Psychometrics properties of the Iranian version of fertility quality of life tool: a cross- sectional study

Background: Clinical measurement of quality of life for assessing reproductive problems should be considered as a standard investigation at the initial and continuing medical consultations with infertile people. Objective: The purpose of this study was comprehensive testing the psychometric properties of the Iranian version of fertility quality of life (FertiQol) as its use could be considerable due to the prevalence of infertility in Iran and the importance of evaluation of QoL in patients with infertility. Method and material: This was a psychometric properties study of 300 women referred to infertility clinic, Hormozgan, Iran. After linguistic validation of the Iranian version of MPCOSQ, a semi-structured interview was conducted to assess face validity. Consequently exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to indicate the scale constructs. Discriminant validity was assessed using the known groups comparison. Convergent validity was evaluated by assessing the correlation between similar content on the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and FertiQol. In addition, reliability analysis was carried out with internal consistency. Results: The reliability of the Iranian version of the FertiQol questionnaire was satisfactory in all dimensions (Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.77 to 0.83 ). Six factors (emotional, mind/body, relational, social, environmental and tolerability) were extracted from the results of EFA with factor loading of the more than 0.3. Discrimination validity showed that FertiQol can differentiate between female patients with differing duration of infertility and number of children; this indicates favorable discrimination validity. Moreover, the results of convergent validity showed a favorable correlation between the related dimensions of 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (correlation ranging from 0.43 to 0.68 ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(correlation ranging from 0.47 to 0.52 ) and FertiQol. Conclusion: The Iranian version of FertiQol is valid and reliable for assessing infertility problems and the effects of treatment on quality of life of infertile patients referred for diagnosis and treatment at an Iranian infertility clinic. The clinical use of this measure is recommended for Iranian infertility clinics

