[ evaluation of breakfast intake pattern and short-term memory status in junior secondary school students in Shiraz, 2007]

Nutritional factors, especially breakfast can have some effects on children's learning, educational improvement and memory. Nutrients, such as niacin, folic acid, cobalamine etc. can have effect on short-term memory via several mechanisms. This study was conducted to evaluate breakfast intake pattern and short-term memory status in junior secondary school students in Shiraz. In this cross-sectional study, a total number of 150 girl students were randomly selected from four secondary schools in Shiraz. The students were asked to fill out the socio-economic questionnaires as well as food frequency questionnaires for breakfast. They were provided by three-day breakfast and their short-term memories were evaluated by Weksler test. Socio-economic conditions and dietary intakes were analyzed using ANOVA test. The results of this study showed that there was no correlation between parents job, students mean age and their school grades with their memory scores. Dietary analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between local soup consumption in breakfast and memory scores. Food record analysis showed no correlation between fat, cholesterol, protein, vitamin B6, B12, calorie or iodine intake in breakfast and memory scores, but there was a positive correlation between carbohydrate, iron and vitamin B3 intake in breakfast and memory scores, similarly there was a positive correlation between B12 intake in the breakfast and students' average school grades during the year. Adequate breakfast with lesser lipid and meat and higher carbohydrate, Fe2+ and vitamin B3 can have important role to improve short-term memory

Research problems from educational boards' view of Iran University of Medical Sciences

One of the most important criteria tobs rated as excellent universities is the number of the researches done. So researches and studies are vital for improvement. This is a descriptive study that was done in 1386. The sample of study was 132 Educational boards of Iran university that were selected at random [stratified method]. The tool of study was a questionnaire in two sections, the validity and reliability of questionnaire was examined. The findings analyzed by SPSS software. the findings showed that important problems primarily was inadequacy of budget, and secondly insufficient knowledge of managers about research problems, and in tertiary step insufficient shortage of equipments were verified. The findings showed that manager should pay attention specially to research and its problems in universities and encourage personnel to research and study

[Anti-hyperlycemic and hypolipidemic effect of oral administration of Capsicum frutescens in male STZ-diabetic rats]

There are few reports on the antidiabetic effect of the medicinal plant red pepper. Since there is no strong documentation for its efficacy in diabetic state, therefore, its hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effect was investigated in an experimental model of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. For this purpose, male Wistar rats [n = 36] were randomly divided into 4 groups, i.e. control, pepper-treated control, diabetic, and pepper-treated diabetic groups. For induction of diabetes, streptozotocin [STZ 60 mg/Kg i.p.] was used at a single dose. A serum glucose level higher than 250 mg/dl was considered as the presence of diabetic state. The treatment groups received oral administration of pepper-mixed pelleted food at a ratio of 1/15. Statistical analysis of the data showed that serum glucose level in diabetic group increases 2 and 4 weeks after the experiment as compared to data one week before the experiment [p<0.001], while this parameter was only significantly lower 2 weeks after the experiment in pepper-treated diabetic group as compared to untreated-diabetic group [p<0.01]. In addition, there was no significant difference between pepper-treated control and untreated control groups regardiong serum glucose level. In addition, triglyceride level was higher in diabetic group and there was a reduction in this parameter in pepper-treated diabetic group as compared to diabetic group at fourth week after the experiment [p<0.05]. On the other hand, cholesterol level showed no significant reduction in pepper-treated diabtic group in comparison with untreated diabetic group. Taken together, the results of this study clearly showed that oral administration of red pepper in short-term could significantly reduce serum glucose level and in long-term could only reduce triglyceride level in diabetic rats. Therefore, this medicinal plant is recommended for attenuation of some diabetic complications due to hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia