زهرا قربانپور

Children with developmental disabilities were susceptible groups to mental health problems during the COVID-19 due to quarantine and closure of educational and rehabilitation centers. This scoping review investigates the consequences of mental health in these children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Articles were extracted by searching PubMed, Scopus, and ISI databases, between January 1, 2020 and September 12, 2022. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, observational and experimental studies that investigated the mental health status of children with developmental disabilities were included.

A total of 40 studies were selected. Accordingly, the prevalence of mental health and behavioral symptoms during COVID-19 significantly increased across most of the studies compared with pre-COVID-19 and control groups. These studies showed correlations and risk factors for mental health outcomes.

This scoping review demonstrated that several mental health issues during COVID-19 require comprehensive attention to planning and implementing specific strategies and creating the appropriate mental health services for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities.

The Bayley scale is one of the important and well-known tests to measure the development in the early life of children. Using this test, it is possible to identify possible developmental delays and the child's strengths and weaknesses. In the previous studies, cultural adaptation and standardization were performed in the Persian language. However, it is necessary to examine the item sequence in each language and culture. This study investigates the appropriateness of the Bayley sequence in the Persian language children.

This was a secondary study and the data from previous standardization studies were used. The scores of 1-42 month old children in each age group were analyzed for each item. As the difficulty of the items increased during the test, if deviated from the process, it indicated that the item was not in its proper position. In this study, by examining the difference in scores before and after each item, deviant items were identified.

The results showed that 41 items deviated from the main trend, of which 27 deviated items were at the starting point. Among the 27 deviant items at the starting point, 14 items were easier than the previous items (item 42=cognitive, items 10, 20, 24=receptive communication, items 3, 5, 10, 15, 18=expressive communication, items 24 and 39=fine motor, and items 20, 53, and 55=gross motor).

According to the results, there are 14 deviant items in the Bayley scale for the Persian language, which may have an impact on the test result, which is a small amount compared to the total test items. Nevertheless, it is recommended to examine these items in the next revisions of the test so that a correct estimate of the development process of Persian-speaking children can be made.

This study determines the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the adaptive behavior assessment system (ABAS) scale in children aged 1 to 42 months in Tehran City, Iran.

The translation and adaptation were carried out based on the international quality of life instrument project protocol. After a pilot study, 253 parents of 1-42 month-aged children in Tehran City, Iran, completed the Persian version of the ABAS scale to check the construct validity by exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency. To determine reliability, 12 parents completed this scale after 2 weeks again. 

The translation desirability was obtained by suggestions of the expert group and cognitive interviews by mothers; subsequently, face validity was obtained. The content validity ratio was calculated at 0.59 according to the participation of 11 experts. The content validity ratio for item 25 (communication), items 18, 20 and 22 (community use), items 11, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 21 (functional pre-academic) and item 18 (leisure) was below the acceptable value (0.59); however, the remaining substances demonstrated an acceptable content validity ratio, leading to no items being removed.
The content validity index regarding the relevance for item 25 (communication), items 18 and 22 (community use), items 11, 18, 23 and 22 (functional pre-academic) and the clarity for item 9 (functional pre-academic) scored between 0.7 and 0.79, indicating required revision. The other items achieved an acceptable content validity index value.
The Cronbach α coefficient tested the reliability and internal consistency. This coefficient was 0.957 in communication, 0.957 in community use, 0.943 in the functional pre-academic, 0.961 in home life, 0.960 in health and safety, 0.952 in leisure, 0.948 in self-care, 0.947 in self-direction, 0.954 in social and 0.962 in motor subscales, and 0.991 in total scale.
To determine the structural validity, according to the eigenvalue and the percentage explained by the first factor in each subscale, it was determined that a single-factor model is the most favorable condition for implementing factor analysis in the items of each subscale. In addition, according to the scree plot, the contribution of the first factor in each subscale in explaining the variance of the total items is significant and different from the contribution of the other factors. By calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), a good correlation was obtained in nine subscales and a moderate correlation was obtained in one subscale.

The adaptation validity and reliability of the ABAS scale have a desirable and acceptable quality. Also, the Persian version of this scale has content and construct validity, reliability in test-retest, and internal consistency. Therefore, the Persian version of the ABAS scale can be used in research as a tool to evaluate the adaptive behavior of 1 to 42-month Persian language children.

Drilling material from the tunnel of the Tehran-Shomal highway was estimated to be about 2.5 Million Cubic Meters by the project authorities. Sadly, from the beginning, the drilling materials had been deposited on the open space in the floodplain of the Chaloos river with slightest environmental considerations. During the previous years, weathering and leaching from the drilled materials besides the discharge of drain water from the tunnel had led to seriouse contaminations and the deterioration of the water quality of the Chaloos river. In this paper, the ecological risk of nonorganic pollutants due to drilled materials was investigated. The sampling was done from the excavated materials and river sediment in five different locations throughout a complete year. From the many pollutants, Nickel, Cadmium and Copper were chosen to be investigated. The results showed that almost 15 percent of the samples had a high degree of pollution, while 60 percent of them were clean and the other 25 percent included the highly contaminated ones. All samples were also estimated to have a low to high ecological risk.

