2024 Impact Factor: 1.6
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pISSN: 2251-6085
eISSN: 2251-6093
Chairman & Editor-in-Chief:
Dariush D. Farhud, MD, Ph.D., MG.
This journal is a member of, and subscribes to the principles of, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). 
Vol 39 No 4 (2010)
Articles
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The nutrients are able to interact with molecular mechanisms and modulate the physiological functions in the body. The Nutritional Genomics focuses on the interaction between bioactive food components and the genome, which includes Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics. The influence of nutrients on f genes expression is called Nutrigenomics, while the heterogeneous response of gene variants to nutrients, dietary components and developing nutraceticals is called Nutrigenetics. Genetic variation is known to affect food tolerances among human subpopulations and may also influence dietary requirements and raising the possibility of individualizing nutritional intake for optimal health and disease prevention on the basis of an individual's genome. Nutrigenomics provides a genetic understanding for how common dietary components affect the balance between health and disease by altering the expression and/or structure of an individual's genetic makeup. Nutrigenetics describes that the genetic profile have impact on the response of body to bioactive food components by influencing their absorption, metabolism, and site of action.
In this way, considering different aspects of gene-nutrient interaction and designing appropriate diet for every specific genotype that optimize individual health, diagnosis and nutritional treatment of genome instability, we could prevent and control conversion of healthy phenotype to diseases. -
Background: Understanding customers has become an urgent topic for increasing competitiveness. The purpopse of the study was to develop a qualitative dynamic attribute value model which provides insight into the customers' value for healthcare institute managers by conducting the initial open-ended questionnaire survey to select participants purposefully.
Methods: A total number of 427 questionnaires was conducted in two hospitals in Taiwan (one district hospital with 635 beds and one academic hospital with 2495 beds) and 419 questionnaires were received in nine weeks. Then, apply qualitative in-depth interviews to explore customers' perspective of values for building a model of partial differential equations.
Results: This study concludes nine categories of value, including cost, equipment, physician background, physicain care, environment, timing arrangement, relationship, brand image and additional value, to construct objective network for customer value and qualitative dynamic attribute value model where the network shows the value process of loyalty development via its effect on customer satisfaction, customer relationship, customer loyalty and healthcare service.
Conclusion: One set predicts the customer relationship based on comminent, including service quality, communication and empahty. As the same time, customer loyalty based on trust, involves buzz marketing, brand and image. Customer value of the current instance is useful for traversing original customer attributes and identifing customers on different service share. -
Background: Exposure to formaldehyde (FA) causes irritative effects and induces nasopharyngeal cancer; the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, Lyon) classified FA as carcinogenic to humans, Group 1. Many studies have been published so far concerning the occupational exposure of industrial workers, embalmers, pathologists and anatomists to FA but very few data regarding medical examiners are available.
Methods: To assess the extent to which subjects were exposed to FA, airborne concentrations of this chemical were measured by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). In September-October 2006 we examined the personnel, which worked in an autopsy room (medical examiners) and in three laboratories of pathologic anatomy of the University Medical School of Bari, Policlinico Hospital, Southern Italy. Irritative effects were also investigated.
Results: All the personal exposure data obtained exceeded the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Threshold Limit Value-Time Weighted Average (NIOSH TLV-TWA: 0.02 mg/m3) and, in a few cases, even the American Conference of Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Value-Ceiling level (ACGIH TLV-C: 0.37 mg/m3).
Conclusion: Irritative effects in more than 50% of the workers enrolled, increasing the risk of injuries. -
Background: Fusarium species are capable of causing a wide range of crop plants infections as well as uncommon human infections. Many species of the genus produce mycotoxins, which are responsible for acute or chronic diseases in animals and humans. Identification of Fusaria to the species level is necessary for biological, epidemiological, pathological, and toxicological purposes. In this study, we undertook a computer-based analysis of ITS1-5.8SrDNA-ITS2 in 192 GenBank sequences from 36 Fusarium species to achieve data for establishing a molecular method for specie-specific identification.
Methods: Sequence data and 610 restriction enzymes were analyzed for choosing RFLP profiles, and subsequently designed and validated a PCR-restriction enzyme system for identification and typing of species. DNA extracted from 32 reference strains of 16 species were amplified using ITS1 and ITS4 universal primers followed by sequencing and restriction enzyme digestion of PCR products.
Results: The following 3 restriction enzymes TasI, ItaI and CfoI provide the best discriminatory power. Using ITS1 and ITS4 primers a product of approximately 550bp was observed for all Fusarium strains, as expected regarding the sequence analyses. After RFLP of the PCR products, some species were definitely identified by the method and some strains had different patterns in same species.
