fariba jafari

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of psychotherapy based on improving quality of life on anxiety and quality of life in women with vitiligo.

The study employed a quasi-experimental design. The statistical population included all women with vitiligo referred to the Isfahan Dermatology and Leishmaniasis Research Center. From this population, 20 women were selected through available sampling and randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group (10 participants per group). Both groups completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (1988) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (2004) as pre-tests. After the experimental group completed eight sessions of psychotherapy focused on improving quality of life (one 90-minute session per week for eight weeks), post-tests were administered to both groups immediately and again one month later. The collected data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance via SPSS.23 software.

The results of repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that psychotherapy focused on improving quality of life significantly reduced anxiety scores and increased the quality of life in women with vitiligo.

Given that psychotherapy based on improving quality of life positively affects anxiety and quality of life in women with vitiligo, teaching this therapeutic approach is recommended as an effective intervention to reduce anxiety and enhance the quality of life in this population.

 Otalgia is a very common symptom induced by a wide variety of diseases. Depending on the location of the pathology, otalgia is categorized into primary and secondary types. In primary otalgia, the main source of the pain is located within the ear. On the contrary, secondary or referred otalgia is defined as a disorder which the underlying pathology is outside of the ear complex giving rise to the sensation of pain in the ear. Multiple etiologies have been reported to produce secondary otalgia including temporomandibular joint dysfunctions, cervical spine pathologies, laryngitis, pharyngitis and tonsillitis.

  In this study, we present a 57-year-old man with referred otalgia, associated to rotator cuff tendon tear and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, which is uncommon and atypical.

Shoulder pathologies like rotator cuff tendon tear and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis can be considered as a possible but rare cause of referred otalgia

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of psychotherapy based on improving quality of life on depression and self-esteem in women with vitiligo.

The present study was a quasi-experimental study (Pre-test - post-test with follow-up and control group). The statistical population of this study included all women with vitiligo skin disease referred to Isfahan Dermatology and Leishmaniasis Research Center , among which, 20 people were selected by available sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (10 people for each group). Both groups completed Beck Depression Inventory (1996) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem (1965) Questionnaires as a pre-test and after completing eight sessions of psychotherapy based on improving quality of life (one 90-minute session per week for eight weeks), the post-test was performed again and one month later for the control and experimental groups. The collected data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance in SPSS 23 software.

Based on the findings of repeated measures analysis of variance, it was found that psychotherapy based on improving quality of life reduced the average depression scores and increased the self-esteem of women with vitiligo.

Considering that psychotherapy based on improving the quality of life has an effect on depression and self-esteem in women with vitiligo, so teaching this therapeutic approach is recommended as an effective intervention method to reduce depression and improve the self-esteem of women with vitiligo.

A 43-year-old female known case of Systemic Lupus Erythematous was presented with chief complaints of pain and morning stiffness in her joints since 3 months ago. Her pain was intensified after Covid-19 pneumonia. She was referred to our nuclear medicine center to rule out active arthritis with three-phase bone scan. An interesting finding was abnormal large tracer accumulation in the pelvis, which was proved to be due to myoma.

People with health anxiety have misconceptions and incorrect interpretations of health and excessive sensitivity to their physical symptoms. Therefore, the current research was conducted with the aim of predicting health anxiety based on metacognitive beliefs, Alexithymia and experiential avoidance in nurses.

The method of this study was descriptive-correlation. The research community consisted of all nurses in the emergency department of hospitals and medical centers in Kermanshah. In this study, 180 people were selected through convenience sampling and answered the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Short Form of Health Anxiety Inventory and Metacognitions Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multivariate regression analysis in SPSS-24 software.

The results showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between metacognitive beliefs, Alexithymia, and experiential avoidance with health anxiety in nurses (P<0.01). The results of multivariate regression analysis also revealed that %76.5 of the variance of nurses' health anxiety is explained by metacognitive beliefs, Alexithymia, and experiential avoidance.

According to the results, it can be said that if people's evaluation of physical symptoms is problematic only when specific metacognitive beliefs are high, therapeutic interventions that target metacognitive beliefs instead of symptom evaluation may be more effective. Also, treatments based on acceptance and commitment and mentalization that lead to reduction of experiential avoidance and increase of mentalization capacity and subsequently reduction of health anxiety are suggested for nurses.

