[Usability ranking of central libraries' websites of Iranian Medical Universities and its relationship with webometric ranking]

Introduction: library websites are one of the main ways to access to library resources, therefore, they should be desihned according to users' needs to ensure their proper performance. This study aims to evaluate the usability of central libraries websites of Top Iranian Medical Universities and determinate its relationship with webometric ranking

Methods: this descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013 to evaluate the usability of central libraries' websites of Iranian Medical Universities, type I [Tehran, Shahid Beheshti, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Mashhad, Ahvaz, Kerman, Mazandaran, Uromia, Kermanshah and Zanjan]. Three evaluators independently examined the websites using Nielsen's usability principles. Then a list of usability problems was identified and classified based on their severity. Then, the correlation between the ranking of the central library websites and the ranking of webometrics was determined. Spss[20] was used to analyse the data

Results: according to the findings, the highest number of problems was related to "flexibility and efficiency of use" and the lowest was related to "error prevention". Based on the severity of identified problems, the highest number of problems were "major" ones. There was no significant correlation between the usability ranking of the central library websites and the webometrics ranking of the same universities

Conclusion: Despite the wide usage and variety of users, library websites interfaces are not of good usability, therefore, it is recommended to to consider standards and principles while designing websites

[Evaluation of Vibrio cholera distribution and its relation to the affected patients in different parts of Qom city]

True cholera with typical clinical features nearly always occurs by serologic groups O1 and O139 but the non-O1 group can produce a disease with same clinical characteristic sporadically. According to the important of climate and environmental conditions in the distribution and abundance of Vibrio cholera, in this study, the distribution of the serologic group was evaluated in different parts of Qom city with relation to the affected patients. In this study 5220 environmental specimens were taken from 12 parts of Qom city and during different seasons of the year 1325, 60 clinical specimens were taken from the patients and all were evaluated for Vibrio cholera with standard methods. The study was of Descriptive and cross sectional and the results were analyzed with statistical soft ware [Epi-info]. The most abundance of Nag strains were related to Emamzadeh Ebrahim and Sheikhabad parts and Shahed Street from Khak faraj and Niroogah area and the least abundance were related to Salariyeh area. The abundance distribution of Nag strain, 7 different specimens was most in hogwash, sewerage and vegetables and least in pipe water which reveal a significant difference [P< 0.05] according to statistical goodness of fit test. The frequency distribution of the patients in each part of area 4 with relevance to sex revealed that the most contamination percentage was attributed to Emamzadeh Ebrahim and Sheikhabad and Shahed from Niroogah area and no positive specimen was taken from Haftado-do-tan and Shahrdary areas. According to high occurrence of the disease in same areas, and results from other researchers based on increased frequency of non-O1 strains in the environment during the epidemic, so can release a connection between Vibrio cholera O1 strains and non-O1 strains to conclude. On the other hand, none of the clinical and environmental samples, Vibrio cholera O1 was isolated, so probably human carriers in Qom, not the main factor is the emergence of this disease

[Comparative study on knowledge about tuberculosis in two cities with different tuberculosis epidemiological index in Khuzestan, 2004]

Tuberculosis [TB] is a global health problem. One of the most important and effective ways of TB control is health education. Health planning depends on public health needs. The aim of this study was to assess the general population's knowledge about tuberculosis. This study is a comparative descriptive study which was conducted in 2004 in Behbahan and Omidieh, two cities in Khuzestan province with different TB epidemiological index. Nine hundred and seventy five individuals referring to health centers of these cities were asked to answer questions about TB. Data were obtained from questionnaires with 92% reliability and 98%validity and were analyzed with SPSS software using t test with 95% confidence. Of total 975 individuals 546 [56%] were living in Behbahan and 429 [44%] in Omidieh. Mean knowledge score for signs and symptoms, transmission and control of tuberculosis in Behbahan and Omidieh were 26, 10, 13 and 14, 6, 9 respectively. There was a significant difference in tuberculosis knowledge between two cities [P<0.05]

[Evaluation of binding of FITC-prolactin conjugate to prolactin receptor]

Prolactin is an important mammalian hormone and the associated receptor is recognized in many different cells. Radioligand and histochemical methods are both used for assaying prolactin receptor. To produce FITC-prolactin conjugate and also to study the ability of conjugate to bind prolactin receptor. In this experimental study FITC was bound to prolactin in alkaline solution. FITC-prolactin conjugate was separated from free FITC by chromatographic method. Later, the ability of FITC-prolactin conjugate to bind prolactin receptor of peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMC] was assessed by flowcytometry. Fluorescence emission was detected in 2.1% of the cells in absence of FITC-prolactin. Following the addition of FITC-prolactin conjugate to cells for one hour and further washing, the fluorescence emission was detected in 27.8% of cells. For PBMC, these data were 0.02% and 11.8%, respectively. Regarding the data obtained in our study, FITC-prolactin conjugate can bind prolactin receptor. Therefore, this conjugate could be used for assessing prolactin receptor by fluorometric method

[Survey of the status of estrogen and prolactin receptors in breast cancer]

The existence of hormonal receptors in cancer cells is very important in various aspects. Survey of the status of estrogen receptors [ERs] in the evaluation of breast cancer cells is important due to their response to hormonal therapy. Many studies have been recently carried out on prolactin receptors [PRLRs] especially in breast cancer. The aim of the present study was survey of the status of ERs and PRLRs in breast cancer. In this cross-sectional study 40 samples from breast cancer tumors were studied. Estrogen receptor was assessed by radio-ligand binding assay method. Free and total prolactin receptors were also measured using iodinated prolactin [[125]I-PRL]. Magnesium chloride solution [3.5 M] was used to assay the total prolactin receptor. Eighty five percent of tumor samples were ductal tubular carcinoma. In 62.5%, 45% and 62.5% of tumor samples ER, free PRLR and total PRLR were observed respectively. Forty Five percent of the tumor cells expressed both ER and total PRLR. A positive significant relation between ER and free PRLR was observed [p<0.05]. There was also a significant relation [p<0.05] between ER and total PRLR. Twenty Percent of tumor cells expressed neither ER nor total PRLR. Since the existence of estrogen and prolactin receptors in breast tumor cells have been shown, application of antiestrogenic and antiprolactin drugs in the inhibition of these tumors growth are possibly of value