Seroprevalence of poliovirus antibodies among 7-month-old infants after 4 doses of oral polio vaccine in Sistan-va-Baluchestan, Islamic Republic of Iran

Despite high coverage rates of polio vaccine in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the seroconversion rates of infants may be inadequate. This study measured seroprevalence of antibodies against poliovirus serotypes 1 to 3 [PV1, PV2 and PV3] in 7-month-old infants who had received at least 4 doses of trivalent oral polio vaccine. A serosurvey was conducted in 2010 in rural areas of Chabahar, Sistan-va-Baluchestan province. Using cluster sampling, 72 eligible infants were tested for antibody against the 3 poliovirus serotypes according to WHO guidelines. Antibody titres >/= 1:10 were considered positive. The seropositive rates for antibody against PV1, PV2 and PV3 were 84.7%, 95.8% and 70.8% respectively. Only 63.9% of participants were seropositive for antibodies against all 3 poliovirus serotypes. Except for PV2, the seroprevalence of antibody against the other 2 poliovirus serotypes, especially PV3, was unsatisfactory

[Relationship of methodology workshops with research productivity - knowledge of research methodology among the Tehran University clinical faculty]

To determine the level of knowledge in methodology among clinical faculty and to explore the association between attending to courses on statistics and methodology, the knowledge of the clinical faculty, and the number of research papers published by them at the School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. We conducted a survey on a random sample of one hundred clinical faculty members. A questionnaire of 20 items was used to assess knowledge. Thirty percent [95% CI: 21-39%] of the faculty surveyed had a fair to satisfactory knowledge of the field. The proportion of fair to satisfactory level of knowledge was 41% among the educated faculty and 21% among those who did not attend a course on the subject [P value: 0.043]. Mean difference in the number of published papers between the two groups was 3 [P value: 0.057]. Considering the plausibility of a causal relation between attending to courses on statistics and methodology and knowledge and research productivity, and the general unsatisfactory level of knowledge on the subject, continuing delivery of such courses is recommended

need to revise assessment criteria of academic board members:assessment of research based knowledge transfer in Tehran university of medical sciences

In the past two decades, scientific publications in Iran has considerably increased in the context of medical science and the number of articles published in ISI journals has doubled from 1997 to 2001. Along with this quantitative development, it is interesting to know whether the researches done have led to a change in service provision and an improvement in the health of the society eventually. The aim of the present study was to examine the behavior of researchers in Tehran University of Medical Sciences about knowledge transfer activities. The other question was which factors could affect the researchers' behavior of knowledge transfer. The samples of study were all Tehran University of Medical Sciences' research projects that had received grants from inside and outside the university in 1383, had registered their contracts, had been finished by the time this study was done [the second half of 1385] and their reports had been sent. of 315 research projects that possessed the inclusion criteria, 301 projects were examined and their respective checklists were completed. The researcher's questionnaire was sent to the principal investigators of the projects and eventually 208 questionnaires were collected. Researchers stated that their passive activities of knowledge transfer to be more in the field of publishing articles. The mean score for researchers' performance in this field was 27% of the total score. The mean score of the researchers' performance in [active] activities was 6% of the total score attainable. The review of 301 research proposals showed that the total cost of the projects under study was a little less than 12 trillion rials, whereas in only 20 projects [6.6%], part of the cost had been provided by organizations outside the university. Among these, only 7 cases [2.3%] had considered costs for research-based knowledge transfer. In spite of the present expectations of knowledge transfer in the world, many academicians still use the methods of research based knowledge dissemination and not implementation. So, if it is necessary to 'connect knowledge to practice', it is also necessary to introduce considerable changes in organizational procedures and encouragement policies [e.g. employment and promotion of academic members]. The organizations themselves need to show commitment to knowledge transfer too. This means that apart from creating the necessary motivation in researchers, methods of implementation such as securing the necessary funds as part of the expenses of research projects and also training of researchers should also be considered

[ World Health Organization qualty of life [WHOQOL-BREF] qusetionnaire: translation and validation study of the Iranian version]

