Background: Medical students, as a part of the first line of combating COVID-19, have been exposed to harm caused by mental disorders.
Methods: sixteen training and internship students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences from 2020-2021 were included in this intervention study. The intervention group completed the stress management training course in 6 sessions. Mental health dimensions were collected with the SCL90 questionnaire before and after intervention in both groups. SPSS 22 software and Mann-Whitney U-test, Wilcoxon, Chi-square, and Fisher’s exact test were utilized for data analysis.
Results: The basic data showed no significant differences between groups (P > 0.05). After the intervention, the mean scores of physical complaint, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal relations, depression, anxiety, aggression, fear, paranoid and psychotic dimensions in the intervention group significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In controls, the obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, and aggression dimensions significantly decreased (P < 0.05). However, in controls, there was no significant difference in the mean score of other dimensions before and after intervention (P > 0.05). Before the intervention, the frequency distribution of various levels of sensitivity to interpersonal relationships in the two studied groups was the same (P > 0.05); after the intervention, these levels were significantly different between groups (P < 0.05). After intervention, the control group had a higher frequency distribution of individuals with degrees of depression (P <0.05).
Conclusions: The mental health of medical internship students during a crisis can be improved by stress management training, which reduces anxiety and depression. Therefore, stress management courses are recommended in stressful situations.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting the development of public sports and well-being in Iran’s medical universities.
Methods: The present study employed a qualitative design, and the foundation theory was used to construct a conceptual model for the research. The statistical population included professors of sports management, managers and experts working in medical universities and sports organizations, and physical education coaches and teachers in medical universities. Purposeful sampling was performed, and a total of 14 interviews were conducted until saturation was reached. The data were gathered using semi-structured interviews and analyzed by open, axial, and selective coding.
Results: The factors affecting the development of public sports and health measures in Iran’s medical universities were categorized into three classes, including causal, contextual, and intervening factors. In relation to causal factors, 13 sub-categories and four main categories were identified. Regarding contextual factors, 45 sub-categories were identified in 7 main categories, and with regard to intervening factors, there were 34 sub-categories under 8 main categories.
Conclusions: The results of this research can be provided as a roadmap to relevant organizations, such as the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and all medical universities and their managers, to formulate effective strategies to expand public sports and improve the desired health outcomes.

Context: Assess how relevant precedent within the European Medicines Agency (EMA) (a key regulator) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (a key health technology assessment (HTA) body) can provide insights into how such novel medicines targeting asymptomatic conditions can be brought to market from both a regulatory and payer perspective.
Methods: All phase 2 or phase 3 clinical trials with keywords such as asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic, subclinical, premanifest, or preclinical keywords were downloaded from clinicaltrials.gov. Trials were cleaned to identify those for novel medicines with a primary focus on treating asymptomatic conditions. The EMA and NICE report for such drugs were downloaded online in December 2021 and analyzed to understand how they assessed the evidence.
Results: Two hundred seventy-eight clinical trials were identified. Of those, only 8 had relevant matching reports from the EMA or NICE, 7 received a positive review from the EMA, and 4 received a positive recommendation from the NICE. Those who received positive recommendations showed or were assumed to show statistically significant survival benefits given the short life expectancy of untreated patients.
Conclusions: There is no precedent within the EMA or NICE for approving or funding new medicines for asymptomatic patients where survival benefits cannot be established. Additional research is warranted to understand how regulatory and payer agencies can prepare for future generations of innovative medicines.

Background: The present study investigated the effects of motivational psychotherapy on depression in adolescents.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The research population consisted of all female students of the second grade of high schools in Birjand city in the academic year of 2022 - 2023. Thirty participants were randomly selected and allocated to the experimental and control groups. The intervention was performed on the experimental group for 12 weeks, while no intervention was performed on the control group during this period. One week after the sessions, the posttest was performed on both groups. Beck Depression Inventory (1961) was used to collect data and covariance analysis to analyze them.
Results: The mean age was 17.23 in the experimental group. The analysis of variance showed that motivational psychotherapy had a significant effect on reducing depression in teenagers.
Conclusions: These results emphasize the importance and effectiveness of motivational psychotherapy and can open a new way for psychotherapists to conceptualize and treat psychological disorders.

