فهرست مطالب fatemeh kiani

Today, chronic diseases have spread all over the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) mentions air pollution as the biggest environmental health hazard, attributing 7 million premature deaths every year to this pollution, which includes suspended particles and gases with concentrations that are detrimental to human health. Factors of interest in this field are micrometer diameter particles, tropospheric ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. The purpose of this research is to increase public awareness of air pollution and its side effects on different parts of the digestive system.

A narrative review was done using several databases, including PubMed, Magiran, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Relevant studies published from 1990-2021 were identified.

Globally, ecological studies have demonstrated a relationship between short-term exposure to air pollution and several gastrointestinal diseases.

The results of these studies showed that pollutants have a direct effect on the increased prevalence and number of cases of chronic gastrointestinal diseases. The results of this research can inform policymakers in making comprehensive decisions to solve the problem, individuals who are exposed to pollutants, and the public in raising awareness and promoting the use of protective equipment.

Cancer is a neoplastic disease that continues to be a global challenge, with a reported prevalence increasing annually. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in various epithelial tumors such as breast and colon cancer, and for this reason, it is used for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Because of the high mortality rate associated with cancer and the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, patients need replaced strategies for therapy. Ginger has biological effects, including antioxidant and anticancer activities.

This study aims to evaluate ginger extract’s effect on the expression of EGFR in MDA-mb231 and HT-29 cell lines.

Fresh ginger rhizomes were purchased from a local food market, washed, grated, and then ginger extract was prepared using ethanol. MDA-mb231 and HT-29 cell lines were treated with different concentrations of ginger (5, 10, and 20 gr/mL) extract in RPMI-1640 plus 10 % FCS for 18 h. The gene expression of EGFR was measured by real-time PCR.

The level of EGFR expression in MDA-mb231 and HT-29 cell lines after treatment with different concentrations of ginger extract was not changed significantly (P > 0.05).

The current data indicate that the ginger extract does not have a significant dose-dependent effect, in the concentration range of 5 to 20gr/mL, on the expression of EGFR in these cancer cell lines. It is suggested to repeat the experiments with higher concentrations of ginger and in a time-dependent manner.

The optimum rotor blade planform of helicopters required to minimize power, maximize rotor thrust, and maximize lift-to-drag ratio in forward flight, using a numerical optimization approach, is investigated. Here, the traditional approach is modified by Central Composite Design Data (CCD) and a flight dynamic simulation program coupled with a desirability optimization technique implemented in the process of blade optimization. The optimum blade planform parameters (i.e, root chord, taper ratio, taper offset, two-per revolution (2/rev) harmonic control, and 2/rev blade dynamic twist) for different gross weights and flight speeds are therefore obtained by this modified procedure. In addition, the main effects and the interaction of all parameters on helicopter performance are assessed. The results of optimization in case 1 confirm that the appropriate 2/rev harmonic control and twist of the partially tapered blades improve the helicopter power required by 2.6% and lift-to-drag ratio up to about 20% at a baseline gross weight. In case 2 of optimization, tapering the blade to 60% from 0.9R with an appropriately phased 1/rev and 2/ rev twist and 2/rev harmonic control increases the rotor thrust coefficient by 23%, and the lift-to-drag-ratio by about 15%. The helicopter gross weight is declared influence on the thrust increment achieved by the 2/rev twist and 2/rev harmonic control. Overall, 2/rev harmonic control can be incorporated into existing helicopters by a modification of the swashplate and control inputs can be transmitted to the rotor using a fixed outer member with a track linked to a conventional swashplate.

Success in cancer treatment requires accepting treatmentsandthe patient’s compliance with them. Oneof the factors affecting treatment adherence in women is to be supported, especially by their husbands, during different stages of treatment.

This study aimed to examine the effect of couple training on treatment adherence of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 80 breast cancer patients admitted to the chemotherapy rooms of Khatam Al-Anbia and Ali-Ibne Abitaleb hospitals affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences and their husbands in 2022. The participants were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. First, the pretest was administered to the participants in both groups. The patients in the intervention group and their husbands attended a couple-training program for three consecutive chemotherapy sessions, each lasting 40 to 60 minutes. However, the control group participants received routine training in the chemotherapy departments. Six weeks after the last intervention session, the Medication Adherence in Chronic Diseases Scale was administered to both groups. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS software (version 27) and using the paired samples t -test, independent samples t-test, chi-square test, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The significance level in this study was considered less than 0.05 (P < 0.05).

