Background: Health care is a demanding field, with a high level of responsibility and exposure to emotional and physical danger. High levels of stress may result in depression, anxiety, burnout syndrome, and in extreme cases, post-traumatic stress disorder. The aim of this study was to determine which personal, professional, and organizational variables are associated with greater perceived stress among critical care nurses for purposes of developing integrative solutions to decrease stress in the future. Methods: We conducted a correlation research survey using a cross-sectional design and an in-person survey method. The questionnaire consisted of 2 parts: (1) socioeconomic, professional, and institutional variables and (2) work stressors. Surveys were conducted between January 1, 2011, and December 1, 2015. Multistage cluster random sampling was utilized for data collection. Inclusion criteria were (1) age ≥18 years, (2) registered nurse, (3) works in the intensive care unit (ICU), and (4) willing and able to complete the survey. Results: We surveyed 21 767 ICU nurses in Iran and found that male sex, lower levels of peer collaboration, working with a supervisor in the unit, nurse–patient ratios, and working in a surgical ICU were positively associated with greater stress levels. Increasing age and married status were negatively associated with stress. Intensive care unit type (semi-closed vs open), ICU bed number, shift time, working on holidays, education level, and demographic factors including body mass index, and number of children were not significantly associated with stress levels. Conclusion: As the largest study of its kind, these findings support those found in various European, North, and South American studies. Efforts to decrease workplace stress of ICU nurses by focusing on facilitating peer collaboration, improving resource availability, and staffing ratios are likely to show the greatest impact on stress levels.

Background and objectives: With the increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, the global health apparatus is facing insufficient resources. The main objective of the current study is to provide additional data regarding the clinical characteristics of the patients diagnosed with COVID-19, and in particular to analyze the factors associated with disease severity, lack of improvement, and mortality. Methods: 102 studies were included in the present meta-analysis, all of which were published before September 24, 2020. The studies were found by searching a number of databases, including Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Embase. We performed a thorough search from early February until September 24. The selected papers were evaluated and analyzed using Stata software application version 14. Results: Ultimately, 102 papers were selected for this meta- analysis, covering 121,437 infected patients. The mean age of the patients was 58.42 years. The results indicate a prevalence of 79.26% for fever (95% CI: 74.98–83.26; I² = 97.35%), 60.70% for cough (95% CI: 56.91–64.43; I² = 94.98%), 33.21% for fatigue or myalgia (95% CI: 28.86–37.70; I² = 96.12%), 31.30% for dyspnea (95% CI: 26.14–36.69; I² = 97.67%), and 10.65% for diarrhea (95% CI: 8.26–13.27; I² = 94.20%). The prevalence for the most common comorbidities was 28.30% for hypertension (95% CI: 23.66–33.18; I² = 99.58%), 14.29% for diabetes (95% CI: 11.88–16.87; I² = 99.10%), 12.30% for cardiovascular diseases (95% CI: 9.59–15.27; I² = 99.33%), and 5.19% for chronic kidney disease (95% CI: 3.95–6.58; I² = 96.42%). Conclusions: We evaluated the prevalence of some of the most important comorbidities in COVID-19 patients, indicating that some underlying disorders, including hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic kidney disease, can be considered as risk factors for patients with COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, the results show that an elderly male with underlying diseases is more likely to have severe COVID-19.

Introduction: The outbreak due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is n global public health emergency and challenges psychological resilience. The central nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system are complex interacting systems. Cortisol has been implicated as the cause of a wide range of mental and physical health disorders; however, the impact ...

A number of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) adjunct devices have been developed to improve the consistency and quality of manual chest compressions. We investigated whether a CPR feedback device would improve CPR quality and consistency, as well as patient survival. We conducted a randomized controlled study of patients undergoing CPR for cardiac arrest in the mixed medical-surgical intensive care units of four academic teaching hospitals. Patients were randomized to receive either standard manual CPR or CPR using the Cardio First Angel™ CPR feedback device. Recorded variables included guideline adherence, CPR quality, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rates, and CPR-associated morbidity. A total of 229 subjects were randomized; 149 were excluded; and 80 were included. Patient demographics were similar. Adherence to published CPR guidelines and CPR quality was significantly improved in the intervention group (p < 0.0001), as were ROSC rates (72 % vs. 35 %; p = 0.001). A significant decrease was observed in rib fractures (57 % vs. 85 %; p = 0.02), but not sternum fractures (5 % vs. 17 %; p = 0.15). Use of the Cardio First Angel™ CPR feedback device improved adherence to published CPR guidelines and CPR quality, and it was associated with increased rates of ROSC. A decrease in rib but not sternum fractures was observed with device use. Further independent prospective validation is warranted to determine if these results are reproducible in other acute care settings. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02394977 . Registered on 5 Mar 2015.

The β-Secretase (BACE1) is widely studied to be particularly involved in amyloid deposition, a process known as the pathogenic pathway in neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, BACE1 expression is frequently reported to be upregulated in brain samples of the patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). BACE1 expression is regulated by BACE1-AS, a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), which is transcribed in the opposite direction to its locus. BACE1-AS positively regulates the BACE1 expression, and their expression levels are regulated in physiological processes, such as brain and vascular homeostasis, although their roles in the regulation of amyloidogenic process have been studied further. BACE1-AS dysregulation is reported consistent with BACE1 in a number of human diseases, such as AD, Parkinson’s disease (PD), heart failure (HF), and mild cognitive impairment. BACE1 or less BACE1-AS inhibition has shown therapeutic potentials particularly in decreasing manifestations of amyloid-linked neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we have reviewed the role of lncRNA BACE1 and BACE1-AS in a number of human diseases focusing on neurodegenerative disorders, particularly, AD.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel coronavirus infection that has rapidly spread worldwide, causing a pandemic. The main objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the prevalence of the most common symptoms and complications of COVID-19. All relevant studies on the clinical complications of COVID-19 have been identified by searching two web databases (i.e., PubMed and Scopus). Afterward, the relevant data were extracted from the selected studies, and then analyzed by the STATA (Version 14) random-effects model. The 30 studies selected for our meta-analysis covered 6,389 infected patients. The prevalence rates of the most common symptoms were as follows: fever: 84.30% (95% CI: 77.13-90.37; I2 = 97.74%), cough: 63.01% (95% CI: 57.63-68.23; I2 = 93.73%), dyspnea: 37.16% (95% CI: 27.31-47.57%; I2 = 98.32%), fatigue: 34.22% (95% CI: 26.29-42.62; I2 = 97.29%), and diarrhea: 11.47% (95% CI: 6.96-16.87; I2 = 95.58%). Moreover, the most prevalent complications were found to be acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with 33.15% (95% CI: 23.35-43.73; I2 = 98.56%), arrhythmia with 16.64% (95% CI: 9.34-25.5; I2 = 92.29%), acute cardiac injury with 15.68% (95% CI: 11.1-20.97; I2 = 92.45%), heart failure with 11.50% (95% CI: 3.45-22.83; I2 = 89.48%), and acute kidney injury (AKI) with 9.87% (95% CI: 6.18-14.25; I2 = 95.64%). In this study, we assessed the prevalence of the main clinical complications of COVID-19, and found that following respiratory complications, cardiac and renal complications are the most common clinical complications of COVID-19.