[Survey on satisfaction from quality of passed educational course from last year students' perspective of Hamadan university of medical sciences]

Introduction: Using a descriptive cross-sectional approach, this study was conducted to assess the quality of passed educational course among different medical sciences' disciplines in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2010

Methods: Including last year students of all disciplines of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences as study population, this research was done. Consequently, random stratified sampling was performed among last year students of each. Data were collected by applying a two-parted questionnaire as: A] Demographic section [such as age, gender, type of discipline, level of interest about discipline when arrived, level of interest to discipline at commence and now [last year] and etc. B] CEQ questions that's about teaching, aims and standards, whole content of lessons, material and resources, evaluation and general satisfaction. Data were analyzed by statistical software SPSS16 using descriptive statistics and correlation coefficient

Results: The results indicated that there was a significant relation between students' satisfaction on the quality of passed educational course and level of interest regarding to discipline at the last year of study. Minimum correlation revealed between total CEQ score and its various parts in evaluation part. Maximum CEQ score was gotten in Dentistry and minimum of it was obtained in Emergency Medicine Technicians

Conclusion: Data indicated that the competent, up-dated and expert teachers together with appropriate clinical education, suitable teaching-learning occurrence and interest to the discipline at entrance are all most important influencing factors on satisfaction of quality of passed educational course

Classification of death rate due to women's cancers in different countries

The two most frequently diagnosed cancers among women worldwide are breast and cervical cancers. The objective of the present study was to classify the different countries based on the death rates from sex specific cancers. In this cross-sectional study, we used dataset regarding death rate from breast, cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancers in 190 countries worldwide reported by World Health Organization. Normal mixture models were fitted with different numbers of components to these data. The model's parameters estimated using the EM algorithm. Then, appropriate number of components was determined and was selected the best-fit model using the BIC criteria. Next, model-based clustering was used to allocate the world countries into different clusters based on the distribution of women's cancers. The MIXMOD program using MATLAB software was used for data analysis. The best model selected with four components. Then, countries were allocated into four clusters including 43 [23%] in the first cluster, 28 [14%] in the second cluster, 75 [39%] in the third cluster, and 44 [24%] in the fourth cluster. Most countries in South America were to the first cluster. In addition, most countries in Africa, Central, and Southeast Asia were located to the third cluster. Furthermore, the fourth cluster consisted of Pacific continent, North America and European countries. Considering the benefits of clustering based on normal mixture models, it seems that can be applied this method in wide variety of medical and public heath contexts

[Ranking maternal health status in rural areas in Iran based on multivariate techniques of factor and cluster analysis]

Maternal health status is one the important health index since it could be a hallmark of performance of health care service particularly in rural area. The aim of this study is ranking and identifying homogeneous provinces based on maternal health indices in Iran. Based on the indices in the vital horoscope which were reported by Iran Ministry of Health in 2006, fifteen indices related to maternal health have been selected. Using factor analysis, a factor that can represent rural maternal health in provinces was chosen and provinces ranked according to it. A hierarchical cluster analysis employed for identifying homogenous province based on a distance matrix obtained from the same selected indices in factor analysis. Factor analysis demonstrated that 89% of data variation included in this model. Based on an appropriate factor as index of maternal health, ranking was run in all provinces in Iran. According to this model, the maternal health status was in good condition in the rural areas of Gilan, Mazandaran and Tehran provinces, respectively. While maternal health were in inappropriate condition in rural areas of Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh and Hormozgan provinces. The worst rural area was the province of Sistan and Baluchestan. It could be concluded that employing multivariate analysis would be an effective tool for ranking and classifying homogeneous population [provinces] in terms of maternal health indices. Therefore health policy makers should consider the practical method of this analysis for any decision making