The mean treatment adherence score of the patients in the intervention and control groups changed from 162.60 ± 22.79 and 164.97 ± 12.95 to 175.15 ± 10.64 and 166.95 ± 9.67, respectively. The independent samples t-test showed that the mean treatment adherence score was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group after the couple training intervention (P < 0.001). The ANCOVA also indicated that the mean treatment adherence scores of breast cancer patients in the two groups showed a statistically significant difference after the couple-training intervention (P < 0.001).

Given the positive effect of couple training on patients’ treatment adherence, it is necessary to carry out educational interventions with the presence of spouses in training and care programs to encourage patients to pursue and adhere to treatment and emphasize their role in the continuation of treatment and adherence to it.

Administrative Contracts qualify mandatory and warranted legal forms which follow some specific rules and procedures. However, failure to comply with the procedures may cover various performances. The main question which is intended in this paper is that to what extent is the issue of invalidity of administrative contracts in Iran conforms to the general rules of civil contracts, and what are the differences with them? Reflection on legal materials and articles, legal acts and legal doctrine, can lead to the conclusion that administrative contracts in a invalidity state does not merely guarantee void execution, but due to collecting administrations’ interests and individuals’ rights a specific situation which can be correct and void is considered. In some cases, so as to guarantee the rights of individuals, the contract is to the extent that it compensates for damage, has a credit. This claim referring to Article 92 of the Public Calculation Law and Clause 1 of Article 4 of the Regulations on the Implementation of the Statute of the Constitutional Court of the Complaints Board has been proven.

Managing stress and improving the nutritional status of cancer patients can lead to better physical and mental conditions, more desirable treatment outcomes, and improved feelings and engagement in the treatment process.

This study sought to examine the effect of an educational-supportive intervention on the perceived stress and nutritional status of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 80 women with breast cancer admitted to Khatam Al-Anbia (PBUH) and Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) hospitals affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2022. Participants were selected using convenience sampling and randomly divided into 2 intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, participants attended 4 training sessions focusing on the patients’ common problems, proper nutrition, and prescribed treatment. The training session was performed at the patient’s bedside and lasted 45 - 60 minutes. In the control group, patients received no intervention except for hospital routine training. Data were collected from both groups before and 6 weeks after the intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale and patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 using the pairedsamples t test, independent samples t test, and chi-square test. Data analysis was performed at a significance level of less than 0.05 (P < 0.05).

The mean perceived stress scores were changed from 52.250 ± 2.284 to 32.125 ± 7.390 in the intervention group and 51.475 ± 2.773 to 48.425 ± 2.011 in the control group. The mean perceived stress scores were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Moreover, the mean scores of the nutritional status were changed from 7.005 ± 41.40 to 1.94 ± 19.95 in the intervention group and 7.561 ± 40.58 to 5.177 ± 49.65 in the control group. The mean nutritional status scores were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.001).

Given the positive effect of the educational-supportive intervention on reducing stress and improving nutritional status, these interventions can be incorporated into training and care programs to improve nutritional status and reduce stress in patients with breast cancer.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most important compounds that cause adverse health outcomes in humans, such as poor lung function, bronchitis, asthma, shortness of breath, circulatory disorders, lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality.

This review aims to investigate the effects of PAHs on the occurrence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A narrative review of the literature was done from 1979 to 2021 in various databases: Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, Springer, and Google Scholar. We found 76 and 14 articles by searching the databases and other sources, respectively. Twelve articles were included after screening. The literature indicates the significant adverse effect of PAHs on the occurrence of COPD.

Heavy industries (oil, steel, gas, and petroleum) are the primary sources of PAHs. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons induce respiratory diseases, as they are destructive to the lung, leading to COPD. Sex, age, nutritional status, health, duration of exposure to PAHs, and body response to the pollutants affect the complications.

High PAH levels can increase the risk of COPD, respiratory diseases, and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR).

Fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) is directly associated with increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on FTO expression of subcutaneous fat tissue in T2DM rats.

