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Background and Aims: Nurses are highly susceptible to developing low back pain (LBP), which is considered a common occupational hazard. The present study investigated the efficacy of flexible learning methods on the nurses' awareness, perspectives, and practice regarding the prevention of LBP., Methods: In pre-test posttest quasi-experimental study conducted from June to December 2019, 153 eligible nurses working in three hospitals were participated. Researchers divided the hospitals into three groups with similar numbers of participants (around 55 each) using a random process. One group received an educational intervention using an audio-visual animation, another group got a visual pamphlet, and the last group served as a control with no intervention. All nurses completed a validated questionnaire designed by the researchers to assess their awareness, perspectives, and practices related to preventing lower back pain. The questionnaire was given three times: before the intervention, 1 week after, and 4 weeks after., Results: The study found that participants in the audio-visual and visual pamphlet groups scored significantly higher on awareness, perspective, and practice measures compared to the control group. Interestingly, the visual pamphlet group showed even greater awareness and practice scores compared to the audio-visual group ( p  < 0.001). However, the audio-visual group achieved a higher perspective score compared to the visual pamphlet group ( p  < 0.001)., Conclusion: Nurses' perspective, awareness, and practice towards LBP prevention can be improved by blending the visual pamphlet and audio-visual animation., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: Proficiency in medical writing and publishing is essential for medical researchers. Workshops can play a valuable role in addressing these issues. However, there is a lack of systematic summaries of evidence on the evaluation of their impacts. So, in this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate all articles published on the impact of such workshops worldwide., Methods: We searched Ovid EMBASE, Ovid Medline, ISI Web of Science, ERIC database, and grey literature with no language, time period, or geographical location limitations. Randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, before-after studies, surveys, and program evaluation and development studies were included. We performed a meta-analysis on data related to knowledge increase after the workshops and descriptively reported the evaluation of other articles that did not have sufficient data for a meta-analysis. All analyses were performed using Stata software, version 15.0., Results: Of 23 040 reports, 222 articles underwent full-text review, leading to 45 articles reporting the impacts of workshops. Overall, the reports on the impact of such workshops were incomplete or lacked the necessary precision to draw acceptable conclusions. The workshops were sporadic, and researchers used their own method of assessment. Meta-analyses of the impact on the knowledge showed that workshops could nonsignificantly increase the mean or percentage of participants' knowledge., Conclusion: In the absence of systematic academic courses on medical writing/publishing, workshops are conducted worldwide; however, reports on educational activities during such workshops, the methods of presentations, and their curricula are incomplete and vary. Their impact is not evaluated using standardized methods, and no valid and reliable measurement tools have been employed for these assessments., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Background: The evaluation of e-learning systems ensures the provision of quality training. The goal was to identify the perspectives of teachers and students on e-learning in medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Iran., Methods: This study utilized a convergent mixed methods research design with a two-phase approach to collect and analyze data between June and August 2022. In the first stage, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the quality of e-learning systems from the perspective of 400 students. In the second stage, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 virtual education professors and 10 student representatives to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of virtual education. A validated questionnaire was administered to assess the quality of the e-learning system, and data were analyzed using SPSS-21. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis., Results: Our findings revealed that the student support system, the course structure, and the infrastructure and technology subscales' mean scores were significantly higher than the average level (P < 0.001). However, the professors' methods of teaching and learning strategies were unsatisfactory. The results of the present study showed that the evaluation mean score was significantly higher among, younger, female, and undergraduate students. Virtual education has strengths and weaknesses, and innovative approaches are needed to enhance student engagement. The lack of appropriate infrastructure and virtual teaching tools for teachers and students is a significant challenge that needs to be addressed. Blended learning is effective in medical education, and the shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching approaches is an opportunity to explore innovative teaching approaches., Conclusion: From the perspective of students, the quality of eLearning systems at the universities was moderate. Virtual education offers both benefits and drawbacks, and there is a requirement for innovative solutions to enhance student engagement and lessen boredom., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Aim: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of e-flipped and online case-based workshops on the nurses' knowledge, attitude and behaviour regarding thalassemia during the COVID-19 pandemic., Design: A pre-test-posttest interventional study was conducted with two intervention groups and a control group., Methods: One hundred and fifty nurses were recruited from comprehensive urban health centres in June-December 2020. The nurses were randomly allocated to one of the three groups: case-based e-flipped workshop (n = 50), case-based online workshop (n = 50) and control (n = 50). A researcher-made questionnaire was completed by eligible subjects at baseline, after the end of the training sessions and 4 weeks after interventions to assess their knowledge, attitude and behaviour. Data were analysed in IBM SPSS v16.0. ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc tests were used to compare the three groups., Results: The mean knowledge, attitude and behaviour scores in the intervention groups increased significantly more than that in the control group (p < .001). One week and 4 weeks following the intervention, the mean score of knowledge, attitude and behaviour in the e-flipped group was greater than that in the online group (p < .001). According to the results, e-flipped and online case-based workshops can improve nurses' knowledge, attitude and behaviour regarding thalassemia., (© 2022 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against pregnant women can cause several complications for the mother and her baby, which are life-threatening. Thus, we aimed to find the prevalence of IPV and its associated factors in pregnant women in Shiraz, Iran., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant mothers in Shiraz between July 2020 and January 2021. The questionnaire consisted of four parts: demographic data, socio-economic status (SES), obstetric and medical history, and questions about IPV. Univariate analysis was performed using Chi-square, McNemar, or Fisher's exact test, and variables with p-value < 0.20 were included in Logistic regression. The odds ratio and CI 95% for variables with p-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant., Results: The overall prevalence of IPV was 93.1% among 830 pregnant women in Shiraz. Psychological violence was the most prevalent type (92.9%), followed by sexual (11%) and physical (7.7%) violence. High SES (OR = 3.21, (CI:1.61-6.41)) was the only risk factor for overall violence, and the age group, 30-34, was a risk factor for physical violence. Mother-desired pregnancy (OR = 26 (Cl:0.09-0.79)) and father-desired pregnancy (OR = 0.91, (CI:0.22-3.80)) were protective factors against physical and sexual violence, respectively. Furthermore, Psychological violence and sexual violence increased during COVID-19 Pandemic (P.value < 0.05)., Conclusion: According to the obtained results, the prevalence of IPV during pregnancy in Shiraz was very concerning, especially psychological violence. Improving conflict-solving skills among family members and addressing economic problems could be considered by health policymakers when designing interventional programs and policies to reduce IPV during pregnancy., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Improving the quality of clinical education requires continuous review of the current situation, identifying strengths, and correcting weaknesses. This study aimed to investigate the association between academic motivation with quality of clinical education, academic achievement, and burnout., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in 2020 on all of the 140 internship students of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, using the consensus method. The data collection tools included standard questionnaires such as Herman's Academic Motivation, Clinical Education Quality, Maslach Modified Academic Burnout, Pham and Taylor Academic Achievement, Satisfaction of Educational Welfare Facilities. Data were analyzed using SPSS (ver. 22) software and descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage of frequency), Spearman rank, correlation coefficient and Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests. P < 0.05 is considered statistically significant., Findings: The mean ± SD of age was 25.68±2.03. 86 (61.4%) of the internship were female and 87 (62.1%) were single. Mean± SD of academic motivation and quality of clinical education were 81.51± 8.73 and 28/99± 11/52 respectively. Also, the Mean± SD of academic achievement and academic burnouts were 147/61± 14/94 and 42/37± 10/42 respectively., Results: Academic motivation had a meaningful and positive relationship with academic achievement and satisfaction of welfare facilities but a negative correlation with academic burnout. Also, academic achievement and academic burnout had a negative correlation but a positive correlation was seen between the quality of clinical education and satisfaction of welfare facilities., Conclusion: Considered the results, recommended improving welfare education facilities by using up-to-date training aids, upgrading educational infrastructure, and employ young staff in the education office. For improving the quality of clinical education, appropriate educational methods, conducting developmental assessments continuously, using simulated environments, and improving students' motivation., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Objective: In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of intravenous dexamethasone and methylprednisolone on the treatment of inpatients with COVID-19., Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 143 patients under 80 years of age with moderate to severe COVID-19 were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups: dexamethasone (8 mg/day) and methylprednisolone (60 mg/day in two divided doses). The primary outcome was the length of hospital stay. The secondary outcomes included: duration of oxygen therapy, absolute leukocyte and lymphocyte count, hypokalemia, hyperglycemia, intensive care unit admission, and mortality in the two groups for 28 days. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 26 using t-test, chi-square, and analysis of variance., Results: The duration of hospitalization was significantly (P <0.001) shorter in the dexamethasone group than in the methylprednisolone group (8 [95% confidence interval [CI]:6-10] and 11 [95% CI: 7-14], respectively). In addition, the duration of oxygen therapy in the dexamethasone group (7 [95% CI: 5-9]) was significantly (P <0.001) shorter than in the methylprednisolone group (10 [95% CI: 5.5-14]). The mortality rate was 17.1% (95% CI: 8.1-26.1) in the dexamethasone group and 12.3% (95% CI: 4.6-20.0) in the methylprednisolone group, which was not statistically significant (P = 0.46)., Conclusion: Results showed better effectiveness of 8 mg/day dexamethasone compared with 60 mg/day methylprednisolone based on the shorter hospital stay, which can be considered in the therapeutic protocol of COVID-19., Trial Registration: IRCT20210223050466N1., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: There is little information about comparison of the mortality patterns in different regions. The current study aimed to assess the trend changes of liver cancer mortality in 6 WHO regions., Methods: The mortality rates of liver cancer in the 6 WHO regions during 1990 to 2017 were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease database. Growth mixture model was used to identify the latent patterns using a set of tools to handle both the within and between trajectory variations. All the modeling procedures were implemented in Mplus 7.4 software., Results: The mortality rate in Africa showed a slow decreasing trend throughout the observation period, but a slow increase was observed in the Eastern Mediterranean region, European region, region of the Americas, and South-East Asia region. The slope of the rise in liver cancer mortality rate for Western Pacific region was 3-4 times higher than the other regions. 2-pattern growth mixture model was estimated as the best model. The Western Pacific region with annual increase of 0.20 in the liver cancer mortality rate was in the first pattern and the other 5 regions including Africa region, Eastern Mediterranean region, European region, region of the Americas, and South-East Asia region with annual increase of 0.05 in liver cancer mortality rate belonged to the second pattern., Conclusion: Observed pattern in the Western Pacific region is not favorable. Taking into account a set of urgent prevention actions to control mortality rate of liver cancer in this region seems necessary.

Purpose: Malnutrition is an important public health issue and the main cause of child morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries. The present study aimed to model trend changes in percentage of the malnourished children under 5 among 39 Asian countries during 1987 to 2016., Methods: Information about percentage of the malnourished under 5 years children based on under-weight (weight for age) malnutrition for 39 Asian countries were extracted from Gapminder web site during 1987 to 2016. To cluster Asian countries based on trend changes, Growth Mixture Model (GMM) was implemented. All the statistical analyses were performed in Mplus 7.4 software and P < 0.10 in likelihood ratio test (LRT) was considered as statistically significant., Results: Based on P-value of LRT, the model with 3 clusters was selected. Although, cluster 3 with 9 countries had higher intercept in 1987 and the worst situation in malnutrition, they gained a sharp decrease (- 0.93) in percentage of malnourished children under five annually. The slope of - 0.64 for cluster 1 countries indicate a moderate decrease annually in percent of children with malnutrition. The other 20 countries with slope of - 0.29 in their linear trend belonged to cluster 2 which shows slow decrease in the percentage of children with malnutrition., Conclusion: The investments in public health and education programs, as well as political commitment and government proper response in line with needs and demands are crucial to promote food security, nourishing diets and improving child nutrition. Certainly, most of them are still a long way from eradicating malnutrition., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) treatment is advised for all women due to its symptoms and complications. In this study, the standard treatment, clotrimazole, was compared with chamomile extract cream in outpatient clinics., Methods: We recruited 73 women with VVC, who were randomly allocated into two groups, clotrimazole versus chamomile extract cream. After two weeks of treatment with the same criteria, cheese-like vaginal discharge, itching and burning sensations, strawberry cervix, and recovery percentage was evaluated., Results: Thirty patients in each group were analyzed. There was no significant difference in age and number of pregnancies between groups (p = 0.85 and 0.09, respectively). Comparing before and after treatment, cheese like discharge (p < 0.001), itching (p < 0.001), burning (p < 0.001) had significantly improved in both groups. Further, the recovery percentage was not significantly different between groups (88.9% vs 75% in the chamomile vs clotrimazole groups, respectively)., Conclusion: Chamomile is as effective as clotrimazole in VVC treatment; a higher percentage of women who used this medication recovered, although this did not reach significance. In addition, no complications were reported in either group., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (© 2021 Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute.)

