Enhancing self-efficacy in learning: the role of quiz creators and AI study apps

The Effectiveness of a Human Patient Simulator in the ATLS Shock Skills Station

Objectives • To assess the intensity of labor pain and outcome of labor among the control group. • To assess the effectiveness of ambulation on intensity of labor pain and outcome of labor among the experimental group. • To assess the usefulness of ambulation by opinionnaire among experimental group. • To compare the effectiveness of ambulation on the intensity of labor pain and outcome of labor among experimental and control groups. • To find an association between the intensity of labor pain with selected demographic variables. Materials and methods An experimental research approach was used for the study. Random sampling technique was used to allocate the subjects into experimental and control groups. Visual analog scale was used to assess the intensity of pain and observational check list was used to assess the outcome of labor. The study comprised of 40 primigravida mothers and they were grouped as experimental and control through randomization. One group received ambulation treatment, the other did not. The researcher then observed the groups to determine the effect of the treatment. Results The collected data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The intensity of pain revealed that 40% in the experimental and 55% in the control groups experienced severe pain. The labor augmentation revealed that both oxytocin and cerviprime gel was used for 30% in the experimental and 35% in the control groups. On the mode of delivery, majority of mothers (60%) had normal vaginal delivery both in experimental and control groups. On the duration of the first stage of labor revealed that 50% in the experimental and 20% in the control groups were between 10 to 12 hours. Second stage of labor revealed that majority were between 1 and 2 hours in both the control and experimental groups. The opinion of experimental group mothers on ambulation revealed that half of the mothers (50%) agreed for recommending the ambulation for their neighbors and friends and less than half (35%) of them have agreed for comfort during first stage of labor and 40% of them have agreed for ambulation should be made as a routine in labor room. In the experimental group, mean pain score (6.8) is less than the control group (7.5). The calculated Mann-Whitney Z-value (2.045) is greater than the Z α-value of 1.960 at 0.05 level of significance. In the experimental group, the mean duration of first stage of labor score (3.95) is significantly higher than the control group mean score (3.00). The mean outcome of labor in experimental group (13.95) is greater than the control group. Conclusion There was a significant difference in the duration of first stage of labor between the experimental and control groups. But, there was no significant difference in the overall outcome of labor between experimental and control groups. There was no significant association between intensity of labor pain with selected demographic variables. This may be because of small sample size. How to cite this article Savitha V, Nayak S, Paul S. Effect of Ambulation during First Stage of Labor on Labor Pain and Outcome of Labor among the Primigravida Mothers in a Selected Hospital, Mangalore. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2013;5(1):1-3.

Zmiany metylacji i oksydacji w próbkach DNA bydła bytującego w środowisku zanieczyszczonym metalami ciężkimi

The Effect of Education Based on the Health Belief Model on the Promotion of Sanitary Wastewater Disposal Behavior

