Psychometric Properties of the Inventory of Statements about Self-Injury (ISAS) in Iranian Opioid and Alcohol Abusers

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is one of the most dangerous behaviors linked to substance abuse. The Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS) has been developed to better understanding the factors associated with the onset and maintenance of NSSI behaviors. Objective: The ISAS was translated into the Persian language to study its psychometric properties in Iranian population of opioid and alcohol abusers. Methods: This is a psychometric study investigating opioid and alcohol abusers in Iran, including those residing in addiction rehabilitation camps, prisons, hospitals, and addiction treatment clinics dispensing methadone in 2017. The sample size of this study was 470. The subjects completed the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury, Barrat Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), and the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS). Results: The test-retest results were estimated for two weeks using the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The absolute reliability was determined to be 2.62. There was a significant correlation between convergent and divergent instruments. The results of the exploratory factor analysis on 235 individuals in the sample showed all subscales of the inventory measure a single factor in the Iranian population. The total Cronbach�s alpha coefficient for this subscale was 0.93. Also, the results of confirmatory factor analyses on the rest of the sample (235), after applying the AMOS software suggestions to improve the model, showed this inventory was a good indicator for this population (�2 = 131.69; P < 0.001; df = 56; �2/df = 2.35; CFI = 0.97; RMSEA = 0.76; GFI = 0.92). Conclusions: The Persian version of the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury has high validity and reliability among the opioid and alcohol-abusing population in Iran. Copyright © 2020, Author(s)

The risk factors of prostate cancer: A multicentric case-control study in Iran

Prostate cancer (PC), in Iran, is the third most frequently diagnosed visceral cancer among men and the seventh most common underlying cause of cancer mortality. We evaluated the relation between speculated factors and PC risk using data from a multicentric case-control study conducted in Iran from 2005 to 2007 on 130 cases of incident, clinicopathologically confirmed PC, and 75 controls admitted to the same network of hospitals without any malignant disease. Odds ratios(OR) and corresponding 95 confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using conditional logistic regression models. The risk of PC was increased with aging (OR: 5.35, 95 CI: 2.17-13.19; P<0.0001), and with the number of sexual intercourse �2 times/week (OR: 3.14, 95 CI: 1.2-8.2; P=0.02). One unit elevation in serum estradiol and testosterone concentration was related to increase (OR: 1.04, 95 CI: 1.01-1.06; P=0.006) and decrease (OR: 0.79; 95 CI: 0.64-0.96; P=0.02) of PC risk, respectively. Cases were less likely to have a history of diabetes (OR: 0.34, 95 CI: 0.12-0.98; P=0.04). Increasing in dietary consumption of lycopene and fat was associated with declined (OR: 0.45, 95 CI: 0.09-2.12) and increased (OR: 2.38, 95 CI: 0.29-19.4) PC development, respectively. Other factors including educational level, marriage status, dietary meat consumption, vasectomy and smoking have not been shown to affect PC risk in the Iranian population. Ourstudy adds further information on the potential risk factors of PC and is the first epidemiologic report from Iran. However, justification of these results requires more well-designed studies with a larger number of participants

Knowledge Management and Organisational Culture

This international Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of key topics, debates and issues within the now well-established field of Knowledge Management (KM)

Liver cell therapy: is this the end of the beginning?

The prevalence of liver diseases is increasing globally. Orthotopic liver transplantation is widely used to treat liver disease upon organ failure. The complexity of this procedure and finite numbers of healthy organ donors have prompted research into alternative therapeutic options to treat liver disease. This includes the transplantation of liver cells to promote regeneration. While successful, the routine supply of good quality human liver cells is limited. Therefore, renewable and scalable sources of these cells are sought. Liver progenitor and pluripotent stem cells offer potential cell sources that could be used clinically. This review discusses recent approaches in liver cell transplantation and requirements to improve the process, with the ultimate goal being efficient organ regeneration. We also discuss the potential off-target effects of cell-based therapies, and the advantages and drawbacks of current pre-clinical animal models used to study organ senescence, repopulation and regeneration

Mechanical Properties Of Au Films On Silicon Substrates

This paper presents the results of recent studies of the effects of film thickness on the mechanical properties of electron-beam (e-beam) deposited Au films on silicon substrates. Following a brief description of film microstructure and surface topography, film mechanical properties (Young\u27s modulus and hardness) are determined using nanoindentation techniques. The effects of stiff silicon substrates on the Young\u27s modulus are analyzed within the framework established by King [6, 8]. The effects of indentation size on film hardness are also explained within the context of strain gradient plasticity theories and substrate effects. The plasticity length scale parameters are shown to scale with film thickness. The amount of material pile up is also shown to increase with decreasing film thickness, for a given ratio of indentation depth to film thickness. The implications of the work are discussed for applications of Au films on silicon substrates

Decision Modeling in Smart Home Design

In this paper, we propose a framework for decision modeling of users in smart home design. Individual’s preferences that derived from both of his/her "Current Lifestyle" and "Future Lifestyle" are considered as the main factors that influence the final decision, Such that the compatibility of the choice alter-natives with these preferences sets up the final decision for the individual. We tested this framework with a virtual experiment. The experiment was conducted among 250 respondents, who were asked to explore a smart home in a virtual environment and then to make a decision among design alternatives for different parts of a smart home. Choices and the underlying effective factors were evaluated by MultiNomial Logit model. The outcomes adequately ascer-tained the proposed framework. Understanding of the effective factors on the user’s design decisions for a smart home helps designers to incorporate design alternatives with users’ demands in the real world

Relationship between genetic polymorphism of <i>glutathione S-transferase-p1</i> and p53 protein accumulation in Iranian esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients

Background: It has been reported that the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) is over-expressed in plasma and esophagus biopsies in Iranian patients suffering from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The aim of this study was to find out the frequency of GST-P genotypes in these patients. Moreover, the association of GST-P genotypes with p53 protein accumulation in esophageal epithelium was investigated. Materials and Methods: DNA isolated from paraffin-embedded tissue biopsies from patients suffering from esophageal SCC (n = 56) were collected. polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using Alw261 enzyme was applied to determine GST-P genotypes (Ile 105 Val). All the samples were also subjected to immunohistochemistry (IHC) for p53. Results: The frequency of GST-P genotypes in Iranian esophagus SCC patients for Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val was 73.2, 21.5 and 5.3%. There was no association between GST-P polymorphism and p53 accumulation in esophageal epithelial cells. Conclusions: The frequency of GST-P polymorphism was not associated with p53 protein accumulation in esophagus epithelium. The frequency of polymorphic variants of GST-P, Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val in SCC patients may suggest that Ile to Val substitution in GST-P gene dose not represent susceptibility to SCC in high-risk Iranian population

Relationship between genetic polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase-p1 and p53 protein accumulation in Iranian esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients

Background: It has been reported that the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) is over-expressed in plasma and esophagus biopsies in Iranian patients suffering from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The aim of this study was to find out the frequency of GST-P genotypes in these patients. Moreover, the association of GST-P genotypes with p53 protein accumulation in esophageal epithelium was investigated. Materials and Methods: DNA isolated from paraffin-embedded tissue biopsies from patients suffering from esophageal SCC (n = 56) were collected. polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using Alw261 enzyme was applied to determine GST-P genotypes (Ile 105 Val). All the samples were also subjected to immunohistochemistry (IHC) for p53. Results: The frequency of GST-P genotypes in Iranian esophagus SCC patients for Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val was 73.2, 21.5 and 5.3%. There was no association between GST-P polymorphism and p53 accumulation in esophageal epithelial cells. Conclusions: The frequency of GST-P polymorphism was not associated with p53 protein accumulation in esophagus epithelium. The frequency of polymorphic variants of GST-P, Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val in SCC patients may suggest that Ile to Val substitution in GST-P gene dose not represent susceptibility to SCC in high-risk Iranian population

Relationship between genetic polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase-p1 and p53 protein accumulation in Iranian esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients

Background: It has been reported that the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) is over-expressed in plasma and esophagus biopsies in Iranian patients suffering from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The aim of this study was to find out the frequency of GST-P genotypes in these patients. Moreover, the association of GST-P genotypes with p53 protein accumulation in esophageal epithelium was investigated. Materials and Methods: DNA isolated from paraffin-embedded tissue biopsies from patients suffering from esophageal SCC (n = 56) were collected. polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using Alw261 enzyme was applied to determine GST-P genotypes (Ile 105 Val). All the samples were also subjected to immunohistochemistry (IHC) for p53. Results: The frequency of GST-P genotypes in Iranian esophagus SCC patients for Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val was 73.2, 21.5 and 5.3%. There was no association between GST-P polymorphism and p53 accumulation in esophageal epithelial cells. Conclusions: The frequency of GST-P polymorphism was not associated with p53 protein accumulation in esophagus epithelium. The frequency of polymorphic variants of GST-P, Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val in SCC patients may suggest that Ile to Val substitution in GST-P gene dose not represent susceptibility to SCC in high-risk Iranian population

Psychometric Properties of the Inventory of Statements about Self-Injury (ISAS) in Iranian Opioid and Alcohol Abusers

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is one of the most dangerous behaviors linked to substance abuse. The Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS) has been developed to better understanding the factors associated with the onset and maintenance of NSSI behaviors. Objective: The ISAS was translated into the Persian language to study its psychometric properties in Iranian population of opioid and alcohol abusers. Methods: This is a psychometric study investigating opioid and alcohol abusers in Iran, including those residing in addiction rehabilitation camps, prisons, hospitals, and addiction treatment clinics dispensing methadone in 2017. The sample size of this study was 470. The subjects completed the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury, Barrat Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), and the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS). Results: The test-retest results were estimated for two weeks using the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The absolute reliability was determined to be 2.62. There was a significant correlation between convergent and divergent instruments. The results of the exploratory factor analysis on 235 individuals in the sample showed all subscales of the inventory measure a single factor in the Iranian population. The total Cronbach�s alpha coefficient for this subscale was 0.93. Also, the results of confirmatory factor analyses on the rest of the sample (235), after applying the AMOS software suggestions to improve the model, showed this inventory was a good indicator for this population (�2 = 131.69; P &lt; 0.001; df = 56; �2/df = 2.35; CFI = 0.97; RMSEA = 0.76; GFI = 0.92). Conclusions: The Persian version of the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury has high validity and reliability among the opioid and alcohol-abusing population in Iran. Copyright © 2020, Author(s)