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and it has been known as the main factor of lower limb disability. The aim of the study is evaluating the level of vitamin K and D status as well as determining cut-off point of these vitamins for predicting knee OA and also pain severity in these patients. In this analytical cross-sectional study, participation included knee OA patients and individuals without it who referred to Fasa Osteoarthritis Clinic, Iran. OA was diagnosed according to criteria based on Kellgren and Lawrence rating and the WOMAC score was used for pain evaluation. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 18 (P> 0.05). In our study, 150 knee OA patients and 300 individuals without it, were participated. The mean of vitamin K and D in OA patients was significantly lower than the group without it (P<0.001). Furthermore, logistic regression showed that after adjustment, each unit decrease in vitamin D and K level leads to an increase the odds ratio of OA to 0.67 and 0.002 times respectively. In receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the cutoff-point for vitamin D and K was determined 12.68 and 0.87 nmol/L respectively. We also observed that although with a decreased level of two vitamins, the score of pain significantly increases, the only effective factors in pain score were disease status. These findings suggest that the deficiency of vitamin K and D is likely associated with a higher risk of OA., (© 2021 The Mediterranean Journal of Rheumatology (MJR).)

Background: Critical inter-provincial differences within Iran in the pattern of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and difficulties inherent to identifying prevention methods to reduce mortality from NCDs have challenged the implementation of the provincial health system plan. The Shahrekord Cohort Study (SCS) was designed to address these gaps in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, a province of high altitude in the southwest of Iran, characterized by its large Bakhtiari population, along with Fars and Turk ethnicity groups., Methods: This ongoing cohort, a prospective, large-scale longitudinal study, includes a unique, rich biobank and was conducted for the first time in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province in Iran. SCS is a part of the PERSIAN (Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN) cohort. The study began in 2015, recruited 10075 participants (52.8% female, 47.2% male) from both urban (n=7034) and rural (n=3041) areas, and participants will be annually followed up for at least 15 years. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using baseline data from the SCS, using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Data analysis was performed using Stata software., Results: The prevalence of NCDs was 9.8% for type 2 diabetes, 17.1% for hypertension, 11.6% for thyroid disease, 0.2% for multiple sclerosis and 5.7, 0.9 and 1.3% for ischemic heart disease, stroke and myocardial infarction, respectively. The prevalence of multimorbidity (≥2 NCDs) was higher in women (39.1%) than men (24.9%). The means (standard deviations) of age, BMI, systolic blood pressure and fasting blood glucose were 49.5 (9) years, 27.6 (4.6) kg/m 2 , 115.4 (17.3) mmHg and 96.7 (27.3) mg/dL, respectively. Logistic regression models showed that older age, female gender, living in an urban area, non-native ethnicity, high wealth index, unemployment, obesity, low physical activity, hypertriglyceridemia, high fasting blood sugar, alkaline urine pH and high systolic and diastolic blood pressure were associated with increased prevalence of NCDs., Conclusions: The SCS provides a platform for epidemiological studies that will be useful to better control NCDs in the southwest of Iran and to foster research collaboration. The SCS will be an essential resource for identifying NCD risk factors in this region and designing relevant public health interventions., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: One of the most important ways to acquire knowledge in the present age is education based on new technologies, including mobile learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a multi-stage mobile training based on Gagne instructional design on learning, retention, and satisfaction of health volunteers., Materials and Methods: In this interventional study, 112 health volunteers a Health Centre in Mashhad during 2019-2020 were enrolled. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: mobile education based on Gagne model ( n = 56) and conventional lecture ( n = 56). A researcher-made questionnaire was completed by the eligible subjects before, after, and 2 months after the intervention to assess their learning, retention and satisfaction in educational methods. Face validity, content validity, and reliability of the data collection tool and model fitness indices were confirmed. Content validity of data collection tools verified by experts and its reliability was calculated to be 0.78. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS-25, using descriptive (mean and standard deviation [SD]) and analytical statistical tests (independent t -test)., Results: The results showed that 2 days and 2 months after the intervention, learning, and retention rate was significantly higher in the mobile learning based on Gagne model group in comparison to conventional lecture group ( P < 0.001). Furthermore, the intervention group was generally satisfied with the mobile training method., Conclusion: Mobile learning based on Gagne model is recommended for improving learning, retention among health-care workers., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Background: Breast cancer is the most common, frequently diagnosed cancer with the highest incidence among female worldwide. Although the incidence is decreasing in developed countries, it is on increase in most of the African countries., Objective: This study aimed to identify different time trends of breast cancer incidence among African countries using latent mixture approach., Methods: The information includes newly diagnosed breast cancer patients per 100,000 women for 53 African countries in a period of 1990-2016. Latent mixture modeling was performed in Mplus 7.4 software., Results: The overall trend of breast cancer in Africa was increasing. Latent mixture model with 5 clusters was estimated as the best using fit indices and linear growth trajectories were specified for each cluster. Nigeria was the only country which belongs to a cluster with negative slope indicating a slow decrease in the breast cancer incidence; also, Seychelles was the only country that showed a sharp increase over time. 31 countries belonged to a cluster with a slope of 0.08, indicating that the incidence of breast cancer is almost constant over time. Cluster 3 including Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Central African Republic, Cote d'lvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Namibia, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda and Zimbabwe and cluster 2 including Gabon, Mauritius, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia and Congo showed a slow and moderate increase in the incidence of breast cancer, respectively., Conclusion: Providing health education programs is essential in African countries with rising trend of breast cancer during the last decades., (© 2021 Saberian M et al.)

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the risk factors for all causes of mortality. Inflammation is an important risk factor for MetS. The present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between MetS and pro-inflammatory diet by using the food inflammation index (DII). This study consists of 10,017 participants with an age range of 35 to 70 years. The Fasa Cohort Study (FACS) population (Fars Province, Iran) was used to collect data. The DII was estimated according to Shivappa et al. method using a validated 125-item FFQ. To determine the association between MetS components and DII Logistic regression was used (P > 0.05). The overall mean of DII was - 0.89 ± 1.74. However, adjusted multinomial logistic regression indicates each unit increase in waist circumference (WC) (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99) and HDL-C (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-0.99) was associated with significantly decreased odds of being in the 4th DII quartile in men and all participations respectively, there is no statistically significant relationship between MetS and DII. Overall, although people in the highest quartile of inflammatory food consumption had more likely to develop MetS, this relationship was not statistically significant among males and females.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the most important risk factors for liver failure which can lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Approximately 170-200 million (almost 3% of the world's population) people have been reported to have HCV infection worldwide. HCV has six genotypes and multiple subtypes. HCV genotyping and identification of subtypes are critical steps for HCV vaccine development., Materials and Methods: In this community-based study, we aimed to investigate the HCV genotypes in infected patients referring to the laboratory of Hajar Hospital of Shahrekord city (the capital of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province) in Iran from November 21, 2016, to October 21, 2017. During 2016-2017, the sera were obtained from 2377 individuals referring to the laboratory of Hajar Hospital of Shahrekord, Iran. The anti-HCV antibody was tested for all sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test. Following HCV RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis, HCV genotype detection was performed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction., Results: Genotypes 3, 1a, and 1b were found in 28.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 17.0%-40.0%), 9.5% (95% CI: 2.1%-17.0%), and 3.2% (95% CI: 0.0%-7.6%) of the patients, respectively. In 5 patients (7.9%, 95% CI: 1.1%-14.8%), however, we did not observe any genotypes. We could not find any significant difference between the plasma viral load of infected patients and different genotypes. There was no significant difference either between age groups and genotypes ( P > 0.05)., Conclusion: The findings of the present study determined that HCV genotype 3 was the predominant genotype followed by the genotypes 1a and 1b in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences.)

