• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권sup3호
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• pp.27-32
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• 2016

Stomach cancer, the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death through the world, is very common in parts of Iran. Geographic variation in the incidence of stomach cancer is due to many different factors. The aim of this study was to assess the geographical and spatial distribution of stomach cancer in Iran using data from the cancer registry program in Iran for the year 2009. The reported incidences of stomach cancer for different provinces were standardized to the world population structure. ArcGIS software was used to analyse the data. Hot spots and high risk areas were determined using spatial analysis (Getis-Ord Gi). Hot and cold spots were determined as more than or less than 2 standard deviations from the national average, respectively. A significance level of 0.10 was used for statistical judgment. In 2009, a total of 6,886 cases of stomach cancers were reported of which 4,891 were in men and 1,995 in women (standardized incidence rates of 19.2 and 10.0, respectively, per 100,000 population). The results showed that stomach cancer was concentrated mainly in northwest of the country in both men and women. In women, northwest provinces such as Ardebil, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Gilan, and Qazvin were identified as hot spots (p<0.1). In men, all northwest provinces, Ardabil, East Azerbaijan, Gilan, Qazvin, Zanjan and Kurdistan, the incidences were higher than the national average and these were identified as hot spots (P<0.01). As stomach cancer is clustered in the northwest of the country, further epidemiological studies are needed to identify factors contributing to this concentration.

• Acta Via Serica
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.125-146
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• 2019

This paper deals with the question of the origin of polo. Although it is a sport that has been mainly active in the West since the nineteenthcentury, it is well known that British troops in the northern part of Pakistan learned about the sport from the local people there. Most agree that the origin of polo is Iran. However, in this paper, rather than specifying a specific area as the birthplace of polo, it is argued that polo was a cultural phenomenon commonly found on the Silk Road. This is based on the fact that polo has been known for centuries in China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan, as well as throughout Iran, northern India, Tibet, Central Asia, and the Uighur Autonomous Region. Yet, the transmission of polo cannot be traced chronologically according to the supposed propagation route. This cultural phenomenon has changed over a long period of time according to the local environment, and the change was caused by mutual exchanges, not by one party. Therefore, there are limitations to interpreting cultural phenomena linearly. Thus, the origin of polo could also be identified with another area, namely Baltistan in modern day Pakistan, instead of Iran. These results support the argument that to understand Silk Road civilization, a process-centric approach based on 'exchanges', not a method of exploring archetypes to find 'the place of origin', should be utilized. Polo is undoubtedly an important cultural artifact with which to read the Silk Road as a cultural belt complex, as well as an example of the common culture created by the whole Silk Road.

• Advances in environmental research
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.211-218
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• 2015

Traffic noise estimation models are useful in evaluation of the noise pollution in current circumstances. They are helpful tools for design and planning new roads and highways. Measurement of average traffic noise level is possible when traffic speed and volume are known. The objective of this study was to devise a model for prediction of highway traffic noise levels based on current traffic variables in Iran. The design of this model was to take the impact of traffic congestion into consideration and to be field tested. This study is a library research augmented by field study conducted on Saeedi Highway located south west of Tehran. The period for the field study lasted 5 days from 7-12 February, 2013. This study examined liner and non-liner methods in formulation of its model. Liner method without a fixed coefficient was the best fit for the intended model. The proposed model can serve as a decision making tool to estimate the impact of key influential factors on sound pressure levels in urban areas in Iran.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.3451-3454
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• 2012