The nursing profession is associated with difficult and stressful conditions and some psychological consequences. Also, one of the most important health potentials described in theoretical and research bases is the sense of coherence. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of perceived stress on psychological distress and psychological well-being with the mediating role of sense of coherence in nurses.

The present study was a cross-sectional correlational study. The research community included all nurses working in hospitals and medical centers in Tehran. In this study, 200 people were selected by convenience sampling method. The research tools are: Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (1983), Kessler's psychological distress questionnaire (2003), Ryff Psychological well-being scale (1989), Antonovsky’s Sence of Coherence Scale (1993). Pearson correlation, structural equation modeling and SPSS and AMOS version 23 software were used for data analysis.

The results of the findings show the fit of the desired model. In addition, the obtained results indicate a direct, positive and significant effect between perceived stress and psychological distress (T=5.556; P<0.001; β=0.385). Also, there is a direct, negative and significant effect between perceived stress and psychological well-being (T=3.407; P<0.001; β=0.173). In addition, the sense of coherence played a mediating role in the relationship between perceived stress and psychological distress and psychological well-being.

The results of this study show the importance of the mediating role of sense of coherence in the relationship between perceived stress and psychological distress and psychological well-being. In other words, the sense of coherence acts as a health potential in a stressful work environment; therefore, it is necessary to design interventions based on this component, because it can probably significantly change a person's physical and psychological functions in a stressful work environment.

This article aims to "designing a model for how to cover Iranian television news with the aim of promoting public health" and aims to analyze the content of health news on television with emphasis on the Corona pandemic, comparing two Iranian and two German television channels. In order to conduct content analysis, first the important dimensions and related topics of health news coverage were defined. A total of 62 news broadcasts from the four networks were reviewed and analyzed in the period of February 18 to March 22, 2020 including 749 pieces of news related to health. The results show that the two German networks paid more attention to the coverage of health management than the two Iranian channels (ZDF with 96.8% and ARD with 64.9%), while the share of content about hygiene and health products in the two Iranian news programs was higher. Regarding material capacities and deficits, Iranian networks show higher coverage (>15%) than the two German networks (<15%). There is no systematic difference in terms of human capacities and deficits in the field of health. The amount of Iranian news in the field of health services and consulting is much higher than the two German news programs. Coverage of physical health dimensions in ZDF network (94.2%) and channel two of Iranian Television (72.3%) is higher than the other two networks. In evaluating health news across all themes, the two Iranian networks follow a similar pattern, but the patterns of the two German networks are mostly not similar.

Throughout history, humans need to have sexual intercourse, at least in order to reproduce and perpetuate their offspring, so sexual activity has become an important aspect of human life(3). One of the most important philosophies in forming a married life is for a couple to come together to have tranquility and comfort. This comfort depends on some factors, one of the most obvious of which is healthy sex. Sex, a four-stage response cycle including sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, and suppression, is a significant aspect of married life. Any disorder in one of these stages may interfere with a person's sexual function and lead to sexual dysfunction (4). In general, the main feature of sexual disorders is a disorder in the processes of the normal stages of sexual intercourse or pain that occurs during sexual intercourse. For each of these disorders, which occurs in the four stages of sexual activity, there are specific diagnostic criteria: the disorder in sexual activity must cause suffering and discomfort, affect the marital relationships, and be continuous and frequent (5). In a study, Froutan et al. (6). examined the sexual dysfunction of divorced couples. The results showed that 77% of women had sexual dysfunction, therefore even people successful in sex may have some problems in their sexual activity. Dosti and Vaziri(2018) (8) reported a high prevalence of the sexual disorder in their study and showed that sexual problems are a widespread health problem in women. Researchers believe that in order to better understand sexual activity and its development in humans, it is necessary to study all aspects of human beings including physical (such as genetics, hormones), mental (such as how one feels about oneself and others), social (the relationship between self and others) and spiritual aspects (such as religion, values, and beliefs) (10). Therefore, beliefs, attitudes, and religion are among the influential factors in the sexual behavior of individuals. In general, religious attitudes can be effective in marital relationships; because religion has guidelines, a system of beliefs and values that can affect marital life (11). Husseni nasab et al. (2018) evaluated the role of religion on marital relations and sexual activity as positive (12). Kamyabi niya et al. (2015) in their study showed that there is a positive and meaningful relationship between sex and religion. In other words, people with desirable sexual activity have a higher religious health score (13).According to Allport and Ross theory, religious orientation which is based on two types; internal and external means the tendency to perform religious practices and thoughts (15). Internal religious orientation has a motivational aspect, organized, and internal principles and does not require other stimuli. External religious orientation is external and is a factor in satisfying personal needs such as status and security. External orientation is considered an immature or less mature religion (16). One of the other variables of the present research is a practical obsession. Studies have shown that obsessive disorder run in families (17). These obsessive-compulsive behaviors lead to considerable confusion and cause severe impairment in psychosocial functioning (18). Obsessive- compulsive behaviors are recurring and persistent thoughts, desires, or perceptions that are experienced as disturbing and unwanted; Practical obsessions, on the other hand, are repetitive behaviors or mental actions that a person feels compelled to perform in response to an obsession or in accordance with rules that must be strictly enforced (18). In societies with high religious beliefs, obsessive thoughts are more prevalent. This indicates the role and relationship of religion with obsessive behaviors confirmed by various studies. Many studies have shown that external religious orientation is both directly and indirectly (through feelings of extreme responsibility and guilt) associated with signs of practical obsessive disorder (21). According to different research, one of the variables related to religious orientation is a practical obsession; therefore, in this study, we will consider the relationship between sexual dysfunction, obsessive behaviors, and religious orientation. A positive point of the present study is that unlike other studies that have dealt more with the relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder and sexual dysfunction or the relationship between religious orientation and obsessive-compulsive disorder; the present study intends to investigate the relationship among all these three variables. Based on the results of this study, many marital differences and dissatisfaction can be reduced and family stability and continuity can be provided. In general, considering the effective nature of sexual disorders in various aspects of life, especially the importance of this issue on marital relationships, it seems necessary to identify the factors influencing sexual activity. One of these factors is the cultural values of the society e.g. religion. Considering the religious context of Iranian society, conducting research on the role of religious orientation in sexual function and practical obsessive behavior of women is very important; therefore, the main question of the present research is whether there is a meaningful relationship between sexual dysfunction, obsessive behaviors, and religious orientation of married women?

The present study is a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population of this study included all married female students of North Tehran Azad University in the academic year 2020-2021. According to the statistical sample based on Klein theory, in factor analysis, 10 or 20 samples are required for each variable, but the minimum sample size of 200 is defensible. 250 students of North Tehran Azad University were selected based on the available sampling method.The ethics code of the present study is IR.ALZAHRA.REC.1401.014. Research instruments include the standard female sexual dysfunction questionnaire, the Allport Veras religious orientation questionnaire, and the standard Madzli obsessive-compulsive disorder questionnaire.

The results show that the correlation coefficients between the dimensions of sexual dysfunction with the dimensions and the total score of obsessive behaviors are positive and significant (P≥0.01). Regression coefficients show that in the best predictive model for the dimensions and total score of marital satisfaction of couples, only the psychological dimension can predict the criterion variable. There is also a significant relationship between sexual dysfunction and its subscales with religious orientation (P≥0.01). Regression coefficients also show that both dimensions of religious orientation can predict sexual dysfunction (P <0.01). Religious orientation also has a significant relationship with obsessive behaviors in married women and predicts it (P <0.01).

According to the results, religious orientation is able to predict sexual dysfunction and obsessive behaviors. Other results indicate significant relationships between sexual dysfunction and obsessive-compulsive behaviors and religious orientation. In other words, religion as a coping factor can be associated with many psychological and behavioral disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and sexual dysfunction, and generally predict mental health in individuals. In other words, religion can play a positive role in reducing sexual dysfunction and obsessive behaviors, so it is necessary for psychologists to develop and implement educational programs to solve such kinds of problems, highlight the importance of religious orientation, and pay special attention to preventing and treatment programs.

We aimed to evaluate Sarcocystis contamination in conventional and industrial raw beef burger samples from butcheries and retail stores in Hamadan, western Iran.

Overall, 80 samples including 30 conventional and 50 industrial hamburgers were randomly obtained from different butcheries and supermarkets. All specimens were studied by digestion method following microscopic examination. Samples` genomic ribosomal DNA were amplified and nucleotide sequences were analyzed by BLAST for comparison with the sequences in the gene bank of the NCBI.

