Can progesterone be a better alternative to dexamethasone for use in routine brain surgery?

Can progesterone be a better alternative to dexamethasone for use in routine brain surgery？ Surgical brain injury （SBI） is a form of brain trauma caused by various forms of neurosurgical interventions including brain tumor excision, evacuation of intracere- bral hemorrhage and brain lobectomv （e.g., in epililepsv surger）.

Using an Alternative Method to Estimate the Status of Iodine Nutrition in Pregnant Women

Iodine is an element that is essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones.Adequate intake of dietary iodine has been recognized as a critical factor for maintaining health.It is a well-known fact that iodine deficiency can impede the production of thyroid hormones in both the mother and fetus,which increases the risk of brain damage in the fetal stage.

Field performance of alternate wetting and drying furrow irrigation on tomato crop growth, yield, water use efficiency, quality and profitability

Sustainable irrigation method is now essential for adaptation and adoption in the areas where water resources are limited. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to test the performance of alternate wetting and drying furrow irrigation（AWDFI） on crop growth, yield, water use efficiency（WUE）, fruit quality and profitability analysis of tomato. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with six treatments replicated thrice during the dry seasons of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. Irrigation water was applied through three ways of furrow： AWDFI, fixed wetting and drying furrow irrigation（FWDFI） and traditional（every） furrow irrigation（TFI）. Each irrigation method was divided into two levels： irrigation up to 100 and 80% field capacity（FC）. Results showed that plant biomass（dry matter） and marketable fruit yield of tomato did not differ significantly between the treatments of AWDFI and TFI, but significant difference was observed in AWDFI and in TFI compared to FWDFI at same irrigation level. AWDFI saved irrigation water by 35 to 38% for the irrigation levels up to 80 and 100% FC, compared to the TFI, respectively. AWDFI improved WUE by around 37 to 40% compared to TFI when irrigated with 100 and 80% FC, respectively. Fruit quality（total soluble solids and pulp） was found greater in AWDFI than in TFI. Net return from AWDFI technique was found nearly similar compared to TFI and more than FWDFI. The benefit cost ratio was viewed higher in AWDFI than in TFI and FWDFI by 2.8, 8.7 and 11, 10.4% when irrigation water was applied up to 100 and 80% FC, respectively. Unit production cost was obtained lower in AWDFI compared to TFI and FWDFI. However, AWDFI is a useful water-saving furrow irrigation technique which may resolve as an alternative choice compared with TFI in the areas where available water and supply methods are limited to irrigation.

Knowledge, attitude and use of complementary and integrative health strategies: a preliminary survey of Iranian nurses

BACKGROUND： Disagreement exists regarding the need for knowledge about complementary and integrative health（CIH） strategies, as well as for the need to consider such strategies in clinical nursing practice. OBJECTIVE： This study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and use of CIH strategies among nurses in Iran. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS： A cross-sectional study of nurses working in two hospitals of Zabol University of Medical Sciences, in southeast Iran, was conducted from October 2014 to April 2015. The questionnaire, developed specifically for this research, was used to assess the knowledge, attitude and use of CIH by nurses. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to interpret the survey responses.RESULTS： Most nurses（n=95, 60.5%） have average knowledge about CIH strategies with most holding a positive attitude about use（n=81, 51.6%）. The majority（n=90, 57.3%） of nurses, however, never applied CIH methods. Where CIH was used, massage was most often clinically applied（n=129, 82.2%） and a large percentage believed it useful for treating illness（n=136, 87.9%）. Other CIH methods commonly used included prayer and herbal medicine.CONCLUSION： Nurses have positive attitudes about CIH though knowledge was typically weak. Educational programs should carefully consider how knowledge about CIH methods could be strengthened within curricula.