COMPARING LITERATURE REVIEW USING PRE-STUDY (QUANTITATIVE) AND POST-STUDY (QUALITATIVE) METHODS IN THE AREA OF INFORMATION GATEKEEPING BASED ON EXPLORATORY BLENDED METHOD

Abstract. Grounded theory method can reveal social (behavioral, cultural and environmental) factors forming the foundation of informal behaviors of the scientists in the process of science production. Literature review is recognized as a part of the grounded theory method. Discussions about how to carry out the stages of a grounded theory study have come about since 1960. During the early years, the experts had reached a consensus over the idea that the literature review should be conducted in the final stages of this methodology so that the least bias and dogmatism could occur in the creation of a theory. But, the current viewpoints are laid on the foundation that the literature review in the seminal stages of grounded theory not only does not reduce degrade the study power but it also can augment creativity, theoretical sensitivity and precision thereof. The present study compares these two perspectives within the area of information gatekeeping. The study population included the medical genetics researchers from Mashhad’s medical sciences university who were assigned to two identical groups and examined by two researchers based on pre-study and post-study. After interviewing with the researchers, two questionnaire groups, including the information gatekeeping variables extracted from the interviews, were distributed amongst the study sample volume. The results indicated a trivial difference between the two variable groups. The notable point in the result was the respondents’ easier understanding of the variables defined assisted by the post-study.Keywords: grounded theory, literature review, information gatekeeping, pre-study in grounded theory, post-study in grounded theor

Reaction of melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars to soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi in Iran

The fungi Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi), Monosporascus cannonballus (Pollack and Uecker) and Rhizoctonia solani (Kuhn) are responsible for significant destruction and melon crop losses in the Sistan region of Iran. In this study, eighteen melon cultivars were screened for resistance to these pathogens under greenhouse conditions twice. The melon cultivars were grown in pots and inoculated with each pathogen individually in three different experiments. None of the tested melon cultivars was immune to all the soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi. However, two cultivars, namely ‘Sfidak khatdar’ and ‘Sfidak bekhat’ were moderately resistant to all the three fungi. These melon cultivars are promising sources of resistance to M. phaseolina, M. cannonballus and R. solani, and should be the preferred choice for melon grown in infested areas. This study is the first report on screening of melon cultivars in Iran for resistance to M. phaseolina, M. cannonballus and R. solani and it reports the resistance of melon cultivars to three important soil-borne plant pathogens found worldwide.Key words: Melon, fungal resistance, Macrophomina phaseolina, Monosporascus cannonballus, Rhizoctonia solani

Evaluation of Prescription Appropriateness of CT Scan for Low Back Pain in Shiraz’s Referral Trauma Hospital Using RAND Appropriateness Method

Introduction: This study aims to identify the appropriateness of CT Scan prescriptions for Lumbar Spine using the RAND Appropriateness Method in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). Methods: A total of 281 patients referred to the hospitals affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were selected as sample of the study in 2016. The scenarios derived through the RAND Appropriateness Method were compared with medical records of these patients by educated physicians. Results: Out of 281 cases of lumbar spine MRI prescriptions, 57.7% were appropriate, 32.7 % were uncertain, and 9.6 % were considered to be appropriate. In addition, some related factors to appropriateness of prescriptions were identified. Conclusions: Clinical guidelines developed using RAND Appropriateness Method can be an appropriate instrument for policy makers, health care providers, and health insurance companies in order to reduce inappropriate cares and quality improvement, especially in developing countries. It is recommended that appropriateness of prescriptions will be considered as the criteria for payment and reimbursement to prescribers. In this way, inappropriate cares may be reduced

Relationship between moral values and administrative health: an organizational assessment

Background:  A human society with any culture needs to observe administrative health. In the health of organizations, addressing ethical values is a requirement. The purpose of this article was to investigate the effect of ethical values of the employees of Kerman Urban Water and Sewerage Company on organizational factors related to administrative health. Methods: This was with applied purpose and descriptive nature of the correlation type and structure of qualitative and quantitative study. The statistical population included all employees of Kerman Urban Water and Sewerage Company (1050). The sample size calculation was based on Cochran's formula 290 which was selected by stratified random sampling method. To collect data, study literature and research background and questionnaire were prepared. The administrative health questionnaire included 4 dimensions and 10 questions. The Ethical Values Questionnaire includes 7 dimensions and 16 questions. Data analysis was performed by structural equation modelling with PLS software. Results: At a significance level of less than 0.05, the variables of occupational health (P=0.341), transparency (P=0.332), internal control and supervision (P=0.337) and education (P=0.374) affected moral values. The model coefficient of determination value is 0.116, so it can be stated that about 12% of the changes in the dependent variable of occupational health are explained by ethical-religious values. Conclusion: Ethics in organizations can lead to the promotion of health and administrative efficiency and the effectiveness of creating job satisfaction among employees. Occupational health affects moral values and improves occupational health

Content Analysis of Iran Primary School Books in 2014-2015 in Relation to Oral Health Topics

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate oral health issues in primary school textbooks in Iran. Methods: The contents of Iran primary school textbooks in the academic year 2014-2015 were assessed in accordance to oral health-related teachings. Oral health topics of 39 textbooks (pictures and texts) were retrieved and analyzed using content analysis method and presented by figures and tables. Results: In whole, 25 oral health-related lessons were found .The textbooks of the first grade contained the highest (10) and those of the fourth grade had the lowest (0) number of oral health lessons. Among Oral health-related issues, the largest number (12) of lessons was about tooth brushing, while prevention of gingival disease comprised the least number (1). Some important oral health issues such as the role of healthy teeth and gums in health of other parts of the body were not discussed in the textbooks. Conclusion: According to this study, the potential of primary school textbooks in delivering oral health messages has been neglected in Iran. Taking the critical importance of school ages into account, incorporating health issues in textbooks should be more strongly emphasized