Sarcocystis bradyzoites were detected in 46 of 80 (57.6%) samples. Positive specimens were included as 46 (57.6%) and 30 (37.5%) by digestion and molecular method, respectively. Differences between two studied (digestion and molecular) methods was statistically significant (P=0.00). Twenty-six (86.5 %) of 30 conventional beef burgers and 20 (40%) of 50 industrial burgers were positive for Sarcocystis sp. by digestion method. There was a significant difference between Sarcocystis infested conventional and industrial beef burgers (P=0.01).

The parasitic contamination of beef burgers implied a high level of infection in cattle. Felids as the definitive hosts for S. bovifelis urged on the improvement of the hygienic conditions of keeping and feeding livestock in order to reduce the infection. Molecular techniques confirm species in meat products with high sensitivity and distinguish it from human species.

In light of the function of news in reflection of politics and practice relevant to health and with the aim of the analyses of health news coverage this article deals with a comparison of media valuations in Corona news of Iranian and German television programs. 

The study is descriptive with content analyses of newscasts. The sample comprises 62 news broadcasts of four networks that were chosen non randomly from two Iranian (Networks One and Two) and two German channels (ARD and ZDF). After the choice of dimensions and themes of the health news a code sheet was created by which 749 news related to health, mainly to Corona, and aired from February 18th to March 22nd, 2020 were encoded and analyzed (with SPSS).

Almost a third of all health news on Iran's Networks One and Two (32.9% and 28.4%, respectively) featured ratings with no clear distinction from actual news content. The two German broadcasters generally concentrated on the hard facts and largely adhered to the separation rule between news and commentary.For news about health-related human and material capacities and shortages, the rate of positive ratings in Iranian networks was higher than for all health news (Network One 13.3% vs. 10.7% and Network Two 22.8% vs.11.5%).The main feature of political news related to health is the high proportion of negative ratings in Iranian channels and on ZDF.

To build confidence in the news, the separation between messages and comments can play an appropriate role.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)  causes vision impairment and complete blindness in premature infants in some cases. The present study aimed to assess ROP frequency and its related factors in premature infants in Imam Khomeini Hospital of Saghez.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed on 159 hospitalized neonates of Imam Khomeini Hospital of Saghez with gestational age≤35 weeks and birth weight≤2400 grams receiving oxygen therapy. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, medical files of patients and the information in the IMAN system of the ministry of health. .

The present study was performed on 55 female and 104 male neonates with mean birth weight (2266±67 gr) and gestational age (33.38±4.15 weeks). In total, five infants (3.1%) had ROP. According to the independent t-test results, the birth weight (2000±141 gr) and gestational age (31.2±1.3 weeks) were significantly lower in the ROP infants, compared to healthy neonates (2274±685 gr) and (33.45±4.2 weeks) (P=0.007; P=0.034). 

According to the results of the study, 3.1% of the hospitalized neonate of Imam Khomeini Hospital of Saghez had ROP. Given the fact that ROP can be prevented and treated, it is suggested that protocols be defined to properly treat premature neonates and prevent ROP complications in infants promptly.

Soil is the thin layer of materials covering the Earth’s surface and forms from the interaction of the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. Soil formation, development and functions influence the sustainability of ecosystem. The unique characteristics of soil have made it one of the key subjects of the Earth Science. Minerals are important components of the soil environment. They influence on the water-holding capacity of soils and affect their cation exchange capacity. Mineral weathering is an important process in soils, during which available forms of important nutrient elements are released from minerals structure into the soil system for root uptake. Micaceous minerals are common components of soils, sediments and minerals. Several studies have examined the characteristics of compost enriched with mineral compounds. While the mineralogical changes during the process of compost production have not yet been investigated. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the rate of biological weathering of phlogopite with time in phlogopite-enriched compost.

An experiment was run in petri dishes under laboratory conditions using 2 levels of phlogopite mineral (0 and 20% by weight) and four time periods (45, 90, 135 and 180 days) in 3 replications. Each petri dish contained 20 g of a mixture of cow manure and phlogopite mineral. In each period, 6 petri dishes were separated and their contents were oven dried at 30 °C, powdered and passed through a 2 mm sieve. After preparing the contents of petri dishes, organic carbon content of the samples was measured by wet oxidation method and their total nitrogen by Kjeldahl method. The mineralogical changes were evaluated using X-ray diffraction analysis.

