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Background. The health of retirees, as an expanding and vulnerable group, is of particular importance in society, and it is necessary to prioritize their problems in critical situations such as the spread of the coronavirus. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of social and cultural capital on the level of fear of COVID-19 among retired employees of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TUOMS). Methods. This survey-based research employed a descriptive-explanatory design and was practical in terms of purpose. This study selected 410 retirees from TUOMS in Iran using a simple random sampling method. The data collection tools in this study included three questionnaires: cultural capital, social capital, and fear of COVID-19. We tested the research hypotheses using SPSS software (version 22). Results. The bivariate results of the study indicated that social capital and its dimensions (social networks, social trust, and social participation) and cultural capital and its dimensions (embodied, objective, and institutional) had a significant and inversed effect on the level of fear of COVID-19 among the retirees. The regression model of fear of COVID-19 also found that both independent variables (social capital and cultural capital) were statistically significant and could explain about 36% and 31% of the changes in the dependent variable (fear of COVID-19 among retirees), respectively. Conclusion. This study indicated a significant and inverse relationship between social and cultural capital and the level of fear of COVID-19 among the retirees of TUOMS. The findings of the present study can be generalized to all retired TUOMS employees. Therefore, healthcare policymakers should take effective measures to increase the funds allocated to diseases such as COVID-19 and reduce the fear of the disease, which is a risk factor for physical and mental diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaptonuria (AKU) is an uncommon disorder which is inherited as an autosomal recessive condition. Although intervertebral disc degeneration can be detected in the expected course of AKU, revealing of the disease by black disc color change in old patients without any other clinical manifestation is an extremely uncommon condition. We report two cases of neglected, asymptomatic and unknown AKU presented with degenerative disc disorder. The resected disc materials were dark. As a result clinicians should be aware of these extremely rare types of metabolic multisystem disorders and their association with dark herniated disc.

Medical Journal of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences was initially published by the School of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1960 under the title of "The Journal of the Medical Faculty of Tabriz" (Fig 1-3) [Revue de la Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie from 1963 (Fig 4,5)], focusing on medical and pharmaceutical papers with English and French abstracts. The journal has been regularly issued, except for a short period of time, publishing original articles in the field of medical sciences. Meanwhile, it has been issued bimonthly since 2004 under the title of "Medical Journal of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences". I am pleased to announce that, as the result of the editorial and administrative teams’ efforts, we have recently met the requirements to be indexed in the Scopus database. This happened because of the sincere help and empathetic support provided by all my colleagues, authors, reviewers, the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Technology of TUOMS, and the Director of Medical Information and Scientific Resources. Currently, our vision is to promote the quality of the Journal to meet the requirements of Pubmed and ISI databases. To reach this aim, one of our strategic plans is to publish the Journal bilingually (in both Persian and English languages) to share domestic data globally and invite the researches from other countries to publish their works in our Journal. Hence, we seek to publish evidenced-based studies in several medical scopes, including basic, clinical, and health medicine. More rigorous criteria have been created to promote the quality of the Journal according to the regional and research priorities. Also, many researchers have been invited to review the submitted papers critically. We hope that scientists in different fields participate in broadening the scientific borders through submitting their state-of-the-art studies in our Journal. The editorial board is open to any comments or corrective recommendations. We also appreciate all the authors who have submitted their papers to our Journal, our reviewers, and all those helping us to promote the Journal in this long journey. Editor-in-Chief

Background and Objectives: Evaluating higher education is a systematic process for identifying student’s progress in order to reach predefined goals. In this study we aimed at evaluating educational program of Bachelor of Sciences in health services management using CIPP model in Tabriz. Material and Methods: A descriptive-analytical study was conducted with the sample size of 94 people, of which 18 were faculty members, 55 were students and the others were graduated. A questionnaire was used to collect data which its validity and reliability were confirmed in Kerman University of Medical Sciences. We used SPSS software and descriptive and analytical statistics to analyze the data. Results: Total scores of the studied curriculum in aspects of context, input, process, and product were 64.96, 64.11, 63.45, and 63.97 percent, respectively. Generally, the curriculum was assessed as partly appropriate. Conclusion: It seems that considering revision in some lessons and putting the major focus on teaching skills can improve the utility of the curriculum.

