[Assessment of factors affecting kidney transplant survival based on literature review between 2000 and 2014]

Background: Improvements in immune-suppressing drugs have a short-term effect on kidney transplants but do not have much long-term effect. In order to increase the duration of kidney transplant survival, understanding the significant parameters is of great importance. This study aims to identify key parameters [before the transplant occurs] which affect kidney transplant survival

Materials and methods: To conduct this review, the scientific databases was searched and more than 200 related titles were retrieved; and the abstracts were reviewed to determine which studies were relevant to the study. The literature analysis was based on the goals of the studies themselves, the number of citations, and the reliability of the sources cited. Ultimately, 60 studies included for further analysis

Results: Based on the frequency of each parameter which influenced graft survival, the following parameters were determined to have higher frequencies compared to other parameters, with regards to survival time of the kidney transplant: the ages of the donor and recipient, socioeconomic status, immune-suppressing drugs, HLA matching, time on the waiting list, live or deceased donor, the decade in which the operation occurred, cold ischemia time, and reaction to antibiotics

Conclusion: The influence of some of the kidney transplant survival parameters was acknowledged in the majority of studies; however, some parameters have been the subject of disagreement among studies. In order to resolve this issue, we suggest a search of international data and meta-analysis of current literature to better understand the parameters of kidney transplant survival

Using partitioning and non-partitioning clustering algorithms for included proteins sequences in esophagus, stomach and colon cancer

A thorough recognition of the nature and duties of the genes is based upon having adequate information about the proteins. However, the proteomic projects follow a slow trend; therefore, solving the protein-related problems has become as one of the most important challenges in bio-informatics. Consequently, the presence of tools which can enhance the structural recognition, classification, and interpretation of proteins will be advantageous. Statistical methods are among the tools to help solve bio-informatics problems. These methods may be used to help predict the third structures of proteins, study proteins collectively, as well as extract new interactions among the protein collections. One of the very efficient and useful methods in the collective study of protein subsets is the cluster analysis. In the present study, the recognized protein sequences related to esophagus, stomach, and colon cancers are analyzed through partitioning, non-partitioning, and fuzzy clustering methods. Needleman-Wunsch global alignment algorithm was used to determine pair-wise similarities. The evaluations have shown that the clusters obtained through using the AGNES method have produced more powerful structures; yet, it can be said that the PAM clustering method, compared to other ones, has produced the best results in predicting ability of the 3D structure of the unknown protein sequences

Attitudes, perceptions, and tendencies of the Iranian students in medical fields towards cheating and academic dishonesty

Background and Objectives: despite universities initiating different controlling systems, cheating is still rampant and a global phenomenon. One side of the problem of cheating involves the attitudes, perceptions and tendencies of the university students towards cheating and academic misconduct. The present survey seeks to elaborate on the above aspects among the students at one of the most important universities in Tehran, Iran

Methods and Sample: the study has benefitted from the translated and validated version of the questionnaire used by Lupton and Chapman [2002]. The sample included 386 students studying at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences [SBMU] in Tehran in different fields of medical sciences

Findings and Discussion: the survey has found some very interesting results on what Iranian university students think of cheating and academic dishonesty, despite all the controlling systems used in assigning homework and initiating mid-term and final exams. Almost 81.1 % of the female students and 85.2 % of male students did not consider "giving the exam answers to someone at the following semester" an act of cheating. Moreover, 72.2 % of students responded that they had not cheated. Interestingly, 65.4 % of the respondents have admitted that they had given information of a previous exam to another student. The results showed that sex did not have any role in cheating and academic dishonesty [p=0.826]

The results indicate that the students' attitude towards cheating and academic misconduct was significantly different [p<0.001] based on their field of study