Iranian Journal of Public Health has been continuously published since 1971, in two languages (English and Persian). From 2001 issue, the Journal is published only in English language.

Iran J Public Health is published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). It is the official Publication of the Iranian Public Health Association and the School of Public Health, TUMS, Iran.

Current Issue

Vol 53 No 7 (2024)

Review Article(s)

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 50 | views: 67 | pages: 1469-1481

    Background: Although observational studies are valuable sources of scientific evidence, they are prone to bias and confounding. This study aimed to assess the quality of observational studies in Traditional Persian medicine (TPM).

    Methods: A systematic search was conducted in national and international databases up to the end of 2022 to identify observational studies on TPM. The quality of articles was evaluated using the STROBE checklist and CARE guidelines.

    Results: Out of the 192 articles identified, 109 met the eligible criteria for quality assessment. Cross-sectional and case-control studies had a mean STROBE score of 1.2±0.51 out of 2, with the introduction section scoring highest and the results and methods sections scoring lowest. The worst reported items in the method section involved sensitivity analyses, bias control, and management of missing data. Case reports and case series had a mean score of 1.4±0.55 out of 2, with the section on therapeutic interventions scoring the highest. Other sections like keywords, follow-up and outcomes, diagnostic assessment, patient perspective, and informed consent scored below one.

    Conclusion: Many reviewed articles did not adhere to the recommended formatting in the evaluation tools, making it challenging to assess their quality. Having said that, the quality of observational studies in the field of TPM is a point of concern.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 61 | views: 78 | pages: 1482-1495

    Background: We aimed to examine the job satisfaction (JS), work stress (WS) and burnout (B) levels of healthcare workers (HCWs), who are at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic process, which negatively affects the whole world, by meta-analysis.

    Methods: Articles, theses and papers in the literature before the COVID-19 (2014-2019) and during COVID-19 (2020-2022) were systematically reviewed. The sample size of 54 studies conducted from 13 countries was 49.139. Data analysis was performed with the Comprehensive Meta-analysis (CMA) 3.0 Version program.

    Results: According to the random effect model analysis result, a negative, significant and low-level relationship was found between WS and JS, before and during COVID-19. There was a negative, significant and medium level relationship between JS and B. It was found positive, significant and high-level relationship between WS and B. Human development level (HDL) has a moderating effect on WS and B. In addition, sample size has moderating effect on WS and JS.

    Conclusion: During the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs have experienced more burnout due to strict isolation, working conditions requiring overtime, fatigue, insomnia and concerns about virus transmission. Intense work tempo, inadequate health equipment, patient deaths, and low wages are the factors that decrease JS and increase WS and B. It is recommended to improve working conditions globally and provide financial support and mental health protection for HCWs.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 24 | views: 40 | pages: 1496-1507

    Background: BRAF V600E mutation is proved critical in the progression and invasion of thyroid cancer, and as a prognostic biomarker. As anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare and aggressive form of thyroid cancer, this study was conducted to provide a view on prevalence of BRAF V600E as well as the best molecular diagnostic method in ATC patients.

    Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed from their inception to Oct 2022 in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science (WoS). The data of the prevalence of ATC were extracted. Moreover, the diagnostic feature of the available diagnostic tools was extracted to measure the sensitivity and specificity. To pool the prevalence data, we used meta-proportion analysis and diagnostic meta-analysis was conducted to determine the specificity and sensitivity of the immunohistochemistry method in detecting BRAF V600E mutation among patients with ATC.

    Results: Overall, 34 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The incidence of BRAF V600E was shown 33% in the 978 patients. The sensitivity and specificity of IHC in detecting BRAF V600E were detected 78.9% (95%CI: 60.1-97.2), and 69.7% (95%CI: 41.2-98.1), respectively.

    Conclusion: IHC had an acceptable prognostic profile for detecting BRAF V600E in ATC patients. The diagnosis of BRAF mutation is critical in clinical trials and may be helpful for choosing proper-targeted therapy strategies in ATC patients.

Original Article(s)

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 32 | views: 50 | pages: 1508-1516

    Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) has different prevalence by region. This study aimed to identify the differences in the effects of obesity and depression on DM in South Korean adults by region.

    Methods: The participants were 14,343 adults (≥30 yr) from Ulsan (regions with the lowest prevalence of DM) and Jeonbuk (regions with the highest prevalence of DM), and data were extracted from the Community Health Survey 2019. We applied a complex sampling design analysis to reflect the stratified, clustering and weights. The data were analyzed using the unweighted frequencies, weighted percentage, mean, standard error, Chi-Square test and multiple logistic regression analysis (SPSS 25.0).

