فهرست مطالب محمدرضا بانشی

Dementia is a chronic disease that imposes a huge financial and social burden on the health system. Knowledge of the prevalence of dementia is essential for healthcare planning and ensuring that there is an adequate service for people with the condition. Considering that the prevalence and geographical variation of dementia are not well known in Iran, the present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of dementia and its geographic variations in Iran.

In this study, the prevalence of dementia was estimated indirectly using the frequency of prescribed specialized medicines in one year by generic and brand names in each province. Choropleth maps were used to visually assess the geographical variation of dementia prevalence at the provincial level. Moran I and Getis-Ord Gi (Gi) geographical tests were used to investigate the spatial autocorrelation and geographical variability of dementia prevalence at a significant level of 0.05, respectively.

In this study, the prevalence of dementia was 49.6 and 508.9 in 100000 in the general and over 60-year population, respectively. In the general population, the lowest prevalence was in Hormozgan Province (9.4/100000) and the highest prevalence was in East Azarbayjan Province (96.4/100000). In the over 60-year population, the lowest prevalence was in Hormozgan Province (141.5/100000) and the highest in Isfahan Province (862.5/1000000). According to Moran I and Getis-Ord Gi (Gi) tests, spatial autocorrelation and geographical variability of dementia prevalence were not significant.

The prevalence of dementia in the Iranian over 60-year population is lower compared to western countries; however, it is comparable with the reported dementia prevalence from developing countries. It should be noted that the dementia prevalence is high, similar to developed countries, in some developed provinces of Iran.

To provide prevention programs and educate drug users (DUs), the estimation of their population is necessary. This study aimed to estimate the population size of this hidden group in Isfahan city as a metropolitan in Iran using the network scale-up method (NSUM).

This cross-sectional study was performed in summer 2018 on 1000 people selected through a multistage sampling method based on 14 region of the municipality of Isfahan. The data collection tool was a questionnaire that was previously used in Dr. Banshi's national plan without any changes. The Cronbach's alpha value of the questionnaire was 0.826. Using correction factors such as transparency of response and the ratio of social network size used in previous national studies, the number of people with high-risk behaviors was estimated. The results were analyzed through NSUM based on survey analysis.

Among all kinds of DUs, men were the largest consumers. The prevalence of use of opium, cannabis, heroin/crack, stimulants, ecstasy, hallucinogens, tramadol, zolpidem, tobacco, and drug injection was 2983, 2342, 613, 766, 86, 268, 1185, 213, 5869, 135 in 100000 people, among individuals of over 18 years of age. In both sexes, the prevalence of using opium and its nectar and illegal treatment with methadone and buprenorphine was higher in people of over 30 years of age, while the prevalence of consuming cannabis, ecstasy, tramadol, tobacco products, and stimulants was higher in the age group of 18 to 30 years.

The results indicated that the prevalence of different DUs in Isfahan city, especially among men was higher than the reported average (especially in young men of 18-30 years of age). Since the prevalence of drug use varies based on the type of substance used among age groups, targeted preventive planning based on the type of drug used and age group is recommended.

Parkinsonchr('39')s disease (PD) is a chronic neurological disorder. Prevalence estimates of the disease are pivotal for planning and appropriate allocation of health care. The present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of PD and its geographic variations in Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, the prevalence of PD in different provinces was estimated using the frequency of specialized drugs prescribed per 100,000 people. Then, geographical distribution of the disease was determined in Iran.

In this study, the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in general population and >50 years old were 50.4 and 261.1 in 100,000 people, respectively. In general population, the lowest and highest PD prevalence were seen in Hormozgan province (15.7/100,000) and Isfahan province (96.9/100,000). Also, in those >50 years old the lowest PD prevalence was found in Hormozgan province (114.2/100,000) and the highest was observed in Isfahan province (449.5/100,000).

PD prevalence in >50 years old was lower in Iran than that in western countries, but it is somewhat comparable with PD prevalence reported in developing countries in Asia. In Iran, the prevalence of PD is considerably different in various regions.

Psychological hardiness is a personality structure that is considered as a source of resistance to medical students in stressful situations. The aim of this study was to determine the role of spiritual intelligence and identity styles in predicting psychological hardiness of students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 300 students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences included in the study by random cluster sampling. Data collection instruments in this study were demographic information questionnaire, hardiness questionnaire, identity style and spiritual intelligence. Pearson correlation, independent t-test, Kruskal-Wallis, analysis of variance and linear regression were used to analyze the data.

