Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Epidemiology in Iranian Elderly Population; an Analysis of the Iranian National Registry for Cancer (2009-2014 Years).

Background: We aimed to investigate the patterns of incidence and prevalence of bone sarcoma (BS) and soft tissue sarcoma (STS), morphology as well as geographical distribution in the elderly in Iran. Methods: By the primary site of the tumor and the morphological types, whole cases of cancer were classified. Then, the WHO classification (2018) and the third revision of the standard International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O-3) were used to assign a code to them. The estimated incidence rates were obtained as the frequency of the newly-diagnosed cases within one year divided by the calculated population of the mid-year Iranian residents as estimated by the Iranian Bureau of Statistics. The age-standardized incidence rates were also estimated for both bone and soft tissue sarcoma. Results: The annual crude incidence rates of sarcomas in males (0.80 per 100,000) were more than in females (0.55 per 100,000) in all years. The total combined crude incidence in 2014 years was obtained at 0.67 per 100,000 people. In terms of disease grade majority of the patients were of grade 3 (11.5 %). In terms of tumor location, the Lower extremity was 16.8%, the Visceral (including gastrointestinal & uterus) 15.8%, the Thoracic 12.8%, and the Pelvic & abdominal wall 9.7%. Conclusion: Even though such sarcoma is more prevalent in elderly men, its incidence was also observed in lower-aged female groups. In addition, the incidence rate of BS was lower in comparison with that of STS, and the patients often exhibited an unknown degree of sarcoma.

Environmental exposure to organophosphate pesticides and effects on cognitive functions in elementary school children in a Middle Eastern area.

Although the fundamental reasons for cognitive function disorders have been well documented, little is known about the impact of environmental exposures, such as pesticides, on children's cognitive function development. This study investigated the effect of exposure to organophosphate pesticides on children's cognitive function. In order to determine various factors of exposure, hair samples were collected from 114 elementary school children who lived in Boyer-Ahmad County in the province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Iran. A detailed questionnaire was utilized to gather demographic information and exposure profile. Pesticides were detected in hair samples using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS); also, cognitive function was assessed using the trail-making test (TMT), which was divided into two parts: TMT-part A and TMT-part B. Participants in the study were 10.12 ± 1.440 years old on average. Children in rural areas had higher mean total pesticide concentrations (13.612 ± 22.01 ng/g) than those who lived in the urban areas (1.801 ± 1.32). The results revealed that boys (46.44 s and 92.37 s) completed the TMT-part A and part B tests in less time than girls (54.95 s and 109.82 s), respectively, and showed better performance (2.14) on the cognitive function exam than girls (2.07). Diazinon and TMT-part B were positively correlated (p < 0.05). With the increase in pesticides, there was no discernible difference in cognitive function. Pesticide use throughout a child's development may affect certain cognitive function indicators. In order to assess causal relationships, group studies and case studies are required because the current research was cross-sectional in nature.

Applications of different machine learning approaches in prediction of breast cancer diagnosis delay.

Background: The increasing rate of breast cancer (BC) incidence and mortality in Iran has turned this disease into a challenge. A delay in diagnosis leads to more advanced stages of BC and a lower chance of survival, which makes this cancer even more fatal. Objectives: The present study was aimed at identifying the predicting factors for delayed BC diagnosis in women in Iran. Methods: In this study, four machine learning methods, including extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forest (RF), neural networks (NNs), and logistic regression (LR), were applied to analyze the data of 630 women with confirmed BC. Also, different statistical methods, including chi-square, p-value, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), were utilized in different steps of the survey. Results: Thirty percent of patients had a delayed BC diagnosis. Of all the patients with delayed diagnoses, 88.5% were married, 72.1% had an urban residency, and 84.8% had health insurance. The top three important factors in the RF model were urban residency (12.04), breast disease history (11.58), and other comorbidities (10.72). In the XGBoost, urban residency (17.54), having other comorbidities (17.14), and age at first childbirth (>30) (13.13) were the top factors; in the LR model, having other comorbidities (49.41), older age at first childbirth (82.57), and being nulliparous (44.19) were the top factors. Finally, in the NN, it was found that being married (50.05), having a marriage age above 30 (18.03), and having other breast disease history (15.83) were the main predicting factors for a delayed BC diagnosis. Conclusion: Machine learning techniques suggest that women with an urban residency who got married or had their first child at an age older than 30 and those without children are at a higher risk of diagnosis delay. It is necessary to educate them about BC risk factors, symptoms, and self-breast examination to shorten the delay in diagnosis.