Background: Culture plays an important role in social changes; cultural development is essential for social development. The main objective of this research was to determine the current status and optimal state of cultural development and propose a better paradigm at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. For doing so, eight cultural development components were examined using Georges’ theory. Methods: The statistical population consisted of all 270 employees and managers of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The participants of the present descriptive study consisted of 160 employees and managers (104 managers and 56 employees) of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The sample size was chosen via cluster random sampling method calculated by Morgan table. A questionnaire assessing participants’ current and optimal status was completed. The questionnaire’s reliability was confirmed by Cronbach alpha with a coefficient of 90. The content validity of the questionnaire was measured by employees’ opinions. SPSS 16 was used for the statistical analysis. Results: Assessing the effective factors on cultural development indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between current and optimal status (p

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between attributional style and spiritual intelligence (SI) with job performance of employees of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2015. Methods: The study population consisted of the employees of 8 faculties of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (n = 647), of which 243 staff members were selected using a stratified sampling method. Data collection was performed using standard Amram Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaire, Paterson Job Performance Questionnaire and Rotter Locus of Control Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regressions using SPSS. Results: Based on Pearson correlation coefficient, SI was significantly correlated with job performance among the employees. In addition, there was a significant correlation between internal locus of control and job performance; however, external locus of control did not exhibit any correlation with job performance. Furthermore, the results showed a significant relationship between SI components and job performance (P = 0.000). The results of the regression analysis revealed that all the components of SI were predictors of variables for job performance (R2 = 0.26). Conclusion: Considering the tests, it was revealed that there is a positive and meaningful relation between the internal control of attributional style and the elements of the SI with personnel job performance. However, based on the result of the regression with the fixed amount of 26 percent, it seems necessary to pay attention to other effective elements on the performance of personnel, except internal control and elements of SI.

​Background and objectives : Health promoting lifestyle is one of the major determinants of one’s physical and psychological health. A great proportion of population in our country belongs to university students which their lifestyle could affect the community health. The aim of this study was to determine health promoting lifestyle among Shahed students in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted by using health promoting lifestyle standard questionnaire. Convenience sampling method was used to select 150 participants in October 2014. Data were analyzed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Independent t and one way ANOVA tests. Results: The mean score of health promoting lifestyle was 53.09± 13.31. Spiritual growth subscale obtained the highest mean score (Mean= 65.76± 17.04). There was a significant difference between male and female in stress management and health responsibility subscales (P-value Conclusion: Results demonstrated that health promoting lifestyle was not in an acceptable level among Shahed students. So, it is necessary to employ proper strategies, especially in physical activity to promote students’ life quality.

Background & Objective: The quantitative development of higher education regardless of quality will lead to undesirable consequences The main clients of universities are students Determination of their perception of educational services quality can provide policy maker with valuable information in order to improve educational services quality This study was conducted in order to investigate educational services quality based on the SERVQUAL model from the perspective of students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Iran Methods: The statistical population of this study included 3084 students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences In order to perform this descriptivecorrelational study 200 students were randomly selected For data collection the SERVQUAL questionnaire was used This questionnaire consists of five dimensions (tangibility reliability empathy responsiveness and assurance) of educational services quality with 27 questions The validity of the questionnaire was approved through content validity methods and its reliability using Cronbachs alpha coefficient The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one sample ttest Results: The study results indicated students positive evaluation of tangibility responsiveness reliability and empathy dimensions of educational services quality Conclusion: The results showed that in general in all dimensions of educational services quality of service was higher than average The lowest and highest means were observed in the responsiveness and reliability dimensions respectively

Introduction: Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) is a valuable method to evaluate procedural skills. The aim of this study was to develop a DOPS test for assessment of first- and second-year orthopedic residents and evaluate its effects on their learning. Methods: Seven residents and nine faculty members of the orthopedic department of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences participated in this study. A questionnaire containing twelve closed and four open questions was used for assessment. The acquired data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (frequency, percent, mean and standard deviation). Results: The results showed that residents’ performances were almost good (mean of good performances = 50.6%), the participants’ performances increased in the second stage (from 50.6% to 59.4%) but this increasing performance decreased in the third stage (from 59.4% to 39%). Most faculty members and residents believed that DOPS tests can have an effective role in facilitating students’ learning and also can help them to succeed in their final test. Some of the residents believed that DOPS tests decrease their stress in the final exam. Promoting students’ procedural skills and independent learning are the pros and a stressful test experience is the con of this study. Conclusion: According to results of this study, DOPS tests had an effective role in facilitating students’ learning and skills. Test repetition for the second time is sufficient and useful for evaluating residents’ clinical and instrumental skills.