The instructional-educational process in learning to swim plays a crucial role in children's development. Approaching methods and use in training practices of all ages and performance levels have been the subject of ever deeper research, so that the effectiveness of training in this area is increasingly visible. The issue of motivation in sports is a topical issue because it is essential for athletes' involvement and performance. Although material stimulation can be considered an important factor in motivating athletes, it is not necessarily enough to commit them to an extremely difficult and risky path, such as that of performance sports. Athletes' motivation stems from a complex combination of factors, including passion for sport, the desire to demonstrate their skills and talents, the aspiration to achieve personal and collective goals, and the desire to achieve recognition and satisfaction through sporting success. The purpose of the research is to identify the level of motivation for swimming and performance of children aged 9-10 years. Research method: the test Motivation for swimming of children aged 9-10 years (adaptation after N. Luskanova) The test was applied by the researcher in October 2022 to a number of 30 children aged 9-10 who practice swimming in the Tirgoviște Swimming Complex and CSȘ Tirgoviște Swimming Pool. Depending on age, we have, within the experimental group, 7 children aged 9 and 8 children aged 10. Within the control group, we identify 6 children aged 9 years and 9 children aged 10 years. We observe that the two groups are homogeneous, referring to the age variable. Regarding the gender of the subjects who are part of the group subjected to the experiment, we observe homogeneity in terms of gender, in each group there are 5 girls and 10 boys. The distribution according to the residential environment from which they come is as follows: from the experimental group 3 subjects come from the rural environment and 12 from the urban environment, and in the control group 1 subject comes from the rural environment and 14 from the urban environment The test results can be seen in Table 1. The difference between the values obtained between the experimental and control groups is not significant from a statistical point of view, since the values of the statistical indicators are close, we observe small differences between them.Table 1. Distribution of results on the Motivation for swimming test of children aged 9-10 years (adaptation according to N. Luskanova), experimental group and control group (n=20 boys)tabelThe differences between the two groups in the statistical indicators are variable, the difference between the averages is small, 0.6 points, in the standard deviation the difference between the groups is 0.77 points, the minimums recorded are equal to 15 points, and the difference between the maximums of the groups is 1 point. These results show homogeneity regarding the level of motivation between the experimental group and that of the control group. Table 2. Analysis of the level of motivation for swimming in the experimental and control groups, boystabelWe find that the level of motivation for swimming of the interviewed subjects is good. On the first level are ranked 2 subjects from the experimental group SC with 26 points and CR with 25 points, and from the control group subject MR with 25 points. These subjects have a very good motivation to practice swimming. On the second level, a number of 3 subjects from experimental group II are ranked with 24 points, AN with 23 points, AT with 20 points and six control subjects BM with 24 points, NA and RN with 23 points each, CI, AI and VE with 21 points each. The motivation of these subjects is characterized as good. Level III, respectively of relatively good motivation, has 5 subjects from the experimental group in the ranking: DF with 19 points, MG with 18 points, BL and IA with 17 points, GI with 15 points. In the control group, three subjects were registered on this level: BG with 19 points, RO with 18 points and DC with 15 points. None of the subjects was ranked on level IV-weak motivation and on level 5-very weak motivation. Overall, the motivation of 9-10 year olds for swimming is good and relatively good. In the following we will analyze the results recorded by the girls' teams. Table 3. Distribution of results on the Motivation for swimming test of children aged 9-10 years (adaptation according to N. Luskanova), experimental group and control group, (n= 5 girls)tabelThe difference between the values obtained between the experimental and control groups is not statistically significant as the values of the statistical indicators are close in value. The difference between the averages of the two groups is 1.04 points, the standard deviation being 2.82 points in the case of the experimental group and 1.49 in the case of the control group. The difference between the minimum values is 1 point, and between the maximum values is 4 points in favor of the experimental group. The results obtained by the girls from the two groups subjected to the experiment, in the Motivation for swimming test of children aged 9-10 years, are as follows: on the first level, with a very good motivation, only GM ranked with 26 points, from the experimental group , on level II, with good motivation, the subjects AF with 22 points and BM with 20 points from the experimental group and DV with 22 points, AN and IF with 20 points each from the control group are highlighted. On level III, relatively good motivation, there are EL with 19 points and MT with 18 points from the experimental group and BP and NO with 18 points each from the control group. Table 4 Analysis of the level of motivation for swimming in the experimental and control groups, girlstabelConclusions The analysis of the obtained data shows us that both groups subjected to the experiment, both in the case of boys and girls, have a good motivation for swimming, but there is a need to increase the level of motivation to maintain interest in this sport and to register performance, through specific activities. We believe that an increased level of motivation among children between the ages of 9 and 10 in swimming practice can have a significant impact on their development both in sports and personally. In correlation with the research results, we propose the following recommendations: - For each group of children, by age level, a psychological training program targeting the motivational component will be developed, which will be integrated into the training process. This program will be adapted to the specific needs of the group and will aim to adapt motivation and, implicitly, sports performance. - The psychological training program will include strategies and techniques to support the development of children's motivation for swimming, promoting commitment, the desire to excel and perseverance in training and competitions. This could include, among other things, visualization sessions, stability of personal goals, working with thoughts and emotions to maintain a positive mindset and focus on success.

This randomized-controlled trial demonstrates that an exercise consultation, based on the transtheoretic model of exercise behavior change, significantly improves short-term adherence to exercise.

Objective To investigate the effects of probiotics on the survival of sepsis mice and their mechanism. Methods A total of 60 male C57BL6 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups, respectively, the sham operation group (n = 20), the control group (n = 20) and the experimental group (n = 20). After feeding 2 d, mice in the experimental group were given 200 μL probiotics solution daily; mice in the control and sham operation groups were given 200 μL NaCl solution, with continuous intragastric administration for 4 weeks. Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was performed on the mice in the experimental and control groups, while mice in the sham operation group were performed with the same procedures of CLP except for cecal puncture. Ten mice in each group were used to observe their activity and survival of 7 d, and the blood and colon tissues were taken in the other 10 mice in each group after 24 hours. The expression levels of serum inflammatory factor interleukin 22 (IL-22), IL-2 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the colon tissues were measured by the hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining method, and the expression of colonic mucosa (Occludin) in each group was observed by the immunohistochemical method. Results Mice in the sham operation group grew well, mice in the control group curled up in a corner of the cage and trembled, and mice in the experimental group were more active than the experimental group, without obvious tremor. At 7 d, there were still 3 survived mice in the experimental group which were given euthanasia; the 7 d survival was significantly higher than that of the control group (P = 0.020). At 7 d, 10 mice in the sham operation group all survived and were given euthanasia. The expressions of serum IL-22 [(103 ± 23) ng/L vs. (27 ± 9) ng/L, t = 7.590, P < 0.001], IL-2 [(328 ± 27) ng/L vs. (77 ± 21) ng/L, t = 21.368, P < 0.001] and TNF-α [(94 ± 22) ng/L vs. (56 ± 9) ng/L, t = 4.734, P < 0.001] in the control group were significantly different as compared to the sham operation group. Meanwhile, the expressions of serum IL-22 [(75 ± 33) ng/L vs. (27 ± 9) ng/L, t = 3.755, P = 0.001], IL-2 [(217 ± 30) ng/L vs. (77 ± 21) ng/L, t = 10.850, P < 0.001] and TNF-α [(107 ± 20) ng/L vs. (56 ± 9) ng/L, t = 5.956, P < 0.001] in the experimental and sham operation groups all showed statistically significant differences. Compared with the control group, the expressions of serum IL-22 [(103 ± 23) ng/L vs. (75 ± 33) ng/L, t = 2.185, P = 0.042] and IL-2 [(328 ± 27) ng/L vs. (217 ± 30) ng/L, t = 8.371, P < 0.001] in the experimental group were significantly different, while the TNF-α [(94 ± 22) ng/L vs. (107 ± 20) ng/L, t = 1.363, P = 0.188] expression showed no statistically significant difference. In the sham operation group, the colonic mucosa was intact and the glands were regularly arranged with little or no inflammatory cell infiltration. However, mice in the control group appeared derangement, deformation and lack of colonic mucosal epithelial glands, fuzzy connected structures of enterocytes, and extensive infiltration of inflammatory cells some of which had crypt abscess. The colonic epithelia of mice in the experimental group were basically complete without erosion and loss, glands were normally arranged, and the infiltration of inflammatory cells decreased more as compared to the control group. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that mice in the sham operation group had complete acinar structures of colonic epithelial cells and more Occludin proteins. The acinar structures of colonic epithelial cells in the control group were destructed and disappeared, and there were infiltration of inflammatory cells and less Occludin proteins. The acinar structures of colonic epithelial cells in the experimental group were complete with widened interacinar gaps, and the expression of Occludin protein increased as compared to the control group. Conclusion Probiotics can inhibit the reduction of Occludin of intestinal epithelial cells and stabilize barrier structures of intestinal mucosas, thus effectively improving the survival of septic mice. Key words: Probiotics; Sepsis; Occludin