Evaluating the effect of digital game-based nutrition education on anemia indicators in adolescent girls: A randomized clinical trial.

Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of micronutrient deficiency in the world. Adolescence represents a period of increased risk of iron deficiency. Therefore, we aimed to determine the impact of nutrition education by a digital game on markers of iron-deficient anemia in adolescent girls. In this study, 176 adolescent girls were randomly dichotomized into the intervention and control groups. At the beginning and the end of the intervention, knowledge, attitude, and practice of both groups were assessed by a questionnaire. Girls in the intervention group received the necessary education through a digital game during a 14-week period, while those in the control group received basic nutritional education through PowerPoint and pamphlets. Additionally, serum transferrin, serum iron, transferrin saturation, ferritin, CBC difference, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) tests were checked. In this study, nutrition education significantly increased the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of adolescent girls regarding their diet (p Ë‚ .05). Hemoglobin level was also significantly raised (p Ë‚ .05). However, no significant effect was observed on other markers of iron-deficient anemia, such as serum iron, TIBC, and hematocrit, in the intervention group compared with the control group (p Ëƒ .05). The results of this study indicated the positive impact of nutrition education based on digital game on knowledge, attitude, and practice scores, as well as a significant difference in hemoglobin. It is recommended that educational games be designed for students in the future to promote health and nutrition information.

Osteoprotective effects of kefir fortified with omega-3 and vitamin C in ovariectomized rats.

Nutritional interventions can be valuable for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. This study aimed to investigate the effects of kefir fortified with omega-3 and vitamin C on the bone and uterus parameters of ovariectomized rats. Seventy-seven female Sprague-Dawley rats were ovariectomized or sham-operated. The ovariectomized rats were assigned to six groups and received 1 ml/day of distilled water (OVX group), milk, kefir, kefir fortified with omega-3 fatty acids (kefir+ω3), kefir fortified with vitamin C (kefir+vit-C) or kefir fortified with omega-3 and vitamin C (kefir+ω3+vit-C) for 12 weeks. The sham group also received 1ml/day of distilled water. Subsequently, bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) of various bones were assessed. Femurs and uteri were harvested for bone ash analysis and histopathological examinations, respectively. Sera were analyzed for carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type 1 collagen, procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide, calcium, phosphorous, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and total antioxidant capacity levels. Ovariectomy resulted in significant reduction in bone density (P<0.05). Kefir+ω3+vit-C significantly improved BMC of lumbar spine (0.699±0.027 g compared with 0.580±0.018 in the OVX group), and kefir, kefir+vit-C and kefir+ω3+vit-C significantly increased BMD of tibia (0.118±0.003 g/cm2, 0.119±0.001 and 0.120±0.004 compared with 0.102±0.005 in the OVX group). Moreover, ovariectomy markedly elevated TNF-α level, which was significantly reversed by kefir+ω3+vit-C. Significant atrophy of the uterus was observed following ovariectomy, although the uterus parameters did not change by any of the interventions. In conclusion, kefir fortified with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C may have protective effects against bone loss through suppressing inflammation.

Machine learning algorithms to uncover risk factors of breast cancer: insights from a large case-control study.

