Investigation of the utilization amount of the metacognitive strategies

The aim of the present research is investigating the application of metacognitive strategies by the high school students in mathematics major in Isfahan, Iran in academic year of 2012-2013. The methodology of this descriptive research was of measurement type, and data collection tool was Dawson & Mackinder’s Questionnaire (2004). The validity of this study was confirmed by the experts of the field. Its reliability was calculated as 0.81 using Alpha- Chronbach Coefficient. Making use of Cochrane’s formula, the sample volume was a number of 369 students, who were selected using the Cluster Random Sampling & Stratified Random Sampling, and the selection was proportional to the volume. To analyze the data, both the descriptive & inferential statistics were used. The results of this study showed that the amount of application of meta-cognitive strategies (planning strategy, control & supervision strategy, regulation strategy) by the high school mathematics students was above average and there was a significant difference between the score collections of the metacognitive strategies in their different dimensions. Keywords: metacognitive strategies, Planning strategies, control & supervision strategies, regulation strategies, high school perio

A Novel Mutation in the OXCT1 Gene Causing Succinyl-CoA:3-Ketoacid CoA Transferase (SCOT) Deficiency Starting with Neurologic Manifestations

  Succinyl-CoA:3-oxoacid CoA-transferase (SCOT) deficiency is an inborn error of ketone body utilization characterized by intermittent ketoacidosis crises. This study reports the first Iranian patient with SCOT deficiency who presented with seizure and hypotonia at birth.Accordingly, she was consequently re-hospitalized due to hypotonia and respiratory distress. Laboratory tests revealed hyperammonemia, ketonuria, and metabolic acidosis. Besides, the plasma glucose level was normal without any other abnormality. Despite treatment with high-dose bicarbonate, severe acidosis persisted. Poor response to treatment raised a significant diagnostic challenge among specialists until genetic investigation identified a homozygous nonsense mutation (c.79G>T; p.Gly27*) in the OXCT1 gene (NM_000436), causing SCOT deficiency. Genetic studies help clinicians achieve a definite diagnosis of such metabolic disorders. In this case, the accurate and early diagnosis of SCOT deficiency opened new therapeutic possibilities, including frequent carbohydrate-rich meals and low fat and protein diet. Moreover, our findings expand the mutational and clinical spectrum of SCOT deficiency

Executive Function Assessment in Patients With Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy: Applyingthe Frontal Assessment Battery

   Background: Executive dysfunction is seen in idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) is a short neuropsychological instrument designed in clinical settings to evaluate frontal lobe activity. We aimed to assess the clinical use of FAB in patients with IGE for to detect executive impairment. Method: In this study, 30 patients with IGE and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included. The presence and severity of executive dysfunction was investigated with FAB. Cognitive flexibility, decision making, working memory, and general intelligence level were examined using Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST), Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), N-back, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, respectively. In patients with IGE, FAB results were related to their neuropsychological task performance. Results: The FAB score in patients with IGE was significantly lower compared to healthy participants. In motor programming tasks, patients with IGE performed substantially worse. However, no correlation was found between FAB and neuropsychological task and clinical characteristics. Conclusion: Executive dysfunction was present in patients with IGE and FAB may be used in these patients as an effective tool for evaluating frontal lobe function

Psychometric properties of trilingual versions of HBC-HBP hillBone compliance to High blood pressure (9-Items) in divergent ethnic groups of older adults in Iran

Introduction: The HBC-HBP Scale is the most common scale for measuring adherence to medication in the elderly with hypertension, its Persian version has never been tested in Iran. Methods: 281 older adults with hypertension were randomly selected from health care centers in Iran during the second half-year of 2019. The demographic questionnaire and Persian, Turkmen, and Kazak versions of HBC-HBP were completed by participants. The scale structure was evaluated using goodness of fit by Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis using IBM-SPSS v.26 and AMOS v.24. Results: The mean of CVI was 0.94, indicating good content validity for HBC-HBP. Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed two subscales for HBC-HBP, collectively explaining 70% of the adherence medication variance in three versions. All item loadings were “moderate” to “excellent”, ranging from 0.38 (Moderate) to 0.95(excellent). Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated the goodness of fit for the HBC-HBP based on the trilingual version. A high goodness of fit was sown for Turkmen, Persian, and Kazak versions of HBC-HBP. (Chi-Square=8.213, 8.354, 8.210, RMSEA=0.016, 0.013, 0.010, GFI=0.90, 0.90, 0.91, CFI=0.91, 0.90, 0.91, and AGFI=0.90, 0.91, 0.90). Cronbach’s alpha was 0.90 for the whole scale (p<0.001). The optimal cut-off point that best distinguished between adherent and non-adherent patients was 26.5. Conclusion: Results showed the validity and reliability of the trilingual versions of the HBMA for measuring adherence medication in the elderly with hypertension

he Determiners of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Surgery Outcome in a Developing Country