In this experimental study, twelve males Wistar rats (220±10 g) with T2DM induced by streptozotocin-nicotinamide injection were randomly divided into exercise (n=6) and control (n=6) groups. The training group performed the HIIT protocol on a treadmill for 12 weeks and 5 days per week. FTO expression in subcutaneous fatty tissue, blood glucose level, insulin and insulin resistance were measured 48 hours after the last training session. Data were analyzed by independent T test at P< 0.05.

Blood glucose level, insulin resistance and FTO expression in fat tissue decreased significantly in training groups compared to control group after the exercise intervention (P˂0.05). Serum insulin increased significantly in training groups compared to control group (P˂0.05).

It seems that HIIT can decrease glucose, insulin resistance and FTO expression of fat tissue of T2DM rats. Improved glycemic control in diabetic rats might be attributed to reduced FTO expression in response to HIIT.

The sermon of Al-Gharra is one of the long sermons of Imam Ali (pbuh) which has been considered by commentators and men of letters throughout history due to its eloquence and rhetoric and its excellent content. One of the most important questions in relation to this sermon is the discovery of the main subject and the purpose of Imam Ali in expressing these matters. Studies show that each of the commentators has considered a specific topic for this sermon and has explained it, including: piety, attributes of God, The story of man, avoiding worldliness, describing the resurrection, warning of the resurrection and so on. In this research, an attempt has been made to use the content analysis method and extract important categories of the text, the geometric structure of the sermon is explained and finally the main subject of the sermon is identified. The findings show that Imam Ali in this enlightening and eloquent speech sought to draw a roadmap for the salvation of human beings. For this reason, he first introduces man and his talents, then reports his present (worldly life) and future (hereafter life) status, and in this way, he has informed man of the opportunities and threats ahead, and finally the main solution of salvation, ie piety has introduced and explained its fruits. The pattern obtained from the analysis of the content of the categories of this sermon can depict the solution of salvation and happiness of human beings in the world.

Emission large amounts of air pollutants can cause many problems in the environment and human health. The purpose of this review study was evaluating consequences and health effects of toxic air pollutants and expressing strategies for controlling these pollutants.

A narrative review of the literature was done based on searched databases. All relevant studies published 1998 until 2021 gathered. According to the databases, 360 articles were retrieved. 24 studies were screened after review and 16 full-text articles entered into the analysis process. Finally, 9 articles were selected in this study.

The results of this study showed that industrialization, increasing urbanization, technological development, rapid population growth, increased desertification and deforestation, occurrence of dust phenomenon, uncontrolled growth of motor vehicles, entry of various pollutants and environmental degradation cause a phenomenon called air pollution. Based on the results, the toxic air pollutants causes many health endpoints in human such as respiratory disease, asthma, chronic lung disease, respiratory and
cardiovascular system dysfunction, decreased immune system, headache, dizziness, gastrointestinal disease and increased risk of cancer (lung, stomach, intestine, eye, liver and brain).

According to research related to the subject, air pollution is a positive function of energy consumption, volume of industrial activities, and the uncontrolled increase of human activities. The most vital factors are increasing the level of public awareness, reducing the exposure to toxic air pollutants, improving quality of the products and consumption of consumed fuels.

One of the most important complications of cancer treatment is mucositis, whose prevention is essential because, in some cases, the presence of mucositis leads to the cessation of the treatment and the progression of cancer.

This study aimed to examine the effect of self-care training on the severity of oral mucositis in patients with breast cancer who underwent chemotherapy in 2020.

The present study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with two groups of 74 patients with breast cancer in selected hospitals of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in the southeast of Iran in 2020. The patients were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the control and intervention groups. Considering the inclusion criteria, an oral assessment was performed on the patients at the beginning of the study using standard tools. Then, the patients in the intervention group received individual training in the first four weeks of the study. Oral mucositis was assessed for the patients in both groups during weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 after the intervention. The patients in the control group did not receive any special training. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software and the chi-square test and independent samples t-test. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to compare the two groups and to examine the effective variables and time-group interaction.