Introduction: The intention of this study was to identifying and prioritizing challenges in research in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran, and giving exact solutions to remove those challenges from the perspective of stakeholders (the members of faculty board, students, administrators, and research staff of the university). Methods: This mix-method study (quantitative-qualitative) conducted in summer-2014 in TUMS. The participants of this study included 139 of the members of faculty board, 349 of the students, and 39 of administrators and research staff (in total, 525 individuals). The data collection tool in the qualitative section was an open-ended questionnaires (3 questions), and in the quantitative section it consists close question questionnaires (26 questions). For prioritizing these challenges, it was used by prioritization matrix that it had four criteria: Importance, the ability to solve, cost-effectiveness and immediacy. Results: The important challenges from the perspective of participant included: Lack of co-operations of administrative centers with researchers, the existence of cumbersome rules, lack of motivation in researchers from authorities, being non-economic of doing a research to the professors and students, The lack of research result in decision-making, the low capacity and ability of members of faculty board, students, and staff on issues related to research procedures, and lack of attention to the quality of research. Conclusion: Lack of attention to the quality of research, and the existence of cumbersome rules in research area have the most priority in challenging research in TUMS, which they need more attention and planning to resolve these challenges of the authorities and managers of this university.

Background: Health professions students often experience stress and potential burnout while completing their entry-to-practice education; therefore, detecting and monitoring burn out among these students is paramount. This study compared motivation domains and determined the relationship between motivation and academic burnout among students of the Dental Faculty at the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This analytical study was conducted longitudinally with dental students at the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences beginning from 2012, the first semester of the participating first-year students and then in the final semester when the same students graduated in 2017.All students (N = 110) were invited to participate. Academic motivation was assessed using the Valler and Academic Motivation Scale. Comparison between first and last semester motivation scores and the relationship between academic motivation level and burnout subscales was determined using independent t-tests and Pearson’s correlation coefficient tests. SPSS was used for the statistical analysis; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Gender had a statistically significant effect on extrinsic motivation and a motivation: in both the first and last semesters, male students were less extrinsically motivated (P < 0.05).Pearson’s correlation coefficient test found a significant inverse correlation between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of students in their final semester and the academic efficacy (EF)subscale (r = -0.25, P = 0.015; r = -0.21, P = 0.03, respectively). Conclusion: Results showed that although there was a decrease in motivation level, students had high motivation and low burnout level in their final semester compared to their first semester. Extrinsic motivation was higher than intrinsic at both stages

​Background and Objectives : The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between employees' psychological empowerment with their mental health in headquarters staff of Tabriz University of medical sciences. Study population consisted of all the employees working in headquarters section with a total number of 215 in 2014. Material and Methods : For sampling, stratified sampling method was used. Sample size was estimated 170 participants according to (Krejcie & Morgan) table which consisted of 80 female and 90 male. The research method is descriptive –correlation. For data collecting, standard psychological capability questionnaire (PEQ) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Results : Data analysis showed that there is a meaningful relationship between three items of psychological capability (competence-reliance-the right of choice) and mental health, while there is no meaningful relationship between the sense of being effective and mental health. Also, according to the multiple regression, competence, reliance and the right of choice items have a meaningful effect on mental health and based on standardized coefficient (beta coefficient), the right of choice, competence and reliance have the most effects on the employees’ mental health respectively. Conclusion : Mental health depends on thinking, feeling and behavior of individuals. In general, people who are mentally healthy, have a positive attitude on life and are prepared to face challenges in life, have good feeling about themselves and others and are responsible towards their relationship and in the workplace. In this study, employees' psychological empowerment of headquarters staff of Tabriz University of medical sciences may predict their mental health.

Background and objectives: The increase in the use of electronic resources in academic and scientific research centers and rising cost of preparing and getting access to these resources is the main reason for the importance of evaluating the amount of use from electronic resources considering appropriate use of funds in this paper. In this study, full-text usage of e-journals of five publishers (Elsevier, John Wiley, Oxford, Emrald and ProQuest) was investigated in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences from 2010 to 2012. Material and Methods: This is a descriptive-survey research. The required data were acquired from publishers by Counter Reporting. Then, the data were analyzed and tables and diagrams were drawn by Excel software. Results: According to the research findings, among five studied publishers, Elsevier journals had the highest number of downloading full-text articles. After Elsevier, Wiley, Oxford Journals, ProQuest and Emerald were in next ranks respectively. Conclusion: Tabriz University of Medical Sciences has a good manner in meeting the users’ information needs by appropriate policy-making and specifying efficient fund in selecting available journals by Elsevier. Also, there could be a direct relationship between Tabriz University of Medical Sciences’ users’ level of familiarity and Elsevier journals. ​