Background: Upper crossed syndrome is a muscular imbalance disorder associated with various referred pains, especially jaw discomfort. Complications like temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis may link to forward head posture and mechanical head pains resulting from this syndrome.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the impact of corrective exercise on pain of TMJ in elderly women with upper cross syndrome.
Methods: A total of 30 elderly women with upper crossed syndrome were enrolled at the Kahrizak Elderly Care Center and randomly assigned to either a corrective exercise group or a control group. The experiment group underwent an eight-week training program. Pain levels and neck range of motion were assessed using a pain ruler and goniometer, respectively. In order to measure neck extension, the mean difference and effect size were determined using paired t-test and Cohen’s d, respectively. Referred pain ratings were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, with effect size calculations, to further understand the intervention’s effect on pain perception.
Results: Both groups demonstrated significant changes in referred pain perceptions (P = 0.0441) post-intervention. However, regarding neck extension, neither the control nor the experiment group exhibited statistically significant alterations in neck extension (P = 0.4309).
Conclusions: These findings indicate that corrective exercises have a positive effect on alleviating referred pain in the jaw joint caused by muscle imbalance. Given the merits of corrective exercises as a non-pharmacological intervention, they are recommended as an effective approach for improving referred pain in the jaw.

Background: The international ovarian tumor analysis (IOTA) study technique is a specialized method for classifying and identifying adnexal growths. It employs 10 simple ultrasound directions to characterize masses as benign or malignant.
Objectives: This study aims to provide pre-operative information to help gynecologists manage ovarian masses, avoiding delays in malignancy treatment and unnecessary surgery for benign lesions.
Methods: This was a hospital-based observational study conducted in the radiology department on patients with clinical diagnoses of ovarian masses from August 2020 to March 2022 by prospective randomized sampling method. Patients with suspected ovarian pathology were evaluated using IOTA ultrasound rules and designated benign or malignant. The patients underwent a thorough history and clinical examination. Ultrasound was used to confirm the ovarian origin of the mass and differentiate it as benign or malignant. A transvaginal ultrasound was performed where necessary. Histopathological examination was the gold standard to confirm ultrasound and Doppler findings. Descriptive stats: Frequencies/percentages for categorical data, mean ± SD for normal, median with IQR for non-normal Uncertainty measured by 95% CI.
Results: During the study, 50 women were eligible for the study, and the mean age of the participants was 45.3 years. Of 50 patients who underwent surgery, 38 cases were considered benign based on IOTA USG rules, of which 35 were benign and 3 were malignant histologically Eight cases were considered malignant based on IOTA USG rules, of which 6 were malignant and 2 were benign. Four cases were considered indeterminate, with two being benign and two being malignant histologically. If inconclusive cases are classified as malignant, the sensitivity and specificity are 75% and 88%, respectively.
Conclusions: USG is an easily available imaging tool that can be used as an initial modality in evaluating ovarian masses. IOTA simple ultrasound rules have diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing benign and malignant ovarian masses and help in management.

Background: Motivational psychotherapy has been investigated for its effects in the treatment of various disorders.
Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of motivational psychotherapy in enhancing educational motivation among students.
Methods: This research employed a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with a control group. The study population comprised all female second-grade high school students in Birjand City during the 2022-2023 academic year. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 30 participants, who were then randomly assigned to the experimental (15 participants) and control groups (15 participants). The Harter Educational Motivation Inventory (1981) was used to collect data.
Results: The mean age of the experimental group was 17.23 years. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that motivational psychotherapy had a significant impact on students’ educational motivation.
Conclusions: These findings emphasize the significance and effectiveness of motivational psychotherapy, offering new avenues for psychotherapists in the conceptualization and treatment of psychological issues in student

Context: The placenta performs a crucial function in nutrient exchange, but studying this tissue poses a number of challenges. Utilizing microfluidic and microfabrication technologies, a 3D placenta-on-a-chip model provides a biomimetic alternative for studying placental diseases and treatments.
Objectives: Aim: To review and analyze the currently available placenta-on-chip data to study placental pathologies in patients.
Methods: By systematically searching the PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct databases, research papers that employed 3D printing techniques for the development of organoids and Organ-on-Chip (OoC) systems for in vitro experiments were gathered and scrutinized.
Results: When exposed to glucose transfer, placenta-on-a-chip mimics the features of an in vivo human placenta. Microchips have the potential to become a platform for diagnostic purposes for placental diseases and a model for duplicating the important features of these diseases.
Conclusions: The microfluidic placenta-on-a-chip platform holds promise as an affordable solution with versatile applications. However, research is essential to develop a comprehensive in vitro pregnancy model in the future to expand our understanding of feto-maternal communication.