Depression is a complex mental health disorder with highly heterogeneous symptoms that vary significantly across individuals, influenced by various factors, including sex and regional contexts. Network analysis is an analytical method that provides a robust framework for evaluating the heterogeneity of depressive symptoms and identifying their potential clinical implications.

To investigate sex-specific differences in the network structures of depressive symptoms in Asian patients diagnosed with depressive disorders, using data from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressants, Phase 3, which was conducted in 2023.

A network analysis of 10 depressive symptoms defined according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines was performed. The sex-specific differences in the network structures of the depressive symptoms were examined using the Network Comparison Test. Subgroup analysis of the sex-specific differences in the network structures was performed according to geographical region classifications, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South or West Asia.

A total of 998 men and 1,915 women with depression were analysed in this study. The analyses showed that all 10 depressive symptoms were grouped into a single cluster. Low self-confidence and loss of interest emerged as the most central nodes for men and women, respectively. In addition, a significant difference in global strength invariance was observed between the networks. In the regional subgroup analysis, only East Asian men showed two distinct clustering patterns. In addition, significant differences in global strength and network structure were observed only between East Asian men and women.

The study highlights the sex-specific differences in depressive symptom networks across Asian countries. The results revealed that low self-confidence and loss of interest are the main symptoms of depression in Asian men and women, respectively. The network connections were more localised in men, whereas women showed a more diverse network. Among the Asian subgroups analysed, only East Asians exhibited significant differences in network structure. The considerable effects of neurovegetative symptoms in men may indicate potential neurobiological underpinnings of depression in the East Asian population.

Spiritual care is essential for the health and well-being of patients and their families, so nursing and midwifery students should have professional competency in this field.

The present study aimed to translate the Spiritual Care Competency Self-Assessment Tool for nursing and midwifery students into Persian and evaluate its psychometric properties.

This study has a methodological study design.

The present study was conducted from July 4 to November 19, 2023, at the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in west of Iran. The tool was translated into Persian using the forward-backward translation method. The construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with a total of 536 nursing and midwifery students. The internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Also, the reliability of the tool was evaluated using the test–retest method. SPSS version 26 and Lisrel version 8 software were used in this study.

Face and content validity was confirmed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results of EFA and CFA confirmed the tool with 4 factors and 28 items. CFA results indicated a well-fitting model (comparative fit index [CFI] = .97, Non-Normed Fit Index (NNFI) = .92, goodness of fit index [GFI] = .91, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .05, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) = .046). Pearson’s correlation coefficient confirmed a significant relationship between items, subscales, and the main scale. Also, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (.968) and test–retest (.867) confirmed the reliability of the Persian version of the tool.

The present study showed that the Persian version of the EPICC Spiritual Care, with 4 factors and 28 items, was suitable for validation and that its psychometric properties were acceptable according to COSMIN criteria. In general, the results showed that the Persian version of the EPICC Spiritual Care is a valid and reliable tool that students, preceptors, and educators can use in clinical settings as a practical way of discussing and evaluating spiritual care competency in Iran.

Rhinosinusitis is one of the most common reasons for a visit to otolaryngology clinics. Some patients are candidates for sinus surgery. Infiltration of 1:100 000 adrenaline in the pterygopalatine fossa was studied, with the aim of evaluating the effect on bleeding in the surgical field.

This double-blind clinical trial was conducted in 2021–2022 on 40 candidates for endoscopic sinus surgery. For each patient, one side of the pterygopalatine fossa was randomly selected to be infiltrated with a vasoconstrictor. Surgical field bleeding on each side was evaluated.

Blood loss was 35.8 ± 20.9 ml in the study group and 38.4 ± 23.7 ml for the control group, with no statistically significant difference between groups (p = 0.49). In addition, there was no difference between the two groups in terms of the surgical field based on Boezaart scores.

Although there are some recommendations on the usage of vasoconstrictors via the pterygopalatine foramen, debate remains.

To reduce Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related mortality and morbidity, widely available oral COVID-19 treatments are urgently needed. Certain antidepressants, such as fluvoxamine or fluoxetine, may be beneficial against COVID-19.

The main objective was two-fold: (i) to test the hypothesis that the prevalence of antidepressant use in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 would be lower than in patients with similar characteristics hospitalized without COVID-19, and (ii) to examine, among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, whether antidepressant use is associated with reduced 28-day mortality. Our secondary aim was to examine whether this potential association could only concern specific antidepressant classes or molecules, is dose-dependent, and/or only observed beyond a certain dose threshold.

We included 388,945 adult inpatients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at 36 AP–HP (Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris) hospitals from 2 May 2020 to 2 November 2021. We compared the prevalence of antidepressant use at admission in a 1:1 ratio matched analytic sample with and without COVID-19 (N = 82,586), and assessed its association with 28-day all-cause mortality in a 1:1 ratio matched analytic sample of COVID-19 inpatients with and without antidepressant use at admission (N = 1482) (Figure 1).

Antidepressant use was significantly less prevalent in inpatients with COVID-19 than in a matched control group of inpatients without COVID-19 (1.9% versus 4.8%; Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.38; 95%CI = 0.35–0.41, p < 0.001) (Figure 2). Antidepressant use was significantly associated with reduced 28-day mortality among COVID-19 inpatients (12.8% versus 21.2%; OR = 0.55; 95%CI = 0.41–0.72, p < 0.001), particularly at daily doses of at least 40 mg fluoxetine equivalents (Figure 3). Antidepressants with high FIASMA (Functional Inhibitors of Acid Sphingomyelinase) activity seem to drive both associations.

