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Background and Aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a highly prevalent gastrointestinal disorder with modifiable risk factors that are associated with considerable health and economic burdens. The current study was conducted to assess the signs and symptoms, food behaviors, depression, anxiety, and stress related to GERD in Herat, Afghanistan. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted between August 29 and October 20, 2020, among patients with GERD symptoms, who provided informed verbal consent at the Mowaffaq Clinic and Sehat Hospital in Herat, Afghanistan. The minimum sample size was 384. Data were collected using a three‐domain questionnaire and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 42 standard questionnaire. SPSS version 27 was used to perform descriptive statistics and χ2 tests. Results: The sample consisted of 396 patients, with the majority being female (67.9%), married (78.5%), and illiterate (34.8%). Heartburn (88.1%) and regurgitation (84.3%) were the most common symptoms reported by participants. Tomato consumption (60.1%) was the most frequent type of eating behavior. Most patients reported severe anxiety (45.9%) and showed statistically significant differences in age, sex, education level, and cigarette usage. This study also found that certain demographic status, eating behaviors, and symptoms were associated with significantly different depression, anxiety, and stress scores among patients with GERD. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the association between GERD and various modifiable risk factors in Herat, Afghanistan. Public health initiatives focusing on preventive measures and raising awareness can potentially alleviate the burden of GERD. Moreover, further research and targeted interventions are essential to improve health outcomes, particularly among patients with GERD, who may experience psychological comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-harm is a conscious behavior in which a person damages his/her body tissues, but this behavior is not done with the intention of suicide. The present study compared cognitive fusion, risk-taking, and fathers' communication style between adolescents with and without self-harm. Methods: The population of this study included all adolescents with a history of self-harm who were referred to treatment centers in Shiraz, Iran, from April to September 2023. The research sample included 200 subjects (100 healthy people and 100 adolescents with a history of self-harm) who were selected using the convenience and purposeful sampling method. The participants completed the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ; Gillanders et al., 2014), Iranian Adolescents Risk-taking Scale (IARS; Zadeh Mohammadi, Ahmadabadi, & Heidari, 2011), and Parent-Child Relationship Scale (PCRS; Fine, Moreland, & Schwebel, 1983). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software with a two-tailed 5% level of significance. Results: The results showed a significant difference between adolescents with and without self-harm in terms of cognitive fusion (F = 41.38; P < 0.050), cognitive defusion (F = 45.09; P < 0.050), cognitive fusion (F = 29.37; P < 0.050), risk-taking (F = 47.72; P < 0.050), and communication style with their father (F = 31.86; P < 0.001). Moreover, the group of adolescents with self-harm scored higher in cognitive fusion, risk-taking, and communication style with the father. Conclusion: According to the results, adolescents with self-harm have higher cognitive fusion and risk-taking and an unfavorable communication style with their father compared to adolescents without self-harm, so these variables are crucial in clinical interventions for treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the main causes of injury and death in children under 5 years of age is accidents. Lack of awareness about preventive measures against these accidents and having a belief that these accidents are inevitable are major issues in Iran. This study aims to investigate and categorize the interventions recommended for preventing accidents in children under 5 years of age. Materials and Methods: This scoping review was conducted in 2023. A search was conducted for the related studies in databases including Scopus, ISI, MEDLINE, Embase, Proquest, Cochrane Library, Emerald, MagIran, IranDoc, MoH thesis database and MoH articles database using the keywords "incident", "accident," "emergency," "injury," "disaster," "road traffic," "child," "intervention," "preparedness," and "prevention." The search was conducted on studies published in English or Persian, from 2000 to 2023. To assess the quality of the selected articles, the critical appraisal skills program (CASP) checklist was used. The data were analyzed using content analysis method in MAXQDA software, version 20. Results: The initial search yielded 1495 articles. After removing duplicates and irrelevant articles, and reading abstracts, and full texts, 41 studies (3 theses and 38 articles) were selected for the review. We produced 234 codes, 45 for interventions to prevent man-made disasters, 157 for interventions to prevent domestic accidents, 18 for interventions to prevent burn and electrical accidents and 14 for interventions to prevent traffic accidents. Conclusion: To prevent accidents in children under five years of age, there is a need for comprehensive efforts. Proper education for parents, teaching children about safe behaviors, installing appropriate safety equipment, and paying attention to the living environment of children can help reduce accidents in these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher self-disclosure (TSD) as a communication behavior can influence students' learning by increasing their engagement and class participation as well as helping them establish effective interpersonal relationships. Owning to its context-sensitive and culture-dependent nature, however, TSD topics, purposes, and considerations may vary cross-culturally. This study was an attempt to explore Iranian EFL teachers' perceptions of appropriateness of TSD as well as to investigate whether there was a significant difference between male and female teachers' perceptions of appropriateness of TSD. To this end, the Appropriateness of Teacher Self-Disclosure Scale was distributed among 68 Iranian EFL teachers (34 females and 34 males) from six language institutes. The results of the study indicated the extent to which the Iranian EFL teachers perceived TSD topics, purposes, and considerations to be appropriate or inappropriate. Furthermore, the study found convergence and divergence between male and female teachers' perceptions in terms of the topics used in TSD, the purposes TSD serves in classroom, and considerations the teachers take into account when practicing TSD. The results of the study suggest that Iranian EFL teachers can practice TSD as a pedagogical tool to enhance learning although they should be wary of its consequences in some aspects as TSD is contingent upon context and culture.