Background and objectives : Comprehensive development of the world depends on research and its continuous improvement in all fields and creating suitable infrastructure are essential for organizations and society’s growth. This study aims to survey the quality of annual research festival in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Material and Methods : This is a cross-sectional study which was done with the participation of faculty members and students. In quantitative section, a researcher-made questionnaire with 18 questions related to research festival criteria was used and its validity and reliability was approved using statistical tests. In qualitative section, the participants responded to questions related to “participating and non participating causes in festival”, “the weaknesses and strengths of the festival” and “required interventions for festival improvement”. The results were reported as frequency (percentages) for quantitative and theme (with sub-theme) for qualitative section. Results : The results showed that the quality of festival in some aspects such as “on schedule assessing of the researchers’ documents” and “festival time and place” is acceptable, in other aspects such as “clarity of assessing process”, “evaluation of festival status” and “festival motivation power” is not acceptable, and in the rest of the aspects, its quality is on average. By regarding the obtained results we can recognize that there is a close relation between quantitative and qualitative results. Conclusion : The study findings indicated that the quality of the festival was on average and requires interventions for improvement. ​

Background: Concepts such as organizational commitment and employees’ and managers’ ethics provide decision-makers and policy makers with potentially useful information which can result in increasing organizational efficiency and effectiveness. This study aimed to explore the relationship between professional ethics and organizational commitment among the staff working in the education departments of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015. The study population consisted of all staff working as educational experts in the education departments of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (N=65). Data collection instruments used in this study were two standard questionnaires on professional ethics and organizational commitment. SPSS software version 21 was used to analyze the data. Results: According to the results, mean scores obtained for professional ethics and organizational commitment were (91.57± 9.13) (95% CI, 89.23-93.91) and (64.89 ± 10.37) (95% CI, 62.23- 67.54), respectively. A significant relationship was observed between professional ethics and organizational commitment among the educational experts working in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (correlation coefficient = 0.405) (P=0.001) (at 95% confidence level). Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between professional ethics and work experience (P=0.043). The highest level of professional ethics observed was associated with those participants having a work experience of ranging from 6 to 10 years. Individuals with fulltime employment scored the highest in organizational commitment. Conclusion: Educational experts possessed a high level of professional ethics. The finding provides the grounds for promoting organizational commitment, which will lead to higher levels of organizational effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

​ Background and Objectives : The process of receiving meal is one of the most important daily events of university students and managers. Since this process happens within a limited time during the day, and all the students are directly involved in this process, proper management is one of the main factors of conducting this process appropriately. The aim of this study was to evaluate the process of receiving meals step by step and analyzing how this process takes place and finally offer some strategies for promoting the quality of conducting this process at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Material and Methods : The is a cross-sectional study which was conducted by observation, interview and the questionnaires filled out by students and automation section staff. The flowchart for the process of receiving meals of the university was drawn after step by step observation. The questionnaire including 14 questions were answered by 60 students randomly. A suggested flowchart was adjusted after general and specialized analysis of the flowchart in 5W1H method. For analyzing data, Excel 2007 software was applied. Results : Data analysis indicated that 55% of the students believed that too much time was wasted in this process. Currently, each student spends about 43 minutes for having lunch everyday. Although the university has facilitated food reservation by internet, 80% of students do not use this service and refer to self-service restaurant operators and cause long queues . After interviewing with the manager of food section, it was specified that an average amount of Rls. 300,000,000/- is allocated daily for students’ food by students’ deputy which is Rls. 100,000/- for each student and each student pays only 6.5% of the whole price and 93.5% of the price is supplied by students’ welfare affairs deputy. Conclusion: The process of receiving meals of students at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences is a time-consuming process and will result in customers’ dissatisfaction. This process could be improved by accomplishing some actions such as distributing catalogs and guidelines for using internet services for reserving food among students and considering encouraging services for students who use the internet service and receive less forgotten token such as discount. The number of referees to operators could be reduced by considering the above mentioned suggestions and improve the process of receiving meals.

The present study seeks to examine the status of research methods employed in dissertations submitted by graduates of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The study also examined the impact factors. Using content analysis, the research methods were divided into four groups: historical, descriptive, empirical and literature review. The distributions for each method were calculated on the basis of gender, graduate level, citations, time frame and fields of study. Samples were chosen randomly from among the dissertations available at faculty libraries at TUMS. 390 dissertations were selected. Findings demonstrated that gender did not influence the choice of research method. With exception of Nursing faculty, graduate level proved to be an prominent factor when choosing research method. All types of citations (books, journals, online and non-printed sources) were identified as another significant factor impacting pushing towards any given research method. With exception of Hygiene and Food Faculty, the time factor affected the research method selection process as well. Finally, given their different research characteristics, the field of studies investigated also contributed to both the scope and direction of research methods chosen.