Introduction: This large case-control study explored the application of machine learning models to identify risk factors for primary invasive incident breast cancer (BC) in the Iranian population. This study serves as a bridge toward improved BC prevention, early detection, and management through the identification of modifiable and unmodifiable risk factors. Methods: The dataset includes 1,009 cases and 1,009 controls, with comprehensive data on lifestyle, health-behavior, reproductive and sociodemographic factors. Different machine learning models, namely Random Forest (RF), Neural Networks (NN), Bootstrap Aggregating Classification and Regression Trees (Bagged CART), and Extreme Gradient Boosting Tree (XGBoost), were employed to analyze the data. Results: The findings highlight the significance of a chest X-ray history, deliberate weight loss, abortion history, and post-menopausal status as predictors. Factors such as second-hand smoking, lower education, menarche age (>14), occupation (employed), first delivery age (18-23), and breastfeeding duration (>42 months) were also identified as important predictors in multiple models. The RF model exhibited the highest Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of 0.9, as indicated by the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Following closely was the Bagged CART model with an AUC of 0.89, while the XGBoost model achieved a slightly lower AUC of 0.78. In contrast, the NN model demonstrated the lowest AUC of 0.74. On the other hand, the RF model achieved an accuracy of 83.9% and a Kappa coefficient of 67.8% and the XGBoost, achieved a lower accuracy of 82.5% and a lower Kappa coefficient of 0.6. Conclusion: This study could be beneficial for targeted preventive measures according to the main risk factors for BC among high-risk women.

Neoadjuvant VS adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer; a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common challenges for women's health. Until now, neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a standard approach in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC), as it increases the probability of breast-conserving surgery (BCS). This study aimed to compare the survival rate in neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups to suggest a better treatment strategy for locally advanced breast cancer. Methods: The study was conducted between 2009 and 2019 on 845 LABC patients at the Cancer Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Iran. All patients with LABC at stages 3A, 3B, and two were evaluated for treatment with adjuvants (n = 520 female patients) and neoadjuvant (n = 320 female patients) treatment strategies. Patients were followed up for at least 120 months. The Kaplan-Meier method calculated the survival rate using SPSS version 23 software. Result: The 5 and 10 years survival rates of neoadjuvant and adjuvant groups were 87 ± 0.04, 80 ± 0.07% and 87 ± 0.02, 83 ± 0.03%, respectively. Statistical analysis results with the mentioned treatment strategies did not show any significant difference in overall survival. Conclusion: The result of this study on LABC patients demonstrated that compared to surgery first following adjuvant chemotherapy, the neoadjuvant chemotherapy has several benefits, including downstaging and more BCS, with no statistically significant difference in the overall survival rate of the patients.

Survival Rate of Liver Transplantation in Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Liver transplantation is one of the most effective treatments for acute liver failure, chronic liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study was implemented to evaluate the survival rate of liver transplant in Asia. Methods: Studies that investigated the survival rate of liver transplant were selected using a systematic search strategy in the following databases: Medline, Embase, Scopus, ProQuest, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane to Nov 30th, 2020. Pooled survival rate and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Der-Simonian and Laird method. Stata 16.0 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX, USA) was used for analysis. Results: One, 2, 3, 5, and 10-year survival rates of liver transplant were estimated to be 85%, 80%, 75%, 73%, and 71%, respectively. The results of the univariate meta-regression for defining the sources of heterogeneity for one-Year survival rate (SR) showed significant effects of bias (ß high risk/moderate risk =0.059, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.115, P-Value=0.04) and follow up time (ß= -0.0002, 95% CI: -0.0003, -0.00, P-Value=0.02) on heterogeneity. Conclusion: The survival rate of liver transplant in Asia is comparable with the corresponding rate reported in the United States and Europe. This study provides a better view of the efficiency of medical cares, regarding liver transplantation. Medical care be enhanced to increase the survival of liver transplant patients.

Health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in individuals living near restaurants: a cross-sectional study in Shiraz, Iran.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent toxic substances that have ubiquitous presence in water, air, soil, and sediment environments, posing serious environmental risks. The present study aimed to investigate the concentrations of urinary PAHs and their health effects in individuals living near restaurants via a health risk assessment analysis. This cross-sectional study was performed on 57 people living near restaurants and 30 individuals as the control group. Five urinary metabolites of PAHs were monitored. In order to evaluate the effects of the urinary metabolites of PAHs on Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, Total Anti-oxidation Capacity (TAC) in urine samples, and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) in serum samples, regression model was used by considering the effects of the possible confounding factors. Non-carcinogenic health risk was calculated, as well. The median concentration of urinary PAHs was 1196.70 and 627.54 ng/g creatinine in the people living near restaurants and the control group, respectively. Among the metabolites, the lowest and highest mean concentrations were related to 9-OHPhe and 1-OHP, respectively in the two study groups. Moreover, PAHs were significantly associated with MDA level and TAC (p < 0.05). Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) were less than 1. Long-term studies are required to determine the actual health effects by identifying the sources of PAHs emission and to find ways to decrease the production of these compounds.

