Reliability and Validity of the Persian Version of the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test in Patients with Stroke

Background: Stroke can cause balance disorders, which often lead to falls and fall-related injuries. The Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) is a balance test that has been recently translated into Persian. The reliability and validity of the Persian version of Mini-BESTest have not been assessed in patients with stroke. Objectives: To assess the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Mini-BESTest in patients with stroke. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed. Thirty patients with stroke participated in this study. Patients were tested using the Mini-BESTest according to the Persian instructions, and two raters independently rated each patient�s performance. Each patient was matched with a healthy adult in the terms of age and gender. Healthy subjects were also tested for discriminative validity. Results: There was excellent correlation between two raters on the Persian version of the Mini-BESTest total scores (rPearson = 0.98, P < 0.001) and its sections (rPearson > 0.9). There was a significant difference between stroke patients and healthy subjects confirming the discriminative validity of the Persian version of the Mini-BESTest (19.4 ± 5.4 vs. 24.8 ± 2.3, P < 0.001). Limitations: We only assessed stroke patients, and the results may not be generalized to other patients with balance deficits. Conclusions: The Persian version of the Mini-BESTest is a reliable and valid tool for balance evaluation of stroke patients. © 2020, The Author(s)

Development, cross-cultural adaptation, and psychometric characteristics of the persian progressive aphasia language scale in patients with primary progressive aphasia: A pilot study

Introduction: Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is a neurological condition characterized by progressive dissolution of language capabilities. The Progressive Aphasia Language Scale (PALS) is an easy-to-apply bedside clinical scale capable of capturing and grading the key language features essential for the classification of PPA. The objective of the present study was to develop and validate the Persian version of the PALS (PALS-P) as a clinical language assessment test. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, PALS was translated and adapted into Persian according to the international guidelines. A total of 30 subjects (10 subjects with PPA and 20 control subjects without dementia) were recruited to evaluate the intra-rater reliability and discriminant validity of PALS-P. Results: The intra-rater reliability of the PALS-P within a 14-day interval was excellent for each subtest (ICC agreement range=0.81-1.0). PALS-P results were statistically significant among groups, suggesting its discriminative validity. Conclusion: This preliminary study indicates that PALS-P was successfully developed and translated. It seems to be a valid and reliable screening tool to assess language skills in Persian-speaking subjects with progressive aphasia

Ambiguity tolerance among medical students and its relationship with personality and participation in the mentoring program: A cross-sectional study

Background: Low ambiguity tolerance (AT) can lead to burnout and impact medical students� quality of life. Interventions are effective in increasing tolerance in ambiguous situations. Mentors can be facilitators in ambiguous situations. We aimed to determine the AT among Tehran University of medical sciences (TUMS) medical students and assess its relation with personality traits and mentor-seeking behavior. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed. We used Budner AT questionnaire and the Ten Item Personality Inventory in our study. Questionnaires were sent to 350 randomly selected TUMS medical students in different years of education. Two hundred six students completed the questionnaires. The response rate was 58.85. Results: The mean AT score was 59.77 among TUMS medical students. No significant difference was seen between different genders and students with different marital statuses. Also, AT was constant among students at different years at medical school and at different education levels (P > 0.05). Students who had participated in the mentoring program were significantly more intolerant of novel situations (P = 0.01). However, they did not have significantly different scores in other subscales of AT scale and its total score than those who had not participated in the mentoring program (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Medical students are more intolerant of ambiguity at TUMS than medical students abroad, and there should be interventions to help them cope in ambiguous situations. Mentoring programs may also be considered for future interventions as participants who participate in the program are less tolerant of ambiguity in novel situations. © 202

Comparison of risk factors related to intraventricular hemorrhage between preterm infants born after normal and in vitro fertilization conceptions

Objectives We aimed to compare the level of significance of risk factors related Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) between preterm infants born after IVF and non-IVF conceptions. Materials & Methods This historical cohort study was done in four Iranian Hospitals in 2013-2014. Overall, 155 preterm newborns were divided into case (IVF) and control (normal conception) groups. Both groups� demographic data were extracted and recorded. The incidence of IVH and its grades were compared between case and control groups. Significant related risk factors were also considered. Results No differences were observed between 2 groups except for gestational age and mode of delivery. The incidence of IVH especially grades II and III were significantly higher in the case group (P=0.003). Results showed no correlations between Gestational age (GA), birth weight and number of gestations with the incidence of IVH in the case group (0.059, 0.85 and 0.49, respectively). On the other hand, among GA, birth weight and number of gestations; multi gestations (P=0.0001) was an effective risk factor for IVH occurrence in the controls. Conclusion The incidence of IVH in the IVF group was significantly higher than in the non-IVF group. IVF as an independent risk factor may cause high-grade IVH; however, in the controls, multi gestational pregnancy (P=0.0001) was an effective risk factor for IVH occurrence. © 2019, Iranian Child Neurology Society. All rights reserved

Development, cross-cultural adaptation, and psychometric characteristics of the persian progressive aphasia language scale in patients with primary progressive aphasia: A pilot study

Introduction: Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is a neurological condition characterized by progressive dissolution of language capabilities. The Progressive Aphasia Language Scale (PALS) is an easy-to-apply bedside clinical scale capable of capturing and grading the key language features essential for the classification of PPA. The objective of the present study was to develop and validate the Persian version of the PALS (PALS-P) as a clinical language assessment test. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, PALS was translated and adapted into Persian according to the international guidelines. A total of 30 subjects (10 subjects with PPA and 20 control subjects without dementia) were recruited to evaluate the intra-rater reliability and discriminant validity of PALS-P. Results: The intra-rater reliability of the PALS-P within a 14-day interval was excellent for each subtest (ICC agreement range=0.81-1.0). PALS-P results were statistically significant among groups, suggesting its discriminative validity. Conclusion: This preliminary study indicates that PALS-P was successfully developed and translated. It seems to be a valid and reliable screening tool to assess language skills in Persian-speaking subjects with progressive aphasia