Conclusion: Our profile has potential not only for identification of species, but also for genotyping of strains. On the other hand, some Fusarium species were 100% identical in their ITS-5.8SrDNA-ITS2 sequences, therefore differentiation of these species is impossible regarding this target alone. ITS-PCR-RFLP method might be useful for preliminary differentiation and typing of most common Fusarium species. -
Background: Neisseria meninigitidis is one of the most frequently encountered microorganisms associated with central nervous system infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate a PCR-based assay for specific and rapid detection of N. meninigitidis in CSF specimens.
Methods: Since April 2002 to July 2006, 130 CSF specimens were collected from patients suspected of having bacterial meningitis. Bacterial isolation and identification was carried out according to the standard bacteriological methods. The PCR was used to amplify a 101bp fragment of capsular transport gene A (ctrA) of N. meningitidis.
Results: PCR yielded an amplified product with the expected size of 101 base pair fragment. Sensitivity test proved 500 ng of N. meningitidis DNA as the final detection limit and specificity test revealed no cross-reaction for a wide range of respiratory pathogenic organisms.
Conclusion: The PCR assay was more sensitive than the bacterial culturing. It might be possible to apply this procedure for rapid diagnosis of meningococci in clinical samples.
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Background: Determining real effects on internet dependency is too crucial with unbiased and robust statistical method. MARS is a new non-parametric method in use in the literature for parameter estimations of cause and effect based research. MARS can both obtain legible model curves and make unbiased parametric predictions.
Methods: In order to examine the performance of MARS, MARS findings will be compared to Classification and Regression Tree (C&RT) findings, which are considered in the literature to be efficient in revealing correlations between variables. The data set for the study is taken from "The Internet Addiction Scale" (IAS), which attempts to reveal addiction levels of individuals. The population of the study consists of 754 secondary school students (301 female, 443 male students with 10 missing data). MARS 2.0 trial version is used for analysis by MARS method and C&RT analysis was done by SPSS.
Results: MARS obtained six base functions of the model. As a common result of these six functions, regression equation of the model was found. Over the predicted variable, MARS showed that the predictors of daily Internet-use time on average, the purpose of Internet- use, grade of students and occupations of mothers had a significant effect (P< 0.05). In this comparative study, MARS obtained different findings from C&RT in dependency level prediction.
Conclusion: The fact that MARS revealed extent to which the variable, which was considered significant, changes the character of the model was observed in this study. -
Background: We examined a molecular method with a single-PCR for amplification of a part of CP5 gene enabling us to differentiate the pathogenic species, Entamoeba histolytica, from the non-pathogenic species, E. dispar.
Methods: We developed a single PCR method for this purpose. After investigation of GenBank, primer pairs were designed from highly conserved regions of cysteine proteinase (CP5) gene. The primers were utilized in PCR using isolated genomic DNA template of E. histolytica and the PCR products were then sequenced. The same primer and method for PCR was used for isolated genomic DNA template of E. dispar.
Results: A fragment of about 950 bp was isolated in PCR by using DNA from E. histolytica, however, no banding pattern was produced by using the same primers for E. dispar. We characterized CP5 gene at molecular level in E. histolytica isolates from 22 positive; including 20 non-dysentery samples isolated from both cities as well as two dysentery samples isolated only from Tabriz. Nucleotide sequence comparison in gene data banks (NCBI, NIH) revealed significant homology with CP5 gene in E. histolytica isolates
Conclusion: We developed a PCR method, which could detect simply and rapidly E. histolytica by amplifying a specific PCR fragment.
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Background: Health locus of control (HLC) has been associated with a variety of ailments and health outcomes and designed to predict behaviors and cognitive processes relevant to mental and physical health. This study investigated the relationships between perceived health locus of control, self-esteem, and mental health status among Iranian students.
Methods: In this analytical study the subjects were recruited from students in Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, who studied in the first year (N=154). Students completed the questionnaires for assessing demographic, perceived health locus of control, self - esteem and psychological well- being data.
Results: The statistical analysis revealed a negative relationship between perceived Internal HLC and self-esteem with psychological well-being. The positive correlation of the perceived Chance HLC with psychological well-being was statistically significant (r= 0.21, P< 0.01) and the positive correlation of the perceived Internal HLC with self-esteem was statistically significant (r= 0.25, P< 0.01). A significantly direct relationship between low perceived Internal HLC, self-esteem and psychological problems was found among these students.