This study sought to investigate the effect of project-based learning method on students’ academic performance in educational psychology in Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. To guide the study, three hypotheses were formulated and were tested at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The pre-test post-test non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental research design used for the study. The population of the study consisted of all level 300 education students in the two campuses of Benson Idahosa University. There are 42 level 300 students in education department as at the time of this study. Twenty six (26) comprising 7 males and 19 females in the heritage campus while sixteen (16) comprising 6 males and 10 females are in the legacy campus of the university. The sample for the study consisted all the forty-two (42) level 300 education students in both campuses of the university. This was because the total number was few and could be manageable. The instrument used for the study was a teacher-made test titled “Educational Psychology Test” (EPT), drawn from the pool of test items on educational psychology from 2020-2022 and was validated by three experts, with reliability index of 0.82. During treatment procedures, the two groups were pretested, the experimental group was taught using the Project-based Learning (PBL). method while the control group was taught using the traditional lecture method and after treatment administration, both groups were post tested and the findings showed that there was no significant difference in the academic performance of students in Educational Psychology in the experimental and control groups before treatment; there is a significant difference in the academic performance of students in Educational Psychology in the experimental and control groups after treatment and there is no significant difference between male and female students’ academic performance in Educational Psychology in the experimental group after treatment among secondary school students in Benson Idahosa University, Edo State. Based on the findings therefore, it is recommended that teachers should employ Project-based Learning (PBL) method for effective teaching and learning of educational psychology concepts and all other courses in Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State.

BackgroundThe growing need for healthcare services as a result of a consistently rising prevalence of chronic diseases and rapid population aging calls for a new set of activities and practices. Therefore, we developed a program—3S (Simple, Smart, and Speed) Business Intelligence Systems (3S-BIS), which is an ERP software system that helps nursing business to support nursing entrepreneurship —and analyzed its effects on nursing students.MethodsA repeated-measures randomized controlled trial was performed with two groups: experimental (n = 29) and control (n = 30) groups. The former group underwent the five-day 3S-BIS education program. Each session comprised four components: lectures 1 and 2, simulation case study, and debriefing. Post-tests were performed immediately post-intervention and four and eight weeks later. The effectiveness was measured using the following variables: simulation design assessment, evaluation of educational practices in simulation, education satisfaction, self-efficacy for learning, and entrepreneurship. The differences before and after intervention between the experimental and control groups were analyzed using the Friedman test. The Mann–Whitney U test was used for comparisons between groups at each time point, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparisons within groups at each time point.ResultsPost-intervention (8 weeks after intervention), the experimental group demonstrated higher simulation design assessment (z = -3.88, p = < .001), evaluation of educational practices in simulation (z = -3.34, p = .001), education satisfaction (z = -3.11, p = .002), self-efficacy for learning (z = -3.04, p = .002), and entrepreneurship (z = -2.15, p = .031) compared to controls. Furthermore, simulation design assessment score in the experimental group significantly differed between T1 (immediately after intervention) and T0 (baseline), and between T3 (8 weeks after intervention) and T0. Evaluation of educational practices in the simulation, education satisfaction, and self-efficacy also significantly differed between T1 and T0, and between T3 and T0. Entrepreneurship significantly differed between T3 and T2 (4 weeks after intervention), and between T3 and T0.ConclusionsThe 3S-BIS program contributes to enhancing nursing start-up competency. Subsequent studies should evaluate the effects of the program on nurses who work in home healthcare services.

