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Background: There is limited information about the relationship between extraversion, as a personality trait, and the modes of tobacco smoking. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between extraversion and cigarette and water-pipe smoking among a representative sample of Iranian high school students. Methods: A sample of 2,312 tenth-grade students in Tabriz (Northwest of Iran) was selected through multistage proportional cluster sampling. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire including information on cigarette smoking, water-pipe smoking, extraversion, socioeconomical information, as well as demographic characteristics. An ordinal logistic regression model was used for data analysis. Results: In total, 4.2% and 3.5% of the students were regular cigarette and water-pipe smokers, respectively. The adjusted odds ratios were 1.10 (95% CI: 1.04-1.15, P < 0.001) and 1.10 (95% CI: 1.06-1.15, P < 0.001) for the relationships between extraversion and the stages of cigarette smoking and water-pipe smoking status, respectively. Conclusions: It seems that extraversion is in a positive relationship with a cigarette and water-pipe smoking among adolescents. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the effect of this personality trait on the modes of tobacco smoking and the transition in the stages of cigarette and water-pipe smoking in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common and critical issue in survival data analysis is the way in which censored data are handled. The Kaplan-Meier (KM) estimator is a frequently used statistical method in survival analysis that works well with censored data. In small sample sizes with heavy censoring the estimates of KM are not reliable, because the assumptions of KM estimator are violated. In this study, fuzzy logic is used to obtain more reliable estimates when standard statistical methods cannot be used. Data analyzed in this study were the survival times of six AIDS patients under ten years old. One of the patients died after 197 days and the others were censored, giving a censor rate of 83%. The fuzzy-product-limit estimator (FPLE) and a modified FPLE were used to analyze the data. Mean survival time was calculated and associated confidence interval was calculated along with a measure of the amount of 'fuzzy information' used to obtain the estimates. In addition, one to ten year survival rates estimated by the KM, FPLE and proposed methods are presented. The result of the simulations showed that the fuzzy methods with few and highly censored data provide more reasonable results than the standard statistical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Sedentary behavior (SB) is an independent risk factor causing chronic diseases. Previous studies compared sitting time mostly with physical activity. The present study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Last-7-Day Sedentary Time Questionnaire (SIT-Q-7d) in Iran. Moreover, SB was assessed among the study participants.Methods: The current validity study was conducted among 290 subjects (51.7% males vs. 48.3% females) with a mean age of 34.81 ± 9.63 years in Poldasht, Iran. Sampling was done using simple random sampling and the data were collected using the SIT-Q-7d. To confirm the validity of the questionnaire, forward-backward translation method, content validity, and construct validity were used. Furthermore, temporal stability was calculated by the test-retest method and internal consistency coefficient (ICC).Results: Our results confirmed the content validity of the questionnaire (content validity score: 0.90 and content validity index: 0.80). Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), seven factors of SB were identified as follows: eating while sitting down, doing domestic affairs, screen time, leisure time, studying books, watching TV, and attending family gatherings. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.7). In addition, temporal stability was confirmed by test-retest method and ICC was 0.9 (95% CI: 83-97).Conclusion: Our results confirmed that the Persian version of SIT-Q-7d is a reliable and valid tool for assessing SB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a serious or life-threatening disease in immunosuppressed patients and pregnant women. This study examined the likely association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and COVID-19 patients with moderate illness. Methods: Seventy blood samples were collected from patients at the Health Reference Laboratory of Tabriz, Northwest Iran from April 2021 to September 2021. In addition, 70 healthy subjects of the same age (37 ± 15 years) and sex distribution were ethnically matched. Sera samples were examined for the detection of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies using ELISA. Nested-PCR targets were amplified based on the B1 and GRA6 genes. GRA6 amplicons were subjected to sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Results: The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis based on IgG titer was 35.7% in the COVID‑19 patients and 27.1% in the control group, representing not to be associated with the Toxoplasma seropositivity in COVID‑19 patients (P = 0.18) compared to healthy subjects. Anti-T. gondii IgM was not found in any of the patients and healthy individuals. According to PCR amplification of the B1 and GRA6 genes, the frequency of T. gondii in COVID-19 patients was 14.2% (10/70). However, no T. gondii infection was detected in the healthy group. The CD4+T cell count was relatively lower in toxoplasmosis-infected patients (430–450 cells/mm3) than in control group (500–1500 cells/mm3). High genetic diversity (Hd: 0.710) of the type I strain of T. gondii was characterized in the patients. Present results showed that consumption of raw vegetables and close contact with stray cats can increase the transmission of T. gondii to COVID-19 patients (P < 0.01). Conclusions: The current study revealed that T. gondii type I infection is unequivocally circulating among the COVID-19 patients in Tabriz; However, no significant association was observed between the occurrence of Toxoplasma and the severity of COVID-19. To make more accurate health decisions, multicenter investigations with a larger sample size of different ethnic groups of the Iranian population are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Women health volunteers are the link between people and healthcare workers. They play an important role in health education activities, following up families under coverage, and updating the demographic data to health centers. This study was performed to uncover women health volunteers' activities, reasons for joining and leaving from the program. Methods: A qualitative study design was used to conduct the study. Through purposive sampling technique, twenty -four in-depth semi-structured individual interviews and two focused group discussions with women health volunteers and their supervisors were conducted in Tabriz, Iran. Data analysis implemented thematic analysis, using MAXQDA10. Results: The findings were generally categorized into three major themes, participation in promoting health, perceived benefit, and perceptual- environmental inhibitors. Participation in promoting health consisted of the sub-themes participation in educational programs, participation in health care. The sub-themes of perceived benefit included benefits from health care services and interest in having an active role in the community. The theme perceptual- environmental inhibitors involved the subthemes participation barriers and lack of innovation and inconsistency with social changes. Conclusion: Culture-building about the role of health volunteers, the valuing on their activities in the community, and informing program supervisors about the health volunteer's duties would help to retain health volunteers and also sustain their activities at the community level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supportive care is an important strategy that can help cancer survivors manage changes and problems during their follow‐up care. Identifying patients' care needs is one of the primary steps of the nursing process to plan effective nursing interventions. The aim of this study was to explore adolescent cancer survivors' supportive care needs. Purposeful sampling was adopted to select 49 participants from hospitals to participate in face‐to‐face, semistructured interviews. The qualitative content analysis method was conducted for data analysis. Ten subcategories and four main categories – empathetic care, information about survival period, instrumental support, and cooperation in care – were extracted from the data. These four categories formed a major theme, "supportive care", as the primary healthcare need. This study highlights that supportive care should be developed collaboratively by family and healthcare providers to meet the needs of adolescent cancer survivors. Survivors' strengths and limitations should be identified, and then supportive care can be provided, such as giving appropriate information, enabling survivors to access supportive networks, and improving survivors' confidence and autonomy with their self‐management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]