Background: Surgical smoke generated during surgical procedures contains hazardous biological particles that can pose significant health risks to the operating room personnel. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study included 371 personnel from the surgical and anesthesia teams selected using census sampling. Subsequently, data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire assessing surgical smoke complications, which was developed based on a systematic review. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed and confirmed by a panel of13 qualified subject-matter experts and professors. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage) were used for quantitative and qualitative data, the chi-square test was applied to examine the relationships between quantitative and qualitative variables, and logistic regression was used to investigate the relationships between surgical smoke and demographic information using SPSS software version 26. Results: No significant relationship was observed between work experience and throat lump, pneumonia, and perception of unpleasant odor while a significant relationship was observed between work experience and other complications (P<0.005). This study found no significant relationship between occupation and sneezing, throat lump, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, emphysema, headache, watery eyes, and vomiting. Additionally, no significant relationship was observed between gender and foul hair odor, watery eyes, laryngitis, sore throat, throat lump, and pneumonia. The surgical team experienced more complications than the anesthesia team. The regression model revealed a direct relationship between surgical smoke complications and work experience, and an inverse relationship with education, type of occupation, and age. Conclusion: The prevalence of complications increased with increasing work experience, whereas higher education was associated with a reduction in surgical smoke complications. The surgical team experienced more complications than the anesthesia team. Implementation of protective measures such as proper ventilation systems, smoke evacuation, appropriate masks, and staff training is recommended.
Abstract Background: Maintaining the credibility and authenticity of nursing research is essential, as it directly impacts the quality of patient care. Given the increasing number of retracted articles in this field, the present study aimed to analyze the primary causes of retractions in nursing literature. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical survey evaluated 202 retracted nursing articles retrieved from the Retraction Watch database on January 5, 2025. Data were collected using a researcher‑made checklist and analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test and the Spearman’s rank correlation test in SPSS version 27. Results: The median time from publication to retraction was approximately 13.93 months, with a median of three authors per article. The highest proportion of articles was published in 2022 (52.97%), while the highest rate of retraction occurred in 2023 (approximately 59.40%). Research originating from China (about 70%) and articles published by Hindawi (62.87%) accounted for the majority of retractions. Furthermore, 69.8% of the articles were published in unranked journals. The most common reasons for retraction were inadequate or flawed peer review, plagiarism, policy violations, data fabrication, and invalid results. Conclusion: The high concentration of retractions in unranked journals and the prominent role of inadequate peer review indicate the need to revise peer review processes. Strengthening evaluation mechanisms and training researchers can help reduce misconduct and improve the quality of nursing articles.
Background: Iran is experiencing an increase in lifestyle-related risk factors among students, including overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, musculoskeletal problems, and high-risk health behaviors. Although healthis addressed in educational policies, current school-based health education is largely fragmented and theoretical, lacking a cohesive framework for cultivating self-care skills. This policy brief was developed to identify the existing policy gaps and propose strategies for integrating skill-based self-care education into Iran’s formal education system. Materials and Methods: This policy brief is based on a targeted, comparative evidence review grounded in an evidence-based policymaking framework. A comprehensive literature search was performed in IranMedex, MagIran, SID, IranDoc, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for studies published between 2021 and 2025. Google Scholar was used to identify relevant studies, supplementary citations, and gray literature. Additionally, national policy documents and reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and selected countries were reviewed for relevant information. Results: Findings reveal significant, persistent health-related risk factors among Iranian students and a substantial structural deficit in school-based self-care education. Existing education lacks a cohesive, longitudinal, and competency-based framework necessary to translate health knowledge into daily practice. Comparative analysis of models from Japan, Finland, and Australia shows that structured, skill-oriented, and school-based approaches can contribute to the promotion of healthy behaviors, health literacy, psychosocial competencies, and long-term health outcomes. Three policy options were identified: maintaining the status quo, implementing a pilot self-care program in select schools, or implementing a nationwide skill-based self-care curriculum. Comparative evaluation among the options identified the pilot implementation as the most balanced option in terms of feasibility, risk mitigation, capacity to generate local evidence, and cultural adaptability. Conclusion: The Iranian education system must transition from fragmented and primarily knowledge-based health curriculum to an integrated, progressive, and longitudinal approach focused on self-care competencies. However, given the limited direct empirical evidence in Iran and the contextual differences between international models and Iran’s educational system, immediate nationwide implementation of this policy under the current conditions remains premature. Consequently, adopting a phased and assessment-based approach offers a robust and pragmatic foundation for future decision-making and policy formulation.
Background: Immunomodulatory medications can induce adverse effects in patients. Because the comparative efficacy and safety of immunomodulatory medications in patients with Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) remains insufficiently characterized, this study aimed to evaluate and compare the clinical effects of different immunomodulatory medications in COVID-19 treatment. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, descriptive-analytical study evaluated 165 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2022. Demographic and paraclinical variables were compared among patients treated with baricitinib, tocilizumab, and high-dose corticosteroids. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 26, employing descriptive indices, post hoc test, chi-square, and analysis of variance. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 165 patients studied, 61.8% were discharged with partial recovery. Significant differences were observed across the treatment groups regarding initial oxygen levels (p = 0.001), lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.010), and the length of hospital stay (p = 0.029). The requirement for tracheal intubation was significantly higher in the tocilizumab (25.5%) and high-dose corticosteroid (25.5%) groups than that in the baricitinib group (5.5%) (p = 0.008). Furthermore, the mortality rate was significantly higher in patients receiving high-dose corticosteroids (40%) than in the tocilizumab (20%) and baricitinib (16.4%) groups (p = 0.007). Conclusion: Patients in the tocilizumab group presented with lower initial oxygen levels compared with the baricitinib and high-dose corticosteroid groups, and a majority of them were in critical condition. Overall, significant differences were found among the three interventions concerning initial oxygen level, lactate dehydrogenase, the mean length of hospital stay, and the incidence of critical clinical outcomes.
Background: Sleep disorders in infants significantly affect their physical and mental development. Since gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is known to affect sleep quality, this study aimed to investigate the factors associated with sleep disorders in infants with GERD. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted between 2024 and 2025 on infants under 12 months old diagnosed with GERD. Data were collected using a demographic information questionnaire and Infant Sleep Questionnaire (ISQ). Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, independent t-tests, and linear regression analysis using SPSS (version 27). A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 261 infants were screened and GERD was diagnosed in 75 (28.73%). Of the 75 infants, 54 (72%) had sleep disturbances (mean infant nighttime sleep duration: 7.9 ± 1.9 hours). Fourteen (25.9%, n=54) breastfed infants and forty (74.1%, n=54) formula-fed infants had sleep disturbances (p=0.008). Infants with GERD who had sleep disturbances had lower mean infant sleep score (45.9 ± 18.3, p < 0.001), parental perception of infant sleep (51.4 ± 21.4, p=0.004), and total sleep questionnaire score (53.13 ± 0.7, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Sleep disturbances were observed in half of the infants with GERD. Type of feeding, mean sleep score, parental perception of sleep, and total score of the sleep questionnaire were significantly associated with the occurrence of sleep disorders in infants with GERD.
