ABSTRACT
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and the factor structure of the Behavior Problems Inventory [BPI-01] among students with intellectual disabilities in Iran
Methods: The Persian version of BPI-01 was administered to the care staff of Iranian children and adolescents [n=591] who had been detected as suffering from intellectual disabilities. Iranian children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities in the present study lived in one of the 4 provinces of Tehran, Esfahan, Karaj, and Kurdistan. Cronbach ? and confirmatory factor analysis [CFA] were used for analyzing the data
Results: The results of the study showed that the scale could reach an acceptable level of internal consistency [Cronbach ? ranged from 0.83 to 0.94]. Furthermore, CFA supported the unidimensionality of the subscales as well as 3 factor structure proposed in the original BPI-01
Conclusion: The Persian version of BPI-01 enjoys an acceptable level of reliability and is explained by the same factor structure proposed in the original BPI-01. The limitations and some applications of the present study will be discussed too
ABSTRACT
Various frequencies of sperm aneuploidy are reported in sperms of subfertile patients compared to normal individuals. Moreover, sperm DNA damage is shown to be associated with male infertility. In this study, the rate of DNA damage and frequencies of aneuploidy in sperms of subfertile patients was investigated. Semen samples were obtained from healthy normal and subfertile [oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, and oligoasthenozoospermia] men. The frequency of aneuploidy was assessed using primed in situ labeling [PRINS] analysis with specific primers for chromosomes 18, 21, X, and Y. Sperm DNA damage was assessed using alkaline comet assay. The mean frequencies of disomy for the patients were significantly higher than normal for all chromosomes [P<0.01]. The extent of DNA damage in sperms of subfertiles was significantly higher than in normal individuals [P<0.001]. The obtained results indicated that higher rate of DNA damages led to higher frequency of chromosomal disomy except for asthenozoospermia samples which exhibited higher rate of DNA damage and lower frequency of chromosomal disomy. These results demonstrate that men with oligozoospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia have an elevated risk for chromosome abnormalities in their sperm, particularly sex chromosomes. DNA damage might be involved in the process of malsegregation of chromosomes
ABSTRACT
Pneumocystis Pneumonia [PCP] caused by Pneumocystis Jjirovecii [formerly called P.Carinii] is one of the most common opportunistic infections in patients with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]. The aim of this study was to assess PCP in HIV-infected patients at the "National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease" [NRITLD]. A retrospective study was performed on 12 HIV-infected patients who were hospitalized at the Masih Daneshvari Hospital [NRITLD] and diagnosed as having PCP during 2003- 2007. In patients suspected of PCP with symptoms such as exertional dyspnea, fever, cough and related radiological findings, bronchoscopy including bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] and transbronchial lung biopsy [TBLB] were performed and high resolution computed tomography [HRCT] was obtained from all patients. Mean age of the understudy patients was 32.8 +/- 5.02 yrs. The most common symptom was exertional dyspnea [91.7% of cases]. Mean duration from the onset of symptoms until diagnosis was 27.4 +/- 18.7 days. All patients were treated with Co-Trimoxazole and no adverse effects were detected. Mortality rate was 25%. In Iran PCP is one of the common opportunistic infections in HIV-positive patients which is accompanied by a high mortality rate