XRD patterns showed that during the composting process, phlogopite was partially weathered to vermiculite and smectite. The rate of weathering was higher at the early stages. The weathering of phlogopite was influenced considerably by the activity of microbial communities during organic matter decomposition process. At the end of the composting process, the weathering rate decreased and continued at a stable rate. Mineralogical changes occurred in phologopite during the composting were in line with the reduction of C/N ratio with time. The C/N ratio rapidly changes at the early stages of the composting process and gradually becomes constant.

In general, the results indicate that the increase of availability of elements such as potassium in mica-enriched compost is in fact due to the weathering of micaceous minerals added. The weathering rate was influenced by the activities of microbial communities.

Procrastination is considered as an avoidance by which students get rid of negative experiences such as anxiety, however, underlying mechanisms in this relationship are not fully known. While mindfulness and acceptance are correlated with procrastination and anxiety, to date, the role of mindfulness and acceptance in procrastination have not been fully studied. This study aims at investigating whether mindfulness and acceptance can increase the prediction of academic procrastination over and beyond trait anxiety. The statistical community was Shahed University. A total of 111 students were selected through cluster sampling method. They were assessed on different variables, including mindfulness (KIMS), acceptance (AAQ-II), anxiety (TAI), and procrastination (PASS). Data were analyzed in SPSS-23 using hierarchical regression. Results showed that there is a significant correlation between anxiety and procrastination. Furthermore, this study showed that acceptance and mindfulness did not contribute to the prediction of academic procrastination over and beyond trait anxiety. Non-acceptance of private experiences is one route to anxiety, which can lead to lack of persistence to avoid the tasks. Cultural differences may explain the findings.

In this study, firstly bentonite from Tang-e Quchan mine was collected, and its montmorillonite content was mostly separated from impurities. Montmorillonite was used in the synthesis of Al-PILC to investigate the influence of pH during the intercalation process on properties of pillared clays. The pH of intercalation was initially 4.1, and Al/Clay ratio was determined 4 mmole/g clay. The pH of the intercalation stage was changed by adding some droplets of dilute hydrochloric acid. Al-PILCs were heated at 400 °C and were characterized using X-ray diffraction and adsorption/desorption isotherms of nitrogen. The results showed that at pH values between 3.7 and 4.1, Al-PILCs had an acceptable basal spacing and surface area. The highest surface area and the basal spacings were 18.04 0A and 160 m2/g, respectively which was obtained for pillared interlayered clay with intercalated pH of 3.8

The purpose of present research is study the role of achievement goal orientation and self-efficacy in learning approaches, and explaining predicted model of learning approaches of students. Learning approach shows quality and manner learning of materials and were consisted of three levels: surface, deep and achievement. Achievement goal orientation refers to learners reasons and purposes of doing homework and Include performance approach, performance avoidance, mastery performance and mastery avoidance goals. Self-efficacy refers to individual's judgments about their abilities and competence to perform successfully a task. The population were high school students of Bijar city. mathematic, empirical and human sciences (N=280) were selected by use of stratified random sampling and were given to them study process questionnaire(SPQ) devised by Biggs(1987), achievement goal questionnaire(AGQ) devised by Elliot & MC Gregor(2001)and self- efficacy subscale of Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) devised by Pintrich & De Groot (1990). Results of multiple regression showed that mastery approach (positively) and performance avoidance(negatively) predict deep learning approach mastery approach and performance approach(positively both of them) predict achievement learning approach and mastery approach and performance approach(negatively both of them), and mastery avoidance(positively) predict surface learning approach. simple regression showed that self- efficacy predict deep and achievement learning approach positively and predict surface learning approach negatively. Study results, not only reveals cognitive patterns and motivation interactions, but also includes significant points for educational systems.