Burden of disease scenarios for 204 countries and territories, 2022–2050: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Future trends in disease burden and drivers of health are of great interest to policy makers and the public at large. This information can be used for policy and long-term health investment, planning, and prioritisation. We have expanded and improved upon previous forecasts produced as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and provide a reference forecast (the most likely future), and alternative scenarios assessing disease burden trajectories if selected sets of risk factors were eliminated from current levels by 2050. Methods: Using forecasts of major drivers of health such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a composite measure of lag-distributed income per capita, mean years of education, and total fertility under 25 years of age) and the full set of risk factor exposures captured by GBD, we provide cause-specific forecasts of mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex from 2022 to 2050 for 204 countries and territories, 21 GBD regions, seven super-regions, and the world. All analyses were done at the cause-specific level so that only risk factors deemed causal by the GBD comparative risk assessment influenced future trajectories of mortality for each disease. Cause-specific mortality was modelled using mixed-effects models with SDI and time as the main covariates, and the combined impact of causal risk factors as an offset in the model. At the all-cause mortality level, we captured unexplained variation by modelling residuals with an autoregressive integrated moving average model with drift attenuation. These all-cause forecasts constrained the cause-specific forecasts at successively deeper levels of the GBD cause hierarchy using cascading mortality models, thus ensuring a robust estimate of cause-specific mortality. For non-fatal measures (eg, low back pain), incidence and prevalence were forecasted from mixed-effects models with SDI as the main covariate, and YLDs were computed from the resulting prevalence forecasts and average disability weights from GBD. Alternative future scenarios were constructed by replacing appropriate reference trajectories for risk factors with hypothetical trajectories of gradual elimination of risk factor exposure from current levels to 2050. The scenarios were constructed from various sets of risk factors: environmental risks (Safer Environment scenario), risks associated with communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs; Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination scenario), risks associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario), and the combined effects of these three scenarios. Using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways climate scenarios SSP2-4.5 as reference and SSP1-1.9 as an optimistic alternative in the Safer Environment scenario, we accounted for climate change impact on health by using the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature forecasts and published trajectories of ambient air pollution for the same two scenarios. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy were computed using standard methods. The forecasting framework includes computing the age-sex-specific future population for each location and separately for each scenario. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline. Findings: In the reference scenario forecast, global and super-regional life expectancy increased from 2022 to 2050, but improvement was at a slower pace than in the three decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020). Gains in future life expectancy were forecasted to be greatest in super-regions with comparatively low life expectancies (such as sub-Saharan Africa) compared with super-regions with higher life expectancies (such as the high-income super-region), leading to a trend towards convergence in life expectancy across locations between now and 2050. At the super-region level, forecasted healthy life expectancy patterns were similar to those of life expectancies. Forecasts for the reference scenario found that health will improve in the coming decades, with all-cause age-standardised DALY rates decreasing in every GBD super-region. The total DALY burden measured in counts, however, will increase in every super-region, largely a function of population ageing and growth. We also forecasted that both DALY counts and age-standardised DALY rates will continue to shift from CMNNs to NCDs, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (60·1% [95% UI 56·8–63·1] of DALYs were from CMNNs in 2022 compared with 35·8% [31·0–45·0] in 2050) and south Asia (31·7% [29·2–34·1] to 15·5% [13·7–17·5]). This shift is reflected in the leading global causes of DALYs, with the top four causes in 2050 being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with 2022, with ischaemic heart disease, neonatal disorders, stroke, and lower respiratory infections at the top. The global proportion of DALYs due to YLDs likewise increased from 33·8% (27·4–40·3) to 41·1% (33·9–48·1) from 2022 to 2050, demonstrating an important shift in overall disease burden towards morbidity and away from premature death. The largest shift of this kind was forecasted for sub-Saharan Africa, from 20·1% (15·6–25·3) of DALYs due to YLDs in 2022 to 35·6% (26·5–43·0) in 2050. In the assessment of alternative future scenarios, the combined effects of the scenarios (Safer Environment, Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination, and Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenarios) demonstrated an important decrease in the global burden of DALYs in 2050 of 15·4% (13·5–17·5) compared with the reference scenario, with decreases across super-regions ranging from 10·4% (9·7–11·3) in the high-income super-region to 23·9% (20·7–27·3) in north Africa and the Middle East. The Safer Environment scenario had its largest decrease in sub-Saharan Africa (5·2% [3·5–6·8]), the Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario in north Africa and the Middle East (23·2% [20·2–26·5]), and the Improved Nutrition and Vaccination scenario in sub-Saharan Africa (2·0% [–0·6 to 3·6]). Interpretation: Globally, life expectancy and age-standardised disease burden were forecasted to improve between 2022 and 2050, with the majority of the burden continuing to shift from CMNNs to NCDs. That said, continued progress on reducing the CMNN disease burden will be dependent on maintaining investment in and policy emphasis on CMNN disease prevention and treatment. Mostly due to growth and ageing of populations, the number of deaths and DALYs due to all causes combined will generally increase. By constructing alternative future scenarios wherein certain risk exposures are eliminated by 2050, we have shown that opportunities exist to substantially improve health outcomes in the future through concerted efforts to prevent exposure to well established risk factors and to expand access to key health interventions

Alzheimer\'s Disease: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Alzheimer's disease is the most common and well - known cause of dementia, as a progressive, irreversible brain disorder that affects cognitive function, personality, thought, perception and behaviour. Alzheimer's disease is the fourth leading cause of death in western countries. Interesting to know that this disease was unknown in medical community till 100 years ago and had no name. Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist was the person who suspected the presence of this new illness and by succinct clinical, neuroanatomic, and neuropathologic examination of some cases; including the first known case of this disease- a woman named Auguste Deter- documented it. In further Emil Kraepe1inby knowing about the cases that Dr. Alzheimer reported, and another reports of this disease that were published in the first decade of the twentieth century, set the name of Alzbeimer on this new disease. Descriptions of Dr. Alzheimer and Kraepelin are the same as the present day descriptions of this disease. Electron microscopy, quantitative morphology and modem biochemistry emerging in the second half of the twentieth century opened a new era in dementia research with description of the ultra structure and biochemistry of senileplaques and neuronfibrillary tangles, the major disease markers of Alzheimer's disease. Basic research gave insight into the molecular genetics and pathophysiology of Alzheimers disease and based on the biochemical findings, new pharmacological treatment options were opened. The future attempts will probably be concentrated on the prevention of this disease. Oxidative stress, excessive transition metal ions, and misfolded / aggregated proteins and inflammation are among the probable causes of Alzheimer's disease and the future research will focus on their better understanding and prevention of their occurrence. As the last word, stem cells grafts that in animals have led to remarkable improvement of brain function may also be a promising course in the cure of Alzbeimer's disease in the future