Conclusion: The findings will be addressed in relation to their implications for effective mental health education based on health locus of control especially internal and powerful others beliefs associated with self-esteem for students. This will require additional monitoring and uninterrupted trying in order to be effective.
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Background: Anthropometric data can be used to identify the physical dimensions of equipment, furniture, etc. The use of furniture that fails to fulfill the anthropometric data of its users has a negative impact on human health. Specific anthropometric dimensions are necessary to design school furniture. Anthropometric data have been measured in many communities especially among schoolchildren. There are different ethnic groups with probably different anthropometric data in Iran, and anthropometric data can change by time, so gathering data about anthropometric dimensions is important. This study was designed to obtain anthropometric dimensions of Iranian children (Fars ethnicity) aged 7-11 years.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study in Yazd, Iran, descriptive statistics as well as key percentiles for 17 static anthropometric data of primary school students (1015 males and 1015 females), were measured and compared between boys and girls.
Results: The age of the students was between 6 and 11 years. Mean weight was between 21.56±5.33 kg and 36.63±9.45 kg in boys and between 20.79±3.48 kg and 35.88±9.40 kg in girls. Mean height was between 1187/02±53.98 mm and 1420.83± 69.39 mm in boys and between 1173.90±51.01mm and 1421.27±70.82 mm in girls. There was also some difference in other anthropometric data between two genders.
Conclusion: Results of this study showed some differences in anthropometric data with other studies. We also observed significant gender differences in some dimensions as well.
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Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the age- related loss of health-related physical fitness and normative data in healthy population women aged 20-60 years old of Tehran, Iran.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1000 healthy women aged 20-60 years old were randomly selected from northern, southern, eastern, western and center regions of Tehran. Cardiovascular fitness was determined by Ros and Jakson protocol. Body composition were measured using Jackson and Poolak procedure, flexibility was determined by sit and reach test, muscular strength with a standard dynamometer and muscular endurance were measured with Sit-ups test in one minutes.
Results: Cardiovascular fitness (vo2max), body composition, flexibility, muscular strength and endurance remained unchanged in the 20 and 30 year old age groups. Around of 40 years old, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance began to gradually decline but body composition increased and flexibility unchanged. Data for Vo2max and the other variables in 4-yr groups provide "normative" results. Result indicated age- related declined in Vo2max (0.43 ml/ kg/min× yr (-1)), muscular strength (0.004 kg/weight ×yr (-1)) and endurance (0.63 repetition ×yr (-1)), and increased in body fat (0.43 % ×yr (-1)) in 30-60 year. One-way ANOVA test showed that all variables significantly differed (P<0.001) among decades except sit and rich test (P< 0.059) between the second and third decades. Vo2max had asignificant relationship (P< 0.01) with Age, BMI, body fat percent and muscular strength and endurance.
Conclusion: Iranian women have a greater decline in cardiovascular fitness; muscular strength and endurance. The results of this study can be used as reference material for clinical studies in different age groups.
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Background: Health system pharmacies, like other health care professional, practice under a number of mandated standards. Basic concepts of quality assurance (QA) standards should be applied to hospital pharmacy practice. The survey reported here is to assess QA system implementation and its standard indicators observation in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) hospitals' pharmacies in 2007 - 2008.
Methods: A cross - sectional, descriptive analytical survey was accomplished. First, a checklist within the framework of QA standard indicators was made to assess TUMS hospitals pharmacies practice. Collected data was saved by Excel software for recording and analyzed by SPSS version-15. Observation rate of QA standard indicators was classified by inappropriate, relatively appropriate, and appropriate.
Results: Characteristics of TUMS hospitals pharmacists organizational structure, size, equipment, safety facility and drug requirement were studied by QA standard indicators.
Conclusion: Many of QA standard indicators are observed and implemented in TUMS hospitals pharmacies, but several of these standards are not observed too. It is appropriate that all TUMS hospitals pharmacies are required to advance the profession, often with the same goal of increasing involvement in direct patient care.
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Background: The goal of this study was to determine the application of health belief model in oral health education for 12-year-old children and its effect on oral health behaviors and indexes.
Methods: A quasi- experimental study was carried out on twelve-year-old girl students (n-291) in the first grade of secondary school, in the central district of Tehran, Iran. Research sample was selected by a multistage cluster sampling. The data was obtained by using a valid reliable questionnaire for measuring the perceptions, a checklist for observing the quality of brushing and dental flossing and health files and clinical observation. First, a descriptive study was applied to individual perceptions, oral behaviors, Oral Hygiene Index (OHI) and Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth Index (DMFTI). Then an educational planning based on the results and Health Belief Model (HBM) was applied. The procedure was repeated after six months.
