[Effect of nutrition education during puberty on nutritional knowledge and behavior of secondary school female students in Birjand in 2012]

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

Regulatory changes of n-acetylgalactosamine terminal sugar in early mouse embryonic paraxial mesenchyme

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

Association of sterile pyuria and coronary artery aneurysm in Kawasaki syndrome

Kawasaki disease [KD] is an inflammatory multiorgan disease of unknown etiology. The most dramatic organ involved is the heart. There were a few studies about cardiac involvement and sterile pyuria. This study guides to determine if sterile pyuria is associated with coronary artery aneurysm [CAA] in KD patients and to consider it as a predicting factor for coronary artery involvement. Forty seven patients with KD were studied by echocardiography in admission and one month later. Urine analysis, complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were measured in admission. Data were analyzed using SPSS-14 software. Patients' age was ranged from 13 month to 7 years old [mean age of 3.43 +/- 1.54 years]. Thirty patients [63.8%] were male and 17 patients [36.1%] were female. Cardiac involvement was detected in 32 patients [68%] using echocardiography, of which CAA was reported in 8 cases [17%]. Six of CAA [75%] were in association with sterile pyuria, although it was statistically insignificant [P>0.05]. Although the majority of patients with CAA had sterile pyuria, this association is not statistically significant, thus it couldn't be considered as a predicting factor for CAA

Cornelia de Lange syndrome: a case report

Cornelia de Lange syndrome [CdLS] is a rare syndrome characterized by multiple congenital anomalies, mental retardation, characteristic facial appearance, developmental delay, skeletal malformation, hirsutism, and various cardiac and ophthalmological problems. The diagnosis of this syndrome is clinical. The patient of the present case report was the second case of CdLS form Iran; only a few cases of CdLS have thus far been reported from countries outside Europe and North America. Reporting CdLS cases of different ethnic backgrounds can add nuances to the phenotypic description of the syndrome and be helpful in diagnosis. Furthermore, an increased awareness of this syndrome may result in an early diagnosis and a decrease in morbidity