Evaluating The Agreement Between K-Median And Latent Class Analysis For Clustering Of Psychological Distress Prevalence

Introduction: Psychological distress (PD) is one of the most common mental disorders in the general population. Psychological distress is considered a public health priority due to its adverse effects on quality of life, health, performance, and productivity. It can also predict several serious mental illnesses, such as depressive disorder and anxiety. In this study, we intend to identify the behavioral pattern of PD in the population of 18 to 65 years old in Mashhad using two methods, K-median and Latent Class Analysis (LCA), and evaluate the agreement between the two methods.  Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 38058 individuals referred to community health care centers at Mashhad of Iran in 2019. The information used in this study was extracted from Sina Electronic Health Record System (SinaEHR) database. A demographic information checklist and 6-item Kessler psychological distress scale (K-6) were used for data collection. K-median and LCA were used for data analysis.  Results: Out of 38058 participants, 49.3% were women, 86.1% were married, and 63.6% had a diploma and under diploma education. The LCA identified three patterns of PD in answering the items of the K-6 questionnaire, including severe PD (19.7%), low PD (36.7%), and no PD (43.5%). Three clusters were identified by the K-Median method: 1) severe PD (22.0%), 2) low PD (31.1%), and 3) and no PD (46.9%). The agreement between K-Median and LCA was kappa = 0.862.  Conclusion: About 20% of people were classified as having severe PD. Both LCA and k-median methods can reasonably identify the latent pattern of PD with significant entropy, and there was almost complete agreement between the two methods in data clustering. Considering the advantages of the LCA, this method is recommended to identify the latent pattern of PD based on the k-6 questionnaire

The Effect of Intravitreal Bevacizumab on Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of Intravitreal Injection of Bevacizumab (IVB) in patients with Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC) compared to the control group, after four months of injection. In this study, 30 eyes of 30 patients with CSC, who were in the age range of 23 to 50 years old (70% male subject) were included. Eligible patients were randomly allocated to the intervention (n = 15) and control groups (n = 15). Patients in the intervention group received a single dose injection of bevacizumab (1.25 mg in 0.05 mL), while patients in the control group were followed-up during the same time interval, without any medical interventions. Corrected Distance Visual Acuity (CDVA) and Central Macular Thickness (CMT) were evaluated as the primary outcome measures at the four-month follow-up. There was no statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups regarding their baseline characteristics. Corrected Distance Visual Acuity was improved significantly in the intervention group (P < 0.001), while this improvement was not observed in the control group. Furthermore, greater improvement of CDVA was detected in the IVB group compared to the patients without injection (P = 0.018). The CMT findings were in line with CDVA changes in both groups, revealing a significant reduction of CMT only in the intervention group (P < 0.001). Also, thinner central retina was found in the intervention group compared to the comparison group, at the four-month follow-up (P < 0.001). Based on the findings, bevacizumab could be effective for improvement of both anatomical and functional outcomes in patients with CSC

Parasitic plant small RNA analyses unveil parasite-specific signatures of microRNA retention, loss, and gain

Parasitism is a successful life strategy that has evolved independently in several families of vascular plants. The genera Cuscuta and Orobanche represent examples of the two profoundly different groups of parasites: one parasitizing host shoots and the other infecting host roots. In this study, we sequenced and described the overall repertoire of small RNAs from Cuscuta campestris and Orobanche aegyptiaca. We showed that C. campestris contains a number of novel microRNAs (miRNAs) in addition to a conspicuous retention of miRNAs that are typically lacking in other Solanales, while several typically conserved miRNAs seem to have become obsolete in the parasite. One new miRNA appears to be derived from a horizontal gene transfer event. The exploratory analysis of the miRNA population (exploratory due to the absence of a full genomic sequence for reference) from the root parasitic O. aegyptiaca also revealed a loss of a number of miRNAs compared to photosynthetic species from the same order. In summary, our study shows partly similar evolutionary signatures in the RNA silencing machinery in both parasites. Our data bear proof for the dynamism of this regulatory mechanism in parasitic plants.MicroRNAs in parasitic plants reflect their lifestyle

Is there association between severe early childhood caries and weight at 25-28 weeks of fetal life? A longitudinal pilot study

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Sever early dental caries in childhood is one of the health problems. This study was performed to determine the association between weight at 25 and 28 weeks of fetal life and severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) at 1.5-2 years of age among some of children in Kerman, Iran. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, 100 pregnant mothers and their newborns examined via sonography for fetus weight and clinically for dental caries, using International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) criteria. Variables, including fetus weight and presence or absence of signs of S-ECC, were recorded in a checklist. Data were analyzed using t-test. RESULTS: The mean fetal weight of 10 children with signs of S-ECC at 25-28 weeks of fetal life was 752.4 g. However, this mean was 898.05 g for 35 children, who did not have any signs of S-ECC. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: It appears there is an association between the rate of changes in fetal weight at 25-28 weeks of gestational age and occurrence S-ECC. Due to the fetal weight can be effective on thickness as and hardness of enamel developed on deciduous maxillary incisors, therefore, the fetal weight can be associate to the occurrence of S-ECC in these teeth after birth. KEYWORDS: Fetal Life; Severe Early Childhood Caries; Weigh