The relationship between body image, self-concept and happiness among women seeking cosmetic surgery in Tehran

Introdution: In today's societies, a high percentage of people are dissatisfied with the physical appearance that such physical dissatisfaction provides tendencies for many psychological problems.The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between body image and self-concept with happiness among women seeking cosmetic surgery in Tehran. Methods The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of all female applicants for cosmetic surgery referred to the medical centers (15 khordad plastic surgery hospital, and Fatima plastic surgery hospital) in Tehran in 2016. 100 of them were selected through purposive sampling. For collecting the data,, the self-body multidimensional relationship questionnaire (Cache, Winstead and Janda, 1987), self-concept questionnaire (SCQ) (Rogers, 1961) and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (Argyle, 1989) were used. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression analysis using SPSS (ver. 16) software. Results: The findings showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between physical image and happiness. Therefore, there was a positive and significant relationship between happiness and physical image components such as appearance assessment, fit assessment, tendency to fit and body satisfaction, But there was not a significant relationship between happiness, subjective weight and apparent tendency .There was also a negative and significant relationship between self-concept and happiness. Body image and self-concept significantly predicted happiness. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that body image and self-concept play a significant role in the happiness of women who apply for cosmetic surgery

Investigation on the Interactions of Poly(ethylene oxide) and Ionic Liquid 1‑Butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium Bromide by Viscosity and Spectroscopy

In this research, the solution of poly­(ethylene oxide) in binary mixtures of water and ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide, were studied via spectroscopic and viscometric at the temperature range of 288.15–313.15 K. Also, the effects of ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide, on the thermodynamic parameters of dilute aqueous solutions of poly­(ethylene oxide), such as polymer–solvent interaction parameter, theta temperature, the heat of dilution parameter, and the entropy of dilution parameter were investigated. Our data indicate that the thermodynamic quality of water for poly­(ethylene oxide) is reduced by the addition of 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide and increasing temperature. The flow activation energy was calculated and correlated in terms of polymer concentration. The sign of initial slope of the activation energy versus polymer concentration at zero concentration reveals that thermodynamic quality of IL aqueous solutions is reduced by increasing temperature. The type of interactions between poly­(ethylene oxide) and 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium bromide was studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and UV–vis methods. The existence of hydrogen bonding between the imidazolium cation and the oxygen atom of poly­(ethylene oxide) was confirmed by the results of FT-IR and UV–vis spectroscopies

Quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) Spectrum Analysis of Patients with Schizoaffective Disorder Compared to Normal Subjects.

Objective: The aim of this study was to achieve a better understanding of schizoaffective disorder. Therefore, we obtained electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from patients with schizoaffective disorder and analyzed them in comparison to normal subjects. Method: Forty patients with schizoaffective disorder and 40 normal subjects were selected randomly and their electroencephalogram signals were recorded based on 10-20 international system by 23 electrodes in open- and closed-eyes while they were sitting on a chair comfortably. After pre-processing for noise removal and artifact reduction, we took 60- second segments from each recorded signals. Then, the absolute and relative powers of these segments were evaluated in all channels and in 4 frequency bands (i.e., delta, theta, alpha and beta waves). Finally, Data were analyzed by independent t-test using SPSS software. Results: A significant decrease in relative power in the alpha band, a significant decrease in power spectra in the alpha band and a significant increase in power spectra in the beta band were found in patients compared to normal subjects (P < 0.05). The predominant wave in the centro-parietal region was the beta wave in patients, but it was the alpha band in normal subjects (P = 0.048). Also, the predominant wave of the occipital region in patients was the delta wave, while it was the alpha wave in normal subjects (P = 0.038). Conclusion: Considering the findings, particularly based on the significant decrease of the alpha waves in schizoaffective patients, it can be concluded that schizoaffective disorder can be seen in schizophrenia spectrum