    Results: Regarding the main result for Ulsan, the odds ratio of DM increased by 1.94, 2.52,1.57, and 4.87 times for obesity(25-29.9kg/m²), high obesity(≥30kg/m²), depression, and receipt of psychological counseling for depression, respectively. In Jeonbuk, the odds ratio of DM increased by 1.79, 2.84, and 3.59 times for obesity, high obesity, and unmet medical experience, respectively. On the other hand, depression-related variables were found to not influence DM

    Conclusion: We provided the rationale for conducting a health project that interventions for obesity and depression should be included in DM management programs differently in Ulsan and Jeonbuk regions.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 26 | views: 29 | pages: 1517-1527

    Background: There is increasing evidence that macrophages are involved in the development of carotid atherosclerosis (CAS), but the specific mechanism is still unclear. We aimed to explore the key genes that play a regulatory role on macrophages in the progression of CAS.

    Methods: From 2021 August to 2023 August, GEO datasets GSE100927 and GSE43292 were downloaded and the key gene modules related to CAS were identified by weighted Gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genes (KEGG) pathway analysis was performed on the genes of the key modules to identify common gene enrichment pathways. Differential expression analysis of pathway-related genes was performed by the "limma" package of R software. Case groups were categorized into high and low expression groups based on the expression levels of key genes, and ssGSEA immune infiltration analysis was performed.

    Results: The turquoise module of GSE100924 (threshold=12) and the brown module of GSE43292 (threshold=7) were obtained through WGCNA analysis. The analysis of KEGG showed that the differentially expressed genes in the turquoise and brown modules were co-enriched in the staphylococcus aureus infection signaling pathway. Differential expression analysis identified 18 common differentially expressed genes, all of which were highly expressed in the case group. C1QA is the gene of interest. According to ssGSEA analysis, the high expression group of C1QA showed a significant increase in the number of macrophages (GSE43292, P=0.0011; GSE100927, P=0.025).

    Conclusion: This study identified the key gene C1QA involved in regulating macrophage functional activity during the CAS process, providing new ideas for effective control of CAS.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 29 | views: 38 | pages: 1528-1536

    Background: We aimed to evaluate the quality of the cause of death (COD) concerning mortality patterns and completeness of death registration to identify areas for improvement in Serbia.

    Methods: COD data collected from the mortality register in Serbia from 2005 to 2019 (1540615 deaths) were analyzed with the software Analysis of National Causes of Death for Action. The Vital Statistics Performance Index for Quality (VSPI(Q)) is estimated for the overall COD data quality.

    Results: The completeness of death certification was higher than 98%. Usable underlying COD was registered in 57%, 24.1% with an unusable and 18.6% with insufficiently specified COD. The VSPI(Q) was 67.2%, denoting medium quality. The typical error was using intermediate COD (24.7% of all deaths), while 13.2% and 8.5% of all garbage codes (GC) belonged to the Very High and High Severity classes. The leading underlying COD is unspecified cardiomyopathy. The analysis revealed that 39.1% of GC has been redistributed to non-communicable diseases, 2.5% to external causes and 1.1% to communicable diseases.

    Conclusion: In the 15 years' worth of data analyzed, the true underlying COD, in many cases, was ill-defined, indicating that COD data at the national level could be distorted. The additional and continuous professional education of medical students as well as physicians is needed. It should focus on the most common GC among the leading COD and acquiring skills in certifying external causes of death.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 18 | views: 15 | pages: 1537-1548

    Background: Occupational hearing loss of workers exposed to impulse noise and workers exposed to steady noise for a long time may have different clinical characteristics.

    Methods: As of May 2019, all 92 servicemen working in a weapon experimental field exposed to impulse noise for over 1 year were collected as the impulse noise group. As of Dec 2019, all 78 servicemen working in an engine working experimental field exposed to steady noise for over 1 year were collected as the steady noise group. The propensity score matching (PSM) model was used to eliminate the imbalance of age and working time between the two groups of subjects. After propensity score matching, 51 subjects in each group were finally included in the study. The machine learning model is constructed according to pure tone auditory threshold, and the performance of the machine learning model is evaluated by accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and AUC.

    Results: Subjects in the impulse noise group and the steady noise group had significant hearing loss at high frequencies. The hearing of the steady noise group was worse than that of the impulse noise group at speech frequency especially at the frequency of 1 kHz. Among machine learning models, XGBoost has the best prediction and classification performance.