In 1991, the world health organization initiated a project to simultaneously develop an instrument for measuring quality of life in 15 countries. The study yielded two questionnaires, namely WHOQOL-100 and WHOQOL-BREF. These were intended as generic QOL measurement tools to be used in a broad range of diseases, for different degrees of disease severity, and in various cultural subgroups. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the Iranian version of the WHOQOL-BREF. This 26-item instrument comprises four domains: Physical Health, Psychological, Social Relationship, Environment and the overall QOL/health. We administered the questionnaire to 1167 adults in Tehran. The stratified sample consisted of 476 diseased subjects and 700 healthy ones. We tested the instrument's reliability [internal consistency, test-retest], discriminant validity and factorial structure. The participants had an age mean of 36.3 years [SD = 13.2] and had an average 11.5 years of education. Using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation, all domains met the minimum reliability standards, with the exception of social relationship domain [alpha = 0.55]. The latter could be attributed the small number of questions in this domain and the sensitive nature of the questions themselves. Since 83% of the questions show maximum correlation with their original domain, the factorial structure of the questionnaire was regarded as acceptable. The questionnaire has the ability to discriminate different groups after adjustment for confounding factors in regression analysis. This study demonstrated good to excellent reliability and acceptable validity in various groups of subjects in Iran. The instrument may be used in future studies, albeit with minor modifications in the domain of social relations, as determined by expert opinion

Physical activity in iranian students CASPIAN study

Sedentary behavior in childhood is one of the strongest risk factors for many chronic diseases and somatic conditions in adulthood, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, and osteoporosis. This study was an investigation to design a surveillance system for non-communicable diseases. The present national survey was performed as a multi-centric cross-sectional study for the baseline survey of a project entitled: "Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and PreventIon of Adult Non- communicable Diseases-CASPIAN Study. The study was supported by the World Health Organization and performed by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, with collaboration of 23 universities of Medical Sciences. One of the items studied was the physical activity. Physical activity data is evaluated by metabolic equivalent [METs] accelerometers. 21111 school pupils aged 6 to 18 years consisting of 10858 girls [51.4%] and 10253 boys [48.6%] have been studied. 5.2% of them were obese and 9.4% overweight. The mean times of moderate and vigorous physical activity were 4.7 and 0.8 hours everyday. Boys were more active than girls [p<0.05] and primary school students were more active than high school students [p<0.05]. Watching television, using the computer, or playing video games were the most common sedentary activity in students. Physical activity in our subjects was in acceptable level. Boys tend to be more active than girls, and there is a decrease in activity over the adolescent years

[Comparing epidemiological methods in detecting drug safety signal in IRAN]

To compare three different methods of signal detection applied to the Adverse Drug Reactions registered in the Iranian Pharmacovigilance database from 1998 to 2005. All Adverse Drug Reactions [ADRs] reported to Iranian Pharmacovigilance Center from March 1998 through January 2005, were included in the analysis. The data were analyzed based on three different signal detection methods including Reporting Odds Ratios [PRRs], Bayesian Propagation Neural Network [BCPNN] and Reporting Odds Ratios [RORs]. Signals detected by each method were categorized based on the number of reports per drug-adverse event combination, severity of the event and labeled or unlabeled ADRs. The methods applied to signal detection were then compared in recognizing different types of adverse events. A total of 6353 cases of ADR reports, describing 11130 reactions, were reported to Iranian Pharmacovigilance Center [IPC] during the study period. The dataset involved 4975 drug-event combinations, which were assessed for detecting signals. The counts of drug-event combinations was 1, 2 and 3 or more for 3470, 727 and 779 combinations, respectively. There were 500 drug items responsible for 468 reaction terms in the database. According to PRR and 95 Confidence Interval, there were 2838, 872 and 488 drug-event combinations known as a signal for the pairs with the reporting frequency of >/=1,>/=2 and >/=3 reports, respectively. The signals detected with the criteria of PRR>/=2, [CHI]2>/=4 were 2930, 872 and 480 for the pairs with the same reporting frequencies. Estimates of RORs and the 95% Confidence Interval showed that 2722, 862 and 481 drug-event combinations were detected to be signal for the pairs with the reporting frequency of >/=1, >/=2 and >/=3 reports, respectively, while measuring IC and IC-2SD detected 1120, 378 and 235 cases for the same reporting frequencies. There were 234 signals detected by all three methods. Despite the similarities between data mining methodologies for signal detection, there are differences in the numbers of signals detected by each method. The study findings suggest that quantitative signal detection methods should be added to the routine Pharmacovigilance activities in Iran and the trends for quantitative measures over time should be monitored

