Evaluation of the Effect of Knowledge Concerning Healthy Nutrition and Nutrition Science on the Knowledge Development Approach

Background: Nutrition can be regarded as an important part of any preparation program, as well as an important part of life. It seems essential to develop nutritional science and improve eating habits with the purpose of developing a healthy diet and avoiding the outcomes that arise from a lack of nutrition. Proper nutrition is one of the important factors for the development of health. Lack of sufficient awareness about nutrition can result in improper eating habits. Objectives: The present study evaluated the effect of knowledge about healthy nutrition and nutrition science on the knowledge development approach. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, the statistical population consisted of 190 experts and other scholars in the area of nutritional science. A questionnaire based on demographic details, nutritional science, nutrition education, research, proper solutions to individuals’ nutritional problems, and a culture of nutrition was used for data collection. Results: A relatively strong positive correlation was found between the knowledge development approach, nutritional science, nutrition education and research, and proper solutions for individual nutritional problems and a culture of nutrition (P < 0.001). Conclusions: 1) Effective enhancement and participation in an academic community will be important in the future of food and nutrition security; however, major gaps and weaknesses also exist in this context; 2) The main weaknesses in relation to the lack of clear policies and procedures include focusing on only Tehran, Iran; the need to overcome bureaucracy; and problems related to motivation, capital, and international communications; 3) Qualitative and quantitative improvement of research is not possible without access to skilled experts and researchers; 4) To solve these problems, it will be beneficial to pay more attention to the role of universities, facilitate intellectual communication among professors in Tehran and other provinces, ensure that Iranian professors are employed abroad, develop educational and research cooperation with foreign countries, and ensure that facilities for international cooperation put in place by united nations (UN) agencies are used. Keywords: Nutritional Science, Knowledge Management, Foo

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Teachers’ and Learners’ Attitudes towards Critical Thinking Skills: A Case Study in the Iranian EFL Context

Modern and forward-looking approaches to education and learning no longer treat learners as passive recipients of knowledge. Rather, they claim to nurture self-monitored and self-disciplined thinkers who are shown to be academically successful and promising. This qualitative case study aimed at exploring the teachers’ and learners’ attitudes towards<br>critical thinking within the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context of Iran. To this end, the attitudes of eighty Iranian EFL learners and their teacher towards inclusion of critical thinking exercises into their regular syllabus were gauged. The results obtained from 18 unstructured interviews indicated that teacher’s and learners’ responses were diametrically opposed; while learners’ performance improved and they became more motivated, the teacher reported distress and dissatisfaction with the new approach to the syllabus. Thematic Content Analyses (TCA) and language skills tests also revealed that the L2 reading<br>comprehension ability of learners benefited more than other skills. Other context-based factors and implications are discussed <br

Land Use Management by Assessing Aquifer Vulnerability in Khovayes Plain Using the DRASTIC and SINTACS Models

Land use change is a gradual process that entails dire consequences for groundwater quality and quantity. Quantitative changes in groundwater can be usually monitored by controlling the annual groundwater balance. Monitoring qualitative changes in groundwater, however, is both time-consuming and expensive. DRASTIC and SINTACS models exploit aquifer properties to predict its vulnerability. In this study, aquifer vulnerability assessment was performed by the DRASTIC & SINTACS models for future land use management in Khovayes, southwest Iran. The DRASTIC Model is based on hydrological and hydrogeological parameters involved in contaminant transport. SINTACS parameters are the same as those of the DRASTIC model, except that weighting and ranking the parameters are more flexible. Once vulnerability maps of the study region had been prepared, they were verified against the nitrate map. A correlation coefficient of 0.4 was obtained between the DRASTIC map and the nitrate one while the correlation between the SINTACS and the nitrate maps was found to be 0.8. Map removal and single-parameter sensitivity analyses were carried out, which showed the southwestern stretches of the study area as the region with the highest risk of vulnerability

A Reflection on Kristeva's Approach to the Structure of Language

Reaching out to history and subject in terms of meaning variation, Kristeva could show that language cannot simply be a Saussurean sign system. Rather, she went on to delineate that language, beyond signs, is associated with a dynamic system of signification where the ''speaking subject'' is constantly involved in processing. Julia Kristeva, a French critic, psychoanalyst, theoretician, a post-structuralist philosopher of Hungarian origin, dwells upon ideas from linguistics, psychoanalysis, sociology while representing text analysis, sign and subject from emotional and motivational perspectives.  She believes that processing language structure and subject depend upon semiotic and symbolic domains that emerge in the scope of ''signifiance'' process whereby the semiotic domain processes and primary structures against the symbolic realm. In Kristeva''s view, the sign Chora, while being the milieu for energy, dynamism, and motility, shows the internal and signification drives of the language, and will involve changes in signification mutation of subjectivity

Factors Affecting the Development and Strengthening of Rural Women Enterprises in Iran