The mean score of psychological hardiness in research units was 48.16±9.68, spiritual intelligence was 10.43±18.62 and identity styles were 128.01±15.99. The results showed that the variables of spiritual intelligence and types of identity styles as independent variables had the predictability of psychological toughness as a dependent variable (r = 0.41, p<0.001).

The results of this study showed that spiritual intelligence and identity styles have a positive effect on psychological hardiness. Promoting and improving spiritual intelligence and identity styles increases students' psychological hardiness. Therefore, increasing psychological hardiness can be a factor to improve students' mental health.

In despite of the advancements and achievements regarding the control of the diseases, Leishmaniosis is still known as one of the basic health concerns. The objective of this study was to determine the effective factors in the follow-up delay among registered cases infected with Cutaneous Leishmaniosis from 2009 to 2014 in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran.

Participants of this analytic descriptive study included 2410 people infected with Cutaneous Leishmaniosis from cities covered by Zahedan and Iran-Shahr Medical Universities from 2009 to 2014. Census sampling method was conducted and data were collected through the two-part questionnaire which included demographic variables and disease information. SPSS software version 20 was used for statistical analysis in order to determine the most important effective factors in patients’ follow-up delay by implementing logistic regression.

The mean (SD) patients’ age was 19.3 (16.4) years, the size of the wounds were identified as 2.7 (1.5) centimeter, and patients follow-up delay was 59.7 (52.5) days. As many as 1502 of patients (62.6%) were male, and 2014 (83.6%) were female. 730 patients (30.3%) were kids. Pakis compared with Iranians 70% (P<0.01), nomads compared with urban citizens 83% (P=0.02), and patients with the history of simultaneous infection of other family members compared with the opposite group 39% (P=0.02) had the less possibility of follow-up delay. Patients who were referred from the private centers had 126% higher possibility of follow-up delay than those referred by the state health centers (P=0.02). Patients with the dry wound compared with those with wet wound had higher rate of follow-up (P< 0.01).

The study showed that the delay in follow-up among patients infected by the Cutaneous Leishmaniosis in cities of Sistan and Baluchestan province was relatively high. The effective factors in decreasing the follow-up delays of the patients and treatment seeker included beشing Paki, nomads’ life place, referral from the state health centers, wet wound, and history of the simultaneous infection of the family members.

Heavy vehicle drivers spend a great deal of time away from their families. This issue and other difficulties around their job may increase risky behaviors among them. The current study aims to investigate the prevalence of opium drugs, stimulants, cannabis, and alcohol use 12 hours before driving among heavy vehicle drivers.

We selected two sites that were in charge of medical examination of drivers and recruited 363 drivers of heavy vehicles (trucks, trailers, and buses). We asked drivers about total number of drivers they knew and number of drivers who experienced use of different types of drugs. The data were analyzed using Network Scale Up Method (NSUM).

Mean of age and job experience was 43.28 ± 10.04 years and 16.07 ± 9.67 years, respectively. The highest and lowest prevalence of drug use related to opium-based drugs at 12.8% to 14.0% and simulants at 1.97% to 2.84%, respectively. The prevalence of alcohol use 12 hours before driving was 4%.

12-hour before driving prevalence of opium-based drugs among drivers was high. This might put them in higher risk of road accidents. There is a need to design appropriate educational programs for them.

Alcohol use and drug injection are prevalent among homeless youths. The aim of this study wasto identify the associated factors of alcohol consumption and drug injection among homeless youths aged18-29 years.

Data on 202 homeless youths (111 males and 91 females) were collected using a standardizedquestionnaire and face-to-face interview. Lasso logistic regression was applied to determine the impact ofassociated factors on alcohol consumption and drug injection.

