The psychometric properties of the Persian version of the contamination cognition scale (CCS)

Objective: In recent years, many researchers have been searching for effective cognitive factors in the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). One of the scales designed to measure this characteristic is the contamination cognition scale (CCS) that evaluates 2 dimensions: overestimating the likelihood and severity of contamination. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of CCS. Method: The study population of this descriptive psychometric study included students of Shahed University. A total of 490 students were selected via cluster sampling and completed the CCS. CCS was translated and back- translated before given to the students. The Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ) and the Padua Inventory (PI) were used. To assess the evidence for the validity of the scale, the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used. The gathered data were analyzed by SPSS-22 and Amos-22 software. Results: The results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that one-factor model did not have adequate fitness (RMSEA > .05). Therefore, to explore the factors of this scale, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used, and it revealed 3 factors (public equipment, food, and restroom) for each of the dimensions (likelihood and severity). CFA by AMOS-22 confirmed the three-factor model (GFI, CFI, and NFI > .95; RMSEA < .05). Furthermore, the results supported criteria validity of CCS with the PI total score (0.56- 0.47, p < 0.001) and PI-contamination subscale (0.71-0.75, p < 0.001). Also, the correlation between CCS and responsibility/threat subscale of the OBQ was significant (0.47- 0.49, p < 0.001) The Cronbach's alpha for likelihood dimensions total was 0.93 and it was 0.94 for severity dimension total. The composite reliability was 0.95 for the likelihood dimension and 0.96 for severity dimension of CCS. Also, the test-retest reliability after a 4-week interval was confirmed (likelihood: r = 0.78; severity: r = 0.81, p < .001). Conclusion: The results indicated that one-factor model of CCS did not have adequate fitness, but three-factor model was confirmed in both dimensions (likelihood and severity). According to the results of the present study, the reliability and validity of the Persian version of CCS were acceptable. © 2018 Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Effect of temperature and photoperiod on reproductive behavior of corn stem borer, Sesamia cretica (Lederer, 1857) (Lep.: Noctuidae)

The corn stem borer, Sesamia cretica Led. (Lep.: Noctuidae),is the most important pest of maize and sugarcane throughout the world including Iran where its egg parasitoid wasp, Telenomus busseolae Gahan (Hym.: Scelionidae) is widely used in biological control programs. Due to the host specificity of the parasitoid wasp, S. cretica serves as the single host for the mass rearing of T. busseolae at the laboratory or insectarium. The present work was intended to find the optimum temperature and photoperiod for the reproductivity of S. cretica at laboratory condition. We evaluated the percentage of fertilized eggs, oviposition rate, peak of egg laying and adult longevity of S. cretica. Thermal treatments and photoperiod treatments included 24, 27 and 30 ºC as well as 24D, 12D: 12L, 8L: 16D (short day period), 16L:8D (long day period) hours respectively. The best temperature for oviposition was calculated between 24 and 27 ºC, but the rate of oviposition was significantly decreased at 30 ºC. Temperature and photoperiod had no effect on the percentage of fertilized eggs and adult longevity. Different photoperiods caused significant effect on the rate of oviposition and the highest oviposition rate occurred in 12L: 12D hours and in 16D:8L hours. The lowest rate of oviposition was observed in 24D period. The highest rate of oviposition occurred on the second day

Relationship between disgust propensity and contamination obsessive-compulsive symptoms: The mediating role of information processing bias

Background: Early studies showed that disgust contributes to developing the contamination obsessive-compulsive disorder (C-OCD) and fear of contamination. Despite considering disgust to explain the fear of contamination as a symptom of C-OCD, there are few studies on the mediating role of information processing bias (IPB) in the relationship between disgust propensity (DP) and the fear of contamination. Objectives: The current study aimed at exploring the mediating role of IPB between DP and fear of contamination. Methods: The current descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 386 students selected by cluster sampling method. The employed tools were disgust propensity and sensitivity scale-revised (DPSS-R), the Padua inventory (PI), obsessive beliefs questionnaire (OBQ), and spatial cueing task. Data were analyzed with Amos-22 software. Bootstrap methods were used to analyze the mediating role. Results: Results of the structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that the proposed model had a good fitness GFI (goodness of fit index), TLI (the Tucker-Lewis index), and CFI (comparative fit index) > 0.95 and RMSEA (root mean square error of approximation) = 0.03. The results showed that the relationship between DP and fear of contamination was mediated by IPB. Conclusions: Results indicated the impact of disgust propensity on fear of contamination through information processing. These findings emphasized that information processing is essential to explain C-OCD. © 2018, Author(s)

The relationship between lifestyle and anthropometric factors with the sleep characteristics among university students in Iran: the MEPHASOUS study