This study was designed to assess the impact of problem based learning on students’ critical thinking in science at elementary level. Major objectives of the study were to examine critical thinking’s of the students, to practice problem based learning through activities, and to evaluate critical thinking of the students after problem based activities. The study population was encompassed all students of 8th grade (20172) within District Muzaffar Garh. Sample consisted of total 50 students from within the same district. Twenty five students out of 40 were selected from Government Boys Elementary School Arshad Abad by using simple random technique as experimental group. Twenty five students out of 27 were selected from Government Boys Elementary Khara by using simple random technique as control group. The designs of study were pretest-posttest and Quasi experimental in nature. Problem based learning treatment pattern was applied. During 16-week treatment duration, the experimental group and the control group were treated with problem-based learning and taught through traditional lecture-based methods respectively. Data was collected from the control and experiment groups before and after four month problem-based learning through pre-test and posttest. After data collection, analysis of the data collected done through descriptive statistics by using mean, median, mode and standard deviation (SD) and inferential statistics by using t-test. Paired sample t-test was applied to measure significance difference value between the means of experimental and control group. T-test value is greater between experimental group and control groups in pretest than the significance value that shows there is significance statistical difference between experimental group and control group performances in pretest. Performance of experimental group is better. Value of T-test is greater between experimental and control groups in posttest than the significance value shows there is significance statistical difference in experimental and control groups performances in posttest. Experimental group performance is better. The experimental group performed better as compared to performance of control group in both pretest and posttest. But the difference in means of pretest of experimental and control group is very small than difference in means of posttest of experimental group and control groups. It depicts through problem based learning students’ critical thinking is highly improved.

A study of two 100-person groups of juvenile delinquents born in 1959 was conducted in the years 1981‒1985 at the Department of Criminology, Institute of Legal Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences. The first (experimental) group consisted of boys randomly selected from the total of 225 juveniles born in 1959 who had committed at least on offence while intoxicated. The other (control) group were 100 randomly juveniles selected from the entire population of 8196 juvenile delinquents born in 1959. None of the juveniles selected for the experimental group happened to find themselves in the control group as well. As shown by the findings, the juveniles who had committed at least one offence while intoxicated were much more demoralized as a group than the whole of juvenile delinquents. It seemed interesting, therefore, to follow the further fates of both groups as adults. The follow-up period was 7 years; until that time, all of the examined persons reached the age of 25 when the average Polish man be- comes stabilized to some extent, having graduated from university, worked for several or a dozen years (upon completion of secondary or elementary education respectively), and frequently having also established a family. Data on the life situation of the young men from both examined groups on their 25th birthday were obtained from the following four sources: ‒ the Central Register of Convicted Persons kept by the Ministry of Justice, and the Register of Convicted and Detained Persons where criminal records of the entire sample were checked; ‒ files of criminal cases of all men with criminal records (47.0% of the experimental and 35.0% of the control group); the files concerned criminal proceedings before common courts for offences committed after coming of age; ‒ questionnaire survey of 63.0% of the experimental and 66.0% of the control group; ‒ inquiry submitted to the sobering-up stations concerning the entire sample. As shown by the findings, 24.0% of the experimental and 13.0% of the control group established their own families before the age of 25. The proportions are high, as regards the experimental group in particular: erly in the 1980s, the newly married constituted about 10% of the total male population aged 20‒24 in Poland. The mean educational level was higher in the control compared to the experimental group; this concerns first and foremost cases of education higher than the elmementary technical (of which there were two in the experimental compared to ten in the control group). Moreover, no cases of illiteracy could be found in the control group, compared to one such case in the experimental group. Of all the men of the experimental group concerning whom data could be obtained, 80.4% had a regular job, and 19.6% stayed out of job or worked casually. Of the control group, 80.0% had a regular job (33% combining job with school), 18.3% stayed out of job or worked casually, and one person had entered university. The number of convicted persons in the experimental group (47) was larger compared to the control group (35) by 12.0%, the difference being significant. Also relapse into crime was higher in the expenmental group (l5 vs. 11 cases). The first offence committed by those convicted as young adults was mainly one against property: 35 cases in the experimental group (66.0% of all those convicted) and 28 cases in the control group (80.0%). The second most frequent offence of members of the experimental group was an aggressive act: against life and health, freedom, personal dignity and inviolability (10 persons, i.e. 18.8% of all those convicted). The offences of this type included: bodily injury (Art. 156 of the penal code – 3 persons, i.e. 6.4%); participation in a brawl or beating (Art. 158 and 159 – 1 person, i.e. 2.1%); infringement of bodily inviolability (Art. 182 – 3 persons, i.e. 6.4%); assault against a public functionary (Art. 233 and 234 – 1 person, i.e. 2.1%); insult against a public functionary (Art. 236 – 1 person, i.e. 2.1%). In the control group, 6 cases of such offences could be found (9.1% of all those convicted); yet the only offence under Art. 148 1 of the penal code, that is homicide, had been committed by a member of that goup.The other discussed figures and proportions were respectively: Art. l58, 159 – 3 persons, i.e. 8.6%; Art. 182 – 1 person (2.9%); Art. 233, 234 – 1 person (2.9%); and Art. 236 – 1 person (29%). Beside offences, the two groups manifested also other synptoms of social maladjustment. The symptoms found most often in both groups were: “contacts with persons known to the police as delinquent” and stays at the sobering-up station. As regards the experimental group, the third frequent symptom were brawls in the place of residence followed by bad opinion with neighbors, hooliganism, and avoidance of work. In the control group, avoidance of work ranked third, followed by bad opinion with neighbors, hooliganism, and brawls at the place of residence. This ranking of frequency of the symptoms of social maladjustment points to a greater aggressiveness of the young men from the experimental group. On the 63 young men from the experimental group concerning whom data could be obtained, 62 (98.0%) drank alcohol. In the control group 59 (89.0%) of the 66 concerning whom data could be obtained were drinkers. The group of drinkers included all those who had drunk several times a week already as juveniles, and 70% of those who had drunk once a week. In the control group, drinkers included 91.7% of those who had drunk as juvoniles (11 of 12 cases). Of those who had drunk as juveniles in the control group, 66.7% (8 cases) were convicted as adults. As shown by the discussed data, young men from the experimental group – those who committed as juveniles at least one offence while intoxicated prove much inferior in terms of the social situation to other men who also committed offences as juveniles but did not drink alcohol. Therefore, early alcohol consumption among juvenile delinquents is an important factor of a negative prognosis as to the further fates of such persons. A number of postulates have been formulated, addressed at the prosecuting agencies, criminal justice, and institutions designed to assist persons in extraordinary situation. With respect to the present sample, all such postulates acquire special importance and must be met without fail. Niniejszy artykuł stanowi kontynuację opracowania: Nieletni sprawcy przestępstw popełnionych pod wpływem alkoholu, „Archiwum Kryminologii” 1991, t. XVIII.