  The increase in population and the increase of scientific and technical knowledge and the development of industries without observing environmental issues and standards has contributed to the pollution and collapse of the soil biomass balance. Cadmium is a heavy metal, an inessential and toxic element for plants that it enter to the earth by different human activities. Phytoremediation is one of the more efficient proposal methods in pollution effacement. The advantage of Phytoremediation is adding organic, nutrient elements and oxygen to the soil that improve the quality and structure of the soil in purging places. Plants also, create a cover for the soil and their roots stabilize the soil and thus reduce the wind and water erosion. There are reports about potassium fertilizer with plants for absorption of cadmium and Phytoremediation preferment. The cadmium ion can formed by permanent complexes with chloride quickly. Chlorides are very fluid and can be an important factor in cadmium distribution of the soil in the specific conditions. The aim of this research is investigation the effect of using chloride and potassium sulfate fertilizer to absorption of cadmium and Phytoremediation preferment by canola plant. This research performed into factorial and completely random design with 4 potassium levels (0, 100, 200 and 300 mg/gr K2O) from sources of potassium chloride and potassium sulfate, separately and 3 levels of cadmium (0, 15 and 30 mg/kg) from the source of cadmium nitrate in 3 replications at canola plant in glasshouse of center research. As far the results of analysis of variance of effects of Cadmium and Potassium fertilizers and their interaction have significant effect on the amount of Cadmium of root and shoot, root dry weight and Potassium of root. Also, according to the results, the main effects of cadmium and potassium fertilizers have significant effect on dry weight and Potassium of shoot, whereas the effect of their interaction on dry weight and Potassium of shoot isn’t significant. In the treatment of 15 mg/kg, at 200 and 300 mg/gr levels of Chloride Potassium and 300 mg/gr level of Potassium sulfate into control, increase the content of Cadmium of the root but the content of Cadmium in shoot in 200 and 300 mg/gr levels of Chloride and Potassium sulfate into control increase significantly. The results of interactions in levels of Cadmium and Potassium fertilizers on dry weight of root show that highest amount of the dry weight of root exists in 0 Cadmium treatment (control) in 200 mg/gr level of Potassium sulfate and the lowest amount of dry weight of root has been observed in 30 mg/Kg Cadmium treatment on 300 mg/gr Potassium sulfate level. Highest and lowest amount of dry weight of shoot is related to the control treatment of Cadmium and 30 mg/Kg Cadmium treatment respectively. Also the result of Cadmium treatment shows that the Potassium of shoot decrease significantly with increasing of Cadmium and all levels shows the significant reduction. Highest and lowest amount of Potassium of shoot is related to the 0 level of Cadmium and 30 mg/Kg level of Cadmium respectively. Investigation of the levels of Potassium fertilizers show that adding Potassium fertilizer increase the absorption of the Potassium of shoot has been observed in 300 mg/gr level of Potassium sulfate. In this research, there is significant difference between Potassium fertilizers (sulfate and chloride Potassium), whereas highest amount of the absorption of Cadmium has been observed in 300 mg/gr level in chloride Potassium, so according to the results of the glasshouse experiment, the efficiency of Phytoremediation improved however continuity of researches seem to be imperative in the farm conditions

Considering the role of spine in protecting the body alignment and various body activities, this study aims to examine the relationship between the spine curvature disorders and resting habits among the students of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences.
In this correlational study, a total of 108 students of Tehran University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, aged 18 to 29 years, were selected through simple random sampling method. Their curvatures of their spines were measured by scoliometer and a flexible ruler, and their resting habits were assessed through the Resting Habits questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed by performing Kolmogorov-Smirnov, linear regression, Pearson, Spearman, Mann-Whitney, and Independent t statistical tests using SPSS.V22.
There was no significant relationship between the resting habits of the study participants with their degrees of lordosis (P=0.858, r=0.574) and degree of scoliosis (P=0.603, r=0.857). However, there was a significant relationship between lordosis and gender (P In this study, the resting habits were not identified as risk factor for abnormal spine curvatures in the younger ages. However, bad resting habits at older ages and in females can be risk factors for lordosis.

Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood. Children with cerebral palsy require long-term therapy for achieving improved motor function. It seems to be a need for treatment and training at home. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of “handling training” for caregivers at home on the gross motor function of 15-72 months cerebral palsy children. In this experimental single-blinded study، 40 children with cerebral palsy (15-72 months old) were recruited from some of Tehran public or private rehabilitation clinics based on pre-determined inclusion criteria، and after matching for child age، type of clinic referred to (public or private)، type of cerebral palsy، IQ score، GMFCS level and number of occupational treatment sessions already provided at the rehabilitation clinic. The children were allocated randomly into intervention and control groups. For data collection، a demographic information questionnaire، gross motor function measurement (GMFM66) test and gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) test were used. Data were collected on three occasions: before the intervention، 1. 5 months and 3 months after intervention. For intervention، researchers went to the intervention group''s homes and explained educations related to handling for caregivers in a 4-hours session. During 3 months، researchers would follow up to implement the intervention. Data were analyzed by one sample k-S، chi-square، independent sample t test، general linear model and analysis of Covariance. There were significant differences in gross motor function of two groups in 1. 5 months and 3 months after intervention than before intervention (p<0. 001). There were significant difference in gross motor function improvement in pre-post (1. 5 months after intervention) (p=0. 006) and pre-follow (3 months after intervention) (p<0. 001) between two groups and was greater in the intervention group. Handling training on caregivers in home improves gross motor function in 15-72 months old cerebral palsy children.

An attempt to increase the efficiency of transport system is a big step towards its activities to become more economical. In fact the effect of reducing the distance travelled by different modes of transportation on different economic aspects (financial costs, energy consumption, time …) is quite clear. The endeavor of man to find better, faster and more efficient ways in solving problems of personal life is endless. For a long time duplicating from the nature and discovering the nature based methods has been one of the essential branches of various human sciences. The aim of this paper is to find optimum route for freight transport of goods between the centers of 10 provinces in Iran. Here “optimization” is defined as: search for a single point or a few points in order to enhance the efficiency”. One of the most known techniques in solving optimum points is called genetic algorithm which is based on Darwin’s evolving theory. Of course this theory alone cannot fully explain and provide reasonable conclusions. Therefore, in this paper we use the John Holland’s Schema theory in order to better understanding realizing the outcomes derived from the generic algorithm. Results of this research show that it is possible to increase the efficiency of the country’s economic system including its transportation network and fleet by using TSP.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of “handling training” to caregivers at home on fine motor development in 6 to 72 months old children with CP.

In this experimental single-blinded study، forty 6 to 72 months old children with cerebral palsy were recruited from some Tehran rehabilitation clinics based on pre-determined inclusion criteria. Then they were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The researcher attended residence of intervention group and along with giving advices to adjust and accommodate the home، well-informed the caregivers about the principals of handling in one 4 hour technical training session. Data were collected using a demographic information questionnaire، Peabody Developmental Motor Scales And Activity Cards test (PDMS_R) and gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) test just before intervention، and 1. 5 months and 3 months after intervention period.

There were significant differences in fine motor development of two groups in 1. 5 months and 3 months after intervention period than before intervention (P < 0. 001(. The average fine motor improvement was statistically significant 3 months after intervention in intervention group (P = 0. 043). No significant difference was recorded between groups in average fine motor improvement (1. 5 months after intervention) (P = 0. 19). In addition، there were no significant differences in average hand use، dexterity and eye hand coordination improvement between two groups 1. 5 months and 3 months after intervention but the average grasp improvement was statistically better in intervention group (P = 0. 036).

In this study، Handling training on caregivers at home could improve fine motor development of 6-72 months old children with CP in long term (3 months).

The present study designed to investigate the incidence of spinal deviations among the female students resident in Ashrafi Esfahani dormitory، the university of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation sciences in 2011 and to determine its relation to low back pain and Body Mass Index (BMI). In a prospective cross-sectional study 63 female students were randomly included. Before the main study، the reliability of measurements was evaluated. Following giving information about the study، data on background، Back problems and spinal deviations was collected through interviews، questionnaires and physical examination. Data Analyzed with SPSS software using the Pearson Chi-square test and Fisher Exact. The reliability of results were acceptable. Most of quantitative data were consistent with a normal distribution. Out of 63 participants، 38. 1% with scoliosis، 27% hyperlordosis and 30. 2. % hypolordosis were determined. More than half (58. 7 %) of students reported low back pain with severity of 2. 19. The results of statistical analysis showed among the students with scoliosis، low back pain (LBP) were less common (27. 70%) in comparison with those without scoliosis (72. 29%); although this difference was not statistically significant. LBP were 37. 83% among individuals with hyperlordosis، 21. 63% among those with hypolordosis and 40. 54% among those with normal lordosis، this difference was significant (p<0. 05). Chi squere result revealed significat relation between LBP with lordosis among female students (p = 0. 04) and lordosis with scoliosis (p =0. 03)، but no significant relation was seen between scoliosis with back pain (p = 0. 08)، and Body Mass Index (BMI) with scoliosis (p =0. 68) and lordosis (12/0 p = 0. 12). Among the study population، scoliosis was more prevalent than hyperlordosis and hyperlordosis was more common than hypolordosis. Considering lack of any relation between scoliosis and LBP، scoliosis can be developed without any back pain symptom. And also considering higher prevalence of hyperlordosis and its positive relation to LPB in comparison to hypolordosis، screening، prevention and treatment strategies to specially prevent and&or reduce scoliosis and hyperlordosis are emphasized. This study was confimatory to the relation between scoliosis and lordosis but not confirmatory to the relation betweed BMI with scoliosis and lordosis.