Dust deposition causes great difficulties for humans in urban regions. The objective of this research was to assess the temporal and spatial distribution of magnetic susceptibility (MS) of atmospheric dust deposited in Kerman. Samples were collected monthly from 35 different locations distributed over the urban area of Kerman for 7 months. Total concentrations of major heavy metals including Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni and Mn as well as the magnetic susceptibility of the samples were measured. The results showed that atmospheric deposits had the highest MS in November and the lowest one in July and August following the same trend as that of heavy metals Cu, Pb and Zn. The results also showed that the highest MS values were obtained for the dust samples from the west of Kerman where the concentration of Cu, Pb and Zn in dust was also high. Considering the role of human activities in increasing pollutants concentration in Kerman, proper management practices should be exercised to reduce air pollution resulting from various industries.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in many parts of Iran and is discussed as a health issue. Although it has spontaneously remitting course, but the treatment is often recommended to shorten the duration of illness and limit the size of the scar. First-line therapy is topical or systemic glucantime; but because of its serious complications, it is attempted to find better drugs with fewer side effects. This study aimed to assess the skin reactions in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with topical glucantime. This prospective cohort study was performed on all patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with topical glucantime and referred to the Skin and Leishmaniasis Research Center, Isfahan, in 2010-2011. Skin side effects caused by this type of the treatment were analyzed. 130 patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with topical glucantime were studied. The mean age of the patients was 16.38 ± 23.97 years. In 38.5 percent of patients, skin side effects were observed that were mainly maculopapuler rashs with pruritic (12.3 percent). The mean duration of treatment initiation until the appearance of skin side effects was 12.66 ± 20.98 days. There was no significant relationship between the clinical type and the site of the lesions and the appearance of skin side effects (P > 0.05). Skin side effects were mainly maculopapuler rashes with pruritic in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with topical glucantime. According to skin side effects induced by topical glucantime, importance and necessity of the injection method and the use of adjuvant therapy is emphasized according to indications of topical treatment of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Dust deposition phenomenon is an important climatic and environmental issue in arid to semi-arid regions which causes great losses for human. This study was carried out to compare the concentration of selected heavy metals in soil samples with that of dust and also to identify the possible sources of heavy metals in dust of Kerman city. A total of 245 dust samples were monthly collected from 35 study sites during the months of May to November 1391, using glass traps. To compare the results of atmospheric dust with those of soil, 60 surface soil samples (0-10 cm) from outside Kerman and 35 soil samples from urban areas were also collected. After sample preparation, the total concentration of major heavy metals including Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Mn was determined by an atomic absorption spectrometer following the digestion of soil and dust samples with 6N HNO3solution. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis were performed to identify possible sources of heavy metals in dust. The results showed that heavy metal concentrations in atmospheric dust samples were higher than those in soil samples indicating the influence of human factors. There was a highly significant correlation among Cu, Pb, and Zn and also among Cu, Mn, and Ni indicating different sources for these 2 groups of heavy metals. Also, principal component analysis and cluster analysis confirmed the results and further indicated that Ni and Mn derived from natural sources while Cu, Pb, and Zn had an anthropogenic origin. Since the role of human activities on increasing the concentration of pollutants is evident, it is necessary to take appropriate management measures to reduce the amount of pollutants produced in factories and various industries.

Insulin resistant is important risk factors of diabetes and leads to development of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies showed association between androgenic alopecia and insulin resistant. However, findings are controversial. Alopecia in women is a common heritable hair loss in central part of head. Aim of this study was investigation of androgenic alopecia distribution in type II diabetes and healthy women and hypothesis testing of relationship between diabetes and androgenic alopecia. This is a case-control study. Case and control groups were selected from type II diabetes and healthy women respectively that were refered to clinics of Alzahra, Noor and Amin Hospitals in Isfahan City, Iran in 2011. Participants were selected based on random sampling. Sample size was estimated 141 subjects in each group. Participants were visited by doctor and severity of androgenic alopecia was determined based on Ludwish criteria. Data were analyzed with SPSS software and 2 test. P<0.05 was considered as significant. Mean age and body mass index were 58.96±12.8 year and 25.6±4.15 kg/m2 respectively in whole population. Findings not show any significant association between type II diabetes and androgenic alopecia (P<0.05). Comparison of distribution of alopecia severity according to Ludwish criteria separately showed similar result. In addition to, there was not any significant relationship between diabetes and alopecia after adjusting with body mass index as confounding factor (P<0.05). In the present study, there was not any significant relationship between type II diabetes and androgenic alopecia among diabetes and healthy women. However, more researches need to investigate this relationship in both gender and assess insulin resistant indices as homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance and androgenic alopecia.