The purpose of the present study was two-fold. First, it investigated the relative effects of the specific goal and the vague goal on EFL students' self-efficacy and performance of vocabulary learning. Second, it aimed to obtain in-depth understandings of the teacher's and the students' perceptions about the goal setting in the study. One hundred and two junior high school students and their English teacher participated in the study. The students were divided into two different groups, i.e., specific goal group (experimental group) and vague goal group (control group). Both groups were instructed 25 new vocabulary words by the same EFL teacher. Prior to the instruction, all participants were informed that a test on the 25 vocabulary words would be given three days after the instruction. Meanwhile, each student in the experimental group was assigned an individual goal regarding the test by the teacher. The students of the control group were told to ”do your best” and ”work hard” for the test as their goal.Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Student self-efficacy questionnaire responses and the vocabulary test scores of these two groups were compared at the end of the experiment. The t-test results showed that the experimental group outperformed the control goal group in both the vocabulary test and self-efficacy scores, which suggested that setting specific goals was more effective in enhancing students' self-efficacy and performance. In addition to the quantitative analysis, qualitative techniques such as student journals and the teacher interview were employed to obtain in-depth understandings about the students' and teacher's perceptions of the goal setting in this study. It was found that students and the teacher both perceived setting specific goals as an effective way to enhance learning motivation and self-efficacy.

This research aimed at finding out whether or not the use of “Wondershare Quiz Creator Software” significantly improves the students’ reading comprehension of the English Education Program Class E and G, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Muhammadiyah University of Makassar Academic Year 2012/2013, based on the narrative text was applied in reading material and investigating students’ interest in learning of reading through Wondershare Quiz Creator Software. The research employed true experimental method. This research assigned two groups namely experimental group and control group. Each group consisted of 45 students. The sample was chosen by applying cluster random sampling technique. The researcher used reading test both in control and experimental group. The data obtained through the test were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics through SPSS 16.0 version. In conducting the research, the researcher applied the “Wondershare Quiz Creator Software”. The research result showed that there was improvement on the students’ reading comprehension between pretest and posttest in experimental group after the treatment. It was proven by the result of descriptive and inferential statistics in testing the students’ score either in pretest or in posttest. The result of the data analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the result of posttest of experimental and control group, where the mean score of posttest of experimental group was 82.22 which is higher than the mean score of posttest of control group was 72.07. Hence, it is worthwhile concluded that “Wondershare Quiz Creator Software” significantly improved the students’ reading comprehension.