Dietary fats and their sources in association with the risk of bladder cancer: A pooled analysis of 11 prospective cohort studies.

The effects of fat intake from different dietary sources on bladder cancer (BC) risk remains unidentified. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the association between fat intakes and BC risk by merging world data on this topic. Data from 11 cohort studies in the BLadder cancer Epidemiology and Nutritional Determinants (BLEND) study, provided sufficient information on fat intake for a total of 2731 BC cases and 544 452 noncases, which yielded 5 400 168 person-years of follow-up. Hazard ratios (HRs), with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were estimated using Cox-regression models stratified on cohort. Analyses were adjusted for total energy intake in kilocalories, gender, smoking status (model-1) and additionally for sugar and sugar products, beers, wine, dressing and plant-based and fruits intakes (model-2). Among women, an inverse association was observed between mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and BC risk (HR comparing the highest with the lowest tertile: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.58-0.93, P-trend = .01). Overall, this preventative effect of MUFAs on BC risk was only observed for the nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) subtype (HR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53-0.91, P-trend = .004). Among men, a higher intake of total cholesterol was associated with an increased BC risk (HR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.16-1.61, P-trend = .01). No other significant associations were observed. This large prospective study adds new insights into the role of fat and oils in BC carcinogenesis, showing an inverse association between consumption of MUFAs and the development of BC among women and a direct association between higher intakes of dietary cholesterol and BC risk among men.

Dietary patterns and risk of bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated the relationship between dietary patterns and the risk of bladder cancer (BC) in different regions including Europe, the United States, and Asia, with no conclusive evidence. A meta-analysis was undertaken to integrate the most recent information on the relationship between a data-driven Western diet (WD), the Mediterranean diet (MD), and dietary-inflammatory-index (DII) and the risk of BC. METHOD: We looked for published research into the relationship between dietary patterns and the incidence of BC in the PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus databases up until February 2021. Using a multivariate random-effects model, we compared the highest and lowest categories of WD, MD and DII patterns and provided the relative risk (RR) or odds ratios (OR) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) for the relevant relationships. RESULTS: The analysis comprised 12 papers that were found to be suitable after scanning the databases. Both case-control (OR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.52, 0.94; I2 = 49.9%, n = 2) and cohort studies (RR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.88, 0.97; I2 = 63%, n = 4) found a substantial inverse association between MD and BC. In addition, although cohort studies (RR 1.53, 95% CI 1.37, 1.70; I2 = 0%, n = 2) showed a direct association between WD and BC, case-control studies (OR 1.33, 95% CI 0.81, 1.88; I2 = 68.5%, n = 2) did not. In cohort studies, we found no significant association between DII and BC (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.93, 1.12; I2 = 38.5%, n = 2). In case-control studies, however, a strong direct association between DII and BC was discovered (RR 2.04, 95% CI 1.23, 2.85; I2 = 0%, n = 2). CONCLUSION: The current meta-analysis showed that MD and WD have protective and detrimental effects on BC risk, respectively. No significant association between DII and the risk of BC was observed. More research is still needed to confirm the findings. Additional study is warranted to better understand the etiological mechanisms underlying how different dietary patterns affect BC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Protocol registration number: CRD42020155353. Database for protocol registration: The international prospective register of systematic reviews database (PROSPERO). Data of registration: August 2020.

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-induced oxidative stress in Shiraz, Iran: urinary levels, health risk assessment and mediation effect of MDA on the risk of metabolic syndromes.