Study of school noise in the capital city of Tehran-Iran

Noise pollution has a detrimental effect upon the learning and attainments of school children. Poor acoustical condition and high noise levels can cause many problems for the instructors and students. The acoustical indices and conditions of classrooms are important factors in the learning achievement of students. The purpose of this study was to find the relations of noise levels in indoor/outdoor and acoustical conditions of classrooms. Noise measurements and acoustical indices of 244 classrooms in 90 random samples consisting of primary, secondary and high schools in Tehran were considered. It was found that the average equivalent noise levels inside classrooms and corridors, yards and street sides in teaching condition were 72 dB[A], 65.8 dB[A], 64.1 dB[A] and 64.5 dB[A], respectively. Deference between mean indoor LAeq and background noise level in teaching conditions [above 32 dB] indicates that outdoor district noise sources could not significant affect indoor noise levels [P = 0.521]. Comparison of means between equivalent noise level in classrooms of boy schools with girl schools showed a significant difference [P=0.0001]. For the case of classrooms in primary, secondary and high school this Comparison had a significant deference [P=0.0001]. Site selection, improving acoustic quality, controlling opening in doors and windows and educating noise reduction for studied schools were proposed

[Effects of antioxidants supplemment, astaxanthin, Vitamin E, C, in rat fed a high-fat diet]

obesity is independently associated with increased oxidative stress in men and women. Natural antioxidants showed substantial antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities in vivo. In this study, we examined the preventive effect of antioxidants supplement and/or restricted diet on the development of obesity induced by feeding a high-fat [HF] diet. The present study was conducted at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2009. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to HF purified diet [61% kcal from fat] ad libitum, HF restricted [30%], HF supplemented with astaxanthin, vitamin E and C [HFS], HFS restricted [30%] for 12 weeks. Daily food intake and weekly body weight gain were measured. The collected data were analyzed by the SPSS software using Colmogroph- Smirnov, One-Way ANOVA, and Two-Way ANOVA. Dietary antioxidants suppressed body weight gain in the HF-diet ad libitum [-9.8%], and in HF restricted diet [-18.14%]. Energy intake was not significant in HF with HFS [58.8 and 58.6 kcal/rat/d, respectively] and in HF restricted with HFS restricted [41.7 and 41.6 kcal/rat/d, respectively]. Results of this study suggest that antioxidants supplement might be of value in reducing the likelihood of obesity in rats fed with high-fat diets, especially when accompanying with restricted diets

compact model for predicting road traffic noise

Noise is one of the most important sources of pollution in the metropolitan areas. The recognition of road traffic noise as one of the main sources of environmental pollution has led to develop models that enable us to predict noise level from fundamental variables. Traffic noise prediction models are required as aids in the design of roads and sometimes in the assessment of existing, or envisaged changes in, traffic noise conditions. The purpose of this study was to design a prediction road traffic noise model from traffic variables and conditions of transportation in Iran. This paper is the result of a research conducted in the city of Hamadan with the ultimate objective of setting up a traffic noise model based on the traffic conditions of Iranian cities. Noise levels and other variables have been measured in 282 samples to develop a statistical regression model based on A-weighted equivalent noise level for Iranian road condition. The results revealed that the average L[Acq] in all stations was 69.04 +/- 4.25 dB[A], the average speed of vehicles was 44.57 +/- 11.46 km/h and average traffic load was 1231.9 +/- 910.2 V/h. The developed model has seven explanatory entrance variables in order to achieve a high regression coefficient [R[2]=0.901]. Comparing means of predicted and measuring equivalent sound pressure level [L[Acq]] showed small difference less than -0.42 dB[A] and -0.77 dB[A] for Tehran and Hamadan cities, respectively. The suggested road traffic noise model can be effectively used as a decision support tool for predicting equivalent sound pressure level index in the cities of Iran

comparative study of factors affecting reluctance to scientific writing from the viewpoints of basic and clinical sciences faculty members in Hamedan University of Medical Sciences in 2006

Although activities carried out in Hamedan University of Medical Sciences in regard to publishing scientific articles are appreciable, they are not gratifying yet. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the factors affecting reluctance to scientific writing from the viewpoints of basic and clinical sciences faculty members in Hamedan University of Medical Sciences in 2006. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study which was performed using census sampling method. The study population included all faculty members [n=260] of Hamedan University of Medical Sciences. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire consisting of two parts, asking about demographic data and measuring attitude. Questionnaires were distributed among all faculty members and finally the data driven from 228 gathered questionnaires was analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistical methods. Among the participants of this study, 102 persons [44.8 percent] were in basic sciences department and 126 persons [55.2 percent] in clinical sciences department. The primary factor affecting reluctance to scientific writing from the viewpoints of basic sciences group, was lack of proficiency in language skills with the mean score of 3.95 +/- 0.96 and from the viewpoints of clinical sciences members, it was due to extra occupation in educational affairs, teaching, and treatment with the mean score of 3.88 +/- 1.17. The participants of this study believed that extra occupation in educational activities and lack ofproficiencv in language skills are the primary barriers to willingness for scientific writing

Environmental exposure to xylenes in drivers and petrol station workers by urinary methylhippuric acid

The aims of this study were evaluation of exposed to xylenes in low concentration and compare urinary level of methyl hippuric acid in taxi drivers and petrol stations workers in West of Iran. This observation study was carried out on samples of the exposed men to xylenes in two occupational groups in Hamadan City [west of Iran] from March 2003 to March 2004. Subjects included 45 taxi drivers and 25 petrol station workers. The study group was selected from 54 workers at petrol stations and 300 drivers by simple random sampling. Xylenes was analyzed using gas chromatography equipped with a Flame Ionization Detector [FID]. The urinary methyl hippuric acid [MHA] was analyzed with High performance Liquid Chromatography [HPLC] equipped with an ultraviolet [UV] detector. Total xylene exposure was 1.05 +/- 0.55 ppm [mean +/- SD] with a range of 0.20-2.55 ppm that was about 4 times more than taxi drivers' exposure. The poor correlation coefficient was seen between xylenes concentration and urinary MHA for drivers [r2 = 0.09 to 0.42] but significant associations were noted between urinary MHA and xylene in the breathing zone of petrol station workers [r2 = 0.69 to 0.77; P < 0.05]. High xylenes levels are emitted in petrol stations at Iran. Urinary MHA level has a poor correlation with exposure to xylenes in drivers but has good correlation in petrol station workers

Association between alcohol consumption and gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer. As conflicting studies have recently been published, we aimed to evaluate the magnitude of the epidemiological evi- dence for an association between alcohol consumption and gastric cancer. This study is a meta-analysis of case-control studies which have been performed during 1989 to 2007. We systematically reviewed the literature on the association between alcohol consump- tion and gastric cancer. Published case-control studies were identified in Pub Med and reference lists. Random effects meta-analysis was used to pool effects from twenty studies. The odds ratio [OR] for the overall association between alcohol and gastric cancer was 1.77 [95%CI: 1.46-2.15]. The pooled OR for alcohol consumption related to gastric cancer for men was 2.17 [95%CI: 1.67-2.83]. The odds ratio of beer or liquor was 1.16 which is not statistically related to gastric cancer risk [P > 0.05]. Whereas, the odds ratio of vodka, wine and other types of alcohol intake related to gastric cancer were respectively 3.26, 1.69, and 1.77 [P < 0.01]. Overall, based on the results of pooled analysis, it is reassuring that this meta-analysis shows a direct effect of alcohol associated with gastric cancer. Knowledge on the level of exposure to different alcohol constituents provides a deeper understanding of the real role of alcohol on cancer risk and ultimately allows the design of safer beverages

Road traffic noise model

The recognition of road traffic noise as one of the main sources of environmental pollution has led to develop models that enable to predict noise level from fundamental variables. Traffic noise prediction models are required as aids for designing roads and highways. In addition, sometimes are used in the assessment of existing or envisaged changes in traffic noise conditions. In this paper a statistical modelling approach has been used for predicting road traffic noise in Iranian road conditions. The study was performed during 2005-2006 in Hamadan city, in the west of Iran. The data set consisted of 282 noise measurements. The entire data set was utilized to develop a new model for Iranian condition using regression analysis. The developed model has twelve explanatory variables in order to achieve a proper fit for measured values of L[eq] [r[2]= 0.913]. The proposed road traffic noise model can be effectively used as a decision support tools for prediction of traffic noise index of L[eq[30min]], in Iran's cities