Background: Epilepsy surgery has become a successful treatment option for patients with drug-resistant epilepsies. Objectives: This study aimed to assess temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) surgery outcome and its association with epilepsy duration, the presence of pre-surgical generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS), and brain MRI findings. Materials & Methods: This retrospective study was performed from 2016 to 2020 at Loghman-Hakim Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The patients’ demographic data, epilepsy type, duration, frequency, brain image findings, the selected surgical approaches, and histopathological findings were collected. The post-operative seizure outcome was expressed one year according to the proposed International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification system. The independent sample t-test, chi-square, and one-way analysis of variance were applied to analyze the differences between variables in terms of quantitative and categorical data. Results: A total number of 69 TLE surgeries were enrolled in our study. No differences were found in the surgical outcome base on the ILAE classification system of patients with lesional vs non-lesional MRIs (P=0.834). In patients with mesial temporal sclerosis, no correlation was found between the surgical approaches including selective amygdalohippocampectomy, anterior temporal lobectomy, and post-operative seizure outcome (P=0.142). Seven patients (10.1%) developed post-operative functional seizures. Conclusion: In our study, the epilepsy duration and the presence of GTCSs before surgery had no effect on the surgery outcome. In patients with mesial temporal sclerosis, amygdalohippocampectomy, and anterior temporal lobectomy did not confer different surgical outcomes. TLE patients with normal MRI showed similar surgical outcomes as lesional patients. A significantly high proportion of our patients developed functional seizures, postoperatively

Microhardness change of human dental enamel due to power bleaching with different gels

Aim: Since the introduction of bleaching treatments in the office, different lights have been suggested to accelerate the bleaching reaction. This study aimed to evaluate the microhardness of tooth enamel after office bleaching using different materials.Materials nd methods: Thirty-three sound human upper premolars were randomly divided into 3 groups as follows (n=11): Group 1: Whitesmile HP40% gel with R&amp;amp;B LED light source with 3&amp;nbsp;W power output; Group 2: HP 35% Dr Smile gel with a 980&amp;nbsp;nm diode laser, 2&amp;nbsp;W power and continuous wavelength; Group 3: HP 40% Ultra boost gel according to factory instructions. Enamel surface microhardness was measured before and after the bleaching procedure in each group using the Vickers microhardness test. One-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests were used for statistical analysis. We used a SEM microscope to examine the surface of one sample from each group and one sample as a negative control.Results: In group 1, enamel microhardness increased remarkably (p=0.013) whereas in group 2 and group 3 enamel microhardness decreased. Enamel microhardness decreased in group 3 significantly (p=0.00) but its reduction in group 2 was not significant (p=0.833). SEM examination of the enamel surfaces after bleaching revealed erosion and surface porosities in group 1, enamel structure melting, and shallow porosities in group 2, and enamel prism exposure and etching in group 3.Conclusions: Due to the limitations of the present study, power bleaching with HP40% Whitesmile gel with LED Monitex increases microhardness, so it can have better results for treatment in the clinic. Additionally, using Dr Smile gel with a 980 nm diode laser does not reduce surface microhardness

Prosopis Plant Chemical Composition and Pharmacological Attributes: Targeting Clinical Studies from Preclinical Evidence

Members of the Prosopis genus are native to America, Africa and Asia, and have long been used in traditional medicine. The Prosopis species most commonly used for medicinal purposes are P. africana, P. alba, P. cineraria, P. farcta, P. glandulosa, P. juliflora, P. nigra, P. ruscifolia and P. spicigera, which are highly effective in asthma, birth/postpartum pains, callouses, conjunctivitis, diabetes, diarrhea, expectorant, fever, flu, lactation, liver infection, malaria, otitis, pains, pediculosis, rheumatism, scabies, skin inflammations, spasm, stomach ache, bladder and pancreas stone removal. Flour, syrup, and beverages from Prosopis pods have also been potentially used for foods and food supplement formulation in many regions of the world. In addition, various in vitro and in vivo studies have revealed interesting antiplasmodial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic and wound healing effects. The phytochemical composition of Prosopis plants, namely their content of C-glycosyl flavones (such as schaftoside, isoschaftoside, vicenin II, vitexin and isovitexin) has been increasingly correlated with the observed biological effects. Thus, given the literature reports, Prosopis plants have positive impact on the human diet and general health. In this sense, the present review provides an in-depth overview of the literature data regarding Prosopis plants' chemical composition, pharmacological and food applications, covering from pre-clinical data to upcoming clinical studies

Prevalence of cagA and vacA among Helicobacter pylori-infected patients in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The varieties of infections caused by Helicobacter pylori may be due to differences in bacterial genotypes and virulence factors as well as environmental and host-related factors. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cagA and vacA genes among H. pylori-infected patients in Iran and analyze their relevance to the disease status between two clinical groups via a meta-analysis method. Different databases including PubMed, ISI, Scopus, SID, Magiran, Science Direct, and Medlib were investigated, and 23 relevant articles from the period between 2001 and 2012 were finally analyzed. The relevant data obtained from these papers were analyzed by a random-effects model. Data were analyzed using R software and STATA. The prevalence of cagA and vacA genes among H. pylori-infected patients was 70% (95% CI, 64–75) and 41% (95% CI, 24.3–57.7), respectively. The prevalence of duodenal ulcers, peptic ulcers, and gastritis among cagA+ individuals was 53% (95% CI, 20–86), 65% (95% CI, 34–97), and 71% (95% CI, 59–84), respectively. Odds ratio (OR) between cagA-positive compared with cagA-negative patients showed a 1.89 (95% CI, 1.38–2.57) risk of ulcers. In conclusion, the frequency of cagA gene among H. pylori strains is elevated in Iran and it seems to be more frequently associated with gastritis. Therefore, any information about cagA and vacA prevalence among different H. pylori-infected clinical groups in the country can help public health authorities to plan preventive policies to reduce the prevalence of diseases associated with H. pylori infection