The study aimed at presenting how materials developers can design materials based on the tenets of Critical Pedagogy (CP). Having reviewed the literature on CP, the present study attempted to propose ideas for the selection and gradation phase of Materials Development in line with the tenets of CP. The distinguishing feature of the study was to exemplify a critical class with critical materials by drawing upon Freires' Problem Posing, Generative Themes, and Concentric Circles concepts. Additionally, the study proposed Immediacy and Comparison to be employed as tools to select and gradate the content of critical materials.

In recent years, teachers' self-efficacy has demonstrated a profound influence on the daily lives of teachers and their students. However, little is known about the relationship between teachers' personality traits and their self-efficacy. To gain more insight into this area, this study sought to explore the interface between 100 male and female EFL instructors' personality and their self-efficacy at 11 English language institutes in Bandar Abbas, Iran. In order to glean data, two instruments were applied: the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFIR), and Second Language Teaching Efficacy Scale (SLTES). Moreover, to see whether there was a significant relationship between the variables under study, Spearman Rank Order Correlation was applied to analyze the data. At the end, the results revealed a significant relationship between EFL instructors' personality and their self-efficacy. In addition, it is concluded that there is a meaningful and positive relationship between Extroversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and the traits of self-efficacy; nevertheless, the relationship between Neuroticism and each trait of self-efficacy turns out to be negative. Moreover, the results revealed that Agreeableness is the best predictor for student engagement, extraversion is the most important predictor for instructional strategies and classroom management, and the best predictors of self-efficacy are classroom management for extraversion and student engagement for agreeableness.

Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant public health concern in Afghanistan, with a high burden of disease in the western province of Herat. This study explored the risk factors of TB and TB's impact on the quality of life of patients in Herat. Methods: A total of 422 TB patients and 514 controls were recruited at Herat Regional Hospital and relevant TB laboratories between October 2020 and February 2021. Data was collected through interviews using a structured questionnaire and the SF-36 questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Multivariate General Linear Model, and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that male sex (p = 0.023), chronic disease (p = 0.038), lower education levels (p < 0.001), and worse health status (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with higher odds of TB infection. The study also found that TB patients had significantly lower quality of life scores in almost all components (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study provides important insights into the specific ways in which TB affects the wellbeing of patients in Afghanistan. The findings highlight the importance of addressing the psychological and social dimensions of TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unquestionable roles of technology in language classes, it might be necessary to use computers in assessing language knowledge. This study aimed to examine how computers may be used to assess language ability of [English for Specific Purposes] ESP students. Sixty computer-major university students at Abadan University are the participants of this study. They have taken an ESP course for a four-month academic term. To measure these participants' ESP knowledge, two types of tests were used: a final achievement test based on course content, and a computer-assisted test based on [target language use] TLU domain. The study used a computer-assisted test to highlight the validity of the final achievement test. This study also investigated ESP students' perception of computer-supported assessment and highlighted some obstacles that may hinder e-supported activities in an Iranian context. Regarding the findings, the study points to the possibility of using computer-assisted assessment as an alternative to the present a mainstream testing system.