We aim to use the ovariectomized cynomolgus monkey to observe the effect of long-term changes of sex hormone levels on ocular surface. Six healthy adolescent cynomolgus monkeys were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups (n=3/group). Bilateral ovariectomy was performed in experimental group, and sham operation was performed on control animals with their ovaries reserved. The concentrations of serum estradiol and testosterone in cynomolgus monkeys' lower-limb venous were detected by radioimmunoassay before surgery, and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after the surgery. Phenol red cotton thread test, tear osmolarity, corneal fluorescein staining, and conjunctival impression cytology were performed to evaluate the ocular surface conditions before surgery, and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after the surgery. The histological examinations of the bulbar conjunctiva and labial glands tissues were performed at 12 and 24 months after the surgery. There were no significant differences in the serum level of estradiol and testosterone between the experimental and control groups before surgery, at 6, and 12 months after surgery (P>0.05). Serum level of estradiol and testosterone were significantly less in experimental versus control group at 18 and 24 months after surgery (P<0.05). There was no significant differences in phenol red cotton between the experimental and control groups before surgery, at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after surgery (P>0.05). Tear osmolarity had no significant differences between experimental and control group before surgery (P>0.05), and it was significantly higher in experimental versus control group at all four time-points after surgery (P<0.05). The number of conjunctival goblet cells had no significant differences between experimental and control group before surgery, at 6 months after surgery (P>0.05), and it was significantly lower in experimental versus control group at 12, 18, and 24 months after surgery (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the corneal fluorescein staining score between the experimental and control groups before surgery, at 6, 12, and 18 months after surgery (P>0.05), and it was higher in experimental than control group at 24 months after surgery (P<0.05). In addition, inflammatory cell infiltration in bulbar conjunctiva and labial glands tissues was observed in experimental group and was unobserved in control group at 24 months after surgery. Ovariectomy led to decreased sex hormone levels in cynomolgus monkey. In turn, tear osmolarity was increased, the number of conjunctival goblet cells were decreased, the corneal fluorescence staining was increased, and the pathological examination of the bulbar conjunctiva and labial glands tissues were abnormal, phenol red cotton thread test did not change significantly.

Objectives: One of the most common cardiovascular diseases is coronary heart disease. Key issues facing cardiovascular patients are their psychological problems and perceived stress. Stressful situations lower self-efficacy and increase dependence on others, including family members.The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a family-centered empowerment program on self-efficacy and stress perceptions in acute coronary syndrome patients at Yazd Social Security Hospital. Methods: This education-oriented and semi-experimental study was conducted on patients with acute coronary syndrome referred to Yazd Shohadaye Kargar Hospital in 2018-2019. Eighty-four patients with acute coronary syndrome who were eligible to participate in the study were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups by random assignment software.The experimental group underwent individual self-efficacy sessions and stress perception training in the presence of active family members, followed up by telephone, and held four group sessions every two weeks. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in pre-intervention self-efficacy mean scores between the experimental and control groups, but self-efficacy mean scores in the experimental group were higher immediately after the intervention and after two months interval than in the control group (p &lt;0.001). Also, there was no statistically significant difference between the perceived stress mean scores before the intervention in the experimental and control groups. But immediately after the intervention, the perceived stress mean score in the experimental group appeared to be higher than the control group (p &lt;0.001). Conclusions: Implementing a family-centered empowerment program can improve self-efficacy and reduce perceived stress in patients with acute coronary syndrome, lasting up to two months after the intervention. This affordable and low-cost intervention can thus be used to improve the health of acute coronary heart disease patients.