PURPOSE: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified as carcinogenic and endocrine disrupter compounds that cause Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Oxidative stress can lead to carcinogenesis and MetS in exposed people. Therefore, the relationship between urinary metabolite of PAH (OH-PAHs) level and the oxidative stress biomarker (Malondialdehyde) effect as the mediator in increasing the risk of MetS due to PAH exposure and risk assessment was investigated in Shiraz, Iran. METHODS: The first morning void urinary and blood samples were obtained from participants and analyzed. Physical examinations and anthropometric measurements were performed on the day of sampling. An automatic biochemistry analyzer was used to measure the blood cells. The participants' socio-demographic information was gathered using a questionnaire and direct interviews with participants. RESULTS: The MetS prevalence was 26%. Malondialdehyde could act as a mediator between exposure to 1-HydroxyPyrene and increase in fast blood sugar, exposure to 2-HydroxyNaphthalene and increase in systolic blood pressure and exposure to 2-HydroxyFluorene and increase in SBP. Hazard quotients varied from 0.009 to 14.92 in women, and from 0.005 to 8.43 for Fluorene and Naphthalene in men, respectively. The Hazard Indexes were greater than one meaning that the non-cancer health risk related to the PAH exposure could be identified in the participants. CONCLUSION: Although oxidative stress has been suggested to lead to MetS and the high HI levels obtained in the current study, future researches are essential to achieve more reliable findings and monitoring the environmental influencing factors in PAH exposure.

Trend of geographical distribution of stomach cancer in Iran from 2004 to 2014.

BACKGROUND: Among different common types of cancer, gastric cancer (GC) is a worldwide health priority in both developing and developed countries. The aim of this study was to map the distribution of incident cases of GC in Iran to provide a geographical presentation of the incidence of the disease. METHODS: This study used the Iranian National Cancer Registry (INCR) data from 2004 to 2014. We calculated the crude and age-standardized incidence rates of GC for each province and also defined the frequency distribution of different types and locations of GC by the provinces. RESULTS: According to the results of the present study, the patients were predominantly male 49,907 (70.0%) and the most prevalent type of tumour was A1 (almost 96.4%) and C3| (2.0%). Also, a significant difference was observed between males and females in the distribution of the types of tumour (P < 0.001). In addition, a comparison of the distribution of the types of GC in Iran suggested that a significant difference exists between the provinces (P < 0.001). A significant difference was observed when the distribution of the location of GC tumors was compared between males and females and provinces (P < 0.001). Accordingly, pylori and cardia are the most common location of GC cancer among the study population (28.1% and 31.3% respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study suggested a higher rate of GC incidence in Iran when compared to the global figure in both females and males. Our study also revealed significant disparities between provinces with regard to the distribution of types, and location of GC. This may suggest involving different factors in GC in different parts of Iran. Further studies are needed to better understand the epidemiology and etiology of the disease in Iran.

Cosmetic use and serum level of lead (not cadmium) affect bone mineral density among young Iranian women.

Bone mineral density is a crucially important index for skeletal health. A low amount of bone density (osteoporosis) is a common health problem among men and especially women. Among different parts of the body, women's face is the area on which many types of (facial) cosmetics are routinely applied. The aims of this study were to measure the association of cosmetic use with BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck among young female students. This is a cross-sectional study on 65 female students in the 2017 academic year. The study participants were students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences who were selected randomly using phone directory sampling method. Based on the results of multiple linear regression, adjusted for several important covariates, cosmetic use is inversely associated with the BMD z-scores. Lead was significantly associated with trochanteric z-score (B = -0.002 to 95% CI = -0.004 to -0.0003, p = 0.02) and total lumbar z-score (B = -0.002 to 95% CI = -0.004 -0.0005, p = 0.01). In the present study, duration of using cosmetics was significantly associated with BMD of key skeletal regions. The big market of cosmetics in many countries especially those in the Middle East is highly a vastly neglected health issue. Many more observational prospective or interventional studies are required to understand the benefits and hazards caused by cosmetics in women.