This study aims to explore the effects of implementing a CALL framework on the students' perceptions of their communication classroom environments. The What Is Happening In This Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire was distributed twice among 34 (F=14 and M=20) Iranian EFL students, the first time after a ten-session-long regular no-tech communication class and the other time after a ten-session-long communication class informed by a CALL framework. The data were analyzed using SPSS and the results showed that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between the participants' perceptions of each dimension (i.e, Student cohesiveness, Teacher support, Involvement, Task orientation, Cooperation, and Equity) of their communication classroom before and after introducing the CALL framework. The CALL-informed communication class led to a learning environment that was perceived by students as more efficient and learner-centered. The work uses the concept of learning environment, which is claimed to take into account many different aspects of a learning context and hence comprehensive, to explore practicality of CALL ideas for an EFL classroom.

A growing body of investigations on second language teaching and learning is now being devoted to the international use of network information and communication technology known as e-learning. Individualized self-paced e-learning offline and online are two of the common e-learning modalities used by language teachers and learners (Romiszowski (2004). Since one of the aspects of language learning is reading comprehension, this study aimed at finding out whether online or offline reading materials could make a significant difference in the comprehension of English or not. For this purpose, a number of 85 EFL students at Islamic Azad University, Abadeh and Shiraz Branch were selected. After they were proved to be homogeneous through a reading comprehension pre-test, they were divided into two groups; one of them was assigned the already printed materials selected from the online pages of different newspapers for their reading comprehension practice, whereas the second group was given the homepage of the same online-paper pages to surf the net and read online. After a period of three months, the same reading comprehension test used in the pre-test was administered to both groups as the pos-test. The results showed that with the same hypertexts, learners who read online were able to improve their reading comprehension more and outperformed the other group. This implies that since online reading gives the learners a better opportunity to use related links on the page, they are exposed to more reading materials and accordingly can enhance their comprehension better.

This study uses a multilevel hedonic model to examine information from official sources including the population census, the land-use map, and the field survey to draw conclusions about the 32,108 Tehran residences that make up the statistical sample. These results show that other factors besides proximity to urban facilities are important in determining the value of a home in Tehran, Iran. The results show that proximity to education, culture, entertainment, tourism, administration, and social service centers has a positive effect on housing prices, while proximity to some urban amenities, such as medical centers, commercial strips, and parks, has a negative effect on housing prices. This gap can be explained in part by the externalities of these facilities, including the creation of through traffic, congestion, and reduced security levels, which discourage home buyers from getting too close to these amenities. Furthermore, the study found that the effect of proximity differs from that of service provision at the neighborhood level. For example, while the presence of a medical/health center at neighborhood level was found to be a positive determinant of house prices, its proximity had a negative effect on house prices. In fact, home buyers prefer to purchase properties in neighborhoods that offer such amenities but are less likely to purchase properties in areas adjacent to such amenities. The higher the ratio of nonresidential to residential uses, the higher the price of housing in those areas. In fact, this shows the advantage of neighborhoods with a variety of uses more than single-use neighborhoods. The data also demonstrate that the variances across neighborhoods in Tehran account for a significant amount of the housing price variation, with 11% and 48% of the total variance attributed to local and regional levels of analysis, respectively. This highlights the nested and hierarchical nature of housing price data and the use of multilevel modeling for estimating home prices in Tehran. The results presented in this work may have theoretical and practical uses for scholars, insurance firms, banks, real estate developers, and others in the field of property economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]