The results of the chi-square test indicated no significant intergroup difference after four training sessions in terms of the presence of mucositis in weeks 2, 4, and 6 (P = 0.6 in the second week, P = 0.18 in the fourth week, and P = 0.16 in the sixth week). However, the chi-square test indicated a statistically significant difference between the two groups at the end of the eighth week (χ 2 = 12.67; P = 0.005). In addition, the odds ratios for the severity of mucositis in patients using the GEE test showed that the only variable that played a significant role in preventing mucositis was the self-care intervention (OR = 0.02; P = 0.03). Other variables, such as smoking (OR = 0.2; P = 0.04), BMI (OR = 6.6; P = 0.08), and age (OR = 0.9; P = 0.3) had no effect on the possibility of developing mucositis.

Self-care training with an emphasis on personal health and especially oral health to cancer patients can be effective in preventing mucositis. Therefore, medical staff should focus on oral health self-care training as a priority in training programs.

The nature of breast cancer (BC) and its treatment is such that it leads to physical and psychological complications.

The present study aimed to determine the effect of supportive educational intervention on the perceived stress and severity of chemotherapy-related neuropathy in BC patients.

This quasi-experimental study was carried out on 60 women suffering from BC in Zahedan, Iran, in 2020. The patients were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into two groups of intervention and control. The patients in the intervention group received four 45-minute sessions about the common problems of BC on a weekly and individual basis. The control group received only routine ward care. Data collection tools were the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) developed by Cohen and Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) Pain Scale. Data were collected before the intervention and six weeks after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 22 software.

The results of independent t-test showed that the mean and standard deviation of perceived stress score in the intervention group decreased from 56.8 ± 5.92 to 50.36 ± 3.89 (P < 0.001), and in the control group decreased from 55.6 ± 3.65 to 54.8 ± 3.53 (P = 0.258). The mean and standard deviation of neuropathy severity score in the intervention group decreased from 12.90 ± 1.66 to 8.43 ± 2.16 (P < 0.001), and in the control group increased from 12.56 ± 2.28 to 13.03 ± 1.93 (P = 0.276). The independent t-test showed that after implementing the supportive educational intervention, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean and standard deviation of neuropathy severity score (P < 0.001).

According to our results, supportive educational intervention reduced the perceived stress and severity of neuropathy. Thus, it is necessary to include these supportive interventions in educational and care programs to improve patients’ psychological status and reduce stress and neuropathy.

Breast cancer patients who undergo mastectomy encounter numerous problems, the most annoying of which is lymphedema followed by pain and decreased function in the affected limb.

This study examined the effect of self-care training on upper limb function and pain after breast surgery.

This quasi-experimental study was performed on two groups of 60 patients with breast cancer in the Oncology Ward of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2021. The patients were selected based on the inclusion criteria and through convenience sampling and were then randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The patients in the intervention group attended self-care training and exercise programs implemented in five sessions in addition to the routine care. One and three months after the intervention, upper limb function and pain were measured with DASH and McGill pain questionnaires. The repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni test were used to compare the pre-, and post-intervention mean scores and mean differences in the two groups.

The mean scores of upper limb function one and three months after the training program in the intervention group were lower than the mean scores of the control group. In other words, the quality of upper limb function was not significantly different despite the changes in the first month, but upper limb function significantly improved three months after the intervention (P < 0.001 vs. P = 0.06). The mean pain scores before, one month, and three months after the intervention in the intervention group were 10.4, 35.7, and 6.26, respectively, and the corresponding values in the control group were 10.8, 41.7, and 21.1, respectively, showing significant differences between the two groups, with the intervention group having lower pain scores than the control group (P = 0.001).

Since lymphedema and its consequences, including decreased upper limb function and pain, are very serious issues, medical staff can give priority to this training program and implement it to prevent and control these complications.

The rapid development of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology is astounding, and its applications are becoming more diverse as these products evolve. The cheapness and ability to hide Small UAV has led to an increase in military applications such as intelligence, attacks, and so on. Therefore, countries must have a proper knowledge of this technology to protect its sky security. Understanding the future technologies of small UAV will make it possible to raise awareness and prevent surprises. The main purpose of this article is to identify future trends in Small UAV technologies. The research method used in it is of the "combined method" type, in that the initial list of trends was prepared with the observation approach and the "library study" method and was reviewed and improved in several expert meetings. The designated experts were more than 20 designers and officials related to Small UAV. For a more accurate analysis, the method "Trend Impact Analysis Method" was used and the opinions of the mentioned experts were collected in the form of a questionnaire and the probability of occurrence of each process and its importance were analyzed in the form of "Issues-Priority Matrix". The final results showed that "increasing levels of intelligence and collective cooperation between Small UAV" is the most important future trend of small birds, and "increasing resistance to offensive attack" is in the second place in the future developments of these birds.