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Antidepressant use is associated with a reduced likelihood of hospitalization in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and with a reduced risk of death in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. These associations were stronger for molecules with high FIASMA activity. These findings posit that prospective interventional studies of antidepressants with the highest FIASMA activity may be appropriate to help identify variant-agnostic, affordable, and scalable interventions for outpatient and inpatient therapy of COVID-19.

None Declared

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), along with many academic institutions worldwide, made significant efforts to address the many challenges presented during the COVID-19 pandemic by developing clinical staging and predictive models. Data from patients with a clinical encounter at UIC from July 1, 2019 to March 30, 2022 were abstracted from the electronic health record and stored in the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science Clinical Research Data Warehouse, prior to data analysis. While we saw some success, there were many failures along the way. For this paper, we wanted to discuss some of these obstacles and many of the lessons learned from the journey.

Principle investigators, research staff, and other project team members were invited to complete an anonymous Qualtrics survey to reflect on the project. The survey included open-ended questions centering on participants’ opinions about the project, including whether project goals were met, project successes, project failures, and areas that could have been improved. We then identified themes among the results.

Nine project team members (out of 30 members contacted) completed the survey. The responders were anonymous. The survey responses were grouped into four key themes: Collaboration, Infrastructure, Data Acquisition/Validation, and Model Building.

Through our COVID-19 research efforts, the team learned about our strengths and deficiencies. We continue to work to improve our research and data translation capabilities.

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the food choice questionnaire (FCQ) and determine food choice motives among different study subgroups.

This cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered questionnaires, including socio-demographic information and body weight and height data. In addition, study samples were asked to complete the Persian version of the FCQ.

Educational and medical centres under the coverage of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran.

Study samples were 871 adults (60·5 % female) selected using a convenience sampling method.

Mean ± sd age and BMI were 33·4 ± 10·7 years and 24·3 ± 5·2 kg/m2, respectively. More than one-third of the study samples were overweight/obese (35·8 %). A nine-structure model including thirty-two items of the original FCQ showed acceptable fit indices as follows: χ2/df = 3·39, goodness-of-fit index = 0·905, incremental fit index = 0·92, comparative fit index = 0·92, root mean square error of approximation (90 % CI) = 0·052 (0·049, 0·055). Regarding food choice motives, the three most important motives for food choice ranked by study samples were sensory appeal, natural content and health, respectively. Study samples ranked ethical concern as the least important food choice motive.

These findings support the reliability and validity of the Iranian version of the FCQ. Additionally, results indicate the most important motives for food choice across various socio-demographic and weight status groups which can provide beneficial information for marketing practices in Iran and promote the food choices of Iranians.

Here, we are sharing our second report about children affected by Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). The aim of the present study was to update our knowledge about children with MIS-C. Furthermore, we tried to compare clinical manifestations, laboratory features and final outcome of patients based on disease severity, in order to better understanding of the nature of this novel syndrome.

This retrospective study was conducted at Children's Medical Center Hospital, the hub of excellence in paediatrics in Iran, located in Tehran, Iran. We reviewed medical records of children admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of MIS-C from July 2020 to October 2021.

One hundred and twenty-two patients enrolled the study. Ninety-seven (79.5%) patients had mild to moderate MIS-C (MIS-C without overlap with KD (n = 80); MIS-C overlapping with KD (n = 17)) and 25 (20.5%) patients showed severe MIS-C. The mean age of all patients was 6.4 ± 4.0 years. Nausea and vomiting (53.3%), skin rash (49.6%), abdominal pain (46.7%) and conjunctivitis (41.8%) were also frequently seen Headache, chest pain, tachypnea and respiratory distress were significantly more common in patients with severe MIS-C (P < 0.0001, P = 0.021, P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Positive anti-N severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 IgM and IgG were detected in 14 (33.3%) and 23 (46.9%) tested patients, respectively. Albumin, and vitamin D levels in children with severe MISC were significantly lower than children with mild to moderate MIS-C (P < 0.0001, P = 0.05). Unfortunately, 2 (1.6%) of 122 patients died and both had severe MIS-C.

Patients with MIS-C in our region suffer from wide range of signs and symptoms. Among laboratory parameters, hypoalbuminemia and low vitamin D levels may predict a more severe course of the disease. Coronary artery dilation is frequently seen among all patients, regardless of disease severity.

To assess the correlation of serum prestin level and audiological findings in adults with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Audiometry and serum prestin measurements were performed at study entry (T0), at day 14 (end of treatment, T1) and at day 30 (T2).

A total of 25 idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients and 25 healthy adults were included. The geometric mean prestin level in the case and control groups at T0 was 227.7 pg/ml and 130.5 pg/ml, respectively. The geometric mean prestin level in the case group demonstrated a downward trend at T1 and T2 (214.0 pg/ml and 180.1 pg/ml, respectively; p < 0.001). Of 17 patients with high baseline prestin levels (over 150 pg/ml), prestin levels tended to decrease in 11 patients, and 5 of them (45.5 per cent) showed good recovery.

The prestin concentrations increased in two-thirds of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Future work is recommended to determine the location of injury.