The Sophisticated Inductive Approach and Science Education

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between sophisticated view of induction and science education. Method: This study is a critical review on the relation between philosophical approaches to science and science education. Thus, an analytic method is used in investigating the theories of science and their relationship to science education. Results: Analysing the arguments against induction, we argue that the sophisticated view of induction is not only resistant against the critiques but also inspiring for science education. Conclusion: This paper concludes that the sophisticated view of induction provides the merits of both positivism and falsificationism in science and science education while avoiding their disadvantages. Accordingly, to avoid positivism, science education should reinforce students' imagination and theory development and to avoid falsificationism, it should embrace observation and induction

Oleuropein reduces LPS-induced inflammation via stimulating M2 macrophage polarization

Oleuropein (OLEU) is the most prevalent phenolic component in olive varieties, and it has been considered for its powerful antioxidant properties in therapeutic applications. OLEU has anti-inflammatory properties and performs this property by suppressing inflammatory cells' function and reducing oxidative stress caused by various factors. This study investigated the ability of OLEU to polarize LPS-stimulated murine macrophage (MQ) cell RAW 264.7 into M1/M2 macrophages. As a first step, the cytotoxicity effects of OLEU were evaluated on LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells using the thiazolyl blue (MTT) colorimetric test. Then, cytokines production, gene expression (Real-Time PCR), and functions (Nitrite oxide assay and phagocytosis assay) of OLEU-treated LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were evaluated. Our findings demonstrated that OLEU could reduce nitrite oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells by downregulating the inducible nitric oxide synthase gene expression. Furthermore, OLEU therapy decreases the expression of M1-associated pro-inflammatory cytokines production (IL-12, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) and genes expression (iNOS, TNF-α) while increasing the M2-associated anti-inflammatory gene expression and cytokines production (IL-10, and TGF-β). Based on the result, OLEU may be considered a potential therapeutic approach for inflammatory diseases due to its possible effects on oxidative stress-related factors, cytokine expression and production, and phagocytosis

The beneficial effects of simultaneous supplementation of Lactobacillus reuteri and calcium fluoride nanoparticles on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis

Abstract Background The development of new strategies to inhibit and/or treat osteoporosis as a chronic systemic disease is one of the most crucial topics. The present study aimed to investigate the simultaneous effects of calcium fluoride nanoparticles (CaF2 NPs) and lactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 (L. reuteri) against osteoporosis in an ovariectomized rat model (OVX). Methods In this study, 18 matured Wistar female rats were randomly assigned into 6 groups, including control, OVX, sham, OVX + L. reuteri, OVX + CaF2 NPs, and OVX + L. reuteri + CaF2 NPs. We used OVX rats to simulate post-menopausal osteoporosis, and the treatments were begun two weeks before OVX and continued for four weeks. All groups’ blood samples were collected, and serum biomarkers (estrogen, calcium, vitamin D3, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)) were measured. The tibia and Femur lengths of all groups were measured. Histopathological slides of tibia, kidney, and liver tissues were analyzed using the Hematoxylin and Eosin staining method. Results Our results revealed that dietary supplementation of L. reuteri and CaF2 NPs in low doses for 6 weeks did not show adverse effects in kidney and liver tissues. The tibial and femoral lengths of OVX rats as well as the population of osteoblasts and osteocytes and newly generated osteoid in the tibia remarkably increased in the combination therapy group. Moreover, there was a significant increase in serum estrogen levels and a significant decrease in serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase levels in combination treatment groups compared to the OVX groups not receiving the diet. Conclusions Our results suggest the favorable effects of the simultaneous supplementation of L. reuteri and CaF2 NP to reduce post-menopausal bone loss. Graphical abstrac