The curve number (CN) method is one of the most common methods for estimating runoff in watersheds. The CN value depends on the soil infiltration, vegetation cover, and antecedent soil moisture content. According to the antecedent soil moisture content, three types of CN can be used: CN for dry soil moisture condition, CN for medium soil moisture condition, and CN for wet soil moisture condition. However, the determination of CN from the vegetation cover and soil infiltration needs high accuracy. In this study, 63 measured rainfall-runoff events in the Baghan watershed and 34 measured rainfall-runoff events in the Booshigan watershed were used for estimating runoff with seven conditions: 1) Calculating the CN value based on soil information and vegetation cover in different parts of the watershed. 2) Calibrating the surface storage coefficient of the runoff estimation equation by considering the medium condition for all events. 3) Calibrating the surface storage coefficient of the runoff estimation equation by considering the real soil moisture condition (dry or medium or wet) of each event. 4) Considering the average of observed CN in all measured rainfall-runoff events. 5 to 7) Calculating the relationship between the observed CN and measured rainfall as linear, power, and standard equation. For mentioned conditions, 48 measured rainfall-runoff events in the Baghan watershed and 26 measured rainfall-runoff events in the Booshigan watershed were used for calibrating the results, and the remained measured data in each watershed were used to evaluate the results. The results in two watersheds demonstrated that the linear, power, and standard conditions were better for runoff estimation. In the three mentioned conditions, the CN value depends on the measured rainfall data instead of using the soil infiltration information and vegetation cover of the watershed. Also, the results showed that it is not suitable to use the common method for determining the CN value (based on soil infiltration and vegetation cover of the watershed), and then estimating the runoff amount.

Thamud as a civilized nation with the ability to engineer natural resources, is aligned with today's advanced societies that are under the shadow of science, what is considerable to understand the diverse notes of this Qur’anic story. But there are some ambiguities in the details of the story, especially in the case of Saleh's (AS) she-camel, causing to disagreements between exegetes. Therefore, the study of the image as one of the branches of aesthetic science and because of the existence of the components of thought, language, emotion, truth, imagination, etc. is necessary for the development of semantics and explanation of the ambiguities of the text. On the other, recognizing the context of the situation, which includes the physical, social and mental context, directs the audience of the image to the speaker’s purpose. Recognizing the image components in the context of the Revelation age would pave the way for matching the images in order to educate peoples of different ages. In this article, it is aimed to answer the issue of the relationship between the visual components of the she-camel in the physical, social and mental context of Thamud, to explain the vagueness of the verses related to the she-camel and the nature of the educational approaches of this story in the situational context of the age of descent and other ages. In this research, it is also tried to explain the ambiguities by the combination of illustrative components in the synchronous situation of descent and different epochs. The socio-physical order of Thamud, which is the very cause of their arrogance as well, are shown through the image components. God, according to this feature, chose the emergence of a camel from the heart of the mountain for the completion of the proof, and the water division program for testing Thamud. Allah, by these verses, warns against the disbelief of Mecca in the synchronous texture of descent, and all the perpetrators in the diachronic context, that they are coming to a hard situation.

Building strong brands has become a marketing priority for many organizations. The brand is an important criterion for the marketing situation. Power of brand effects on customer maintenance, financial benefit, brand broadening, and rivalry advantages… and is a concept, which was made by the consumer. The presumption is that building a strong brand yields a number of marketing advantages.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the strong brand questionnaire among the consumers of sports products.

The questionnaires were administrated to 340 customers. The psychometric properties were determined based on the appropriate statistical methods.

