Background: Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses from the Coronaviridae family. Not only do the coronaviruses disrupt patients' lives, but they also affect caregivers. This study aimed to assess the burden of family caregivers of COVID-19 patients discharged from a hospital in eastern Iran. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 210 family caregivers of COVID-19 inpatients and outpatients. A total of 210 COVID-19 patients referred to 22nd-Bahman Hospital of Khaf from March 2020 to June 2020 were selected via simple randomization. Data were collected using the Zarit caregiver burden scale and a demographics form. Results: The care burden scores were 83.2% and 80.9% in the family caregivers of inpatients and outpatients, respectively, indicating the severity of care burden for COVID-19 patients. The mean scores of objective, subjective, and subjective-objective caregiver burden were significantly higher in male family caregivers and caregivers of inpatients than in female caregivers and caregivers of outpatients [p <0.01]. Conclusion: The high objective, subjective, and subjective-objective caregiver burden in family caregivers is an alarm for mental health policy-makers. Therefore, healthcare managers need to consider plans and measures to reduce the care burden of family caregivers of COVID-19 patients.

Metastasis of tumor cells is a complex challenge and significantly diminishes the overall survival and prognosis of cancer patients. The epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a well‐known mechanism responsible for the invasiveness of tumor cells. A number of molecular pathways can regulate the EMT mechanism in cancer cells and nuclear factor‐kappaB (NF‐κB) is one of them. The nuclear translocation of NF‐κB p65 can induce the transcription of several genes involved in EMT induction. The present review describes NF‐κB and EMT interaction in cancer cells and their association in cancer progression. Due to the oncogenic role NF‐κB signaling, its activation enhances metastasis of tumor cells via EMT induction. This has been confirmed in various cancers including brain, breast, lung and gastric cancers, among others. The ZEB1/2, transforming growth factor‐β, and Slug as inducers of EMT undergo upregulation by NF‐κB to promote metastasis of tumor cells. After EMT induction driven by NF‐κB, a significant decrease occurs in E‐cadherin levels, while N‐cadherin and vimentin levels undergo an increase. The noncoding RNAs can potentially also function as upstream mediators and modulate NF‐κB/EMT axis in cancers. Moreover, NF‐κB/EMT axis is involved in mediating drug resistance in tumor cells. Thus, suppressing NF‐κB/EMT axis can also promote the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents.

Abstracts Background The widespread prevalence of COVID-19 has disrupted the social life, physical function, and daily activities of patients, leading to reduced quality of their lives. Because of the nature of this disease and its comprehensive impact on patients’ lives, a follow-up based on the conditions of these patients is necessary. This study was conducted to determine the impact of nurse education and telephone follow-up (telenursing) on the quality of life of COVID-19 patients. Methods This quasi-experimental study included 120 COVID-19 patients discharged from 22nd-Bahman Hospital in Khaf city and was conducted over 6 months from July 20, 2020, to December 20, 2020. The participants were selected by convenience sampling method and were assigned into two matching groups. The training was delivered through telenursing based on the quality of life criteria for 1 month in the intervention group. The controls did not receive any intervention. Both groups completed the 36-item SF health survey before and 1 month after the intervention. Results The two groups were not significantly different regarding the quality of life mean scores at baseline (p = 0.61). However, after the intervention, the mean and standard deviation of the total life quality score was significantly different between the control and intervention groups (63.62 ± 3.93 versus 72.62 ± 3.51, p <0.001). Conclusions Telenursing improves the life quality of COVID-19 patients. Through appropriate policies, health managers may put on the agenda the implementation of telenursing for COVID-19 patients.

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Background: This study aimed to determine the current status of respect for the human dignity of mothers and newborn from the perspective of women who have given birth. Providing health services with respect for the human dignity of the mother and the newborn can boost the mother's self-esteem, encourage her to become pregnant in the future, and may also strengthen her confidence in the medical system. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out through a census of 384 women who gave birth in Khaf's 22nd Bahman Hospital, eastern Iran, in 2022. A researcher-developed questionnaire was used to collect data, which were then analyzed in SPSS-22 using one-sample t and multiple linear regression. The significance level was established at p <0.05. Results: Communication with respect (2.98 ± 0.53) and respect for individual autonomy (2.94 ± 0.54) ranked highest and lowest, respectively, among the components of respect for the mother and newborn's human dignity. From the perspective of women who had given birth, respect for the human dignity of the mother and newborn in general, as well as the components of respect for personal privacy and communication with respect, were at a moderate level, whereas respect for individual autonomy was below average. Conclusion: The below-average score of the component of respect for individual autonomy and, finally the average level of respect for the human dignity of the mother and newborn necessitates that managers prioritize promoting these concepts in the provision of health services through practical programs.

Aim: This study sought to identify barriers to COVID-19 vaccination uptake among the general population in Khaf, eastern Iran. Background: The sudden emergence of COVID-19 reaffirmed that prevention is preferable to treatment. It is difficult to achieve the goal of widespread COVID-19 vaccination if the general population is reluctant to be vaccinated against it. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional analysis of 412 individuals over the age of 18 who were selected via convenience sampling from the general population in 2022. A researcher-made questionnaire was utilized to collect information regarding COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy from the target population over the phone. The questionnaire covered three domains: personal reasons, concerns about the vaccine, and concerns about the Ministry of Health's performance. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS version 22 statistical software using one-sample t-test and multiple linear regression. The level of significance was established at p <0.05. Results: This study examined 133 females and 279 males. The highest mean score of COVID-19 vaccination reluctance was associated with the performance of the Ministry of Health (3.77 ± 0.79) and the lowest with personal reasons (2.51 ± 0.57). Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccination reluctance was associated more with the performance of the Ministry of Health and the nature of the COVID-19 vaccine. Hence, the Ministry of Health must intervene directly to ensure the success of public vaccination by informing people about the vaccine and alleviating mistrust in society.

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