مجله پزشکی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تبریز
سال چهل و پنجم شماره 6 (پیاپی 168، بهمن و اسفند 1402)

The success of horror films, the attention to violent crimes and the prevalence of violence in the news show that morbid curiosity is a common psychological trait. However, research on morbid curiosity is largely absent in the psychological research literature. one of the reasons being the lack of a suitable Scale for Iranian society. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Morbid Curiosity Scale.

The research design was descriptive factor analysis and the statistical population of the study was all students of Zanjan University in the academic year 1401-1400, from which 500 people were selected by cluster sampling. For the study, Morbid Curiosity Scale was used.

The results showed that Cronbach's alpha for the subscales of the Minds of Dangerous People is 0.79, Body Violation is 0.81, Supernatural Danger is 0.79, and Interpersonal Violence is 0.80 and the total scale is 0.85. The results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis also confirmed the significant relationship between explicit variables and latent structures and showed that the four-factor structure has a good fit in the samples.

The morbid curiosity scale among students has good reliability and validity and the use of this scale in future research is reliable.

The findings of this research can be used in psychotherapy, psychological research, media psychology, and advertising psychology.

Warts are a common skin disease affecting individuals of all ages worldwide. This clinical trial aims to compare the effectiveness of furosemide 0.125 percent topical gel and KOH 10 percent topical gel in treating patients with warts.

Patients diagnosed with warts by dermatologists were included in the study and treated with either 0.125 percent furosemide or 10 percent KOH for two months. Patients were examined and imaged at the beginning of the study and in weeks 4 and 8 to assess the number, diameter, and height of warts and complications.

The study included 40 patients (48 lesions) with common warts, with 20 patients in each intervention group. In the furosemide group, the average diameter of warts decreased from 4.25 ± 1.43 mm in the first visit to 4.14 ± 1.47 mm in the final visit. In contrast, the average diameter of warts in the KOH group decreased from 3.89 ± 1.67 mm to 3.02 ± 1.49 mm. No complications were reported in the furosemide group, whereas seven complications related to redness and burning were observed in the KOH group.

Furosemide 0.125 percent is effective and safe for treating skin warts. However, it is less effective than KOH in reducing the diameter and height of warts. This study's findings suggest that furosemide can be a promising alternative to KOH in treating warts, especially for patients with sensitive skin or those who experience complications with KOH treatment. Further research is needed to determine the optimal treatment duration and dosage of furosemide for treating warts.

We can find new ways to reduce complications in treating warts.

Attention deficient-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent psychiatric diagnosis in preschool children. The present study aimed to translate and determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of Conners Early Childhood Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Questionnaire–Parents’ Form in Iranian children aged 3-6 years.

We included 1,013 pediatrics aged <6 years in 2017-18 in Tabriz, Iran. In the first step, the questionnaire was translated into Persian using the re-translation method. Then, the content validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by ten specialists. Finally, the concurrent validity of the questionnaire was simultaneously compared with the children’s Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). ROC curve was used to determine the best cut-off point, and sensitivity and specificity were measured to determine the questionnaire’s diagnostic value compared to the clinical psychiatric interview. The test-retest method was used to determine reproducibility using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The internal consistency was also evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha test.

Of all the 1,013 participants, 569 (56.2%) were female. The overall modified kappa agreement and concurrent validity coefficients were 0.76 and 0.70, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the questionnaire was estimated 86.8% and 79.4%, respectively. The ICC was calculated at 0.90, and the questionnaire’s internal consistency was calculated at an overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.88.

The Persian version of Conners Early Childhood Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Questionnaire–Parents’ Form exhibited proper reliability and validity for screening the Iranian pediatric population.

The emerged validated tool from the present study can be used in the first-line health system in the public and private sectors for physician and non-physician healthcare providers, especially family physicians in primary health care.

Sperm motility is a fundamental factor for sperm penetration into the oocyte and fertilization. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2021, less than 42 percent of motility is called asthenozoospermia, which is one of the most common causes of male infertility. This retrospective cohort study aims to investigate sperm DNA damage with TUNEL and SCSA methods and its relationship with sperm parameters, age, and body mass index (BMI) in severe asthenospermia (<2% sperm motility) and normozoospermia.

The study parameters between 111 subjects with severe asthenozoospermia and 113 subjects with normozoospermia were investigated. The 2010 World Health Organization guidelines were used to evaluate sperm parameters, and TUNEL and SCSA methods were used to assess sperm DNA damage. The statistical analysis was done using the t-test of two independent samples. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to investigate the relationship between sperm DNA damage and sperm parameters, age, and BMI P<0.05 was considered significant.

The mean seminal volume, sperm concentration and count, and the percentage of sperm total motility and progressive motility were significantly lower in severe asthenospermic subjects compared to normozoospermic subjects (P<0.001). In addition, the mean percentage of sperm DNA damage in severe asthenozoospermic individuals was significantly higher than in normozoospermic individuals (P<0.001). There was also a positive and significant relationship between sperm DNA damage and the age of severely asthenozoospermic men.

Sperm motility, sperm DNA damage, and the father's age are essential in the successful conception, development, and health of the embryo. Therefore, the evaluation of sperm DNA damage is recommended in examining male fertility and selecting the appropriate treatment approach for men with severe asthenozoospermia.