Background: Esophageal cancer in Iran is the sixth most common cancer and is particularly important in east Azerbaijan. The aim of this study was to calculate survival rates and define prognostic factors in esophageal cancer patients. Methods: In this study, all patients with esophageal cancer registered in the Radiation Therapy Center, during March 2006 to March 2011, were analyzed and followed up for vital status. Data were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazard models. Results: Out of 532 patients, survival information was available for 460, including 205 (44/ 5%) females and 255 (55/4%) males. The mean age was $65.8{\pm}12.2$, ranging from 29 to 90 years at the time of diagnosis. 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates after diagnosis were 55%, 18% and 12%, respectively, with a median survival time of $13.2{\pm}.7$ (CI 95% =11.8-14.6) months. In the univariate analysis, age (P=0/001), education (P=0/001), smoking status (P= 0/001), surgery (P= 0/001), tumor differentiation (P= 0/003) and tumor stage (P= 0/001) were significant prognostic factors. Tumor morphology, sex, place of residence, tumor histology and tumor location did not show any significant effects on the survival rate. In multivariate analysis, age (P = 0/003), smoking (P= 0/01) and tumor stage (P= 0/001) were significant independent predictors of survival. Conclusion: In summary, prognosis of esophageal cancer in North West of Iran is poor. Therefore, reduction in exposure to risk factors and early detection should be emphasized to improve survival.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권16호
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• pp.7189-7193
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• 2015

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death throughout the world. Increasing life expectancy and aging population are important factors for increasing cancer incidences in developing countries. National programs are essential for prevention and control of cancer in any society. This study aimed to investigate cancer epidemiology and trends in the province of Hamadan, located in Northwest Iran. Materials and Methods: This analytical study was carried out based on cancer registry data from 2004 to 2009 in the province of Hamadan, analyzed using STATA (version 12) software for descriptive tests and Join point 4.1.1.1 software for analytical tests. Results: There were 7,767 registered cases of cancer during the 6 years studied. Of the total cases registered, 59.1% (4,592 cases) involved men and 40.9% (3,175 cases) occurred in women. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) increased from 72.9 to 132.0 in males and 48.2 to 115.0 in females during the 6 years of the study (p<0.001). The most common cancers were skin, stomach, breast, bladder, and leukemia. In women, teh most common were breast, skin, stomach, colorectal, and leukemia, in that order, and in men skin, stomach, bladder, leukemia, and prostate cancers. Conclusions: The cancer incidence is greater in men that women in this region but with increasing trends in both sexes. Planning regarding education in prevention of exposure to risk factors and control strategies is required to decrease the incident cases. Screening programs for common cancers in older age groups might be helpful to reduce the disease impact.

• Acta Via Serica
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.107-134
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• 2018

This paper is an art historical attempt to discuss the transfer and transmission of a certain visual idiom along the Silk Roads and to show the multi-dimensionality of the trans-regional, trans-cultural movement. The motifs of grapes and grapevines are discussed here for this purpose, including the grape-and-vine motif mixed with other animated figures and plants. A special emphasis is on China and its reception, but regional varieties within East Asia are also discussed. The motif is one of the most longstanding and versatile visual idioms, widely distributed along the regions of the Silk Roads. This deceptively familiar motif came to China, where grapes and viticulture were introduced far later than the West. The West developed various symbolisms ranging from manic revelry and heavenly unity with mystic beings, to royalty and power in different cultures. In China, this visual idiom was eagerly received in association with something exotic and re-interpreted in the context of Chinese culture. Without active viticulture, the motif transformed itself into beautiful design patterns and space fillers in China and East Asia. The natural appeal of jewel-like grapes acquired new meanings of fertility and happiness in the traditional East Asian cultural context. To see the cultural effect of viticulture on the visualization of this motif, the Islamic reception of the motif is briefly touched upon when countries to the West of China (서역 西域) were fully Islamized and heavily affected by the prohibition of alcoholic drinking.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권23호
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• pp.10335-10337
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• 2015

