Assessment of reliability and factor structure of the hypnotic induction profile (HIP) scale.

The aim of this study is the assessment of reliability and factor structure of "Hypnotic Induction Profile" (HIP) scale in an Iranian psychiatric patient sample. The tool of measurement is HIP that calculated based on two methods of scoring (profile score and induction score). Results showed that the HIP scale is reliable. Cronbach's alpha internal consistency was .90 and calculated test-retest reliability of Induction Scores and also the Profile Scores were .74 and .80. Agreement coefficient between the two examiners for both scoring methods (Profile Score and Induction Score) was calculated .79 and coefficient correlation for the two scoring methods was .85. Furthermore, factor analysis validity of the HIP scale showed that this scale is constructed by two factors, and derived factors explain 74.94% of the total variance. In general, results in this study present enough reliability for the HIP scale. Concepts of these findings for future studies are discussed.

Molecular Analysis of A2-genes Encoding Stage-specific S Antigen-like Proteins among Isolates from Iranian Cutaneous and Visceral Leishmaniasis.

OBJECTIVES: Leishmania can lead to a broad spectrum of diseases, collectively known as leishmaniasis. The A2 gene/ protein family could be one of the most eligible candidate factors of virulence in visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The previous results confirmed that in Leishmania infantum, several A2 proteins are abundantly expressed by the amastigote, but not the promastigote stage. As there are no data available on the pattern of A2 gene / protein in Iranian Leishmania isolates of either cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) or VL; the current study aimed to investigate molecular analysis of A2 gene in leishmania species among field isolates of . MATERIALS AND METHODS: An A2 gene was identified by sequencing of crude PCR products resulting from 20 samples of CL and 10 samples of VL isolates from Iranian patients. RESULTS: The results indicated the A2 gene in CL is only a single copy of 153 bp encoding a protein of 51 amino acids, as opposed to A2 of VL species with multi-copy genes of varying length. A2 sequences in Iranian L. major strains represented a homology with stage-specific S antigen-like protein (A2) of L. major and L. infantum. Moreover, A2 sequences in Iranian L. tropica strains have homology with A2 protein of L. major and L. tropica. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that A2 is an antigen candidate for vaccine development and diagnosis purposes and that A2 sequences are conserved among field isolates.

ATM Gene Mutations Detection in Iranian Ataxia-Telangiectasia Patients.

Ataxia-Telangiectasia (AT) is an autosomal recessive disorder involving cerebellar degeneration, immunodeficiency, radiation sensitivity and cancer predisposition. The ATM gene on human chromosome 11q22.3 has recently been identified as the gene responsible for ataxia-telangiectasia (AT). The gene mutated in AT, which has been designated as the ATM gene, encodes a large protein kinase with a PI-3 kinase-related domain. More than 100 mutations are broadly distributed throughout the ATM gene. The large size of the ATM gene (66 exons spanning ~150kb of genomic DNA) together with the diversity and broad distribution of mutations in AT patients, greatly limits the utility of direct mutation screening as a diagnostic tool. In this study, 20 families with at least one affected child clinically suspected to have ataxia-telangiectasia were examined and their DNA was extracted and amplified with standard methods. Sequencing methods were used to detect the new point mutation. Four exons which were hot spots for point mutations in ATM gene were detected by PCR-SSCP or PCR-RFLP.