Study Skills in Bachelor Students in the School of Public Health, Yazd, 2006

Background & Objective : One of the most important factors which prevent students from achieving their attempts’ desirable result is lack of study skills. Study skills are effective on decreasing tiredness and anxiety, saving time and increasing students’ motivation, leading to better learning and educational improvement. This study was conducted to evaluate the students’ study skills and to determine educational priorities in order to hold improving study skills classes. Methods : In this descriptive study, all bachelor students in Yazd school of public health (240 students) participated. Data was collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire. 192 questionnaires were completed and returned. Results : According to our findings, the mean (±SD) score of all 30 study skills was 20.1(±4.2). The highest mean score (±SD) which was 5.1(±1.2) belonged to taking class notes while the lowest mean score which was 2.6(±1.3) belonged to time management. Most of the students’ study skills were of moderate level (54.7 %) and 30.7% were weak whereas only 30.7% were considered good. The mean daily studying duration was 2.5 hours. There was no significant statistical relationship between study skills and age, sex, field of study, semester, doing morning or evening courses, daily studying duration, and Grade Point Average of the previous term. Conclusion : As only 30.7% of all students were considered good regarding study skills, it is suggested to hold organized and continuous educational courses to improve study skills. Defined factors in this study are time management, taking exam, concentration, reading and taking notes, in order of priority. Keywords: Study skill, Student, School of public health

Myo-inositol effect on pregnancy outcomes in infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection: A double-blind RCT

Background: Myo-inositol is an intracellular mediator which is involved in various aspects of reproduction in women. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Myo-inositol on the outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles in infertile women. Materials and Methods: This double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted on 70 infertile women referred to the Infertility Treatment Center, Besat hospital, Sanandaj, Iran from May 2019 to September 2019 for IVF/ICSI cycles. The participants were randomly divided into 2 intervention (n = 36) and control (n = 34) groups. The intervention group received 2000 mg of Myo-inositol and 200 mcg folic acid twice a day for 2 months and the control group received 200 mcg of folic acid twice a day for 2 months in the IVF/ICSI cycles (from the third day of cycle until the end of the second month). Finally, the number of oocytes, the quality of embryos, and the IVF/ICSI outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. Results: The mean numbers of oocytes, MII oocytes, and 2 pronuclear embryos were significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group. Also, the clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in the intervention group were significantly higher than in the controls (p = 0.04). Conclusion: The administration of Myo-inositol may increase clinical pregnancy and live birth rates by increasing the number of total and meiosis II oocytes in infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI. Key words: Infertility, In vitro fertilization, Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, Myoinositol

Demonstration of 80 Gbps NRZ-OOK electro-absorption modulation of InP-on-Si DFB laser diodes

High-speed electro-absorption modulation of a heterogeneously integrated InP-on-Si DFB laser diode is used for the transmission of an 80 Gbps NRZ-OOK signal over 2 km of NZ-DSF link below the hard-decision forward-error-correction threshold. (C) 2019 The Author(s

Demonstration of 80 Gbps NRZ-OOK electro-absorption modulation of InP-on-Si DFB laser diodes

High-speed electro-absorption modulation of a heterogeneously integrated InP-on-Si DFB laser diode is used for the transmission of an 80 Gbps NRZ-OOK signal over 2 km of NZ-DSF link below the hard-decision forward-error-correction threshold. (C) 2019 The Author(s

Levofloxacin-containing triple therapy versus bismuth-based quadruple therapy as regimens for second line anti- Helicobacter pylori

Background: Although the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection decreased following the hygiene promotion and application of proper anti- H.pylori treatments, unfortunately gradual increase is reported in treatment failure; hence, application of a proper treatment regimen as a second-line therapy is of great importance. Methods: In the current randomized, clinical trial, a total of 120 patients with peptic ulcers who failed to respond to treatment were enrolled. In the OLA group, a regimen of omeprazole 40 mg/day, levofloxacin 1 g/day, and amoxicillin 2 g/ day was prescribed; however, a regimen of omeprazole 40 mg/day, bismuth sub-citrate 480 mg/day, furazolidone 400 mg/day, and amoxicillin 2 g/day was administered to the OFAB group. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks, and 6 weeks after the treatment, the urea breath test (UBT) was performed in the subjects. Collected data were analyzed with SPSS Version 18. At the end, 58 patients in group OLA and 57 patients in the OFAB group were analyzed. Results: According to the results of the current study, 96.7 of the subjects in the OLA and 95 in the OFAB groups completed the treatment course and the eradication rates were 86.7 and 78.3 in the OLA and OFAB groups, respectively (P=0.23). Treatment side effects were observed in 51.7 and 11.7 of the subjects in the OLA and OFAB groups, respectively (P<0.01). Conclusion: Both regimens were applicable as the second-line therapy due to insignificant difference between the results of the 2 groups; however, OLA regimen was superior to OFAB, due to lower side effects. &#160

ABO and Rh blood groups in patients with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis

Background: Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are autoimmune diseases in which the antigen-antibody system plays an important role. As blood group and Rh are determined by the presence or absence of antigens on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs), we aimed to determine the distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups in SLE and RA patients and its association with disease manifestations. Methods: This short communication is based on a study that was conducted on 434 SLE and 828 RA patients. We evaluated the distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups in RA and SLE patients. Results: This study projected that in lupus patients, Coombs-positive autoimmune hemolytic anemia and arthritis were more common among the B blood type and Rh-positive group, respectively. Furthermore, there was no relation between ABO and Rh blood group and rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide (anti-CCP) seropositivity. Moreover, there was no difference in distribution of blood groups in RA and SLE patients. Conclusion: The higher frequency of blood group B in hemolytic anemia, and positive Rh in arthritis in lupus patients, develop the hypothesis of probable role of ABO blood group antigen in some manifestations of lupus. Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA); Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); ABO blood group, Rh blood group