Atmosphere health is an important environmental issue and air pollution is not a local problem in a given area of the world. Particles produced by either humans or the nature enter the atmosphere and return the Earth’s surface at local, regional, or global scales after physico-chemical interactions. According to the reports by WHO, each year 2.4 million people lose their lives worldwide due to air pollution. In recent decades, numerous investigations have been carried out on the status of heavy metals in atmospheric dust. This is mainly due to their importance and also impacts on the environment and humans. Heavy metals present in water, air, dust, soil, and sediments play an important role in human life. Not much information is available on the concentration of heavy metals in atmospheric dust and the total inputs of heavy metals from atmospheric deposition to the urban area of the Kerman city. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the rate and spatial and temporal variability of selected heavy metals in atmospheric dust of Kerman City. This study was carried out in the urban area of Kerman City having an area about 13100 km2. Kerman is an important industrial city where a lot of industries and mines including Jalalabad iron ore, Zarand coal mine, Barez tire producing plant, Kerman cement factory, Sarcheshmeh copper mine, and Momtazin cement production company. They are actively functioning in the area. To collect dust samples and investigate heavy metals, dust collectors were set up at 35 different locations distributed in the city. Dust samples were taken monthly from April 20 to November 20, 2012. To compare the concentration of heavy metals in dust with that of soils in the region, 60 surface soil samples (0-10 cm) were also taken along 3 different transects including Kerman Rafsanjan, Kerman-Zarand and Kerman-Mahan. Besides, 35 surface soil samples were collected from Kerman urban area. The concentration of major heavy metals was determined in all the dust and soil samples using an atomic absorption spectrometer following digestion with 6N HNO3. Statistical description of the concentration of heavy metals indicated thatthe concentration of metals in dust followed the order of Mn>Zn>Cu>Pb>Ni. The results also showed that, with exception of Ni and Mn, the concentration of the heavy metals decreased as the temperature increased. There was a significant correlation among Cu, Pb, and Zn and also Cu, Mn, and Ni concentrations suggesting two different sources for heavy metals. The calculation of total heavy metals entered the soil through dust deposition indicated that the highest rate of heavy metal deposition occurred in April as well as in September when the activity of polluting sources restarted due to changes in climate. The results also indicated that the total concentration of the heavy metals in urban soils was much higher than that of the rural soils. Furthermore, the concentration of heavy metals in dust was very much higher than that of the soils studied. In addition to natural parameters, anthropogenic sources seem to have greatly influenced the status of heavy metals in atmospheric deposition in the city. The spatial distribution patterns of dust heavy metals (Fig. 1) indicate that the concentration of Cu, Zn, and Pb follow the same spatial distribution which is different from that of Ni and Mn. Therefore, it can be concluded that the source of these two groups of heavy metals in atmospheric dust is different. Besides, the concentration of the heavy metals in dust is higher in the western part of Kerman city as compared with the east of the city. The comparison of dust heavy metals concentration and rates of deposition in Kerman have been compared with those of other areas of the world in Table 1. The results clearly show that the amount of heavy metals deposited through dust in the study area is very much higher than that of the European and industrial countries. This is mainly due to higher dust deposition rate as well as more polluted dust in Kerman. Table 1 also indicates that atmospheric dust in Kerman is less polluted as compared with other industrial cities in Iran such as Isfahan and Zanjan. Table 1. The deposition rate and the concentration of heavy metals in dust from Kerman city (current study) as compared with findings from other areas in Iran and the world. This investigation shows that human activities around the study area have caused a great degradation of soil, which in turn, resulted in a high rate of dust deposition in urban areas of Kerman. Among the heavy metals studied, Pb, Zn, and Cu in dust appear to have been derived from the same source, mostly anthropogenic activities. In contrast, other heavy metals, namely Ni and Mn, seems to have been mostly originated from natural sources mostly the erosion of barren agricultural and desert soils in the area. To reduce the risk of air pollution in populated urban areas in Kerman, it is necessary to establish less contaminating industries. Besides, more attention has to be paid to control wind erosion of barren soils in the region.

diabetes is a chronic disease that despite of medical and specific treatments has reminded as an important medical problem. Various herbal were presented for treatment of diabetes. One of these plants is Prosopis farcta that was used as hypoglycemic agent in traditional medicine. The aim of this study was investigation of hypoglycemic effect of Prosopis farcta root in diabetes and healthy rats. root of plant was collected from southern area of Iran. Plant was extracted through percolation. Healthy rats were divided to control group and receiver extract (12 g/kg). streptozotocin diabetic rats were divided to six groups. 3 groups were treated by plant extraction (4, 8 and 12 g/dl), one group by Glibenclamide (10 mg/kg), one group by NPH insulin (5IU/kg) and one group by normal saline (1 ml/kg). Blood sample were taken at 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 24 and eighth day after treatment from rat tails. Blood glucose levels were measured by glucometer. preliminary photochemical analysis showed root extract consist of tannin, flavonoid, saponin and alkaloid. Root extract with various doses (4, 8 and 12 g/dl) had not any efficacy on decrease of blood glucose among diabetic and healthy rats. Glibenclamide and insulin decrease significantly blood glucose in diabetic rats. No appear that root extract of this plant to be useful on lowering blood glucose. More research are needed to identify another efficacy and chemical component of this plant.