    Conclusion: The pure tone auditory threshold of subjects in both groups decreased and at high frequency. The hearing of the steady noise group at 1 kHz was significantly worse than that of the impulse noise group. XGBoost is the best model to predict the classification of our two groups. Our research can guide the prevention of damage caused by different types of noises.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 18 | views: 43 | pages: 1549-1559

    Background: The increasing accumulation of plastic waste is the most serious threat to the marine ecosystem. People who still have the habit of disposing of solid waste, especially plastic-type waste, in the marine environment have led to the discovery of microplastic content in various marine biota such as fish and shellfish. We aimed to assess the environmental health risks of microplastics due to consumption of marine life in the coastal area.

    Methods: We used an observational method with the Environmental Health Risk Assessment (EHRA) design to analyze the health risks of humans consuming fish and shellfish containing microplastics. This research was conducted in the coastal area of ​​Takalar Regency, Indonesia in 2022. The samples used consisted of human (n = 30) and marine biota (fish, n=20; shellfish, n=20) samples. The data were obtained from observations, physical measurements of biota, laboratory tests, polymer type identification by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and microscopy.

    Results: The average concentration of microplastics containing styrene compounds in shellfish was 2.01 mg/kg. The abundance of MPs in the fish and shellfish samples was 0.01 particles/g or 10 particles/kg in fish and 7 particles/individual in shellfish. The MPs were found in line, fragment, film, and pellet forms, with different size and color variations. The average MPs exposure risk level (RQ value) for both fish and shellfish was 0.02.

    Conclusion: All samples had RQ values < 1, which means that the microplastic-containing tofu shellfish were still safe for consumption by people living in the Takalar coastal area.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 11 | views: 21 | pages: 1560-1568

    Background: To investigate the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) on blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipid in diabetic patients with hypertension.

    Methods: A total of 300 diabetic patients and essential hypertension admitted to our hospital from January 2021 to December 2022 were selected, and divided into an observation group and a control group using a random number table method. The control group was treated with conventional antihypertensive drugs, hypoglycemic drugs, and lipid-lowering drugs. The observation group was supplemented with liraglutide on the basis of the control group. Blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipid of the two groups were compared at the initial stage of medication and after 4 weeks and half a year, and the influencing factors of patients with persistent hypertension were further analyzed through Logistic regression.

    Results: After 4 weeks and 6 months of medication, inter group comparisons showed that systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), as well as total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), and plasma arteriosclerosis index (AIP) in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (Ρ <0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression model analysis showed that age, smoking history, drinking history, taking conventional antihypertensive drugs, taking hypoglycemic drugs, taking lipid-lowering drugs, BMI, FBG, HbA1c and LDL-C were independent influencing factors for persistent hypertension (Ρ<0.05).

    Conclusion: GLP-1RAs can effectively improve the indexes including blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipid in diabetic patients with hypertension.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 25 | views: 34 | pages: 1569-1577

    Background: We aimed to evaluate the performance of the current algorithm the HIV diagnosis that has been performed for four years. Results of HIV Ag/Ab tests, anti-HIV 1/2 confirmatory tests, HIV-1 RNA tests and the time for official results to be approved were evaluated.

    Methods: The relationship of HIV Ag/Ab tests, anti-HIV 1/2 confirmation tests and HIV-1 RNA PCR tests, their result times and suitability to the algorithm were examined at Izmir Dokuz Eylül University between May 2017 and June 2021.

    Results: HIV Ag/Ab ELISA was reactive repetitively in 165/54628 (0.30%) serum samples. Anti-HIV 1/2 confir-mation test was reactive in 54.42% (80/147) of samples. The most common pattern (18.2%) in the con-firmation tests was the positivity of the antibodies against gp160 - gp41 envelope glycoproteins together. The mean reporting time of the confirmation test result was 3h 50 min after the ELISA test. The mean reporting time of the HIV-1 RNA PCR was 12.79 d (±10.22) after the ELISA test and 12.63 (± 10.12) day after the confirmation test. In ROC analysis, the estimated rate of the ELISA test for the confirmation test was highest when S/CO was >13.16 (sensitivity: 97.59 %, specificity: 97.59%).

    Conclusion: The confirmation test in the current algorithm enabled the rapid test results, early diagnosis of HIV and early antiretroviral therapy. To use the new algorithm effectively, decentralization of the validation tests would be appropriate.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 12 | views: 20 | pages: 1578-1587

    Background: We analyzed the effects of psychological capital on organizational commitment and turnover intention among flight attendants at a Korean airline and the mediating effect of organizational commitment.