The mean age of the participants was 26.30 ± 3.19 years. Also, the prevalence of alcoholconsumption and drug injection was 33.0% [95% confidence interval (CI): 30-36] and 4.0% (95% CI: 0-8),respectively; 6 people (3.0%) consumed alcohol and injected drugs at the same time. Correlates of alcoholconsumption and drug injection were male sex [odds ratio (OR)Alc = 5.7], age (ORAlc = 0.96 and ORDI = 0.98),bachelor or higher education level (ORAlc = 1.34), non-Iranian nationality (ORAlc = 0.05 and ORDI = 0.18),food score (ORDI = 0.92), smoking (ORAlc = 2.05), substance use (ORAlc = 1.12), opposite sex relationship(ORAlc = 1.6), homosexual relationship (ORAlc = 3.56 and ORDI = 2.69), and mental disorder (ORAlc = 0.99).

Based on our findings, it seems that the homeless youth are more desired to use alcohol and druginjection, whereas the prevalence of alcohol consumption and drug injection in homeless youth was higherthan general youth population in Iran. Therefore, some suitable solutions are needed to prevent thehomelessness. Also, the effective variables that were identified in this study for alcohol use and drug injectioncan help design and implement beneficial interventions.

Drug and alcohol use and unconventional sex are among the high-risk behaviors and the cause of social damages of human societies in the modern era. In addition to numerous health problems, it also threatens the social and cultural foundations of the societies. Unfortunately, young people are the most vulnerable group to tend toward these behaviors. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of these behaviors in Rudan city students. It was an applied descriptive cross-sectional study. The statistical population of the study were Rudan Islamic Azad and Payame Noor University students. A sample of 530 students were selected through randomized stratified sampling. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. The prevalence of drug use (opiates, stimulants, industrial, traditional, and etc.) was 5.5% (8.2% in boys and 1.1% in girls) and for tobacco products (including cigarettes and hookahs and tobacco) it was 20% (24.2% In boys and 16.4% in girls). In addition, 10.5% of boys and 2.9% of girls had an out of marriage sex history in the past year. This study shows the need to pay more attention to social harms including high-risk sexual behaviors, drug use, and smoking in the students.

Animal bites are one of the serious threats to human health, leading numerous consequences such as fatal disease of rabies. Given the importance of animal bite throughout the country, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the geographical distribution, time trend and epidemiological characteristics of animal-bite cases in Bardsir County, Iran.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on the records of people suffering from animal bite between April 2010 and March 2014 in Bardsir County. Data were analyzed in SPSS v.20 software using descriptive statistics including frequency and percentage, log-linear model and time series model. Arc GIS software was employed to plot the geographical distribution of animal-bite cases.
The findings of this study indicated that totally 1,500 cases of animal bite had occurred during the study period. Mashiz district (with 695 cases of bite) had the most animal bites. In terms of time, animal-bite cases had no particular trend. The results showed that the incidence rate of bite in men was 2.12 times more than in women (p It seems that the determinants regarding high incidence of animal bite in Bardsir County are the type of activities and occupations. Therefore, special and preventive educational programs might be useful in high-risk groups.

We may sometimes measure the joint effect of correlated independent variables on several dependent variablesThe present study aimed to evaluate the performance of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) on complex relationships between variables.
The present study evaluated the knowledge and attitude of 15-18 year-old individuals towards narcotics (glass, ecstasy). The effect of independent variables on two latent variables of knowledge and attitudes was studied using SEM and MANOVA modelingThe mean square error of methods were compared.
The direction of associations was similar in both methods but their coefficients and p-values were different. only the effect of gender (P-value= 0.007) on knowledge in both methods was significant. Nevertheless, gender (P-value In the current studythe performance of SEM was better than MANOVA. Therefore, it is suggested that SEM to be used to study the multifactorial relationship between variables. In addition, only gender was effective on knowledge in both methods, while gender and marital status were effective on attitude in both methods.

