Study of relationship between illness perception and delay in seeking help for breast cancer patients based on Leventhal's self-regulation model

One of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in breast cancer patients is delay in seeking help. Leventhal's self-regulation model provides an appropriate framework to assess delay in seeking help. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between "illness perception" and "help seeking delay" in breast cancer patients based on Leventhal's self-regulation model. In this correlational descriptive study with convenience sampling conducted in 2013, participants were 120 women with breast cancer who were diagnosed in the last year and referred to chemotherapy and radiotherapy centers in Rasht, Iran. Data collection scales included demographic data, Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R)and a researcher made questionnaire to measure the delay in seeking help. Pre-hospital delay (help seeking delay) was evaluated in 3 phases (assessment, disease, behavior). The data were analyzed using SPSS- 19. The mean (SD) age calculated for the patients was 47.3±10.2. Some 43 of the patients had a high school or higher education level and 82 were married. The "pre-hospital delay" was reported �3 months. Logistic regression analysis showed that none of the illness perception components were correlated with appraisal and behavioral delay phases. In the illness delay phase, "time line" (p-value =0.04) and "risk factors"(p-value=0.03) had significant effects on reducing and "psychological attributions" had significant effects on increasing the delay (p-value =0.01). "Illness coherence" was correlated with decreased pre-hospital patient delay (p-value < 0.01). Women's perceptions of breast cancer influences delay in seeking help. In addition to verifying the validity of Leventhal's self-regulation model in explaining delay in seeking help, the results signify the importance of the "illness delay phase" (decision to seek help) and educational interventions-counseling for women in the community

Comparison of callus induction and somatic embryogenesis of some Iranian cottons (Gossypium Spp.) with Coker 312 and histology of somatic embryogenesis

Callus induction and somatic embryogenesis from hypocotyl explants of some Iranian cottons spp. (Hashem abad, Kerman, Termez and Sepid) were compared with Coker 312 through induction and formation of embryogenic calli on medium of Murashige and Skoog (MS) with Gamborg vitamins (B5) supplemented with the following compositions: MSB1 (0.5 mg/l zeatin), MSB2 (1 mg/l zeatin), MSB3 (0.5 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 0.1 mg/l kinetin), MSB4 (1 mg/l 2,4-D, 0.5 mg/l kinetin, 0.5 mg/l zeatin) and MSB5 (2 mg/l α-naphtalene-3-acetic acid, 1 mg/l kinetin, 0.75 mg/l MgCl2). The optimum medium for the proliferation of embryogenic calli was MS medium containing B5 vitamins, 1 mg/l 2,4-D, 0.5 mg/l kinetin and 0.5 mg/l zeatin and the optimum medium for the development of somatic embryos was MS medium (NH4NO3 was removed and KNO3 amount doubled) containing B5 vitamins, 40 g/l sucrose and without hormone. Media MSB1, MSB2 and MSB4 gave the highest percentage (100%) of calli induction in Coker 312 but the lowest induction (46.66%) was observed when Hashem abad explants were cultured in the MSB3 medium. Embryogenesis percentage of Termez (2.22  to 24.40%), Hashemabad (1.85 to 9.73%) and Sepid (9.06 to 22.28%) genotypes were significantly lower than that of Coker 312 (66.66 to 94.33%). The Kerman genotype did not show embryogenesis. In the histological studies, the different development stages of the embryos (globular, heart, torpedo and cotyledonary) together with callus cells were showed.Key words: Hypocotyl explants, somatic embryo, in vitro regeneration, germination, somatic embryogenesis histology

Deep learning analysis of the myocardium in coronary CT angiography for identification of patients with functionally significant coronary artery stenosis

In patients with coronary artery stenoses of intermediate severity, the functional significance needs to be determined. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement, performed during invasive coronary angiography (ICA), is most often used in clinical practice. To reduce the number of ICA procedures, we present a method for automatic identification of patients with functionally significant coronary artery stenoses, employing deep learning analysis of the left ventricle (LV) myocardium in rest coronary CT angiography (CCTA). The study includes consecutively acquired CCTA scans of 166 patients with FFR measurements. To identify patients with a functionally significant coronary artery stenosis, analysis is performed in several stages. First, the LV myocardium is segmented using a multiscale convolutional neural network (CNN). To characterize the segmented LV myocardium, it is subsequently encoded using unsupervised convolutional autoencoder (CAE). Thereafter, patients are classified according to the presence of functionally significant stenosis using an SVM classifier based on the extracted and clustered encodings. Quantitative evaluation of LV myocardium segmentation in 20 images resulted in an average Dice coefficient of 0.91 and an average mean absolute distance between the segmented and reference LV boundaries of 0.7 mm. Classification of patients was evaluated in the remaining 126 CCTA scans in 50 10-fold cross-validation experiments and resulted in an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.74 +- 0.02. At sensitivity levels 0.60, 0.70 and 0.80, the corresponding specificity was 0.77, 0.71 and 0.59, respectively. The results demonstrate that automatic analysis of the LV myocardium in a single CCTA scan acquired at rest, without assessment of the anatomy of the coronary arteries, can be used to identify patients with functionally significant coronary artery stenosis.Comment: This paper was submitted in April 2017 and accepted in November 2017 for publication in Medical Image Analysis. Please cite as: Zreik et al., Medical Image Analysis, 2018, vol. 44, pp. 72-8