Global and regional geographical prevalence of depression in gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Substantial uncertainty exists about the prevalence of depression in patients with gastric cancer. We aimed to summarise the global and regional pooled prevalence of depression among patients with gastric cancer. METHOD: Up to February 2020, we searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of science (ISI) and PsychINFO to identify published studies on the prevalence of depression among patients with gastric cancer. The study selection procedure was in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We estimated the prevalence of depression in gastric cancer patients using a random-effect pooled estimate analysis approach with subgroup analysis based on WHO regions, and methods of depression measurement. RESULTS: Totally, we retrieved 3781 studies from the previously mentioned databases, of which 18 (12 cross-sectional and 6 cohort studies in design) met the eligibility criteria, which were published from 2001 to 2017 in different regions. The total sample size of the included studied contained 4709 patients with gastric cancer, of which 1885 cases were diagnosed with depression. The pooled prevalence of depression among gastric cancer patients was 37%(95% CI: 26% to 48%). Subgroup analysis showed that the highest prevalence of depression was in Eastern Mediterranean (pooled prevalence=42%; 95% CI: 18% to 65%) followed by the Western Pacific region (pooled prevalence=40%;95% CI: 26% to 54%). The results indicated a significant heterogeneity (I 2=98.8%,P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that depression is high among gastric cancer patients. The findings suggest health authorities to provide specially designed social and psychological supportive care services, including screening for depression, among such patients. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020139836.

Assessing BTEX concentrations emitted by hookah smoke in indoor air of residential buildings: health risk assessment for children.

Hookah smoke is one of the major indoor sources of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), including Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes (BTEX). The present study aimed to investigate potential exposure to BTEX compounds among primary school children whose parents smoked hookah at home. BTEX concentrations in indoor air were measured in 60 residential buildings of Khesht, southwestern Iran (case = 30 and control = 30). Target compounds were sampled by charcoal tubes, and the samples were then analyzed by GC-FID. Monte Carlo simulation was used to assess the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of BTX exposure for the children aged 7-13 years. The concentrations of benzene (7.19 ± 3.09 vs. 0.82 ± 0.5 µg/m3), toluene (1.62 ± 0.69 vs. 0.3 ± 0.22 µg/m3), and xylenes (2.9 ± 1.66 vs. 0.31 ± 0.22 µg/m3) were considerably higher in the indoor air of the case houses compared with the control houses (p < 0.05). The Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) of benzene for non-smoking and smoking houses were estimated 1.8 × 10-6 and 15 × 10-6, respectively, exceeding the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (1 × 10-6). Moreover, Hazard Quotients (HQs) of all BTX compounds were < 1. The indoor benzene concentration was significantly influenced by the floor at which families lived and type of the kitchen. In order to prevent children's exposure to BTX emitted by hookah, banning indoor smoking is the only way to eliminate these compounds in the indoor air.

Lifestyle in Female Teachers: Educational Intervention Based on Self-Efficacy Theory in the South of Fars Province, Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Today, improving lifestyles and promoting health are basic needs for human society. The main goal in promoting health is to achieve healthy lifestyle behaviors, and self-efficacy is one of the factors influencing people's lifestyle. Therefore, the impact of educational intervention based on self-efficacy theory on improving lifestyles of the female teachers in Galledar was investigated. METHOD: This study was a semiexperimental study with educational intervention with a control group that was performed on 120 teachers in Galledar. Data collection tools included demographic information questionnaires, health-promoting lifestyle questionnaires, and Sherry's self-efficacy questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software. RESULT: The mean age and standard deviation of teachers in the control and intervention groups were 33.40 ± 5.68 and 32.83 ± 6.46 years, respectively. Health-promoting lifestyle variables are significant correlation with self-efficacy and overall lifestyle index. Six dimensions which consisted of spiritual growth and self-actualization, health responsibility, interpersonal relationships, stress management, exercise and physical activity, and nutrition showed significant statistical differences before and after educational intervention (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Due to the sensitive role of teachers as an effective human force in the development and evolution of society and their students' role modeling, the authorities should formulate policies, regulate educational interventions, and design strategies for promoting self-efficacy beliefs and promoting a healthy lifestyle for all teachers. We suggest that other methods and theories of behavior change be used in future studies to promote a healthy lifestyle.