Hexavalent chromium (VI) is a very strong oxidizing agent that, despite its many uses in various industries, duration of the exposure can lead to lung cancer, deep wounds (in the hands, arm, tongue and palate), nasal septum perforation, burning and inflammation in the nose, lung and upper respiratory tract, asthma, contact dermatitis, damage to the kidneys and liver, and skin allergy. This study aimed to determine the activated carbon efficiency in chromium adsorption (VI) from air flow and its effective parameters.
Material and In this experimental study, chromium mists were generated by a nebulizer (3A model, Italy). Performance of activated carbon in the Cr (VI) adsorption and its influencing factors such as air flow rate (1 and 3L/min), the initial Cr concentration (0.05, 0.15, 1 and 10 mg/m3) and bed depth (2.5, 5 and 10 cm) were investigated. Yoon-Nelson and Thomas models were used to predict performance of adsorbent column and correlation test was used to determine accordance between the model and actual data.
Activated carbon adsorption capacity increased with increasing of bed depth but decreased with increasing of flow rate and inlet concentration. The results showed that the Yoon-Nelson and Thomas models with a correlation coefficient above 0.9953 matched with the experimental data.
The results indicated that activated carbon has a high efficiency in Cr (VI) adsorption, so that its efficiency at flow rate of 3 L/m, depth of 5 cm and concentration of 20 TLV and TLV was 85.42 and 71.83 percent respectively.

Studying the validity and reliability of short-form )SF(-Nepean Dyspepsia Index )NDI( in patients with functional dyspepsia )FD(.
After translating to Persian, the NDI-10 was filled out by 210 patients with FD, whose disease had been diagnosed by a gastroenterologist based on Rome 3 criteria, who admitted to Gastroenterology Clinic of Afzalipour Hospital in 2015. The reliability of the questionnaire was studied by test-retest and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated through content-validity and criterion-validity.
Through analyzing the results of test-retest of the questionnaire, the Pearson coefficient was obtained as 83%, which proves the reliability of the questionnaire. Criterion-validity with the correlation coefficient of 0.56 and content-validity both prove the adequacy of questionnaire for measuring the quality of life in patients with FD.
Generally, Persian translation of this questionnaire has acceptable validity and reliability for measuring the quality of life in patients with FD.

Aims: Any probable negative body image during the pregnancy might affect the social relationships of the persons, including their social participations. The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between body image and social participation in the pregnant women.
Instrument & In the longitudinal study, 245 pregnant women referring to Henry Referral Clinic of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences were studied in 2014. The subjects, selected via available sampling method, were assessed during both the first and the third trimesters of pregnancy, using the standard body-image survey and a researcher-made social participation questionnaire. Data was analyzed by SPSS 18 software using paired T test and the linear mixed model.
Findings: Mean body-image scores of the first and the third trimesters of pregnancy were significantly different (p=0.001), showing a better body image during the first trimester in the subjects. In addition, the subjects showed significantly higher social participation during the first trimester of pregnancy compared to the third trimester (p=0.001). The body image and the social participation were not significantly correlated (p=0.96). The pregnancy turn and the body-image (p=0.04), and the education level and the social participation (p=0.001) were significantly correlated.
During the pregnancy from the first to the third trimester, the body image satisfaction level and the social participation decrease in the pregnant women. Nevertheless, the social participation of the pregnant women during the pregnancy is not affected by the body image.

To improve the quality of clinical education, it should always be assessed and as a clinical teachers of clinical encounter with problems the concrete evaluation of clinical training aid identify barriers to effective education is considered negative. This cross-sectional descriptive study using a DREEM inventory in four main clinical teaching hospitals in the three domains of Learning,  Teachers and Educational atmosphere that the questionnaires distribute among 50 members of the faculty. The highest mean scores were in the surgical ward (127), and Gynecology and Obstetrics (125).     Scores is in hospitals Afzalipour 119, Bahonar 126 and Shafa 118. The most points have received in Bahonar hospital. Comparing mean scores in clinical and teaching hospitals in domain of learning differ significantly with the results of Anova Test (p Scores indicate the clinical educational environment is very desirable situation. In addition, all three domains, the quality of education in hospitals is estimated to be in very good condition. Keywords: Evaluation, Educational environment, clinical, Perception of Medical Sciences

Human errors are the cause of many accidents, including industrial and medical, therefore finding out an approach for identifying and reducing them is very important. Since no study has been done about human errors in the dental field, this study aimed to identify and assess human errors in postgraduate endodontic students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences by using the SHERPA Method.
This cross-sectional study was performed during year 2014. Data was collected using task observation and interviewing postgraduate endodontic students. Overall, 10 critical tasks, which were most likely to cause harm to patients were determined. Next, Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) was conducted and human errors in each task were identified by the Systematic Human Error Reduction Prediction Approach (SHERPA) technique worksheets.
After analyzing the SHERPA worksheets, 90 human errors were identified including (67.7%) action errors, (13.3%) checking errors, (8.8%) selection errors, (5.5%) retrieval errors and (4.4%) communication errors. As a result, most of them were action errors and less of them were communication errors.
The results of the study showed that the highest percentage of errors and the highest level of risk were associated with action errors, therefore, to reduce the occurrence of such errors and limit their consequences, control measures including periodical training of work procedures, providing work check-lists, development of guidelines and establishment of a systematic and standardized reporting system, should be put in place. Regarding the results of this study, the control of recovery errors with the highest percentage of undesirable risk and action errors with the highest frequency of errors should be in the priority of control.