Background: There is a positive association between raised resting heart rate (RHR), and all causes of mortality and shorter life expectancy. Several serum biomarkers and some anthropometric factors can affect the resting heart rate. This study aimed to investigate the determinants of resting heart rate in a large random sample of the Iranian population., Material and Methods: It is a standardized, retrospective study and the subjects were chosen from the baseline survey of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Study in IrAN (PERSIAN) Fasa non-communicable disease cohort study. It was conducted from winter 2014 to summer 2019 and after obtaining informed consent from a random sample, all the eligible subjects were enrolled. All anthropometric factors and biologic laboratory factors were collected and analyzed by implement smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) linear regression and SCAD quantile regression. The comparisons between males and females were done via independent T-test., Results & Conclusion: A total number of 9975 persons from 35 to 90 years old were included. The overall median resting heart rate was 74 (interquartile range:66-80). Mean age has no important difference between males and females (P = 0.79) but, resting heart rate was significantly higher in females (76.6 versus 71.4, P < 0.001). All anthropometric factors except wrist circumference were higher in females (P < 0.05). Age has an adverse effect on resting heart rate and also, there was a direct association between resting heart rate and systolic blood pressure and blood glucose. Alpha-blockers (coefficient = 5.2) and Beta1-blockers (coefficient = - 2.2) were the most effective drugs with positive and negative effects on resting heart rate respectively. Lower hemoglobin, obesity, and more body mass index, and more low-density lipoprotein were associated with more resting heart rate. Continuing the monitoring of this sample via our cohort study and put to action multinational prospective researches with large sample sizes and long follow-ups can lead to more precise results and better scientific judgments.

Background: The Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI) is a self-report tool to measure happiness. A brief review of previous studies on OHI showed the lack of evaluation of OHI fairness/equivalence in measuring happiness among identified groups., Methods: To examine the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the OHI, responses of 500 university students were analyzed using item response theory and ordinal logistic regression (OLR). Relevant measures of effect size were utilized to interpret the results. Differential test functioning was also evaluated to determine whether there is an overall bias at the test level., Results: OLR analysis detected four items across gender and two items across marital status to function differentially. An assessment of effect sizes implied negligible differences for practical considerations., Conclusions: This study was a significant step towards providing theoretical and practical information regarding the assessment of happiness by presenting adequate evidence regarding the psychometric properties of OHI., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Amin Mousavi et al.)

Purpose: The present study aimed at investigating the effect of mindfulness training on the level of happiness and blood glucose in diabetic patients in Zarghan city, Iran., Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2018 in Fars province, Iran. 136 diabetic patients who were eligible (had diabetes for more than one year, older than 18 years, willingness to participate in the research, and reside in Zarqan city) were selected based on convenience sampling method. Next the participants were randomly divided into two groups, each comprising 68 individuals. Both of the study samples and statistical analyser were blinded to intervention group (mindfulness training) and control group (without intervention). Before and three month after the intervention the patients' levels of happiness (based on Oxford Happiness Questionnaire), fasting blood sugar (FBS) and Glycated Hemoglobin test (HbA1c) were measured., Results: The results indicated that after the sessions, the level of happiness in the Intervention group was significantly higher than the control group ( p value <0.001). Also, the level of blood glucose and HbA1c after the sessions was significantly lower in the Intervention group compared to the control group (p value<0.001, p value = 0.004). After the intervention, there was a significant correlation between mean blood glucose levels and mean HbA1c levels in the Intervention group and their level of happiness (p value<0.01 and p value<0.001)., Conclusion: The findings revealed that the mindfulness-based educational intervention can increase happiness in people with diabetes and regulate their blood glucose., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestOn behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest., (© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.)

Background: For the first time, we aimed to introduce a model for prediction of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS), using existing sonography indices., Methods: Women with a history of Cesarean sections were included. Participants were categorized "high risk" for PAS if the placenta was previa or low-lying. Sonography indices including abnormal placental lacuna, loss of clear zone, bladder wall interruption, myometrial thinning, placental bulging, exophytic mass, utero-vesical hypervascularity, subplacental hypervascularity, existence of bridging vessels, and lacunar flow, were registered. To investigate simultaneous effects of 15 variables on PAS, Minimax Concave Penalty (MCP) was used., Results: Among 259 participants, 74 (28.5%) were high risk and 43 individuals had PASs. All sonography indices were higher among patient with PAS (p < 0.001) in the high risk group. Our model showed that utero-vesical hypervascularity, bladder interruption and new lacunae have significant contribution in PAS. Optimal cut off point was p = 0.51 in ROC analysis. Probability of PAS for women with lacunae was between 96 and 100% and probability of PAS for women without lacunae was between 0 to 7%, therefore accuracy of the proposed model was equal to 100%., Conclusions: Using the introduced model based on three factors of abnormal lacuna structures (grades 2 and 3), bladder wall interruption and utero-vesical vascularity, 100% of all cases of PASs are diagnosable. If supported by future studies our model eliminates the need for other imaging assessments for diagnosis of invasive placentation among high risk women with previous history of Cesarean sections.