Current chemotherapies of cutaneous leihmaniasis have faced to some problems and limitations; development of new anti-leishmanicidal drugs from different sources like herbal plants, are crucially important. The objective of the present study was evaluation of in vitro activity of Alkanna frigida extracts in comparison with glucantime against Leishmania major. L. major promastigotes were exposed to different concentrations of the A. frigida extracts, processed by ethyl acetate, ethanol, hexane and chloroform. The inhibitory effect, as the IC50, were calculated after 24, 48 and 72 hours by linear regression analysis values of the concentrations employed. The significant inhibition was observed after 24 and 48 hours with different concentrations of compounds (p<0.05 in all tests). All extracts had potent activity against proliferation of the promastigotes, comparing to the untreated negative control. It could compete with the glucantime efficacy in some concentrations. Ethyl acetate and ethanol extractions showed potent IC50 value, 106 µg/ml and 86 µg/ml, respectively. Hexane and chloroform extractions had poor efficacy after 24 hours; however, the efficacy increased after 48 and 72 hours. The results indicated that the A. frigida has appropriate inhibitory effects on the growth of L. major promastigotes in vitro and can be of herbal targets for further investigation in vivo.

Acne is a very common skin disease. Scar are seen in 95% of patients with acne. Although numerous treatments have been recommended to cure acne scars, researchers are still searching for a single modality to treat the complication due to its variety in shape and depth. In other words, a combination of available methods is required to reach satisfactory results. We compared the effects of fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser alone and in combination with subcision. This clinical trial study was performed in Skin Diseases and Leishmaniasis Research Center (Isfahan, Iran) during 2011-12. Eligible patients with atrophic acne scars were treated with fractional CO2 laser alone (five sessions with three-week interval) on right side of the face and fractional CO2 laser plus subcision (one session using both followed by four sessions of fractional CO2 laser, all with three-week intervals) on the left side. The subjects were visited one, two, and six months after the treatment. Patient satisfaction rate was analyzed by SPSS20. The average of recovery rate was 54.7% using the combination method and 43.0% using laser alone (P < 0.001). The mean patient satisfaction rate according to visual analogue scale (VAS) score was significantly higher with the combination method than with laser alone (6.6 vs. 5.2; P < 0.001). Bruising was only seen with the combination method and lasted for one week in 57.0% of patients and for two weeks in 43.0%. Erythema was a side effect of both methods. Post-inflammatory pigmentation and hyperpigmentation were only caused by the combination method. None of the patients had persistent side effects after six months. Using a combination of subcision and laser had suitable results regarding scar recovery and satisfaction rate. However, bruising, post-inflammatory pigmentation, and hyperpigmentation were the side effects of this method. In general, subcision plus laser can be beneficial in the treatment of atrophic acne scars.

The residual scar of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), an endemic disease in Iran, could tend to a major psychologic problem for the patients. Based on the efficacy of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in the treatment of some dermatologic scars, this study was designed to assess the efficacy of combined intralesional Meglumin Antimuan (MA) and TCA compared to MA alone for treatment of CL lesions and its remnant scar. 200 patients with confirmed CL referring to Skin Disease and Leishmaniasis Research Center were randomized into two treatment groups. Both groups were treated with intralesional injection of MA twice a week until complete healing of the lesion or up to 8 weeks. In combination therapy group, TCA was applied to the lesions fortnightly up to week 8. Data were analyzed using SPSS11 software. There was no significant difference in lesion area change between two groups after treatment but a significant difference in time to complete cure with accelerated healing rate in the combination therapy group (P < 0.05). Combination therapy of intralesional MA and TCA-50% could accelerate healing of CL lesions. Topical TCA could be suggested as an adjuvant therapy to decrease the healing time of the lesions in CL patients. Although there was not any side effect due to TCA in the treated patients of this study, because of some complications of topical TCA (such as hyperpigmentationa and scarring) further studies with longer follow up needed to evaluate the final effect of TCA in the CL lesions treatment.