baseline to follow-up (118.3, SD = 14.5, vs. 120.1, SD = 14.4, respectively. Between-subject comparison at follow-up, after adjusting for baseline differences, indicated a significant reduction in anxiety in the intervention versus the control group (F = 15.5, p = 0.0002, Cohen's d = 1.03). Listening to the Holy Qur'an being recited is an effective intervention for anxiety in patients undergoing hemodialysis in Iran.

Patients with advanced renal failure often face considerable sociopsychological stress as a result of lifestyle changes due to the disease and its treatment. The aim of the present study is to examine the effect of the Holy Qur'an recitation on depressive symptoms in hemodialysis patients. In this clinical trial, 54 hemodialysis patients were randomized to either an experimental (n = 27) or a control (n = 27) group. Patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) at baseline and at 1 month after the intervention. Participants in the experimental group listened to recitation of the Holy Qur'an, while those in the control group received no intervention. The mean BDI-II score at baseline was 33.6 (±6.7) for the experimental group and 29.3 (±9.0) for the control group; at the end of treatment, BDI-II scores in the experimental and control groups were 14.5 (±4.8) and 31.6 (±9.2), respectively. Results from the repeated-measures general linear model controlling for baseline differences indicated a significant treatment effect (F = 9.30, p = 0.004, Cohen's d = 0.85). Holy Qur'an recitation has a significant effect on lowering depressive symptoms in hemodialysis patients. Holy Qur'an recitation is an easy-to-implement and cost-effective strategy that may be used to supplement the treatment of depression in this setting in Iran.

Background: Nurses routinely deal with anxiety. Thus, it causes several major problems for nurses and patients. This study was conducted to determine the level of situational anxiety in nurses.

Autism is a group of lifelong developmental disabilities with various genetic and environmental risk factors which is generally not curable. The proportion of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has risen over the past decade. Few studies have focused on vitamin D status of patients with autism. Therefore, this study was aimed to further investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and autism. In this short review, we discuss the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and ASDs. Our literature review yielded over 80 articles published since 2006 in the electronic databases of the Web of Knowledge, EBSCO, OVID and PubMed. As the results showed, no significant difference between children with and without autism regarding vitamin D serum levels was obtained. According to the controversial results on the correlation of vitamin D serum value and autism in children with ASD, it is necessary to conduct further studies in this field.

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between prayer attendance and general health among adult urban population in Iran. A total of 470 males older than 17 years, chosen by multistage sampling, were investigated. The results showed that people who did not perform prayers compared to those who said prayers on time and performed Nafilahs (supererogatory prayers) were 2.87 (OR 2.87, 95 % CI 1.23-6.70, p = 0.015) times at risk of general health problems. In conclusion, the findings show that increasing the degree of people's belief in prayer can lead to improve general health.

Introduction: Evidence suggests that end-stage renal disease (ESRD) significantly affects general health in the patients, causing their general health to be poorer compared to the general population. The Roy adaptation model (RAM) is the best one for ESRD patients. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effect of a RAM-based care plan on general health in hemodialysis patients. Patients and Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial conducted on 60 hemodialysis patients in Iran. The data collected using a demographic questionnaire and the general health questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). In the intervention group, the Roy assessment form was completed and the RAM-based care plan was then trained in four group sessions over 4 weeks. Individual sessions were also held if required and patients followed-up for 2 weeks. The control group received only routine care. At the end of the follow-up, general health was re-assessed in the patients. The findings were analysed using t test, the chi-square test and the McNemar test. Results: Despite observing no significant differences between the two groups in terms of general health levels before the intervention (P=0.530), the difference was significant after the intervention (P=0.028), since the mean score of general health decreased by 4.07 in the intervention group compared to before the intervention (P=0.003). The intervention significantly affected the subscales of somatic symptoms (P=0.013), anxiety and insomnia (P=0.006), social dysfunction (P=0.016) and depression (P=0.031). Conclusion: The findings suggested the positive effects of using the RAM on general health in hemodialysis patients. The RAM is therefore recommended that be used as a holistic care approach to improving general health in these patients

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Happiness is a positive internal experience and an indicator of mental health. Having happy and efficient employees is one of the ideals of healthcare organizations, given its impact on the quality of healthcare services. Emergency healthcare staff members face various unpleasant and stressful events. It has been suggested that fragrant herbs such as Citrus aurantium can have cheerfulness effects on individuals. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of Citrus aurantium aroma on the happiness of pre-hospital emergency staff. A randomized placebo controlled clinical trial was carried out on 167 prehospital emergency medical staff who were randomly assigned into two groups of aromatherapy and placebo. The participants received Citrus aurantium aromatherapy and placebo for five work shifts and for two consecutive weeks. Aromatherapy was performed using 10% Citrus aurantium scent applied via a pendant containing 1.5 cc of Citrus aurantium scent. The distance from the nose to the container was about 20 cm with the neck straight and the head in a balanced position. Data regarding staff happiness were collected using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, which were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean level of happiness did not differ between the intervention and control groups (p = 0.99). Work experience had a statistically significant inverse association with happiness (coefficient = −0.76, 95% CI: −1.49, −0.03). The findings of this randomized controlled trial indicate that Citrus aurantium aroma has no effect on the happiness of prehospital emergency medical services workers. There is a need to study the effect of a combination of complementary and alternative methods on the creation of positive psychological feelings among pre-hospital emergency staff.