Background: In here, we constructed personalized models for predicting breast cancer (BC) recurrence according to timing of recurrence (as early and late recurrence)., Methods: An efficient algorithm called group LASSO was used for simultaneous variable selection and risk factor prediction in a logistic regression model., Results: For recurrence < 5 years, age (OR 0.96, 95% CI = 0.95-0.97), number of pregnancies (OR 0.94, 95% CI = 0.89-0.99), family history of other cancers (OR 0.73, 95% CI = 0.60-0.89), hormone therapy (OR 0.76, 95% CI = 0.61-0.96), dissected lymph nodes (OR 0.98, 95% CI = 0.97-0.99), right-sided BC (OR 0.87, 95% CI = 0.77-0.99), diabetes (OR 0.77, 95% CI = 0.60-0.98), history of breast operations (OR 0.38, 95% CI = 0.17-0.88), smoking (OR 5.72, 95% CI = 2.11-15.55), history of breast disease (OR 3.32, 95% CI = 1.92-5.76), in situ component (OR 1.58, 95% CI = 1.35-1.84), tumor necrosis (OR 1.87, 95% CI = 1.57-2.22), sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) (OR 2.90, 95% CI = 2.05-4.11) and SLNB+axillary node dissection (OR 3.50, 95% CI = 2.26-5.42), grade 3 (OR 1.79, 95% CI = 1.46-2.21), stage 2 (OR 2.71, 95% CI = 2.18-3.35), stages 3 and 4 (OR 5.01, 95% CI = 3.52-7.13), and mastectomy+radiotherapy (OR 2.97, 95% CI = 2.39-3.68) were predictors of recurrence < 5 years. Moreover, relative to mastectomy without radiotherapy (as reference for comparison), quadrantectomy without radiotherapy had a noticeably higher odds ratio compared to quadranectomy with radiotherapy for recurrence < 5 years. (OR 17.58, 95% CI = 6.70-46.10 vs. OR: 2.50, 95% CI = 2-3.12). Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the model were 82%, 75.6%, and 74.9%, respectively. For recurrence > 5 years, stage 2 cancer (OR 1.67, 95% CI = 1.31-2.14) and radiotherapy+mastectomy (OR 2.45, 95% CI = 1.81-3.32) were significant predictors; furthermore, relative to mastectomy without radiotherapy (as reference for comparison), quadranectomy without radiotherapy had a noticeably higher odds ratio compared to quadranectomy with radiotherapy for recurrence > 5 years (OR 7.62, 95% CI = 1.52-38.15 vs. OR 1.75, 95% CI = 1.32-2.32). Accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the model were 71%, 78.8%, and 55.8%, respectively., Conclusion: For the first time, we constructed models for estimating recurrence based on timing of recurrence which are among the most applicable models with excellent accuracy (> 80%).

Objectives: To determine serum biomarkers in detection of preeclampsia severity among pregnant women., Methods: Among 450 pregnant women with various severity of preeclampsia, serum biomarkers ofaspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), hemoglobin (Hb), platelet count (PLT), uric acid, direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, creatinine, and alkaline phosphatase were compared using area under the Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Area Under the Curve (AUC)., Results: The mean age of women was 30.63±6.43 years and with mean gestational age of 34.69±3.97 weeks. The mean level of LDH, ALT, uric acid, and creatinine were significantly higher in the women with severe type of preeclampsia compared to those with mild type. LDH level had ROC and AUC of more than 0.80, with highest sensitivity, and moderatespecificityin comparison to other markers., Conclusion: Biomarkers such as ALT, uric acid, and LDH were shown to be prognostic in detection of theseverity of preeclampsia. LDH was demonstrated to significantly be a better prognostic test in detection of preeclampsia severity.