Background: Culture plays an important role in social changes; cultural development is essential for social development. The main objective of this research was to determine the current status and optimal state of cultural development and propose a better paradigm at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. For doing so, eight cultural development components were examined using Georges’ theory. Methods: The statistical population consisted of all 270 employees and managers of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The participants of the present descriptive study consisted of 160 employees and managers (104 managers and 56 employees) of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The sample size was chosen via cluster random sampling method calculated by Morgan table. A questionnaire assessing participants’ current and optimal status was completed. The questionnaire’s reliability was confirmed by Cronbach alpha with a coefficient of 90. The content validity of the questionnaire was measured by employees’ opinions. SPSS 16 was used for the statistical analysis. Results: Assessing the effective factors on cultural development indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between current and optimal status (p<0.001) (95% CI: 1.43- 5.00). Results indicated that there is a significant difference in cultural development between current status and optimal state among the staff of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Conclusion: The results of the research show that cultural education in its optimal state is of higher rank than other indicators. Thus it seems necessary to pay more attention to cultural development and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between attributional style and spiritual intelligence (SI) with job performance of employees of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2015. Methods: The study population consisted of the employees of 8 faculties of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (n=647), of which 243 staff members were selected using a stratified sampling method. Data collection was performed using standard Amram Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaire, Paterson Job Performance Questionnaire and Rotter Locus of Control Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regressions using SPSS. Results: Based on Pearson correlation coefficient, SI was significantly correlated with job performance among the employees. In addition, there was a significant correlation between internal locus of control and job performance; however, external locus of control did not exhibit any correlation with job performance. Furthermore, the results showed a significant relationship between SI components and job performance (P=0.000). The results of the regression analysis revealed that all the components of SI were predictors of variables for job performance (R2=0.26). Conclusion: Considering the tests, it was revealed that there is a positive and meaningful relation between the internal control of attributional style and the elements of the SI with personnel job performance. However, based on the result of the regression with the fixed amount of 26 percent, it seems necessary to pay attention to other effective elements on the performance of personnel, except internal control and elements of SI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) is a valuable method to evaluate procedural skills. The aim of this study was to develop a DOPS test for assessment of first- and second-year orthopedic residents and evaluate its effects on their learning. Methods: Seven residents and nine faculty members of the orthopedic department of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences participated in this study. A questionnaire containing twelve closed and four open questions was used for assessment. The acquired data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (frequency, percent, mean and standard deviation). Results: The results showed that residents’ performances were almost good (mean of good performances = 50.6%), the participants’ performances increased in the second stage (from 50.6% to 59.4%) but this increasing performance decreased in the third stage (from 59.4% to 39%). Most faculty members and residents believed that DOPS tests can have an effective role in facilitating students’ learning and also can help them to succeed in their final test. Some of the residents believed that DOPS tests decrease their stress in the final exam. Promoting students’ procedural skills and independent learning are the pros and a stressful test experience is the con of this study. Conclusion: According to results of this study, DOPS tests had an effective role in facilitating students’ learning and skills. Test repetition for the second time is sufficient and useful for evaluating residents’ clinical and instrumental skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Clinical librarianship is a tool for evidence based medicine that intends to improve health professionals' access to information. This research, studies the feasibility of implement of clinical librarianship program in the hospital libraries of Tabriz University of Medical Science. Methodology: This paper is a descriptive research. Hospital libraries of Tabriz Medical University and their users are the society of the research. Findings: Data has been collected through questionnaire and Results show that, 93/8% of physicians, 95/6% of nurses and 90% of hospital library managers agree with implementation of clinical librarianship program in the library of their hospital. Libraries of Madani, and Sina hospitals, according to their equipments, and libraries of Madani, Sina and Nikokari hospitals in view point of information resources have a condition for implementation of clinical librarianship program. All hospital libraries face to lack of human resource for implementation of clinical librarianship program.

Background & Aims : This research is done to assess the opinions of faculty members about the efficiency of student ratings on teacher performance in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Materials & Methods : This is a descriptive - analytic research, all 294 faculty members and department heads of Tabriz University of medical science were involved. Data are collected using two questionnaires. One of them was distributed among the head of departments and the other was distributed among faculty members. The latter one was the same questionnaire used for rating faculty members by students. Descriptive statistics such as frequency tables, mean, percentages, etc. and inferential statistic (t test) were used to analyze data. Results : Results indicated that majority of faculty members reported a low rate of change in their performance caused by students rating during last 2 years. In the part of head of departments' opinions assessment, majority of them reported a low rate of change in the performance of faculty members in their department caused by students rating. Conclusion : It is concluded that students' rating of faculty members has little effect on their performance. It is needed to take appropriate steps in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]