Assessment of questionnaires measuring quality of life in infertile couples: A systematic review

Background: Infertility has potentially inappropriate effects on quality of life in infertile couples. Various general and specific questionnaires have been structured for assessing different aspects of quality of life in infertile men, women, or couples. The present systematic review was designed to assess these questionnaires and also identify different factors affecting infertile couples based on the aforesaid questionnaires. Methods: The research strategy involved general and specific terms in relation to couples's infertility and their quality of life. A review was done for studies published from 1982 to 2012 that were indexed in Medline, ISI Web of Science and Scopus as well as abstract books on this subject. We also corresponded with the authors of the references in related studies for introducing more resources and references. Results: In all reviewed studies, different aspects of the quality of life in couples were evaluated including sexual, psychological, social, communicational, environmental, occupational, medical, as well as economical ones. In total, after initial screening of all studies, 10 general and 2 specific questionnaires were retrieved. Although no meta-analysis was found in the review, infertility had a negative effect on quality of life in couples. Conclusion: This study revealed that some general questionnaires such as SF-36 and WHO-QOL were mostly used for assessing quality of life in infertile couples and some specific questionnaires such as FERTI-QoL and Fertility Problem Inventory were rarely used. Thus, it seems that the evaluation of quality of life in infertile couples needs valid instruments for measurement

Truth and honesty in Albert Camus's absurd hero, Meursault

Many writers had already elaborated upon matters of truth and honesty, when Albert Camus characterized Meursault, the protagonist of his best selling novel The Outsider, as an honest man who ‘refuses to lie...for the sake of truth’. At that time, Camus had an international fame in the world of literature, and he explained the novel and his absurd hero, Meursault, in a preface to an English language edition of L’Etranger. Yet, some commentators and critics found Camus’ s explanation strange and reacted against his commentaries. Chief among them is Conor Cruise O’Brien who believes that Meursault of the actual novel is not the same that Camus characterized in the explanation of the novel. O’Brien points out that Meursualt of the story lies, and he is indifferent to truth. This paper is a critical examination of O’Brien’s and other critics’ commentaries which stand for and against Camus’s own commentaries on his absurd character, Meursault, to lead us to the heart of the matter of Camus’s understanding of terms such as honesty and truth. In doing so, despite the fact that Camus is the creator of Meursault, his commentary on Meursault is analysed next to other critics’ commentaries, and not as a dominant one

Adherence to Antihypertensives in Patients With Comorbid Condition.

BackgroundComorbidity has been noted as a potential barrier to proper adherence to antihypertensive medications.ObjectivesWe decided to investigate whether comorbidity could significantly affect adherence of Iranian patients with hypertension to their medication regimen.Patients and methodsTwo hundred and eighty consecutive hypertensive patients were interviewed in 4 cities of Iran. The 8-item Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-8) (validated in Persian) was used to assess medication adherence. This scale determines adherence by scores as lower than 6 (low adherence), 6 or 7 (moderate adherence), and 8 (high adherence). Comorbidity was considered as any concomitant medical condition, which necessitates the patient to take medicine for a minimum of 6 months prior to the interviews.ResultsThe most common comorbid conditions were ischemic heart disease (65 patients, 23.2%), diabetes mellitus (55 patients, 19.6%), and dyslipidemia (51 patients, 18.2%). Mean (± SD) MMAS-8 score in comorbid group was 5.68 (± 1.85) and in non-comorbid hypertensive patients, it was 5.83 (± 1.91) (P = 0.631). Mean (± SD) number of comorbidities was 1.53 (± 0.75) in low adherence group compared to 1.54 (± 0.77) in moderate/high adherers (P = 0.98). With increasing the number of comorbid diseases, the proportion of patients with high adherence decreased successively from 20% in those with no comorbid disease to 14.1% in those with one or two comorbid conditions, and finally 11.1% in those with 3 to 5 comorbid conditions.ConclusionsWith increasing the number of comorbid conditions, the proportion of patients with high adherence decreases. In our opinion, this finding is a useful clinical note for healthcare providers when managing patients with hypertension who have other medical problems at the same time

New Measures for Predicting Birth-Related Pelvic Floor Trauma.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to establish the predictive role of obstetric variables for obstetric outcomes and birth related levator ani muscle (LAM) trauma. METHODS: In this prospective study, women underwent 3-dimensional pelvic floor ultrasound at their first appointment at 36 weeks and also 3 months postpartum. The measurements included minimal levator hiatus circumference (MLHC) and the ratio of fetal head circumference to MLHC = head-induced stretch ratio (HISR) as an indicator of the discrepancy between passage and passing canal. To derive the true impact of baby's mass on the levator ani musculature, we devised the levator ani stretch ratio (LASR), which was calculated by multiplying the HISR and the baby's weight. RESULTS: Data set of 173 women was available for analysis. Mean HISR and LASR values were statistically different across all binary outcome categories, with 1 exception for HISR and levator ani injury. The odds ratios for LASR indicated positive and statistically significant associations with all obstetric outcomes examined. The probability of the LASR correctly classifying those with the adverse obstetric outcome, as estimated by the area under the curve, ranged from 0.64 to 0.80 with the strongest discriminatory ability observed for severe LAM trauma. CONCLUSIONS: Fetal head circumference/mother MLHC ratio (HISR) is associated with longer length of second stage of labor, assisted delivery, and increased severity of perineal trauma. Similar associations were observed for LASR, but in addition, LASR had good discriminatory ability to identify severe LAM trauma

Gesturality: An Ethico-Aesthetic of Anxiety in Late Photography

   By examining the iconised photographs of the COVID-19 pandemic, published under the heading of The Great Empty by the New York Times in March 2020, this article explores the aesthetic operations and ethical implications of representing anxiety through photographing desolate landscapes. To do so, it situates these images within the genre of late photography, also known as aftermath photography, to discuss how emptiness can function as a surrogate for anxiety. First, by foregrounding the unique temporality of the landscape genre in photography, it examines the aesthetic dimension of seeing deserted places in photographs. By shifting its focus from the image to its caption, it then discusses how the caption of such photographs can interpolate an ethical dimension onto them. Finally, by drawing on Giorgio Agamben’s philosophy of “gesture,” the article puts forward that the combination of aestheticized photographs with ethicised captions in The Great Empty expresses anxiety as a mode of gesturality: a sui generis communicational mode that simultaneously galvanizes and paralyzes the viewer.&nbsp

Could Brand Tribes Facilitate Transformation of Their Members?

This research aims to determine whether brand tribes could provide their members with transformational benefits. It investigates, for one of the first times, the link between two key concepts of brand tribalism and customer-level transformation. By looking closely at the individual-level outcomes of joining brand tribes, this research complements a large body of past research that has mostly emphasized collective nature of tribalism. We conducted a self-administered online targeted survey undergraduate and graduate students of a large North-American university about their preferred brand of smart phone. The results, brand tribalism was found to be a major antecedent of transformational experiences in customers

3-(4-Bromo­anilino)-3-(4-chloro­phen­yl)-1-phenyl­propan-1-one

The asymmetric C atom in the title compound, C21H17BrClNO, is in a slightly distorted tetra­hedral environment and the NH unit adopts a gauche orientation with respect to the CO group. In the crystal, pairs of inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds form centrosymmetric dimers