Determinants of Life Expectancy in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Health Production Function

Background: Determinants of health or health production function in health economics literature constitute noticeable issues in health promotion. This study aimed at estimating a health production function for East Mediterranean Region (EMR) based on the Grossman theoretical model. Methods: This ecological study was performed using the econometric methods. The panel data model was used in order to determine the relationship between life expectancy and socioeconomic factors. The data for 21 EMR countries between 1995 and 2007 were used. Fixed-effect-model was employed to estimate the parameters based on Hausman test. Results: In estimating the health production function, factors such as income per capita (β=0.05, P<0.001), education index (β=0.07, P<0.001), food availability (β=0.01, P<0.001), level of urbanisation (β=0.10, P<0.001), and employment ratio (β=0.11, P<0.001) were specified as determinants of health status, proxied by life expectancy at birth. A notable result was the elasticity of life expectancy with respect to the employment rate and its significance level was different between males (β=0.13, P0.001). Conclusion: In order to improve the health status in EMR countries, health policymakers should focus on the factors which lie outside the healthcare system. These factors are mainly associated with economic growth and development level. Thus, the economic stabilisation policies with the aim of increasing the productivity, economic growth, and reducing unemployment play significant roles in the health status of the people of the region

Isoflavones Potentials for the Treatment of Osteoporosis: An Update on In-vivo Studies

Abstract In plant-derived compounds, phytoestrogens are biologically active substances that exhibit various estrogenic and antiestrogenic effects. With the increasing prevalence of osteoporosis among older women caused by estrogen deficiency, identifying natural substances that can potentially treat the disease is of utmost significance. This review study aimed to explore how phytoestrogen metabolites mimic mammalian estrogens and prevent bone loss following menopause. Phytoestrogens derived from plants have gained considerable attention due to their similarity to mammalian estrogens and lower impact on sensitive tissues, such as the uterus and breasts. One well-established approach to simulate postmenopausal conditions is by using ovariectomized rats or mice (OVX). The administration of phytoestrogens in the OVX murine model has inhibited osteoclast differentiation, activation, and Pyridinoline secretion. Furthermore, these compounds have been shown to enhance bone formation and increase bone mineral density and the expression levels of various osteoblast markers, such as alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, osteopontin, and alpha-1 collagen. Several natural phytoestrogen compounds in plants possess a chemical structure akin to 17 beta-estradiol, a steroid hormone. In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen, can potentially treat the disease by binding to estrogen receptors on the surface of target cells. Mechanistic investigations have demonstrated that phytoestrogens can retard bone resorption and promote bone formation. Novel approaches in phytoestrogen research could involve investigating the synergistic effects of combining different phytoestrogen compounds, exploring their interactions with other signaling pathways, or assessing their effects on various bone types. Furthermore, identifying novel sources of phytoestrogens could lead to the discovery of new compounds with potent osteoprotective effects. https://jlar.rovedar.com/index.php/JLAR/article/view/1

EVALUATING MANAGERS LEADERSHIP STYLE, CAREER SELF-EFFICACY AND BURNOUT AMONG NURSES

Introduction: The present study examined the relation between managers leadership style and burnout through career self-efficacy in the framework of a scientific model.&nbsp;Methodology: The study participants included 240 nurses (205 women, 35 men) from Shiraz city hospitals who were selected based on random multistage cluster sampling method. The participants completed three questionnaires of leadership style inventory, career self-efficacy and burnout. The model was analyzed using multiple regression method in simultaneous style based on Baron &amp; Kenni stages.&nbsp;Results &amp; Conclusion: The results showed that: a) managers leadership style is predictive of burnout dimensions, b) managers leadership style is predictive of career self -efficacy dimensions. Totally, the present study findings and Sobel test results showed that career self-efficacy has a moderate role between managers leadership style and burnout

EVALUATING MANAGERS LEADERSHIP STYLE, CAREER SELF-EFFICACY AND BURNOUT AMONG NURSES

Introduction: The present study examined the relation between managers leadership style and burnout through career self-efficacy in the framework of a scientific model.&nbsp;Methodology: The study participants included 240 nurses (205 women, 35 men) from Shiraz city hospitals who were selected based on random multistage cluster sampling method. The participants completed three questionnaires of leadership style inventory, career self-efficacy and burnout. The model was analyzed using multiple regression method in simultaneous style based on Baron &amp; Kenni stages.&nbsp;Results &amp; Conclusion: The results showed that: a) managers leadership style is predictive of burnout dimensions, b) managers leadership style is predictive of career self -efficacy dimensions. Totally, the present study findings and Sobel test results showed that career self-efficacy has a moderate role between managers leadership style and burnout

Determinants of Life Expectancy in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Health Production Function

Background: Determinants of health or health production function in health economics literature constitute noticeable issues in health promotion. This study aimed at estimating a health production function for East Mediterranean Region (EMR) based on the Grossman theoretical model. Methods : This ecological study was performed using the econometric methods. The panel data model was used in order to determine the relationship between life expectancy and socioeconomic factors. The data for 21 EMR countries between 1995 and 2007 were used. Fixed-effect-model was employed to estimate the parameters based on Hausman test. Results : In estimating the health production function, factors such as income per capita ( β =0.05, P <0.001), education index ( β = 0 . 0 7, P <0.001), food availability ( β =0.01, P <0.001), level of urbanisation ( β =0.10, P <0.001), and employment ratio ( β =0.11, P <0.001) were specified as determinants of health status, proxied by life expectancy at birth. A notable result was the elasticity of life expectancy with respect to the employment rate and its significance level was different between males ( β =0.13, P <0.001) and females ( β =0.08, P >0.001). Conclusion : In order to improve the health status in EMR countries, health policymakers should focus on the factors which lie outside the healthcare system. These factors are mainly associated with economic growth and development level. Thus, the economic stabilisation policies with the aim of increasing the productivity, economic growth, and reducing unemployment play significant roles in the health status of the people of the region

