• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to model the avoidable burden of the risk factors of road traffic crashes in Iran and to prioritize interventions to reduce that burden. Methods: The prevalence and the effect size of the risk factors were obtained from data documented by the traffic police of Iran in 2013. The effect size was estimated using an ordinal regression model. The potential impact fraction index was applied to calculate the avoidable burden in order to prioritize interventions. This index was calculated for theoretical, plausible, and feasible minimum risk level scenarios. The joint effects of the risk factors were then estimated for all the scenarios. Results: The highest avoidable burdens in the theoretical, plausible, and feasible minimum risk level scenarios for the non-use of child restraints on urban roads were 52.25, 28.63, and 46.67, respectively. In contrast, the value of this index for speeding was 76.24, 37.00, and 62.23, respectively, for rural roads. Conclusions: On the basis of the different scenarios considered in this research, we suggest focusing on future interventions to decrease the prevalence of speeding, the non-use of child restraints, the use of cell phones while driving, and helmet disuse, and the laws related to these items should be considered seriously.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.428-433
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• 2017

Background Candidate characteristics for hand surgery fellowship training remains unknown, as very little data is available in the literature. This study aims to provide information on the criteria that are employed to select candidates for the hand surgery fellowship match. Methods A 38-question survey was sent in April 2015 to all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recognized hand surgery fellowship program directors (n=81) involved in the U.S. match. The survey investigated factors used for the selection of applicants, including medical school, residency training, research experience, fellowship interview, and candidate characteristics. A 5-point Likert scale was used to grade 33 factors from "not at all important" (1) to "essential in making my decision" (5); or for five controversial factors from "very negative impact" (1) to "very positive impact in making my decision" (5). Results A total of 52% (42 out of 81) of responses were received from hand surgery fellowship program directors. The most important influential factors were interactions with faculty during interview and visit ($4.6{\pm}0.6$), interpersonal skills ($4.6{\pm}0.5$), overall interview performance in the selection process ($4.6{\pm}0.6$), professionalism and ethics ($4.6{\pm}0.7$), and letters of recommendation from hand surgeons ($4.5{\pm}0.7$). Factors that have a negative impact on the selection process include visa requirement ($2.1{\pm}1.2$), graduate of non-plastic surgery residency program ($2.4{\pm}1.3$), and graduate of a foreign medical school ($2.4{\pm}1.1$). Conclusions This study provides data on hand surgery fellowship directors' perception on the criteria important for fellowship applicant selection, and showed that interview-related criteria and letters of recommendation are the important factors.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.279-289
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the learning experience, self-directed learning ability and self-efficacy of Japanese nursing students undergoing portfolio-based clinical practicums. Methods: The self-directed learning ability and self-efficacy of nursing students were examined using two scales. And using a text-mining approach, we constructed correspondence analysis followed by cluster analysis of open-ended responses forms. Results: The mean score of the self-directed learning ability was $60.89{\pm}5.28$ and the generalized self-efficacy was $68.37{\pm}11.56$. Moreover, the scores in the self-directed learning ability were positively correlated with scores in the generalized self-efficacy. In correspondence analysis, the distribution of extracted words showed that record was located on the negative side of the third quadrant, to the first principal component and that patient was located on the positive side of the first quadrant, contributing greatly to the second principal component. Conclusion: The results of this study contribute to approaching to "confidence, pride, stability," "growth and intention to development'' offers a key in developing self-directed learning ability. Students record what they see and learn the importance of visualizing it in learning portfolios. "Expression in detail of the learned contents" and "concerning to which objective evaluation is suggested" are important to the students.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.448-457
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• 2023