    Methods: Data were collected through a 2022 survey of Korean flight attendants, yielding 297 responses. Model reliability and validity were assessed to confirm hypotheses.

    Results: Hope had a significant negative effect on turnover intention P<0.05), whereas optimism and resilience did not have significant effects on turnover intention. Additionally, hope had a significant positive effect on normative and continuance commitment, unlike optimism and resilience, which did not have significant effects on normative commitment or continuance commitment. Both normative commitment and continuance commitment negatively influenced turnover intention. Organizational commitment mediated the relationship between psychological capital and turnover intention, reinforcing the positive impact of psychological capital on reducing turnover intention.

    Conclusion: This study underscores the significance of psychological capital in shaping organizational commitment and reducing turnover intention among Korean flight attendants. Strengthening psychological capital and fostering organizational commitment can bolster airline stability, competitiveness, and service quality.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 14 | views: 36 | pages: 1588-1597

    Background: A decline in adolescent health holds significant repercussions for public health. Promoting exercise is essential to improve physical and mental health among youth. This study aimed to explore the effect of CrossFit training programs on the physical health and sociogenic somatic anxiety of adolescents.

    Methods: In March 2023, 100 adolescents were openly recruited from eight middle schools in Jinhua, China. The participants, were divided equally into control and experimental groups, experienced either traditional or CrossFit training, respectively, over nine weeks. Evaluation measures included the analysis of social physique anxiety, body esteem, physical self-efficacy, and general physical health before and after the exercise program.

    Results: Post-intervention data demonstrated marked reductions across all facets of the social physique anxiety scale, including worries about public scrutiny, anxiety from social comparison, and discomfort related to one’s physical self-image, more so in the experimental group (P<0.05). Likewise, assessments of the physical self-perception profile and physical self-efficacy scale were enhanced, again with the experimental cohort displaying more pronounced improvements (P<0.05). Results from biophysical function evaluations indicated significant health improvements post-intervention, with noted advancements in lung capacity, aerobic fitness by the standing long jump, and muscular endurance as assessed by grip strength, sit-up, and push-up counts, primarily in the experimental group (P<0.05).

    Conclusion: CrossFit training offered considerable advantages by reducing social physique anxiety and enhancing adolescents’ body esteem and physical self-efficacy. The program stimulated improvements in body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 13 | views: 20 | pages: 1598-1611

    Background: Throughout history, many wars have occurred for various reasons, and many empires and kings have fallen or many people killed by wars. Wars were not always due to the conquest of the country. in the Iron Age, societies were governed by tribes at the head of the tribe, and war was only for to seize property, slaves, and food. Our research area is the same period as the Medes Kingdom, which included the union of small, large tribes, wars between tribes existed in that period, and their signs can be seen on the remains of the people of that period.

    Methods: Our research is related to human remains from Sagezabad cemetery, Qazvin plain, which dates back to 2000 BC (Iron Age 2 and 3) in Iran.

    Results: The blows on the remains were very serious and caused death. We have discussed how to kill by “considering the injured body”.

    Conclusion: Our investigation of how people were killed in war based on injury marks and bullet holes in bones, and simulating those injuries to body tissues and organs also, people who had bone cuts from the war and survived and had bone repair and died due to lack of nutrients and infection were also discussed.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 9 | views: 21 | pages: 1612-1620

    Background: Linoleic acid (LA) has modulatory effects on gastric cancer cell lines. This study aimed to investigate the effects of linoleic acid on the expression of metastatic and angiogenic molecular markers in gastric cancer cell line MKN-45.

    Methods: In this study performed in Tabriz, Iran in 2021, MKN-45 cells were treated with LA in the presence or absence of docetaxel. Total RNA was extracted, and cDNA synthesized from the cells before and after treatment. The expression levels of Talin-2 and MMP-2 genes and mir-20, mir-30, mir-126, and mir-194, were determined by quantitative real-time PCR.

    Results: LA treatment reduced the expression levels of mir-126, mir-194, mir-30, and MMP-2, while increased the expression levels of Talin-2 mRNA. Docetaxel treatment could decrease the expression levels of mir-20, Talin-2, and MMP-2 mRNA levels while increasing the expression levels of mir-126, mir-194, and mir-30. Additionally, the combined treatment of MKN-45 cells with LA and docetaxel could reduce the expression levels of mir-20 and mir-126 and increased the expression levels of mir-194, mir-30, Talin-2, and MMP-2 mRNAs.

    Conclusion: Modulation of the expression levels of gastric cancer involved microRNAs, Talin-2, and MMP-2 may be a mechanism through which LA may exert its biological effects on GC cell line MKN-45. LA may have an antimetastatic effect by reducing the MMP-2 expression and pro-angiogenic effect through increasing Talin-2 expression levels.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 13 | views: 22 | pages: 1621-1628

    Background: Cesarean section (CS) is one of the most important pregnancy concerns in the world. Increased inflammation is associated with increased risk factors for cesarean section. Diet plays a major role in reducing inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the risk of Cesarean section in Tehranian women.

    Methods: This case-control study included 390 pregnant women in Tehran, Iran between 2020 and 2021 at their initial visit to pregnancy clinics, selected by a cluster sampling method. Dietary intakes were determined using valid reliable questionnaires and DII was calculated. Weight, height, and waist circumference were also measured.

    Results: The mean age of the subjects was 28.5 yr (± 5.02) and weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in the case group with a higher DII were higher. Odds ratio (OR) of cesarean section in DII quartiles was statistically significant. Confounding factors including age, BMI and total energy intake were adjusted in the first model and weight, waist circumference, physical activity and supplements in the second model and the relationship remained significant (P<0.001).

    Conclusion: High scores of dietary inflammatory index, possibly through an increase in inflammatory factors, can increase the chances of having a cesarean section.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 8 | views: 19 | pages: 1629-1639

    Background: The research combined different bibliometric techniques to analyze systematically recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) documents from 1970 to 2023.

    Methods: Overall, 1287 documents from the Web of Science database associated with recurrent pregnancy loss between 1970 and 2023 were identified for more than 300 journals. The data were analyzed with VOSviewer software.

    Results: The trend of paying attention to the topic of RPL can be divided into three periods. The number of publications on RPL increased significantly after 2010. Most of the papers were published in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology areas. Utilizing co-occurrence and co-citation analysis, our study found that the most influential documents mapped the knowledge structure, and projected future research directions. The co-occurrence analysis showed five clusters even though the co-citation analysis designates four.

    Conclusion: RPL has increased in recent years exponentially and some areas were explained carefully, therefore these results could be used as a research agenda for the future direction by a range of interested beneficiaries.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 10 | views: 22 | pages: 1640-1650

    Background: We aimed to determine the feasibility of ozone for disinfection of infectious solid waste in hospital.

    Methods: Spores of Bacillus atrophaeus were used to monitor the process of inactivating microbial agents using ozone in medical solid waste in the hospitals of Tabriz City, Iran. For this purpose, culture medium containing the mentioned bacteria was placed in the bags containing medical wastes. The ozone generator was equipped with a constant dose of 5 grams per liter, with a discharge of 1 and 3 liters per minute and contact time of 10 to 120 min. Then the ozone exposure indicators were incubated for 24-48h at 36 ± 1 °C and, finally, the absence of colony growth in the culture medium was considered as the success of ozone in disinfection of infectious solid waste. This process was performed with 4-time replications.

    Results: The complete removal of B. atrophaeus was obtained for non-compacted and compacted infectious solid waste, at contact time of 15 and 50 min, respectively. The efficiency of removal of B. atrophaeus by the process of wet ozone injection through a glass column was 100% in 30 minutes and by separate injection of water vapor into the contact tank was 100% in 50 minutes. The results of this study showed that the use of ozone technology was effective in the inactivation and destruction of microbial agents in medical solid waste.

    Conclusion: Employing different advanced technology of oxidization especially ozone in order to decrease the environmental pollution is considered as one of management approaches.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 8 | views: 17 | pages: 1651-1658

    Background: Asthma and allergic diseases are common chronic non-communicable conditions that can negatively impact the quality of life of patients. Psychological factors play a role in both the onset and progression of these conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between handedness and emotion regulation and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in patients with asthma and allergies in Isfahan, central Iran.

    Methods: We employed a causal-comparative research design. The study population consisted of all patients visiting Asthma and Allergy Clinic in Isfahan. One hundred participants were selected through probability sampling. Data were collected using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies Questionnaire, and were analyzed using univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA).

    Results: Cognitive emotion regulation was significantly different between right-handed and left-handed patients with asthma and allergies (P=0.0001). A significant difference was also observed between the two groups in their emotion regulation strategies (P=0.031). The rate of positive and negative cognitive regulation strategies was higher in left-handed individuals with asthma and allergies, compared to right-handed individuals.

