Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of Nutrition Screening Tool for Every Preschooler (NutriSTEP®) in Iranian Preschool Children.

BACKGROUNDS: To assess the validity and reliability of the Persian version of Nutrition Screening Tool for Every Preschooler (NutriSTEP®), a community-based nutrition screening tool in preschool children. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-cultural validation study was conducted on 192 Iranian preschool children in Mashhad, Iran. Forward and backward translation and face validity was assessed. Criterion validity was confirmed by nutritionist risk score which was determined by an expert physician. Content validity, construct validity and reliability of the Persian version was assessed as well. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to detect the reasonable cut-points for the Persian version. FINDINGS: Content validity index and ratio ranged between 0.9 and 1 and 0.63-1, which both were acceptable. NutriSTEP® scores were significantly different in the three categories of nutritionist risk scores (p = .007). Item-to-scale correlation analysis shows significant correlation between each item and the total score. A significant correlation was seen between test-retest scores of NutriSTEP® (r = 0.68, p < .001). In Persian NutriSTEP®, scores 27 and 31 seems to better reflect the nutrition risk in Iranian preschool children population and are suggested as cut-points; Therefore, scores lower or equal to 27 are determined as mild risk and 28-31 as moderate risk, while scores higher than 31 are categorized as high risk. CONCLUSION: The Persian NutriSTEP® questionnaire is both valid and reliable for the screening of nutrition risk in preschool children of the Iranian population. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Health care professionals may use the NutriSTSP® tool to find nutritionally high risk children as an important step to prevent childhood obesity.

Evidence for the Validity of the Children's Attraction to Physical Activity (CAPA) Scale in Iranian Preschool Children.

PURPOSE: The escalating trend of overweight and obesity is a major global health challenge and needs particular attention. There are a number of reasons for this increase, but the dominant one appears to be the pandemic of physical inactivity. It is now clear that children's attraction to physical activity is an important promising factor in children's physical activity involvement. In this study, we aimed to cross-validate the long version of children's attraction to physical activity (CAPA) scale in Iranian preschool children. DESIGN AND METHODS: Evidence for the validity of the scale was based on face validity, content validity, and internal consistency. The scale was translated into Persian and underwent forward translation, synthesis of the translation and backward translation. Face and content validity were subsequently assessed on individuals and expert panels. A sample of 30 preschool children (5-6 years of age) were randomly selected from three kindergartens. Children were interviewed by their kindergarten teachers. RESULTS: Internal consistency for each of the five subscales of the CAPA scale was evaluated through Cronbach's alpha. The internal consistency was acceptable for most of the subscales when negative statements were excluded from the analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The results supported the use of modified version of Persian-language long CAPA scale for Iranian preschool children, with the deletion of negatively worded items. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Health care professionals may use the CAPA when assessing the attraction of children toward physical activity and its potential involvement in childhood obesity.

Characterizing the interplay between Acinetobacter baumannii, A549 cells, and anti-Omp34 antibodies: implications for adherence, internalization, and cytotoxicity.

Acinetobacter baumannii thrives within eukaryotic cells, influencing persistence, treatment approaches, and progression of disease. We probed epithelial cell invasion by A. baumannii and the influence of antibodies raised to outer membrane protein 34 (Omp34) on epithelial interactions. We expressed and purified recombinant Omp34 and induced anti-Omp34 antibodies in Bagg albino or BALB/c mice. Omp34 was evaluated for acute toxicity in mice through histological analysis of six organs. The host cell line, A549, was exposed to both A. baumannii 19606 and a clinical isolate. The study also investigated serum resistance, adherence, internalization, and proliferation of A. baumannii in A549 cells, with and without anti-Omp34 sera, utilizing cell culture techniques and light microscopy. A549 cell viability was evaluated by A. baumannii challenge and exposure to anti-Omp34 sera. Actin disruption experiments using cytochalasin D probed microfilament and microtubule roles in A. baumannii invasion. Omp34 prompted antibody production without toxicity in mice. The serum showed bactericidal effects on both strains. Additionally, both A. baumannii strains were found to form biofilms. Omp34 serum was observed to decrease biofilm formation, bacterial adherence, internalization, and proliferation in A549 cells. Furthermore, the use of anti-Omp34 serum enhanced the post-infection survival of the host cell. Pre-exposure of A549 cells to cytochalasin D reduced bacterial internalization, highlighting the role of actin polymerization in the invasion process. Microscopic analysis revealed various interactions, such as adherence, membrane alterations, vacuolization, apoptosis, and cellular damage. Anti-Omp34 serum-exposed A549 cells were protected and showed reduced damage. The findings reveal that A. baumannii can significantly multiply intracellularly within host cells. This suggests the bacterium's ability to establish an environment conducive to its replication by preventing fusion with degradative lysosomes and inhibiting acidification. This finding contributes to the understanding of A. baumannii's intracellular persistence and highlights the role of Omp34 in influencing apoptosis, autophagy, and bacterial adherence, which may impact the development of effective treatments against A. baumannii infections.