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common form of dementia, and impaired mitophagy is a hallmark of AD. Mitophagy is mitochondrial-specific autophagy. Ginsenosides from Ginseng involve in autophagy in cancer. Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1 hereafter), a single compound of Ginseng, has neuroprotective effects on AD. However, few studies have reported whether Rg1 can ameliorate AD pathology by regulating mitophagy. Methods: Human SH-SY5Y cell and a 5XFAD mouse model were used to investigate the effects of Rg1. Rg1 (1µM) was added to β-amyloid oligomer (AβO)-induced or APPswe-overexpressed cell models for 24 hours. 5XFAD mouse models were intraperitoneally injected with Rg1 (10 mg/kg/d) for 30 days. Expression levels of mitophagy-related markers were analyzed by western blot and immunofluorescent staining. Cognitive function was assessed by Morris water maze. Mitophagic events were observed using transmission electron microscopy, western blot, and immunofluorescent staining from mouse hippocampus. The activation of the PINK1/Parkin pathway was examined using an immunoprecipitation assay. Results: Rg1 could restore mitophagy and ameliorate memory deficits in the AD cellular and/or mouse model through the PINK1-Parkin pathway. Moreover, Rg1 might induce microglial phagocytosis to reduce β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits in the hippocampus of AD mice. Conclusion: Our studies demonstrate the neuroprotective mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1 in AD models. Rg1 induces PINK-Parkin mediated mitophagy and ameliorates memory deficits in 5XFAD mouse models.

• Hip & pelvis
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.135-143
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• 2024

Purpose: Hip fractures are associated with increased mortality. The identification of risk factors of mortality could improve patient care. The aim of the study was to identify risk factors of mortality after surgery for a hip fracture and construct a mortality model. Materials and Methods: A cohort study was conducted on patients with hip fractures at two institutions. Five hundred and ninety-seven patients with hip fractures that were treated in the tertiary hospital, and another 147 patients that were treated in a secondary hospital. The perioperative data were collected from medical charts and interviews. Functional Assessment Measure score, Short Form-12 and mortality were recorded at 12 months. Patients and surgery variables that were associated with increased mortality were used to develop a mortality model. Results: Mortality for the whole cohort was 19.4% at one year. From the variables tested only age >80 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists category, time to surgery (>48 hours), Charlson comorbidity index, sex, use of anti-coagulants, and body mass index <25 kg/m² were associated with increased mortality and used to construct the mortality model. The area under the curve for the prediction model was 0.814. Functional outcome at one year was similar to preoperative status, even though their level of physical function dropped after the hip surgery and slowly recovered. Conclusion: The mortality prediction model that was developed in this study calculates the risk of death at one year for patients with hip fractures, is simple, and could detect high risk patients that need special management.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.162-166
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• 2001

Effects of light, methyl jasmonate(MJ), 6-benzylaminopurine(BA), thidiazouron(TDZ), and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid(2,4-D) on the contents of ecdysteroids (${\beta}$-ecdysone+polypodine B) in Polypodium vulgare L. and Achyranthes japonica Nakai were studied. When the plants of P. vulgare were cultured under light control, the ecdysteroids contents in both leaves and rhizomes decreased with increasing light intensity. The ecdysteroids contents in A. japonica were also lower when cultured under light than under dark. Among the tested plant growth regulators, MJ, BA, and TDZ increased the ecdysteroids contents in both P. vulgare and A. japonica.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.153-161
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• 2001