Application of DEA in benchmarking: a systematic literature review from 2003–2020

Benchmarking is an effective method for organizations to increase their productivity, quality of products, reliability of processes or services. The organization may make a comparison between its performance and that of the peers from benchmarking, and recognize their advantages as well as disadvantages. The main objective of the present systematic literature review has been the study of DEA benchmarking process. Therefore, it examined and gave a summary of various DEA models applied worldwide to improve benchmarking. Accordingly, a list of published academic papers that appeared in high-ranking journals between 2003 and February 2020 was collected for a systematic review of the DEA benchmarking application. Consequently, the papers selected have been classified according to year of publication, purpose of research, outcomes and results. This study has identified eight major applications including: transportation, service sector, product planning, maintenance, hotel industry, education, distribution and environmental factors. They take up a total of 82% of all application-embedded papers. Among all the applications, the highest recent development has been in both the transportation and service sectors. Results showed higher potential of DEA as a suitable evaluation method for the further benchmarking researches, wherein the production feature between outputs and inputs has been practically lacked or very hard to obtain. First published online 4 January 202

Evaluating the effect of security on tourists' loyalty to the destination with emphasis on the mediating role of satisfaction and destination image (Case study: Shiraz foreign tourists)

Objective: One of the most important factors that can affect the loyalty of tourists is the security of the destination. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of security on the loyalty of foreign tourists in Shiraz with the mediating role of satisfaction and destination image. Methods: The present research is applied in terms of purpose and is descriptive and survey based on the nature and method. Research data were collected in the field through a questionnaire. The statistical population of the study is foreign tourists visiting the city of Shiraz in 2019. The sample size was estimated to be equal to 200 tourists according to the Cochran’s formula and a simple random method was used to distribute the questionnaire. Data collected based on descriptive and inferential statistics methods have been analyzed. Results: The results showed that Security with a coefficient of 0.20 directly and with a coefficient of 0.07 with the mediating role of the destination image and with a coefficient of 0.26 with the mediating role of satisfaction has a positive effect on the loyalty of foreign tourists in Shiraz. The overall effect of security on the loyalty of foreign tourists is equal to 0.53. Conclusion: With the increase in the level of security and the improvement of this factor in the city of Shiraz, we will see an increase in the loyalty of foreign tourists to this city, which will lead to the further prosperity of the tourism industry of this city

Explaining the Principles of Philosophical Education Based on Allameh Tabatabai's Understanding of Philosophy

Philosophical education is one of the important fields of education in the contemporary world; however, the capacity of Islamic philosophy and the views of Muslim philosophers have been underused in this field of education, and generally, under the influence of Western philosophies, the principles and methods are prescribed for the philosophical education of the young generation. Allameh Tabatabai’s perception of philosophy among Muslim philosophers has novel nuances and characteristics that, in general, has a good capacity to explain the principles of philosophical education. What are the characteristics of philosophy from Allameh’s point of view? And what is the most important principles of philosophical education based on it? These are the two main questions of this research. The concept analysis method has been used to explain Allameh’s understanding of philosophy, and the inferential method has been used to obtain the principles of philosophical education based on it. Ten principles of philosophical education resulting from this research include: moving towards Intellectual understanding with others, truth-seeking and measurement of truth and idea, holism, etiology, theology, monotheistic coherence, rejection of uncertain methods in philosophy, ontological presence of philosophy in sciences, and philosophizing in beliefs and self-purification

Pharmacological Profile for the Contribution of NO/cGMP Pathway on Chlorpheniramine Antidepressant-Like Effect in Mice Forced Swim Test

Chlorpheniramine, a first-generation antihistamine, is widely used for allergic reactions. Previous studies showed the interaction between antidepressant activity and nitric oxide and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO/cGMP) pathway. Thus, we aimed to assess the possible involvement of NO/cGMP pathway in this effect using forced swim test (FST) in male mice. To evaluate the locomotor activity and immobility time, we performed open field test (OFT) and FST on each mouse. Chlorpheniramine was administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) (0.1, 0.3, 1, 10 mg/kg) 30 minutes before FST. To assess the involvement of NO/cGMP pathway, a non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, L-NAME (10mg/kg, i.p.), a selective inducible NOS (iNOS) inhibitor, aminoguanidine (50 mg/kg, i.p.), a selective neural NOS (nNOS) inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole (7-NI, 30 mg/kg, i.p.), a NO precursor, L-arginine (750 mg/kg, i.p.) and a selective phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor, sildenafil (5 mg/kg, i.p.) was co-administered with chlorpheniramine. Chlorpheniramine significantly decreased the immobility time at doses of 1mg/kg (P0.05). Moreover, pretreatment with L-arginine (P<0.01) and sildenafil (P<0.001) significantly reduced the anti-immobility effect of chlorpheniramine. These treatments did not alter the locomotor activity of mice in OFT. Our results revealed that the antidepressant-like effect of chlorpheniramine is mediated through inhibition of NO/cGMP pathway