ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: Growth spurt during adolescence, particularly the occurrence of menstruation in girls, increases their nutritional needs. The present study aimed at determining the effect of nutrition education on nutritional knowledge and Behavior of secondary school female students in the city of Birjand
Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 120 second grade secondary students in Birjand in 2012 were selected through two-stage cluster sampling method and were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Data collection tool was a questionnaire which was completed by the students both before and one month after intervention. The obtained data was analyzed by means of descriptive and analytical statistics including chi-square, independent and paired t-tests, and ANOVA at the significant level of 0.05 using SPSS software [V:16]
Results: Mean scores of nutritional knowledge in the intervention group after education increased from 21.35 +/- 4.57 to 26.66 +/- 4.4 [P>0.001] and their mean performance increased from 1.84 +/- 7.39 to 1.86 +/- 8.31 [P<0.04]. A significant difference in mean scores of knowledge between the control group and the intervention group was observed [P<0.05]. However, performance mean difference between the two groups was not significant
Conclusion: Education through lecture and asking/answering questions can significantly increase adolescents' awareness and to some extent, their nutritional performance, although more effective methods are advised to promote the situation
ABSTRACT
The development of vertebrae is a complex phenomenon that is correlated with distinct morphological and biochemical alterations in the paraxial mesenchyme and glycoconjugates. The purpose of this study is to investigate the glycosylation pattern in paraxial mesenchyme-forming vertebrae by using the lectin histochemical technique. In this descriptive-analytic study, B4G fixed paraffin sections of 9 to 15 day Balb/c mouse embryos were processed for histochemical studies using seven different HRP-labelled lectins: Glycin max [SBA], Maclura pomifera [MPA], Wistaria floribunda [WFA], Vicia villosa [VVA] which all of them are specific for N-acetylgalactosamine [GalNAc], Ulex europius [UEA1, binds to alpha-L-fucose], wheat germ agglutinin [WGA, binds to sialic acid], and Griffonia simplicifolia [GSA1-B4, binds to galactose terminal sugars]. The sections were observed separately by three examiners who were blinded to the lectins. Grading was done according to the intensity of the tested lectins' reactions with the specimen, from negative [-] to severe [+++]. Data was analysed with SPSS software [version 11.5] and the non-parametric Kruskal Wallis test; p<0.05 was considered significant. Our findings showed that among the tested lectins, only GalNAc residue sensitive lectins showed regulated changes in paraxial mesenchyme. Reactions of WFA and MPA lectins with paraxial mesenchyme were severe on GD9. Reactions of WFA continued to GD15 constantly, while MPA reactions continued strongly to GD12, significantly decreased thereafter [p<0.001], and then disappeared. VVA and SBA bindings initiated weakly on GD10 and continued to GD12 without changing. These reactions increased significantly [p<0.001] thereafter, became severe to GD14, and later disappeared. The other tested lectins did not reveal regulated changes. According to these findings it can be concluded that only the GalNAc terminal sugar showed temporally regulated changes during the early embryonic development of vertebrae in mice. Therefore it most likely plays a key role [s] in the development of vertebrae, especially in the conversion of mesenchymal cells into chondroblasts. The other tested terminal sugars may have no role in this phenomenon