In order to isolate genes involved in ecdysteroids biosynthesis in plants, total RNA was isolated from Achyranthes japonica Nakai, and RT-PCR was performed using degenerate primers selected based on the results of multi-alignment of four cytochrome P450 genes from plants and a putative ecdysone 20-hydroxylase gene from an insect. Fourteen partial cDNA clones showing unique base sequences were obtained, out of which six showed homologies at the levels of nucleotide and amino acid sequences to the other cytochrome P450 genes known to be involved in the ecdysteroid biosynthesis. Of the six clones, four showed relatively high homologies to a putative ecdysone 20-hydroxylase gene isolated from an insect.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.269-283
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the food security status of urban poor adolescents and its association with diet quality. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 188 adolescents aged 13-18 yrs living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Household food insecurity and dietary intake data were collected using the Radimer/Cornell hunger and food insecurity instrument and 2-day 24-h dietary recalls, respectively. Diet quality was determined using the Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Weight and height were measured and body mass index-for-age, as well as height-for-age z scores were calculated. RESULTS: The present study revealed that 47.9% of the adolescents experienced household food insecurity, 24.5% experienced individual food insecurity, 18.6% household food security, and 9.0% child hunger. The mean score of diet quality was 56.83 ± 10.09, with a significantly lower HEI score among food insecure adolescents (household food insecure, individual food insecure, and child hunger) than household food secure adolescents (P = 0.001). The differences between food secure and food insecure households were found to be significant for energy (P = 0.001) and nutrients including proteins (P = 0.006), carbohydrates (P = 0.005), dietary fiber (P = 0.001), folate (P < 0.001), and vitamin C (P = 0.006). The multiple linear regression showed that adolescents who experienced food insecurity (β = -0.328; P = 0.003) were found to be significantly associated with poor diet quality (F = 2.726; P < 0.01), wherein 13.3% of the variation in the diet quality was explained by the food security status. CONCLUSIONS: Experiencing food insecurity contributed to poor diet quality among urban poor adolescents. Further longitudinal studies are needed to comprehensively understand this association to improve food insecurity and diet quality among urban poor communities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5111-5116
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• 2013

Background: Early in the 21st century, cancers are the second cause of death worldwide. Colon cancer is third most common cancer and one of the few amenable to early diagnosis and treatment. Evaluation of factors affecting this cancer is important to increase survival time. Some of these factors affecting all diseases including cancer are social determinants of health. According to the importance of this disease and relation with these factors, this study was conducted to assess the relationship between social determinants of health and colon cancer survival. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study for patients with colon cancer registered in the Cancer Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, from April 2005 to November 2006, performed using questionnaires filled by telephone interview with patients (if patients had died, with family members). Data was analyzed with SPSS software (version 19) for descriptive analysis and STATA software for survival analysis including log rank test and three step Cox Proportional Hazard regression. Results: Five hundred fifty nine patients with ages ranging from 23 to 88 years with mean${\pm}$standard deviation of $63{\pm}11.8$ years were included in the study. The five year survival was 68.3%( 387 patients were alive and 172 patients were dead by the end of the study). The Cox proportional hazard regression showed 5-year survival was related to age (HR=0.53, p=0.042 for>50 years versus<50 years old) in first step, gender (HR=0.60, p=0.006 for female versus male) in second step, job (HR=1.7, p=0.001 for manual versus non manual jobs), region of residency (HR=3.49, p=0.018 for west versus south regions), parents in childhood (HR=2.87, p=0.012 for having both parents versus not having), anatomical cancer location (HR=2.16, p<0.033 for colon versus rectal cancer) and complete treatment (HR=5.96, p<0.001 for incomplete versus complete treatment). Conclusions: Social determinants of health such as job, city region residency and having parents during childhood have significant effects in 5-year survival of colon cancer and it may be better to consider these factors in addition to developing cancer treatment and to focus on these determinants of health in long-time planning.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.240-243
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• 2022

Isolated deltoid paralysis is a rare pathology that can occur after axillary nerve injury due to shoulder trauma or infection. This condition leads to loss of deltoid function that can cause glenohumeral instability and inferior subluxation, resulting in rotator cuff muscle fatigue and pain. To establish dynamic glenohumeral stability, a novel technique was invented. Humeral suspension is achieved using a double button implant with non-resorbable high strength cords between the acromion and humeral head. This novel technique was used in two patients with isolated deltoid paralysis due to axillary nerve injury. The results indicate that the humeral suspension technique is a method that supports centralizing the humeral head and simultaneously dynamically stabilizes the glenohumeral joint. This approach yielded high patient satisfaction and reduced pain. Glenohumeral alignment was improved and remained intact 5 years postoperative. The humeral suspension technique is a promising surgical method for subluxated glenohumeral joint instability due to isolated deltoid paralysis.