A Qualitative Study of the Process of Knowledge Utilization in the Social Sciences

The purpose of this research was to propose a model of knowledge utilization in Social Sciences based on the analysis of the views of Iranian academics. This research was conducted based on a qualitative approach using grounded theory. The structured interview method was used to obtain the views of the experts. The research population consisted of academic members of Social Sciences in Iranian universities. Due to extensive statistical population, the sequential theoretical sampling was employed to select 25 academics having the highest number of both publications and citations (h-index) as the interviewees. So as to ensure the validity and reliability of this research, the evaluative criteria proposed by Lincoln and Guba were adopted. Moreover, to analyze the collected data and reach a theory, Theoretical Coding was applied. After coding, classifying and analyzing data, the research findings led to a model derived from the ideas of Social Sciences experts in four areas as Knowledge Production, Knowledge Transfer, Knowledge Sharing, and Knowledge Utilization. According to the results achieved from analyzing the ideas of Social Sciences experts, knowledge utilization was determined as the central core of the model.https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.20088302.2021.19.2.8.6

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

The Influence of Social Grounds on the Process of Nadir's Legitimacy_ Seeking

The fall of Isfahan in 1135 A.H/1722 A.D followed with the fall of Safavids. In this situation, different groups endeavored to take power by providing social grounds. These groups tried not only to take advantages of Safavids' legitimacy, but also to weaken the power of the legitimacy of this dynasty. In such condition, Nadir wined to be pioneer in preparing social grounds by employing his military and political activities. Legitimacy_ seeking efforts of Nadir were a continuous process that led to the most significant social change of the first half of twelfth century, i.e. the elimination of Safavids. Undoubtedly, thesocial grounds of this change were the activities of Nadir in society which dramatically suffered after fall of Isfahan. This  research is a social history one which aims to explain the attempts of Nadir for providing the social grounds of his sovereignty and considers this issue by employing descriptive- analytical method. The results of this study demonstrate that although Nadir could take power by military achievements, establishment of council of Dasht-e Moqan and control of this council by various trends, he was unable to establish stable government. Thus, his activities are regarded as a social change and could not make a great change in society of Iran notably in principles of government's legitimacy

A charismatic narrative of the rise and fall of ISIS, Possibility of Alternative movement and charisma in comparison to spiritual province in the Shiite system

The foundation of public opinion these days is the emergence and decline of the ISIS movement. In this article, along with a charismatic reading of the emergence and decline of ISIS, the special two-sided work of charisma has been considered in terms of its accomplishments, while distinguishing it from its Muslim alternative, the spiritual saintship, the half-darkness of charisma has also been taken into consideration. The dominant approach of the existing articles is the attraction of the Prophet and the spiritual saintship in the Shiite system as a kind of charisma. If we understand the love of the saintship in the Shiite thought of charisma, then we have unwittingly accepted the necessity of the charisma's identity, its decline and its replacement after decades. The theoretical purpose of the article is to study the charisma of the charisma compared to the alternative of the spiritual saintship in the Shiite system, and its strategic goal is to examine the reason for the early decline of ISIS with the reasoning of Max Weber's theorizing, and the practical purpose is to examine the rational possibility of the emergence of an alternative to ISIS. Theoretical result of this paper, the superiority of the spiritual saintship over charisma and its most strategic and strategic finding, is the rational probability of the emergence of a quasi-ISIS movement. The research methodology is an analytical, critical paper, using library resources and the efficiency of Max Weber's theorizing, Kolakovsky and Hannah Arendt

Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of fisetin-loaded nanoparticles in an in vitro model of osteoarthritis

Abstract Cartilage lesions, especially osteoarthritis (OA), are a common health problem, causing pain and disability in various age groups, principally in older adults and athletes. One of the main challenges to be considered in cartilage tissue repair is the regeneration of cartilage tissue in an active inflammatory environment. Fisetin has various biological effects including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, apoptotic, and antiproliferative activities. The only disadvantages of fisetin in the pharmaceutical field are its instability and low solubility in aqueous media. This study is aimed at preparing chitosan (CS)-based nanoparticles to yield fisetin with improved bioavailability features. Then, the effect of fisetin-loaded nanoparticles (FNPs) on inflammatory responses in interleukin-1β (IL-1β) pretreated human chondrocytes has also been investigated. FNPs presented an average size of 363.1 ± 17.2 nm and a zeta potential of + 17.7 ± 0.1 mV with encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading capacity (LC) of 78.79 ± 7.7% and 37.46 ± 6.6%, respectively. The viability of human chondrocytes was not affected by blank nanoparticles (BNPs) up to a concentration of 2000 μg/mL. In addition, the hemolysis results clearly showed that FNPs did not damage the red blood cells (RBCs) and had good hemocompatibility within the range investigated. FNPs, similar to fisetin, were able to inhibit the inflammatory responses induced by IL-1β such as the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) while increasing the production of an anti-inflammatory cytokine such as interleukin-10 (IL-10). Overall, the in vitro evaluation results of the anti-inflammatory activity showed that FNPs can serve as delivery systems to transfer fisetin to treat inflammation in OA

Preventive effects of betulinic acid on streptozotocinnicotinamide induced diabetic nephropathy in male mouse