Introduction: Urban family physician program (UFPP) was launched in Fars province of Iran in 2012. We aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of people toward this 5-year-old program., Methods: In this population-based study, through a multistage random sampling from 6 cities of Fars province, 1350 people older than 18 years were interviewed. For data collection, a questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic characteristics and items about knowledge and practice toward UFPP was used., Results: The mean age of the interviewees was 42.4 ± 14.2 years; male (674; 49.9%)-to-female (651; 48.2%) ratio was 1.03. Mean score of knowledge was 4.2 ± 1.7 (out of 14), while 961 (71.1%) had < 50% of the desirable knowledge. Mean score of practice was 4.4 ± 1.3 (out of 9), while only 443 (32.8%) had a good performance toward this program. Knowledge and practice did not show a significant correlation ( r = 0.06, P = 0.05). Among cities, the highest and the lowest mean of knowledge belonged to Pasargad (5.6 ± 2.1) and Lar (3.0 ± 1.0) ( P < 0.001), respectively. Pasargad (4.8 ± 1.4) had also the highest level of practice compared to Farashband (3.8 ± 1.4) which had the lowest score ( P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that supplemental insurance coverage (odds ratio [OR] = 2.5, %95 confidence interval [CI]: 1.6-3.9), female gender (OR = 1.9, %95 CI: 1.2-2.9) and higher level of education (OR = 1.7, %95 CI: 1.1-2.5) were the significant determinants of knowledge, while practice in those who were not covered by supplemental insurance was better (OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2-2.5)., Conclusions: After 5 years of implementation of UFPP, knowledge and practice of people toward UFPP are not satisfactory. This finding calls for a serious revision in some aspects of UFFP., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Although early diagnosis of thyroid nodule type is very important, the diagnostic accuracy of standard tests is a challenging issue. We here aimed to find an optimal combination of factors to improve diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing malignant from benign thyroid nodules before surgery. In a prospective study from 2008 to 2012, 345 patients referred for thyroidectomy were enrolled. The sample size was split into a training set and testing set as a ratio of 7:3. The former was used for estimation and variable selection and obtaining a linear combination of factors. We utilized smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) logistic regression to achieve the sparse optimal combination of factors. To evaluate the performance of the estimated model in the testing set, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized. The mean age of the examined patients (66 male and 279 female) was 40.9 ± 13.4 years (range 15- 90 years). Some 54.8% of the patients (24.3% male and 75.7% female) had benign and 45.2% (14% male and 86% female) malignant thyroid nodules. In addition to maximum diameters of nodules and lobes, their volumes were considered as related factors for malignancy prediction (a total of 16 factors). However, the SCAD method estimated the coefficients of 8 factors to be zero and eliminated them from the model. Hence a sparse model which combined the effects of 8 factors to distinguish malignant from benign thyroid nodules was generated. An optimal cut off point of the ROC curve for our estimated model was obtained (p=0.44) and the area under the curve (AUC) was equal to 77% (95% CI: 68%-85%). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values for this model were 70%, 72%, 71% and 76%, respectively. An increase of 10 percent and a greater accuracy rate in early diagnosis of thyroid nodule type by statistical methods (SCAD and ANN methods) compared with the results of FNA testing revealed that the statistical modeling methods are helpful in disease diagnosis. In addition, the factor ranking offered by these methods is valuable in the clinical context.

We used to LASSO-Cox method for determining prognostic factors of male breast cancer survival and showed the superiority of this method compared to Cox proportional hazard model in low sample size setting. In order to identify and estimate exactly the relative hazard of the most important factors effective for the survival duration of male breast cancer, the LASSO-Cox method has been used. Our data includes the information of male breast cancer patients in Fars province, south of Iran, from 1989 to 2008. Cox proportional hazard and LASSO-Cox models were fitted for 20 classified variables. To reduce the impact of missing data, the multiple imputation method was used 20 times through the Markov chain Mont Carlo method and the results were combined with Rubin's rules. In 50 patients, the age at diagnosis was 59.6 (SD=12.8) years with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 84 years and the mean of survival time was 62 months. Three, 5 and 10 year survival were 92%, 77% and 26%, respectively. Using the LASSO-Cox method led to eliminating 8 low effect variables and also decreased the standard error by 2.5 to 7 times. The relative efficiency of LASSO-Cox method compared with the Cox proportional hazard method was calculated as 22.39. The19 years follow of male breast cancer patients show that the age, having a history of alcohol use, nipple discharge, laterality, histological grade and duration of symptoms were the most important variables that have played an effective role in the patient's survival. In such situations, estimating the coefficients by LASSO-Cox method will be more efficient than the Cox's proportional hazard method.