The validity and reliability of autism behavior checklist in Iran

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric features of the Persian version of the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). Method: The International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) approach was used to translate the English ABC into Persian. A total sample of 184 parents of children including 114 children with autism disorder (mean age =7.21, SD =1.65) and 70 typically developing children (mean age = 6.82, SD =1.75) completed the ABC. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent and discriminant validity, and cut-off score were assessed. Results: The results of this study revealed that the Persian version of the ABC has an acceptable degree of internal consistency (.73). Test-retest comparisons using interclass correlation confirmed the instrument's time stability (.83). The instrument's concurrent validity with Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS) was verified; the correlation between total scores was .94. In the discriminant validity, the autism group had significantly higher scores compared to the normal group. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that individuals with total scores below 25 are less likely to be in the autism group. Conclusion: The Persian version of the ABC can be used as an initial screening tool in clinical contexts

What is unpaid female labour worth? Evidence from the Time Use Studies of Iran in 2008 and 2009

This paper uses the Time Use Survey of Iran of 2008 and 2009 to estimate the monetary value of unpaid domestic work of urban housewives. The surveys recorded domestic work activities such as cooking and cleaning and general care of household members as well as care of children and their education. Using the market-based approach to estimate the monetary value of unpaid domestic work we collected data on the cost of buying in services for domestic work and for education of children from ‘nursing agencies’ and private education colleges in main cities of Iran in the summer of 2011 that were adjusted to obtain the 2008 and 2009 prices. The market value of domestic work of urban housewives was estimated to be US$25 billion in 2008 and US$29 billion in 2009. These were about 8.6 per cent of non-oil GDP in the same years. Our estimates complement other findings from around the world that confirm substantial contribution of housewives to the economy. These contributions have gone unrecorded and not compensated in most countries. At a minimum, housewives can be insured against basic contingencies of life such has health problems, poverty and disabilities and supported in old age. Our work and other studies do provide the economic and social arguments for costing and putting into practice the long overdue support for housewives; they have earned it

Hepatoprotective effect of the root extract of green tea against malathion-induced oxidative stress in rats

Introduction: Organophosphorus (OPs) pesticides such as malathion intoxication has been shown to generate oxidative stress due to the production of free radicals and alteration of the antioxidant defense system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of extracts from green tea (GT) hydroalcoholic extract on liver function.Methods: Male Wistar rats were separated into 4 groups of 8 rats each. Group I (control), group II was given GT (10 mg/kg/day). Animals of groups III received only malathion, group IV was given GT+ malathion. Animals received malathion 150 mg/kg by gavage and GT 30 mg/kg for 1 week through intraperitoneal injection. Twenty-four hours after treatment, blood samples were collected. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations as well as biomarkers of oxidative stress such as lipid peroxidation (LPO), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total thiol groups (TTG) were measured.Results: A decrease in ALT and AST levels in GT group were observed compared with the ones in control group. Also, the results showed that malathion could increase liver toxicity in rats through reduction of ALT and AST. Conclusion: Amelioration of malathion toxicity through reduction of inflammation may suggest a prolonged therapeutic option against pesticides-induced hepatotoxicity

Trends, determinants and the implications of population aging in Iran

Fertility and mortality decline are major drivers of Iran's population aging. A rapid and sharp fall in fertility rates over the past three decades as well as a substantial rise in life expectancy are causing rapid aging of Iran’s population. The present paper uses the 2015 United Nations Population Division data to discuss the trends, determinants and the implications of population aging in Iran. According to the medium fertility variant, people age 60 and older will represent 31 percent (almost 29 million people) of Iran’s population by 2050. The population age 65 and older is projected to be 22 percent (more than 20 million) and that of aged 80 and older 3.8 percent (around 3.5 million) in 2050, that are almost four-times the corresponding figures in 2015. Data on the speed of population aging show that Iran is the second fastest aging cou

A low-dose chest CT protocol for the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia: a prospective study

Purpose: The increasing trend of chest CT utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates novel protocols with reduced dose and maintained diagnostic accuracy. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of 30-mAs chest CT protocol in comparison with a 150-mAs standard-dose routine protocol for imaging of COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: Upon IRB approval, consecutive laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 patients aged 50 years or older who were referred for chest CT scan and had same-day normal CXR were invited to participate in this prospective study. First, a standard-dose chest CT scan (150 mAs) was performed. Only if typical COVID-19 pneumonia features were identified, then a low-dose CT (30 mAs) was done immediately. Diagnostic accuracy of low-dose and standard-dose CT in the detection of typical COVID-19 pneumonia features were compared. Results: Twenty patients with a mean age of 64.20 ± 13.8 were enrolled in the study. There was excellent intrareader agreement in detecting typical findings of COVID-19 pneumonia between low-dose and standard-dose (intraclass correlation coefficient ICC = 0.98–0.99, P values < 0.001 all readers). The mean effective dose values in standard- and low-dose groups were 6.60 ± 1.47 and 1.80 ± 0.42 mSv, respectively. Also, absolute cancer risk per mean cumulative effective dose values obtained from the standard- and low-dose CT examinations were 2.71 × 10−4 and 0.74 × 10−4, respectively. Conclusions: According to our study, it was found that proposed low-dose CT chest protocol is reliable in detecting COVID-19 pneumonia in daily practice with significant reduction in radiation dose and estimated cancer risk. © 2020, American Society of Emergency Radiology