    Conclusion: Overall, handedness has a significant impact on the behavior and mental health of patients suffering from asthma and allergies. Therefore, handedness should be taken into consideration in interventions for emotion regulation.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 13 | views: 23 | pages: 1659-1669

    Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is an exceedingly malignant ailment that is not only characterized by its insidious onset and rapid progression but also by its poor therapeutic effects. Recently, emerging evidence has shed light on the significant role that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), play in the pathogenesis of PC. This investigation aimed to construct a network of interactions between miRNAs, lncRNAs, and mRNAs, as well as to perform correlation analyses in the context of PC.

    Methods: This study carried out in Kerman City, southeastern Iran in 2023. We utilized the GSE119794 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to analyze differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs), miRNAs (DE-miRNAs), and mRNAs (DE-mRNAs). Following the identification of the DE-lncRNAs, DE-mRNAs, and DE-miRNAs, we proceeded to examine differentially expressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) genes. Subsequently, we utilized the RNAInter database to predict interactions among lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs. Finally, we employed Cytoscape to visualize and analyze the constructed network.

    Results: 14 DE-lncRNAs, 14 DE-miRNAs, 545 DE-mRNAs, and 65 DE-EMT from pancreatic cancer and its adjacent tissue RNA-Seq data were identified. 1184 EMT genes from dbEMT were obtained, among which 65 DE-EMT were assigned as EMT genes and correlated with tumor progression. One functional lncRNA (UCA1) was identified as a key functional lncRNA. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of UCA1 and miR-708-5p were 0.79 and 0.86, respectively. Thus, it is reasonable to believe that this prognostic risk model helps predict PC metastasis.

    Conclusion: UCA1 is a new lncRNA linked with EMT in PC and contributes to a better knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms related to lncRNAs in PC.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 16 | views: 17 | pages: 1670-1680

    Background: We aimed to investigate the patterns of incidence and prevalence of bone sarcoma (BS) and soft tissue sarcoma (STS), morphology as well as geographical distribution in the elderly in Iran.

    Methods: By the primary site of the tumor and the morphological types, whole cases of cancer were classified. Then, the WHO classification (2018) and the third revision of the standard International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O-3) were used to assign a code to them. The estimated incidence rates were obtained as the frequency of the newly-diagnosed cases within one year divided by the calculated population of the mid-year Iranian residents as estimated by the Iranian Bureau of Statistics. The age-standardized incidence rates were also estimated for both bone and soft tissue sarcoma.

    Results: The annual crude incidence rates of sarcomas in males (0.80 per 100,000) were more than in females (0.55 per 100,000) in all years. The total combined crude incidence in 2014 years was obtained at 0.67 per 100,000 people. In terms of disease grade majority of the patients were of grade 3 (11.5 %). In terms of tumor location, the Lower extremity was 16.8%, the Visceral (including gastrointestinal & uterus) 15.8%, the Thoracic 12.8%, and the Pelvic & abdominal wall 9.7%.

    Conclusion: Even though such sarcoma is more prevalent in elderly men, its incidence was also observed in lower-aged female groups. In addition, the incidence rate of BS was lower in comparison with that of STS, and the patients often exhibited an unknown degree of sarcoma.

Short Communication(s)

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 10 | views: 16 | pages: 1681-1685

    Background: Neck circumference (NC) measurement has been recently developed as a simple and time-saving anthropometric method for predicting cardiovascular risk. Asymptomatic hyperuricemia is known as one of the cardiovascular risk factors. This study investigated the association between NC and asymptomatic hyperuricemia among the general population of Korea.

    Methods: This cross-sectional study examined data from 7,629 participants in the 2019–2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with hyperuricemia.

    Results: Approximately 10% of participants corresponded to hyperuricemia group who were likely to be male, have more comorbidities, poorer habits, and larger NC. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that NC was significantly associated with hyperuricemia in women (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.06-1.30), but not in men (OR 1.04; 95% CI 0.96-1.12).

    Conclusion: A large NC is independently correlated with hyperuricemia among Korean women.

     

    Methods: This cross-sectional study examined data from 7,629 participants in the 2019–2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with hyperuricemia.

    Results: Approximately 10% of participants corresponded to hyperuricemia group who were likely to have more comorbidities, poorer habits, and larger NC. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that NC was significantly associated with hyperuricemia in women (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.06-1.30), but not in men (OR 1.04; 95% CI 0.96-1.12).

    Conclusion: A large NC is independently correlated with hyperuricemia among Korean women.

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