[The effect of withdrawal status in predisposing habitual opioid users to traffic accidents: a case-crossover study]

Road traffic injuries are among the most important causes of death and disability in Iran, and the country has one of the highest prevalence of opioid drug use, especially among drivers. The effect of different situations related to opioid use needs great attention. The purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of driving in the withdrawal phase on the occurrence of traffic accidents leading to injury. This is a Case-Crossover study on injured drivers of crashed motor vehicles in Kerman. Drivers having skipped one habitual drug dose within one hour of the driving session were considered as being in withdrawal. We compared the drivers' situation at the time of accident with their regular driving habits. Among 75 drivers who had history of regular use of opium, 15 were in withdrawal phase at the time of accident. The relative rate of occurrence of traffic injuries while driving in these circumstances was 2.67 [95% confidence interval: 1.52 - 4.68]. According to these findings we can conclude that habitual opioid users are at greater risk of traffic accidents while driving in withdrawal status; this risk is more than two-fold relative to not being in withdrawal status

[Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding the mass Anti-Measles and Rubella Immunization Campaign [2004] in the Population Covered by Tehran University of Medical Sciences]

The campaign to eliminate measles and rubella [MR] is one of the most important current health projects in Iran. One of the basic requirements of this program is the creation of an efficient system for collecting data on MR morbidity and mortality, people's knowledge, attitude and practice [KAP] regarding MR prevention, and people's participation in the eradication drive. The present study was done to assess people's knowledge, attitude and practice in relation to the current anti-MR campaign. This cross- sectional study was carried out four months after the mass [anti-MR campaign [performed in May 2004]. The target population included at the people aged 20-25y who lived in areas covered by Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services. The calculated sample size was 384, using a 2-stage sampling procedure. We used X2 tests, odds ratios and confidence intervals to detect relationships between various categorical variables. We also performed Cronbach's alpha test to assess questionnaire reliability, and principal component analysis to ensure construct validity. Data were collected on 390 individuals. The percentages of people with an acceptable level of knowledge, attitude and practice were 63.3%, 53.6% and 93.1% respectively. After controlling for confounders in a logistic regression model, it became apparent that knowledge concerning the mass immunization campaign was related to the individual's own education and that of his/her mother. Attitude was found to be affected by factors such as education, marital status and the family's main income level. The practice component, on the other hand, was not significantly related to any of the variables included in this study. The positive achievements of this program should be used in planning any future immunization campaigns. Particular attention should be paid to factors that affect overall coverage. These include human resources, equipment, vaccines and other materials, service quality, the cold chain, information provided to the public, and people's as well as providers' knowledge of the immunization program, the target diseases [s] and the vaccines

[Do the dietary habits of our community warrant health of children and adolescents now and in future? CASPIAN study?]

We performed this study considering the fact that many chronic diseases have their origin in early life, their risk factors in childhood and adulthood are identical, and an early primary prevention is of great importance. The present national survey was performed as a multi-centric cross-sectional study for the baseline survey of a project entitled: 'Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and PreventIon of Adult Noncommunicable Diseases': CASPIAN Study. The study was supported by the World Health Organization and performed by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, with collaboration of 23 universities of Medical Sciences. One of the items studied was the dietary habits in relating to non-communicable diseases [NCDs]. 21111 school pupils aged 6 to 18 years consisting of 10858 girls [51.4%] and 10253 boys[48.6%], as well as one of their parents have been studied. 84.6% of them lived in urban and 15.4% in rural areas, 90% visited public and 10% private schools. The most frequent type of fat used for food preparation in home was hydrogenated solid fat [73.8%], and most families consumed bread prepared with white flour [58.4%], only 19.7% of pupils never added salt to their table foods. The mean consumption frequency of fruits and vegetables, sweets, salty/fat snacks and deep fried foods was 16.5, 10,4.9 and 3.98 times/week respectively, without significant difference between different school levels. The unhealthy dietary habits of the children and adolescents of our community are a major threat for the health of this age group and make our community prone to an epidemic of NCDs in the next two decades, and emphasizes the role of the pediatricians and other related health professionals in the primary prevention of chronic diseases