The association between meat and fish consumption and bladder cancer risk: a pooled analysis of 11 cohort studies.

Evidence on the effects of meat consumption from different sources on the risk of bladder cancer (BC) is limited and controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the associations between meat consumption and BC risk using a pooled data approach. Individual data from 11 prospective cohorts comprising 2848 BC cases and 515,697 non-cases with a total of 5,498,025 person-years of follow-up was pooled and analysed to investigate the potential associations between total red meat and products, red meat, processed meat, poultry and total fish and BC risk. Hazard ratios (HRs), with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were estimated using Cox regression models stratified on cohort. Overall, an increased BC risk was found for high intake of organ meat (HR comparing highest with lowest tertile: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.36, p-trend = 0.03). On the contrary, a marginally inverse association was observed for total fish intake and BC risk among men (HR comparing highest with lowest tertile: 0.79, 95% CI 0.65, 0.97, p-trend = 0.04). No associations were observed for other meat sources. Results of this prospective study suggest that organ meat consumption may be associated with BC development. Replication in large-scale prospective studies and investigation of possible causal mechanisms is needed.

Thyroid cancer and its associated factors: A population-based case-control study.

Considering the rising incidence and mortality of thyroid cancer (TC) worldwide, the aim of our study was to determine the risk factors for TC in a province with the highest incidence of TC in the country located at the South of Iran. A population-based case-control study was performed on 708 participants (361 new cases and 347 controls). The case participants were selected from the Iranian National Cancer Registry database. Frequency matched for gender and age, and the control participants were selected randomly from the neighborhood of the cases. Based on the results of multiple logistic regression analysis, benign thyroid diseases (eg, hyperthyroidism ORyes/no = 14.06, 95% CI: 5.13-38.51), family history of TC (ORyes/no = 3.54, 95% CI: 1.51-8.26), radiation exposure of the head (ORyes/no = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.03-3.60), family history of thyroid diseases (ORyes/no = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.19-2.62) and family history of other types of cancer (ORyes/no = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.01-2.74), significantly increased the risk of developing TC. On the other hand, high blood pressure (ORyes/no = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.19-0.64), higher education (ORcollege/illiterate = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.30-0.96), consumption of unsaturated fat (ORunsaturated/saturated = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.39-0.87) and being married (ORmarried/single = 0.60, 95% CI 0.37-0.98) were found to be protective factors. Some community-based interventions, for example, reduction in radiation exposure and screening members of families with underlying thyroid diseases may help in preventing or early diagnosis of TC. More studies on the health effects of local herbs are highly recommended.

Serum level of lead and cadmium is linked to facial cosmetics use among Iranian young women.

Cosmetics are applied widely by women and men for different proposes mainly beauty and skin care. However, the biologically active substances which are used in these products and their health effects are not fully known. The aims of this study were, first, to estimate the prevalence of cosmetics use, and second, to examine if any association exists between cosmetic use and serum levels of lead and cadmium (two heavy metals with major health effects) among young women. This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 65 female students during the first semester of 2017 academic year. Study sample was selected randomly using phone numbers. About 70% of the study participants started using cosmetics under age 20 years (about 14% under 15), and 50% were using the products on a daily base. After adjusting for possible confounders, significant associations were found between the participants age (B = - 0.0008, CI = - 0.001 to - 4.71, P = 0.03) and duration of using cosmetics (B = 0.0006, CI = 0.0001 to 0.115, P = 0.01) with the level of cadmium in their serum samples. Duration of using cosmetics (B = 0.008, CI 0.001 to 0.01, P = 0.01) was the only variable which was significantly associated with serum level of lead in the participants. According to the results of the present study, most Iranian girls start using cosmetics at a very young age making them more vulnerable to the potential hazards of the ingredients of cosmetic products including heavy metals and preservatives. The association between duration of using cosmetics and serum level of lead and cadmium may cause serious health problems for women at young ages and their fetus or children via placenta and breast milk. The big market of cosmetics in many countries especially Middle East is highly important.