Characterization of the Humoral Immune Response during Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia and Global Gene Expression by Staphylococcus aureus in Human Blood

Attempts to develop an efficient anti-staphylococcal vaccine in humans have so far been unsuccessful. Therefore, more knowledge of the antigens that are expressed by Staphylococcus aureus in human blood and induce an immune response in patients is required. In this study we further characterize the serial levels of IgG and IgA antibodies against 56 staphylococcal antigens in multiple serum samples of 21 patients with a S. aureus bacteremia, compare peak IgG levels between patients and 30 non-infected controls, and analyze the expression of 3626 genes by two genetically distinct isolates in human blood. The serum antibody levels were measured using a bead-based flow cytometry technique (xMAP®, Luminex corporation). Gene expression levels were analyzed using a microarray (BμG@s microarray). The initial levels and time taken to reach peak IgG and IgA antibody levels were heterogeneous in bacteremia patients. The antigen SA0688 was associated with the highest median initial-to-peak antibody fold-increase for IgG (5.05-fold) and the second highest increase for IgA (2.07-fold). Peak IgG levels against 27 antigens, including the antigen SA0688, were significantly elevated in bacteremia patients versus controls (P≤0.05). Expression of diverse genes, including SA0688, was ubiquitously high in both isolates at all time points during incubation in blood. However, only a limited number of genes were specifically up- or downregulated in both isolates when cultured in blood, compared to the start of incubation in blood or during incubation in BHI broth. In conclusion, most staphylococcal antigens tested in this study, including many known virulence factors, do not induce uniform increases in the antibody levels in bacteremia patients. In addition, the expression of these antigens by S. aureus is not significantly altered by incubation in human blood over time. One immunogenic and ubiquitously expressed antigen is the putative iron-regulated ABC transporter SA0688

An exactly solvable quantum-lattice model with a tunable degree of nonlocality

An array of N subsequent Laguerre polynomials is interpreted as an eigenvector of a non-Hermitian tridiagonal Hamiltonian $H$ with real spectrum or, better said, of an exactly solvable N-site-lattice cryptohermitian Hamiltonian whose spectrum is known as equal to the set of zeros of the N-th Laguerre polynomial. The two key problems (viz., the one of the ambiguity and the one of the closed-form construction of all of the eligible inner products which make $H$ Hermitian in the respective {\em ad hoc} Hilbert spaces) are discussed. Then, for illustration, the first four simplest, $k-$parametric definitions of inner products with $k=0,k=1,k=2$ and $k=3$ are explicitly displayed. In mathematical terms these alternative inner products may be perceived as alternative Hermitian conjugations of the initial N-plet of Laguerre polynomials. In physical terms the parameter $k$ may be interpreted as a measure of the "smearing of the lattice coordinates" in the model.Comment: 35 p

Genetic Testing in Parkinson's Disease

Genetic testing for persons with Parkinson's disease is becoming increasingly common. Significant gains have been made regarding genetic testing methods, and testing is becoming more readily available in clinical, research, and direct-to-consumer settings. Although the potential utility of clinical testing is expanding, there are currently no proven gene-targeted therapies, but clinical trials are underway. Furthermore, genetic testing practices vary widely, as do knowledge and attitudes of relevant stakeholders. The specter of testing mandates financial, ethical, and physician engagement, and there is a need for guidelines to help navigate the myriad of challenges. However, to develop guidelines, gaps and controversies need to be clearly identified and analyzed. To this end, we first reviewed recent literature and subsequently identified gaps and controversies, some of which were partially addressed in the literature, but many of which are not well delineated or researched. Key gaps and controversies include: (1) Is genetic testing appropriate in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals without medical actionability? (2) How, if at all, should testing vary based on ethnicity? (3) What are the long-term outcomes of consumer- and research-based genetic testing in presymptomatic PD? (4) What resources are needed for clinical genetic testing, and how is this impacted by models of care and cost-benefit considerations? Addressing these issues will help facilitate the development of consensus and guidelines regarding the approach and access to genetic testing and counseling. This is also needed to guide a multidisciplinary approach that accounts for cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic factors in developing testing guidelines.</p