Results: After education, based on HBM, all the oral health perceptions increased (P<.05). Correct brushing and flossing are influenced by increased perceptions. A low correlation between the reduction of DMFTI and increased perceived severity and increased perceived barriers are found (r= -0.28, r = 0.43 respectively). In addition, there was a limited correlation between OHI and increased perceived benefits (r = -0.26).
Conclusion: Using health belief model in oral health education for increasing the likelihood of taking preventive oral health behaviors is applicable.
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Background: . The aim of this study was to investigate of relationship of musculoskeletal symptoms with weight of backpack in Tehran secondary school students.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in the city of Tehran in 2009. Two hundred thirteen students participated in study. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used, asking about complaints of back, neck, and/or shoulders. Length and weight of the children were determined. Schoolbags were weighed, and the relative weight of the schoolbag was calculated.
Results: Most prevalent discomfort was in shoulders as 38.1%, neck 27.6% and back 16.7%. Average difference of weight of backpack in sample that had musculoskeletal with other samples was significant (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: .
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Background: The obesity and hypertension are the major risk factors of several life threatening diseases. The present study was aimed to investigate the relation between body mass index (BMI) the validated index of adiposity and different aspect of blood pressure (BP).
Methods: Systolic and diastolic blood pressures and also weight and height of 7 to 18 years old children and adolescent collected in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Data was consisted of 14865 schoolchildren and adolescents from representative sample of country. BMI was classified according to CDC 2000 standards into normal (BMI<85th percentile), at risk of overweight (BMI≥85th and <95th percentile) and overweight (BMI≥ 95th percentile). Then, age-sex specific prevalence of being overweight was derived. ANOVA was used to investigate the effect of BMI on systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure of participants.
Results: Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) significantly increased with BMI (P< 0.0001) and age groups (P< 0.0001), and was significantly (P< 0.0001) higher in boys than girls especially in older ages. (P< 0.0001, interaction of age and BMI level). The proportion of being overweight was significantly higher in boys than girls was (7.4% vs. 3.6%; P< 0.0001).
Conclusion: There is an association between BP and BMI in children and adolescence. SBP, DBP and MAP are associated with rise in BMI and age, which was lower in girls. This data can provide basics for public health policy makers and primary prevention policies in the country.
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Background: The oral health-related quality of life indicators are increasingly used to measure the impact of the oral conditions on quality of life. One of the most used indicators is the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), but it has never been applied in Iran. The aim of this study was to validate the usage of OHIP-14 among Iranians.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in Kerman (Iran). A consecutive sample (n= 400) of the Kerman Dental School Clinics attending patients participated in this study. All participants self-completed the translated OHIP-14. Reliability analyses, validity tests, and responsiveness were carried out to evaluate the psychometric properties of the OHIP-14.
Results: The reliability coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) of the OHIP-14 was above the recommended 0.7 threshold and considered excellent (alpha: 0.85). The coefficient of the test-retest reliability measured by ICC was 0.88 (CI 95%: 0.80-0.93). Poorer oral condition was strongly associated with OHIP scores of the patients, supporting construct validity. Moreover, for evaluation of responsiveness, the ES was measured to be 0.43 and the SRM was 0.67.
Conclusions: The Persian version of OHIP-14 is a precise, valid and reliable instrument for assessing oral health-related quality of life among Persian population
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Background: Respiratory virus infections in children are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.
Methods: A total of 897 clinical specimens were collected from February 2007 to January 2008 and transported to the National Influenza Center. Two hundred and two samples belonged to children under the age of six from 897 specimens, described above, were selected. Then they were tested for influenza virus types and subtypes by real time PCR assay subsequently, the specimens were tested for RSV and hMPV by hemi-nested multiplex PCR and parainfluenza viruses type 1-4 by hemi-nested multiplex PCR and adenovirus by hemi-nested PCR.
Results: The throat swab was taken from the Kawasaki case with the history of chicken`s contact. The specimen was tested for all influenza subtypes especially H5N1 and the results were negative. Meanwhile PCR was done for screening of other respiratory viruses that results came out positive for RSV and hMPV.
Conclusion: In the present study, we demonstrated the possibility to detect dual infection caused by RSV and hMPV, but because of the extravagant pattern of this case, more investigation is suggested specially on Kawasaki patients.
