The reliability and validity of the Iranian version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire for patients with Bone Metastases: the EORTC QLQ-BM22.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the measure among a sample of Iranian patients with bone metastases. One hundred and seventy-seven patients with bone metastases undergoing various treatments were recruited from Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran to participate in the study. The coefficient alpha affirmed internal consistency reliability of the Quality of Life Questionnaire for patients with Bone Metastases (QLQ-BM22). This measure discriminated well between subgroups of the patients based on performance status and responding to treatment. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the factorial validity of the four hypothesized QLQ-BM22 scales. Patients in this study had a similar interpretation of the items on the QLQ-BM22 regardless of gender. All scales of the QLQ-BM22 were sensitive to change after treatment over a month's follow-up, with the exception of psychosocial aspects. The Persian version of the EORTC QLQ-BM22 was highly reliable and is valid for use among patients with bone metastases who are undergoing various treatment regimes.

Cross-cultural adaptation and reliability evaluation of Iranian version of Functional Assessment Measure in spinal cord injury patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Iranian version of the Functional Assessment Measure (FAM) among patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred patients with SCI participated in this study. A convenience sampling approach was used for selection of the patients. The FAM was translated into Persian language and then independently translated back into English. The reliability of the FAM was assessed by test-retest methods with a 14-day interval for interrater reliability. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICCs) was calculated and interrater reliability and intrarater reliability were assessed. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 35.7 years (SD, 7.2) and 86% of patients were male.The Cronbach alpha coefficient for both raters was above 0.70. Intrarater reliability of the Iranian version of the FAM ranged from good to excellent agreement. The highest level of intrarater reliability was observed for Community mobility (ICC = 0.93). There was good to excellent agreement for interrater reliability of the FAM. The FAM could differentiate between subgroups of patients based on the level of injury but not for the time elapsed from the injury. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, the Iranian version of the FAM (FAM-Ir) was highly valid and reliable for evaluation of functional ability in patients with SCI. Therefore, we would suggest that the FAM could also be used as an assessment tool for SCI patients.

Effect of a school-based oral health-education program on Iranian children: results from a group randomized trial.

Parents and school staff play important roles in promoting children's oral health. Our study goals were to investigate whether an intervention targeting parents and school staff can improve the oral-health behavior and oral-health status of schoolchildren. Three-hundred and ninety-two schoolchildren in six schools in Tehran participated in a group randomized trial from September 2010 to March 2011. Schools were randomly allocated into three groups: comprehensive, student, and control. Intervention in the comprehensive group consisted of strategies to encourage children, their parents, and school staff to increase the frequency of toothbrushing and flossing. In the student group, the intervention targeted only children. The control group received no intervention. The primary outcome was change in oral-health behaviors (brushing and flossing), while the secondary outcomes were changes in oral hygiene and Community Periodontal indices and in Health Belief Model components. Multilevel modeling was employed for data analyses. Students who were in the comprehensive intervention group brushed and flossed significantly more frequently compared with those in the student intervention group. Although students' gingival health improved significantly in the comprehensive intervention group, such significant improvement was not seen in the student group. In conclusion, promising results are seen when the oral-health education targets both school and home settings.

The PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale in Iranian children: reliability and validity.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of the study was to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) Oral Health Scale in over 1000 Iranian children. METHODS: A standard forward and backward translation procedure was used to convert the US English dialect version of the PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale into the Iranian language (Persian). The Iranian version of the PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale, in combination with the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales, was then subsequently administered to 1053 Iranian children and 1026 parents. The reliability of the PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale was evaluated using internal consistency and test-retest methods. Known-groups discriminant validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the Oral Health and the four Generic Core Scales combined, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Oral Health Scale alone were conducted. The Benjamini-Hochberg procedure was used to correct P-values for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Good to excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities were demonstrated. The PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale demonstrated discriminant validity for subgroups of children across different decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index categories and gender. The EFA supported the a priori factor model of the combined five scales. The CFA analysis confirmed the unidimensional factor structure of the Oral Health Scale. CONCLUSIONS: The PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale demonstrated excellent psychometric properties in combination with the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales. These five scales combined can be utilized to assess the multidimensional oral-health-related quality of life of Iranian children.

Health-related quality of life in Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis: a cross-cultural study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who live in Tehran and to compare data with evaluations of both the general population and MS patients in other countries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and forty patients with MS, yet without severe comorbidity, were selected according to convenience sampling in a cross-sectional study. Data were collected by means of the SF-36 questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The Expanded Disability Status Scale of Kurtzke (EDSS) and Mini Mental State Examination were recorded for all patients. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 34.7 years. For all SF-36 scales, MS patients were found to have lower scores, after adjustment for sex and age, compared with the general population. BDI and EDSS scores were significantly and negatively correlated with all of the SF-36 scales. Moreover, the BDI and EDSS were found to be positively correlated with one another (r = 0.415, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings strongly confirm that patients with MS suffer from poor HRQoL. Depression had a strong effect on HRQoL and in order to improve HRQoL in MS patients the prevention and treatment of depression is vital.

Effects of silibinin on cell growth and invasive properties of a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG-2, through inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation.

The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the effect of silibinin on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG-2 cells. Microculture tetrazolium test (MTT assay), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, Gelatin zymography, Griess reaction, Cell-based the extracelluar signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 phosphorylation assay and quantitative real-time RT-PCR were employed to appraise the effect of silibinin on cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, metastatic potential, nitric oxide (NO) production, ERK 1/2 phosphorylation and activation in HepG-2 cells. Silibinin inhibited cell proliferation, matrix metalloproteinase 2 enzymatic activity, NO production and ERK 1/2 phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner without exerting any cytotoxicity effect. In addition, an expressive increase in mRNA levels of Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP), sprouty-related protein 1 with EVH-1 domain (Spred-1), sprouty-related protein with EVH-1 domain 2 (Spred-2) coupled with a significant reduction in transcriptional levels of highly expressed in cancer (Hec1) and MMP-2 were observed. Altogether, these issues show for the first time that silibinin treatment could inhibit cell proliferation and invasive potential of HepG-2 cells through inhibition of ERK 1/2 cascade both directly (through suppression of ERK 1/2 phosphorylation) and indirectly (through up-regulation of RKIP, Spred-1 and Spred-2). In addition, cell growth and proliferation may be inhibited by silibinin through down-regulation of Hec1.