The results obtained from the factor analysis via varimax rotation indicated the five factors of the strong brand scale, The relationship between 4 scales on the first scale were more than 0.49, 4 scales on the second scale were more than 0.46, and 4 on the third scale were more than 0.57, 5 scales on the fourth scale were more than 0.33, and 6 scales on the fifth scale were more than 0.35, which later fitted the confirmatory factor analysis. According to conformity indicators for brand strength, the first factor was brand development, the second factor was brand identity, and brand image, brand personality and brand equity respectively were the third to fifth factors. The reliability coefficients of the internal consistency including Cronbach’s alpha was satisfactory for elements and factors (0.859).

According to the estimated psychometric properties, this instrument can be used by the researchers in order to assess the achievement goals orientations among the sports product’s customer.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of death after lung cancer and is associated with numerous complications, including anxiety. It seems that organized educational interventions, such as Orem's self-care model, decrease the incidence of complications, such as anxiety. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the self-care training program based on Orem's model on anxiety of women with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. The present research was a clinical trial study conducted on 70 women with breast cancer, who had referred to educational hospitals of Zahedan, during year 2017. The convenience sampling method was used and data was collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Orem's need assessment form, and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Data were collected at baseline and four weeks after the end of the last intervention session. The intervention group received training sessions (three 25- to 30-minute sessions) based on the Orem's model, on a weekly basis, yet the control group did not receive any intervention except routine care. The results of statistical tests showed no significant difference between the two groups in terms of distribution of demographic variables, such as age, marital status, level of education, number of children, and occupation. The results of statistical tests also showed a significant difference between pre- and post-anxiety levels in the intervention group and there was no such significant difference in the control group (P < 0.001). Moreover, the results showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of pre- and post-anxiety changes (P < 0.001). The results of comparing the two groups showed a lower post-intervention anxiety level in the intervention as compared to the control group, although this difference was not significant regarding trait anxiety (P: 0.62) and state anxiety (P: 0.017). Orem's self-care model-based training program can reduce anxiety among patients with breast cancer and can serve as a self-care model for nursing care interventions in these patients.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of death from infectious diseases. Delayed diagnosis of TB and emergence of multidrug-resistant TB are among the most important issues related to physician performance.
This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and practice of TB among medical students.
In this longitudinal, interventional study, 60 final-year medical students, who were referred to the Tuberculosis Research Center, affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, were assessed regarding the knowledge and practice of national TB guidelines before education, 1 month after education, and 2 years after education. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha, 0.62). The questionnaire consisted of 10 and 8 questions about knowledge and practice, respectively. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS.
Overall, 33 women and 27 men were recruited in this study. The mean age of the participants was 24 ± 1.5 years. The mean time from the internship period was 7.1 ± 4.4 months, and 53.3% of the participants had attended the infection ward during their clinical course. The median score of both knowledge and practice increased by about 50% after 1 month of education, while only practice showed a 25% increase after 2 years of education. No significant difference was found regarding knowledge and practice between genders. In addition, there was no significant difference among individuals who attended the infection ward and those who did not. Similarly, there was no significant difference among individuals who participated in continued medical programs after graduation and those who did not participate in such programs; also, students who visited patients with suspected TB were not significantly different from those who did not. However, a higher frequency of acceptable knowledge (≥ 50%) was reported in students who visited patients with suspected TB; also, a higher sum score of knowledge and practice was found in male students.
This study showed that the level of TB knowledge and practice was not optimal among medical students. Therefore, for achieving a higher level of knowledge and practice, a regular patient-centered educational approach is needed, especially for postgraduates.

Injections are common nursing interventions, which usually cause pain. The pain caused by injection causes anxiety, discomfort, and reduced patient confidence in nursing performance. Since applying methods that enhance patients’ comfort is a nursing task, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of EMLA cream and diclofenac gel on pain caused by needle port placement in patients undergoing chemotherapy at the oncology department. This cross-sectional clinical trial study was conducted on 40 inpatients of the Oncology Ward of Khatam-al-Anbia Hospital in Zahedan, during year 2017. Patients were selected by conventional sampling, based on the Inclusion criteria of the study. Patients were randomly assigned to use EMLA cream, diclofenac gel or the placebo. The severity of pain was measured immediately after injection, using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Blindness was done for pain the assessor and data analyzer. The SPSS 22 software was used for statistical analysis. First, descriptive statistics were used to determine the frequency, percentage, and mean, and then inferential statistics of paired t-test, for group comparison. The mean scores of the severity of pain in three groups of EMLA, diclofenac gel, and placebo were 5.49 ± 2.05, 5.88 ± 1.93, and 6.71 ± 1.96, respectively. Comparison between diclofenac gel and placebo showed that the mean decrease in pain intensity in the diclofenac gel group was far more than the placebo (P < 0.0001). Comparing EMLA cream and placebo, the mean reduction in pain intensity in the EMLA cream was far higher than the placebo (P < 0.0001). Finally, the EMLA cream was more effective than diclofenac gel in pain reduction, although the difference was not statically significant. Although the use of EMLA cream and diclofenac gel can reduce pain at the injection site, applying diclofenac gel is recommended due to its availability, cost-effectiveness, and domestic production.

Obstructive azoospermia is one of the causes of post-testicular infertility in men and previous studies have reported inconsistent levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) enzyme in these patients. Accordingly, the present study aimed to provide further evidence on the expression of eNOS enzyme in patients with azoospermia. In this case-control study, 10 patients, who were diagnosed with azoospermia and were referred to the infertility center for treatment or diagnosis, and 7 healthy fertile men were recruited. An informed written consent was obtained from included subjects and they underwent testicular biop-sies. Samples were assessed via immunohistochemical methods to determine their levels of eNOS expression. Both leydig and sertoli cells were found to express eNOS, while this enzyme was not expressed in normal germinal cells. The only significant difference between the two groups was the level of eNOS expression in sertoli cells which was found to be higher in patients with obstructive azoospermia compared to the control group (P<0.001). According to the results of this study, sertoli cells and their interactions with germinal cells of seminiferous tubule might play an important role in sperm quality and a subsequent successful fertiliza-tion.

Child health improvement is one of the most important indexes in health programs among all countries. One of the eight millennium development goals for 2015 is reduction of child mortality. Based on WHO recommendation Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) is one of the most effective strategies to reduce under five mortality rates. In this study, we tried to compare knowledge and clinical skills about most common childhood illnesses among medical students after IMCI training with control group. We performed a control trial on two medical intern student groups who were training in pediatric department. Our study was done in Zahedan University of Medical sciences in 2014.We evaluated 18 students in first group (control) and 19 students in second group (intervention). Control group was trained based on routine program education and intervention group educated both routine program and IMCI guideline. We observed significant differences in knowledge score between control and intervention group (P<0.001). Also skill score about management of danger signs in intervention group was significantly higher than control group (P<0.001). IMCI training can be a logical way to improve education quality in pediatric department. Medical students can improve their knowledge and skills effectively through this training.

Doxorubicin is a chemotherapeutic agent still in widespread use in hematologic malignancies. A side effect of anthracyclines such as doxorubicin is the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), a potent inducer of antiapoptotic genes, which may blunt the therapeutic efficacy of the drugs. In this study, the effect of indole -3-carbinol (I3C) on the activation NF-κB and the anti-apoptotic genes whose expression is regulated by NF-κB was assessed in NALM-6 cells. NALM-6 cells were preincubated with various concentrations of I3C and then treated with doxorubicin. Cellular DNA content assay and Annexin V-FITC staining were performed by flowcytometry for evaluation of apoptosis. For assessing the effect of I3C on the expression of XIAP, survivin, and nuclear p65 proteins, NALM-6 cells were pretreated with I3C and then incubated with doxorubicin. Whole-cell and nuclear extracts were prepared for Western blot analysis. A paired t - test was conducted to evaluate the results. DNA histogram analysis of NALM-6 cells indicates a combination of I3C with doxorubicin significantly escalated the percentages of sub-G1 population cells compared with doxorubicin -only treated group (P< 0.05). Annexin V-FITC staining also showed that cotreatment of NALM-6 cells with I3C and doxorubicin significantly increased the proportion of Annexin-V positive cells in comparison with the doxorubicin treated cells (P <0.05). The western blot analysis indicated I3C significantly inhibits both doxorubicin -induced nuclear translocation of p65 and the expression of doxorubicin-induced NF-κB target. Our results indicated that using natural non-toxic inhibitors of NF- κB such as I3C in combination with anthracyclines might be a rational combination therapy for BCP-ALL cells in which NF- κB is constitutively active.