Practical Implications:

Considering that the sperm genome constitutes 50 percent of the genetic material of the next generation, evaluating sperm DNA health to determine the appropriate treatment approach in infertile men can be influential in the success of assisted reproductive techniques and in maintaining the next generation’s health.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as a global epidemic, can cause widespread and irreparable disorders in the personal and social health. Although elderly people are more at risk, they receive less attention in this regard. This epidemic can affect the elderly in different ways, including the fear of contracting the virus and fear of death. This study aimed to determine the relationship between loneliness, locus of control, and intolerance of ambiguity with death anxiety in the elderly during the COVID-19 era.

Using cluster random sampling, this cross-sectional and analytical study included 309 elderly people in Islamabad-e Gharb, Iran in 2022. Data was collected using questionnaires on demographic variables, loneliness, locus of control, intolerance of ambiguity, and death anxiety. The collected data were statistically analyzed using logistic regression.

The mean age of participants was 70.69±6.28 years. The prevalence of death anxiety was 71.20% and it was statistically related to gender. The results of regression analysis showed that loneliness, external source of control, high uncertainty intolerance and gender could significantly predict death in the elderly.

According to our findings, more than half of the elderly experienced death anxiety. Loneliness, source of control, and intolerance of ambiguity play an important role in death anxiety of the elderly. Death anxiety among this population can be improved by designing psychological interventions based on the feeling of loneliness, source of control from external to internal, and intolerance of ambiguity from top to bottom.

Practical Implications: 

Since death anxiety is a multi-dimensional structure affecting many aspects of the elderly's life and it is one of the most common mental health issues of the elderly, it is essential to investigate the related factors. This can help to take effective steps and improve the mental health of the elderly.

Quarantine and social distancing due to COVID 19 has led to anxiety, anger, stress, and anger in people and has had a negative impact on physical and mental health and the quality of marital relationships. Due to the lack of sufficient studies and also the fact that no study was found in the literature review that compared this approach over the phone and face-to-face, this study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effect of telephone and face-to-face counseling with the explicit approach on women's marital interactions.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2022 in the health centers of Tabriz city on women aged 18 to 40 with a sexual performance score of less than 28. The participants were assigned to two groups of face-to-face counseling and telephone counseling with a ratio of 1:1 using a computerized random number table with blocks of four and six. Counseling based on explicit approach was done in the face-to-face counseling group during three meetings of 60-90 minutes, and for the telephone counseling group, there were three individual telephone counseling sessions of 60-90 minutes. Pre-test questionnaires including sexual performance, quality of sexual life and marital satisfaction were completed before and eight weeks after the end of the intervention.

The mean (standard deviation) score of the quality of sexual life after the intervention was significantly increased in both face-to-face and telephone counseling groups compared to before the intervention. Also the mean (standard deviation) of the total score of sexual performance and marital satisfaction after the intervention in the face-to-face counseling group was significantly higher than that of the telephone counseling group.

Using counseling based on ex-PLISSIT approach in both face-to-face and telephone counseling groups, are effective in sexual health. Therefore, during crises such as a pandemic, or other restrictions to hold face-to-face counseling sessions, telephone consultations are useful.

Practical Implications:

 Counseling based on ex-PLISSIT approach is effective for sexual health.

The Urban Family Physician Program (UFPP) has been implemented in Fars and Mazandaran provinces of Iran since 2013 with the aim of improving access and utilization of health services, with a particular focus on children and adolescents. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in achieving this goal, this study aimed to compare the access and utilization of health services among children living in areas covered by the UFPP with those living in other regions of Iran.

A secondary analysis was performed using data from the 2015 National Health Utilization Survey. The data of people aged under 18 were extracted and indicators on the use of health services based on three main models of health service provisions were compared:(1) cities in Fars and Mazandaran provinces (UFPP implemented);(2) cities in other Iranian provinces (excluding Fars and Mazandaran); and (3) villages and cities with a population under 20,000.

The study included 20,689 children. The outpatient and inpatient visits in children living in Fars and Mazandaran provinces were higher than in children from other provinces and smaller towns (11.89 vs. 7.92 and 7.21 for outpatient and 4.74 vs. 3.51 and 4.27 for inpatient, respectively). Furthermore, UFPP was found to be associated with a higher utilization of health services in children residing in cities (odds ratio=1.50 (1.98-1.15)). Additionally, the cost of outpatient and inpatient health services in areas where the UFPP was implemented was lower compared to other parts of the country.

The urban family physician program has been successful in increasing the access to health services and reducing health costs in children.

Practical Implications: 

The findings suggest that the urban family physician program can be an effective strategy for improving healthcare access and reducing costs, especially in areas with high population density. Policymakers and healthcare providers can use the results of this study to inform the development and implementation of similar programs in other countries, with the aim of improving healthcare access and reducing healthcare costs in children and adolescents.

Climatic and geomorphological characteristics of a region are vital factors in the regional spread of diseases. Geographic Information System (GIS) is a useful tool for studying cancer epidemiology. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the prevalence of childhood leukemia in Khuzestan based on 10-year GIS data of temperature, wind speed and dust level.

The medical characteristics of all cases of leukemia in children admitted to Bagai 2 Ahvaz Hospital, which were diagnosed with leukemia for the first time. We collected what was diagnosed.

Five hundred and twelve children had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 100 children had acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). The year 2015 had the highest and the year 2018 the lowest ALL rate. The peak of AML was in 2013 and the lowest was in 2018. Central cities had the highest mean particulate matter, temperature, wind speed, and the highest rate of leukemia.

The results show that dust, temperature and wind speed are related to the prevalence of childhood leukemia in Khuzestan, Iran.

Practical Implications:

 A wide range of environmental and genetic factors can play a role in the occurrence of cancer, so additional studies are needed to confirm the effect of particles and environmental factors such as temperature and dust on the occurrence of cancer.