Tobacco smoking and oral cancer: a meta-analysis

Several epidemiological studies suggest that tobacco smoking increases the risk of oral cancer. No systematic review, however, has been reported to examine how consistent the evidence is across the studies. We undertook a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies investigating the magnitude relationship between tobacco smoking and oral cancer. Primary studies were identified through a computerized literature search of Medline. Articles abstracted were all epidemiological studies published as original articles in English during 1990-2007 provided the summary estimates of odds ratios [OR] of tobacco smoking for oral cancer compared to that of non-smokers. A total of 15 case-control studies were used for this meta-analysis. Summary of OR was calculated based on random effects model. The combined odds ratio for tobacco smoking related to oral cancer was 4.65 [95%CI, 3.19-6.77]. Also, the highest combined odds ratio was belong to America continents [OR= 7.65; 95%CI, 5.11-11.45] and the lowest was in Asia [OR= 1.88; 95%CI, 0.95-3.71]. There was heterogeneity in the pooled OR estimate across the studies. Our results clearly indicate that tobacco smokers are at increased risk of oral cancer. The cancer risk can be reduced by controlling of tobacco smoking in different countries

[ Diagnostic Value of Ag-NOR analysis and SAPA score in Normal and skin lesions]

Background: evaluation of the diagnostic value of silver nucleolar organizer Region assessment in skin diseases is important. According to this reason, we want to study the Argyrophilic Nucleolar Organizer Region [Ag-NOR] count and Subjective Ag-NOR Pattern Assessment [SAPA] score in normal skin, Squamous Cell Carcinoma [SCC], Basal Cell Carcinoma [BCC] and Solar Keratosis [SK]

Materials and Methods: the study groups consisted of 69 cases [18 SCC, 18 SK, 17 BCC and 16 Normal skin]. The specimens were studied by microscope which were prepared by H and E staining and silver staining for Ag-NOR

Results: the mean count in SCC was 2.92, in SK 2.29 and in BCC 1.59, which was statistically significant compared to 0.93 in normal skin [p value <0.001]. The SAPA score was in SCC 7.94 in SK 7.61 in BCC 6.35 and in normal skin 5.00 [p value <0.001]

Conclusions: Ag-NOR count and SAPA score in normal and pathological status of skin has positive results

Ecological capability evaluation for aquaculture activities by GIS

Geographic Information System [GIS] is the best suitable system for land evaluation. In this research, at the first step, the Makhdoum's model is introduced, and then Hamadan Province, from aquaculture point of view and capabilities of the lands to fulfill aquaculture activities is evaluated. GIS was used for the mentioned purposes. The software used was Arc View [version 3.2 a], with the UTM projection. For evaluation, Mc Hark method of Maps overlaying was utilized. According to the results, the suitable surface area for aquaculture activities was introduced, which was equal to 13.1 percent of Hamadan Province. According to the evaluations. this province has limited potentials for aquaculture activities. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to these limitations in development plans

Comparative study of lung function in Iranian factory workers exposed to silica dust

The study compared lung function among 322 workers in pottery, ceramic, stone-cutter and stone-grinder factories in the west of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Concentrations of silica particles <2 microm were measured in the ambient air of factories. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1] and forced vital capacity [FVC] were significantly lower in stone-grinders compared with pottery, ceramic or stone-cutter workers and a control group. No difference in lung function was found in pottery and stone-cutter workers with less than 20 years occupation compared with controls. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms in stone-grinders was higher than other workers. The concentration of silica particles of stone-grinder factories was 40-110 times higher than in ceramic and potteries factories. More attention is needed to ventilation systems and health care of stone-grinders