Seasonal change of thyroid histomorphological structure and hormone production in yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) in the Persian Gulf

Seasonal changes of the thyroid gland structure and hormones secretion was examined in yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) in the northwest of Persian Gulf (Musa creek). Thyroid gland composed of follicles scattered around the ventral aorta, near the gills. Follicular cells varied according to secretion of the gland during warm and cold seasons. Thyroid hormones (Triidothyronine [T3] and Thyroxine [T4]) were detected in the fish serum in levels ranged from 4.09-1.30 ng/mL for T3 and from 1.10-0.21 ng/mL for (T4) in the warm and cold seasons, respectively. The results showed that the height of thyroid epithelium and plasma concentration of thyroid hormones (thyroid activity) in A. latus increased significantly during spring and summer. The peak of these factors occurred in midsummer (August). Then, the thyroid activity decreased significantly during autumn and early winter from October to December according to decrease of temperature. T3 and T4 increased significantly from January to April

Nursing Students' Competencies in Evidence-Based Practice and Its Related Factors

Background: Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is one of the nursing professional roles that can lead them to provide the best and more effective care. However, no studies are available on nursing students’ competencies in EBP. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the nursing students’ knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP and its related factors in two nursing and midwifery faculties in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 170 undergraduate nursing students were selected from two faculties of nursing and midwifery in Tehran, Iran. A census sampling method was applied and they were all before graduation in 2013. The Rubin and Parrish questionnaire was used to assess the students’ knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP as well as factors affecting the implementation of EBP. Students completed the instrument through self-report. Descriptive statistics, Independent sample t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. Results: The students mean scores of knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP was 31.08 ± 5.77, 50.40 ± 9.58, 36.01 ± 4.64, respectively. The students’ age was inversely correlated with their scores of knowledge, attitude and intention to use EBP (P < 0.05). However, the students’ GPA was in direct association with their knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the males and females mean scores in the three subscales. However, significant differences were found between the students mean scores in the two subscales of knowledge and attitudes toward EBP in terms of familiarity with statistics and research methods (P < 0.05). Neither familiarity with research methods nor familiarity with EBP could significantly affect the students’ intention to implement EBP. Conclusions: The present study showed that nursing students have not a high mean score in the three subscales of knowledge, attitude and intention to implement EBP. It is essential for faculties and nurse managers not only to focus on education of EBP, but also to support nurses and nursing students to implement it in the process patient care

Isolation of common carp ovarian follicular cells and evaluation of their endocrine activity in primary cell culture

To study viability and activity of isolated common carp, Cyprinus carpio, ovarian follicular cells (granulosa and theca cells), 17-α-Hydroxy progesterone (17α-OHP) and 17β-Estradiol (E2) levels were estimated in the culture media of cultivated carp ovarian follicular cells, using radioimmunoassay (RIA). Oocytes were isolated from the ovaries of female carp. Interstitial tissue was manually removed in order to obtain single oocytes surrounded only by the follicular envelope. Such a preparation was trypsinized at room temperature. Follicular cell suspension contained both cells and cell clumps. It was the mixture of theca (T) and granulosa (G) cells. The cells were grown as monolayer in 24-well microplates in M199 medium supplemented with FBS. Culture media were analyzed for estrogen and progesterone content by appropriate radioimmunoassay. Trypsinization of ovarian follicles resulted in the formation of the cell suspension which contained a mixture of G and T cells. The follicular cells attached to glass and grew well during culture period. E2 was the main steroid hormone secreted by cultivated cells. Estrogen secretion increased by 415.52 ± 25 pg/ml at the first 3 days up to 530.25 ± 55.8 pg/ml on day 5 and it didn't change significantly until the end of the experiment. 17α-OHP secretion, however, gradually increased from 23.84 ± 8.2 pg/ml at the beginning of culture up to 35.76 ± 5.4 pg/ml at the end of cultivating. As the result of the present study the fish follicular cells grown in tissue culture were steroidogenically active cells as expressed by the secretion of E2 and P4 and the E2 was a dominant hormone secreted by isolated follicular cells, which it correlated closely with vitellogenes stage