Background: Gastric cancer is considered as the second most prevalent cancer in Iran. The present research sought to identify high risk clusters of gastric cancer with mapping using space-time scan statistics. Materials and Methods: The present research is of descriptive type. The required data were gathered from the registered cancer reports of Cancer Control Office in the Center for Non Communicable Disease of the Ministry of Health (MOH). The data were extracted at province level in the time span of 2004-9. Sat-Scan software was used to analyse the data and to identify high risk clusters. ArcGIS10 was utilized to map the distribution of gastric cancer and to demonstrate high risk clusters. Results: The most likely clusters were found in Ardabil, Gilan, Zanjan, East-Azerbaijan, Qazvin, West-Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Hamadan, Tehran and Mazandaran between 2007 and 2009. It was statistically significant at the p-value below 0.05. Conclusions: High risk regions included Northern, West-North and central provinces, particularly Ardabil, Kurdistan, Mazandaran and Gilan. More screening tests are suggested to be conducted in high risk regions along with more frequent epidemiological studies to enact gastric cancer prevention programs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.3923-3926
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• 2015

Background: Lung cancer is a fatal malignancy with high mortality and short survival time. The aim of this study was to estimate survival rates of Iranian patients with lung cancer and its associate predictive factors. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 355 patients admitted to hospitals of West Azerbaijan in the year 2007. The patients were followed up by phone calls until the end of June 2014. The survival rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test for comparison. The Cox's proportional hazard model was used to investigate the effect of various variables on patient survival time, including age, sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance, smoking status, tumor type, tumor stage, treatment, metastasis, and blood hemoglobin concentration. Results: Of the 355 patients under study, 240 died and 115 were censored. The mean and median survival time of patients was 13 and 4.8 months, respectively. According to the results of Kaplan-Meier method, 1, 2, and 3 years survival rates were 39%, 18%, and 0.07%, respectively. Based on Cox regression analysis, the risk of death was associated with ECOG group V (1.83, 95% CI: 1 Conclusions: The survival time of the patients with lung cancer is very short. While early diagnosis may improve the life expectancy effective treatment is not available.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.1261-1264
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• 2016

Background: In breast cancer (BC), it has been suggested that nuclear overexpression of p53 protein might be an indicator of poor prognosis. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the expression of p53 BC in Kurdish women from the West of Iran and its correlation with other clinicopathology figures. Materials and Methods: In the present retrospective study, 231 patients were investigated for estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positivity, defined as ${\geq}10%$ positive tumor cells with nuclear staining. A binary logistic regression model was selected using Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) in stepwise selection for determination of important factors. Results: ER, PR, the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and p53 were positive in 58.4%, 55.4%, 59.7% and 45% of cases, respectively. Ki67 index was divided into two groups: 54.5% had Ki67<20% and 45.5% had Ki67 ${\geq}20%$. Of 214 patients, 137(64%) had lymph node metastasis and of 186 patients, 122(65.6%) had vascular invasion. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that there was inverse significant correlation between lymph node metastasis (P=0.008, OR 0.120 and 95%CI 0.025-0.574), ER status (P=0.006, OR 0.080, 95%CI 0.014-0.477) and a direct correlation between HER2 (P=005, OR 3.047, 95%CI 1.407-6.599) with the expression of p53. Conclusions: As in a number of studies, expression of p53 had a inverse correlation with lymph node metastasis and ER status and also a direct correlation with HER2 status. Also, p53-positivity is more likely in triple negative BC compared to other subtypes.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.10-19
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• 2016

This study was carried out in the Boin and Miryousef regions in Baneh of Kordestan province, west of Iran. Both areas were divided into two parts including protected and unprotected areas. In each area, 20 $1000-m^2$ circular plots were established following a selective method. Tree and shrub species were identified and the number of these species was counted in each sampling plot. The results indicated that 7 trees, 4 shrubs and 109 herbaceous species were found in the studied areas, 40 herbaceous, 7 tree and 3 shrub species were present in protected area, while unprotected area had 16 herbaceous and 3 tree species. The highest value of diversity indices belonged to protected areas in all vegetation layers. In tree layer, Quercus brantii had the greatest value of SIV, whereas the lowest value belonged to Pistacia atlantica. In shrub layer, the highest and lowest values of SIV belonged to Daphne mezereum and Cerasus microcarpa, respectively. Finally, in herbaceous layer, Luzula spicata had highest value of SIV, and lowest value was belonged to Galium sp.