Given the importance of women's participation and taking advantage of their ability, it is essential that a systematic and strategic plan should be organized in this area. Undoubtedly, planning for the development of the specific associations of rural women can be an effective step to increase their participation in various scenes, and it can also help improve the status and rights of women. The main objective of this study was to explore factors affecting the development and strengthening of rural women’s enterprises. A mixed method was used in this study. Data gathering tools were both semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Target samples were both 25 rural development experts and 92 rural women in the Hamadan County. The results showed that the following items are essential for the development and strengthening rural women’s enterprises: applying legal and financial support; family support; management support, and education and cultural support. In addition, the following strategies are required: culture building; women's empowerment programs, continued implementation of consulting and training programs, and encouraging the introduction of the women's enterprises. The results of factor analysis showed that economic, sociocultural, and education and extension factors can determine approximately 60 percent of factors affecting the development and strengthening of rural women’s enterprises

Providing a model for financing the treatment costs during biological crises using the fiscal space development approach

Abstract Background Expanding fiscal space for health can be defined as providing additional budgetary resources for health, which is highly important during biological crises. This study aimed to provide a model for financing the treatment costs during biological crises using the development of the fiscal space approach. Methods This study employed a descriptive mixed-method design, consisting of three stages. In the first stage, a systematic review of relevant literature was conducted using multiple databases, including Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. A total of 45 studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected. In the second stage, a panel of 14 experts identified five primary and 32 secondary strategies using an open questionnaire. Any additional strategies not identified during the literature review were added if a consensus was reached by experts. In the final stage, the Best Worst Method (BWM) was used to prioritize the identified strategies and sub-strategies based on their feasibility, effectiveness, quick yield, and fairness. Results Five strategies and fifty sub-strategies were identified. The most important strategies were the increase in health sector-specific resources (0.3889), increase in efficiency of health expenditures (0.2778), structural reforms (0.1111), health sector-specific grants and foreign aid (0.1667), and conducive macroeconomic conditions (0.05556). The most important sub-strategies were establishing and increasing earmarked taxes for the health sector (0.0140), expanding Universal Health Coverage (UHC) plans (0.0103), attracting the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charitable organizations in the health sector (0.0096), integrating basic social insurance funds (0.0934), and tax exemptions for economic activists in the health sector (0.009303) during the crisis. Conclusion This study identified five main strategies and 50 sub-strategies for financing the treatment costs during biological crises. The most important strategies were increasing health sector-specific resources, improving efficiency of health expenditures, and implementing structural reforms. To finance health expenditures, harmful and luxury goods taxes can be increased and allocated to the health sector during crises. UHC plans should be improved and expanded, and the capacity of NGOs and charitable organizations should be better utilized during crises

Evaluation of Early and Intermediate Outcomes of Cryo-Maze Procedure for Atrial Fibrillation

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in patients with mitral valve disease affecting 50% of patients undergoing mitral valve surgery, contributing to increased risks of systemic embolization, anticoagulant- related hemorrhage and mortality. The maze procedure is an effective way to treat AF. Over the last several years, cryoablation was substituted for atrial incision in many reports to simplify the maze procedure. However, few studies have been carried out to evaluate the results of cryoablation surgery. In the present study we evaluated the results of this procedure. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 47 AF patients were treated with Cryo-Maze surgery method. Rhythm assessment using electrocardiographic and echocardiographic survey was performed in all patients before surgery, during the patients’ hospital stay, on discharge and after six months. Results: Survival rate of the studied patients at six months was 93.6%. Sinus rhythm restoration rate in Cryo-Maze patients was 72.1% on discharge and 76.7% six months after their operation. Conclusion: The present study revealed that Cryo-Maze procedure is an effective and safe therapeutic modality in AF while normal sinus rhythm can be achieved in patients following this intervention

Are more nickel ions accumulated in the hair of fixed orthodontic patients?

Background and Objectives : All elements existing in orthodontic alloys can be released to the oral cavity as corrosion products; therefore, they can accumulate in body tissues after systemic absorption. Among body tissues that can be evaluated for systemic absorption of nickel, in this study we used hair strands, because if nickel is absorbed systematically, it would accumulate in these strands over time. Furthermore, hair sampling is a non-invasive method, so the main aim of this study was the evaluation of nickel ions release into the hair strands of fixed orthodontic patients compared with the control group in a 4-month duration. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, the test group included 24 female patients between 12-20 years of age that were going to begin fixed orthodontic treatment. The control group consisted of their sisters in the same age range, who volunteered to participate in this study. Initial hair samples were taken from both groups at the beginning the study and immediately before setting up the fixed appliances in test group. The samples were taken from three different scalp sites including; frontal, vertex, and occipital areas. After 16 weeks, hair samples were taken from approximately the same scalp areas in both the groups. The samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer and data analyzed by Mann-Whitney test. Results: This study showed that there were significant differences in nickel levels before and after study for case (P = 0.004) and control groups (P = 0.012). The mean nickel concentration after four months was 0.382 ± 0.36 μg/g for controls and 0.673 ± 0.38 μg/g for the case group, which was significantly different (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The hair nickel concentrations significantly increased after insertion of fixed orthodontic appliances as compared with the control group