Background: Healthy sleep habits have an important role in normal cognitive function, emotional performance, and well-being. The aims of this study were to describe the characteristics of sleep among university students in Iran. In addition, we assessed the relationship between lifestyle and anthropometric factors with the sleep characteristics. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted using the data of �Mental and Physical Health Assessment of University Students in Iran� survey 2012�2013. This survey was conducted on newly admitted students in 74 public universities in 28 provinces. The participants were younger adults. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to recognize associated factors with sleep pattern and range. Result: Of total 78,848 students who completed the survey, 54.64 (n = 43,079) were females. The average age of the students was 21.53 ± 4.08 and 21.54 ± 3.99 among males and females, respectively. More than 90 (n = 70,923), were non-smokers. Out of the total respondents, 40.56 (n = 31,756) had irregular sleep pattern. Male students were less likely to have irregular sleep pattern than female students. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that irregular sleep pattern is associated with overweight and obesity. So, these results underscore the need to educate students on importance of healthy sleep pattern and duration on health conditions. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

The University Students\' Knowledge of Mental Health Problems and the Psychological Services Offered and Their Attitude Toward Them as Predictors of Seeking Professional Psychological Help

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of college students' mental health and their attitudes toward mental health problems and the related services, in seeking professional psychological help. The sample consisted of 150 students of Shahed and Amir Kabir universities. The participants were divided into 3 groups:Normal Group= NG, Help Seeking Group= HSG and Non help Seeking Group= NHSG. They were tested by the GHQ–28 inventory and a researcher-made questionnaires and Attitude toward, i.e,. Knowledge of Mental Health Problem, and Services them (KAMHPSS). The results indicated that: 1) NHSG has more mental health problems than HSG, 2) NHSG has less knowledge and more negative attitude compared the two other groups, 3) HSG has more knowledge and positive attitude than NG. Finally, the female students showed more favorable attitudes than males

A review on different types of Real-time PCR methods and its optimization

In the recent years, Real-time PCR technique introduced as a choice method for diagnosis of infectious diseases in many laboratories. During each cycle of the PCR reaction, this technique combines the polymerase chain reaction chemistry with the utilization of fluorescent reporter molecules for monitoring the production of amplification products. Therefore, the set of features including the high sensitivity and specificity, repeatable data and low contamination risk has made the Real-time PCR technology as an attractive alternative to conventional PCR. This technique is often used to quantify the level of gene expression. Since the whole Real-time PCR reaction is performed within a closed tube, the risk of contamination is reduced and eventually prevent false-positive results. The aim of present study was to provide a general overview on different types of Real-time PCR methods, their benefits and applications. Keywords: Molecular diagnosis, Real-time PCR, Polymerase chain reaction, Fluorophor

The effect of QEEG- guided neurofeedback treatment in decreasing of OCD symptoms

AbstractThe main purpose of this research is to determine effectiveness of QEEG- Guided Neurofeedback therapy in decreasing OCD symptoms. Twelve patients were selected from Atiyeh institution in Tehran- Iran and they are placed in 3 situations randomly which are neurofeedback, drug therapy and waiting list. Padua Inventory is administered for all patients as pre- test and post- test in 10 weeks. The results of this research using kuruskal – Wallis and Mann-whitney U test were analysed. It's resulted that neurofeedback treatment may be used as a new treatment approach for treating OCD

Surveying Effectiveness of Neuro-feedback in Reduction of Attention and Concentration Deficit Symptoms in ADHD Adults

ADHD is one of common neuropsychological disorders in childhood and continuing to adulthood and disturbs various dimensions of individual’s life such as personal affairs, social interactions, professional life, executive performance like active memory and concentration etc. There are numerous works on treatment of this type of disorder. Considering the lack of studies on neuro-feedback in adults, this research was conducted. For this purpose, this survey tries to determine effectiveness of neuro feedback in reduction of attention and concentration deficit symptoms in ADHD adults. This is experimental research pre-test and post-test as well as control group. Statistical population includes adults with ADHD referring to Atiye Clinic in Tehran. Two groups of experimental and control, each one composed of 8 people, were selected using purposive sampling. Research tools were Beck Stress Questionnaire, Beck Depression Questionnaire, Barkely Adults ADHD Questionnaire, IVA Test, and CNSVS test. The data were analyzed using SPSS software and Mann Whitney statistical test. Also, independent t-test, Wilcoxon, and Kruskal Wallis were applied for further results. Findings showed that neuro-feedback significantly reduced attention and concentration deficit symptoms in ADHD adult experimental group compared to control one. Therefore, neuro-feedback could be suggested for reduction of attention deficit symptoms and reduction of ADHD in adults