[Content analysis of teaching methods developed in the Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch and comparing with the approved guidelines]

Background: Infrastructure of increased productivity in universities requires emphasis on improving the quality of its faculty members and don't updating of peoples in their profession, according to the quality of the course of advanced teaching methods. The present paper was performed aiming at content analysis of in service training curriculum in faculties of Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch, and comparing it with the approved topics

Materials and methods: In the descriptive survey research, faculty members and specialists of educational sciences group were studied. Sample size was calculated as 86 subjects by Morgan table and they were chosen by systematic random sampling. Data collection was done by author's questionnaire for which the stability was verified by Cronbach alpha of 0.839. One sample t test was used to analyze the data

Results: Correspondence of in service training of advanced teaching method was desirable according to approved topics of Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical branch. According to participants' view, each component of curriculum, including objectives, method, contents, and evaluation was significant and suitable. Also, the compliance of the elements of objectives, contents, method and evaluation in the curriculum of advanced teaching method were suitable and significant

Conclusion: In order to increase quality and empowerment of faculty members, the content of courses in service training should be continually adapted by planners with the approved topics

[Investigation of connexin 26 mutations and three large deletions spanning connexin 30 in 63 Iranian families with autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss]

Hearing loss is the most frequent neurosensory defect in human. Mutations in GJB2 and GJB6 are responsible for 50% of autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss [ARNSHL] cases. Here we report on the frequencies of GJB2 and GJB6 mutations and three large deletions spanning the GJB6 gene including Del [GJB6-D13S1830], Del [GJB6-D13S1854] and a>920 kb deletion in patients affected by ARNSHL referred to Kawsar's Human Genetics Research Center. In this study, 94 patients from 63 families with ARNSHL were investigated. Patient's homozygote for 35delG were screened and left out of the study and the remaining samples were analyzed by sequencing of GJB2 and GJB6 genes. Also the three large deletions spanning the GJB6 gene were analyzed by Real Time PCR In this study we found GJB2 mutations in 13 families [20.6%] out of 63.The 35delG mutation was the most common mutation in the studied population [61.5%]. Other GJB2 mutations were delE120, R127H, W24X, and V37I. The heterozygous or negative cases for the GJB2 mutations were screened for mutation in the GJB6 gene by sequencing and no mutation was observed. Also, we checked the three large deletions in GJB6, we found no mutations. Low frequency of mutations in the GJB2 gene implies that other genes may be involved in causing non-syndromic hearing loss in our country