Background: Diabetic nephropathy is defined as a progressive decline in glomerular filtration rate, accompanied by proteinuria. Betulinic acid (BA) employs in the treatment and management of diabetes. Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the preventive effects of BA on streptozotocinnicotinamide (STZ-NA) induced diabetic nephropathy in male mouse. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 60 adult male NMRI mice (20-25 g) were obtained. Type 2 diabetes induced by intraperitoneal (IP) injection of a single dose of STZ (65 mg/kg) 15 minutes after an IP administration of NA (120 mg/kg). Then, mice were divided into six groups; control, diabetes, diabetes + BA (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg), and diabetes + metformin (200 mg/kg). Twenty-four hours after the last drug administrations, plasma samples were obtained and maintained at −20°C for albumin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) measurements. Renal tissue was removed, fixed in 10% formalin solution and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Results: Plasma albumin level decreased in diabetic mice (P < 0.05) and increased in diabetic BA 10, 20, 40 mg/kg and metformin treated mice versus to diabetes group. BUN increased in diabetes (P < 0.001), and administration of BA 10, 20, 40 mg/kg and metformin showed a significant decrease in BUN of diabetic treated mice. Plasma Cr levels increased in diabetes (P < 0.01) but, BA 10, 20, 40 mg/kg and metformin decreased this enhancement of plasma Cr levels. Renal histopathology indicated normal appearances reduced in diabetic mice and BA or metformin administration improved them. Conclusion: BA has a preventing effect on diabetic nephropathy by amelioration of plasma albumin, BUN, Cr and renal histology changes during diabetic situation

Prompt cytomolecular identification of chromosome aberration in irradiated blood cells

Background: understanding the genomic alteration induced by ionizing radiation still remains to be a methodological challenge in genetic field. The energy released from this type of radiation can potentially causes structural and numerical alterations in lymphocytes, which in turn converts them into abnormal tumor cells. Chromosomal abnormalities associated with specific type of hematological malignancies are determinant factors in evaluation of radiation dose and its potential in harming the body. None the less early detection of chromosomal aberration (CA) is crucial in prognosis and selection of therapy for the people exposed to irradiations. The aim of this study was to explore a swift and accurate genetic test that identifies CAs in radiologist exposed to X-rays. In addition synergistic effect of other clastogens in irradiated workers was also evaluated. Material and methods: thirty four heparinized blood samples were obtained from radiology workers exposed to X-rays. Blood samples were cultured in RPMI 1640 and F-10 Medias with and without PHA stimulation. Lymphocytes were harvested, separated and arrested at metaphase and their chromosomes were analyzed by solid and G-Banding techniques. Lymphocytic CA was also analyzed through whole chromosome painting FISH. Results: of the 37 blood sample from workers, 60% had various structural aberrations in which both the frequency and type of CAs were intensified among tobacco smokers. Conclusion: the results did not show any significant differences between the genders but other carcinogen like smoking can significantly increases the rate of CA

Retrospective Analysis of Prevalence of High Risk and Low Risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Genotypes in Iranian Women during 2013-2016

Objective: Considering the importance of HPV in cancer etiology, awareness of HPV prevalence and frequency of high risk genotypes could help to improve health care system management. We analyzed HPV prevalence in women form different provinces of Iran that is the largest number of studied samples till now. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 2969 outpatient and suspicious women aged of 17- 78 were referred to Noor pathobiology laboratory from 24 provinces of Iran. DNA extraction and PCR were performed on samples and then HPV genotypes were also determined using hybridization kit. Results: Our results indicated that HPV DNA was detected in 29.3% of valid liquid-based samples. Among HPV positive cases, 67.2% and 52.0% accounted for high-risk and low-risk HPV subtypes, respectively. In patients with high risk HPV types, HPV16 was confirmed as predominate type (30.5%) followed by HPV53 (17.3%) and HPV39 (13.3 %). HPV6 was found as the most common low risk HPV type with 60.6% frequency rate followed by HPV11 (17.9%) and HPV81 (8.6%) in this group. It was apparent that age group >25 accounted the highest frequency of HPV positivity. The prevalence of HPV was significantly different in the age groups (p<0.0001). Conclusions: It can be concluded that HPV infection is currently at a considerable high level in Iran. Looking at the high risk and oncogenic HPV subtypes frequency especially in younger age groups, it could be noticed to be concern about HPV relevant cancers which can be prevented by commercial and approved HPV vaccines

Iranian Medical Students’ Perception of Psychiatry: Before and After a Psychiatry Clerkship

Objective: We aimed to compare the medical students’ attitude towards psychiatry before and after psychiatry clerkship, and to examine the association of choosing psychiatry as a future career with some personal characteristics.Method: In a self-controlled, quasi-experimental study, all of the medical students entering the psychiatry clerkship in three major medical schools of Iran located in Tehran (Tehran, Shahid Beheshti, and Iran University of Medical Sciences) were asked to participate anonymously in the study on the first and the last 3-days of their psychiatry clerkship. From 346 invited 4th-5th year medical students, 225 (65%) completed anonymous self-report questionnaires before and after a 4-week psychiatry clerkship.Results: Positive response to choose psychiatry as a career was seen in 13.3 % and 18.3 % before and after psychiatry rotation, respectively. However, the difference was not statistically significant; about one-quarter of the students were turned on to psychiatry and 25% were discouraged during the clerkship. Individual pair wise comparisons revealed significant improvements only in two out of 13 measured aspects of psychiatry. Seventeen out of 38 (47.7%) students who identified psychiatry as the career of choice or strong possibility reported that one of their family members or close friends’ mental illness had an impact on their choice. Those students who considered psychiatry as the strong possibility claimed that they are more interested in humanities (OR = 2.96; 95% CI: 1.17, 7.49), and playing a musical instrument (OR = 2.53; 95% CI: 1.15, 5.57).Conclusion: It may be concluded that exposure to psychiatry clerkship could influence medical students’ opinion about psychiatry positively, or negatively. Personal characteristics and individual interests of students may play an important role in choosing psychiatry as their futur