Abstract The prevalence and incidence of an end-stage renal disease that requires a renal replacement therapy are increasing. The aim of this study is to compare the cost-effectiveness of long-term dialysis treatments and kidney transplant by using DALY. This cross-sectional study was done to compare the cost-effectiveness of long-term hemodialysis and kidney transplantation treatments, using DALY index, in Afzalipour hospital of Kerman in 2012. The decision tree model and TreeAge software version 11 were used for data analysis. Costs and outcomes of this study were measured using patient's perspective. The cost of a kidney transplant was 165 million Rials; effectiveness of a kidney transplant was 4.40 DALY. The cost of chronic dialysis was 1.283 billion Rials and its effectiveness was 6.52 DALY. Cost-effectiveness ratio for the dialysis was 196 million Rials per DALY and this ratio is 37 million dollars per DALY for a kidney transplant respectively. According to the findings, kidney transplant is more cost effective than dialysis. This study suggests kidney transplant over dialysis due to its better quality of life and more life expectancy. The results can be linked with the government on deciding to allocate more resources to kidney transplant programs. The method used in this research can be applied to measure the cost-effectiveness of other organs transplantation.

One of the most fundamental goals of most countries is improving the quality and efficiency level of healthcare systems and efficient use of their resources. In this regard, the efficient use of facilities and equipments for the hospitals, that are considered as one of the most costly health care delivery organizations, is particularly important. The goal of this survey was the efficiency estimation of hospitals in Kerman Province (2007-2011). In this econometric study, performance of 10 hospitals in Kerman Province was analyzed in 5 years, using panel data for Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) method. Production factors such as number of beds, doctors, nurses, and out patient admissions were used as inputs, and numbers of outpatient admissions have been selected as outputs. Frontier version 4.1 was used to analyze data. Based on SFA method, the average performance of hospitals was 0.648, so we concluded that the capacity of improving performance in these hospitals can be increased to 0.352 percentages. Based on findings of this study, adjusting surplus manpower, congenital planning for increasing efficiency and resourcing management should be the priority of objectives of the managers and directors so that we can increase the level of efficiency of hospitals and reduces costs to the minimum as possible.

Maternal mortality is a tragedy which threatens human life. It is an indicator of women?s health and development of society as well. Therefore, prevention of maternal deaths is one of the main goals in many countries, including Iran. The aim of this study was to review and analyze the recorded data on maternal mortality in the country, in order to improve the management of maternal mortality. In this ecological study, the data related to the maternal mortality during the years 2007-2010 were obtained from the Health unit at the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Data were analyzed according to the number of births during the studied period and the country indices using univariate and multivariate analysis methodologies. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the studied years was calculated by 22.3 per 100,000 of live births which showed the average reduction of 0.41 in every 100,000 births annually in the whole country. The highest value was reported in Sistan and Baluchistan province (48.6) and the lowest in Cheharmehal and Bakhtyari province (9.6). In Iran, the maternal mortality was relatively high in the age groups under the 15 (50.2 in every 100,000 child births) and over the 35 years (61.3 in every 100000 child births). The analysis related to the different provinces indicated that there was a significant reverse relationship between the maternal mortality ratio and variables of net attendance of girls in secondary schools, men and women literacy, access to improved water and sanitation, as well as antenatal and delivery care. Likewise, there was a significant positive relationship between the maternal mortality ratio and births in the house assisted by unskilled health personnel. This study showed the association between the health and social variables with maternal mortality ratio in Iran at an ecologic level. In order to reduce maternal mortality, more efforts seem to be essential to develop the various provinces, particularly poor areas.

There have been investigations on the effect of absence or presence of Palmaris longus tendon on pinch and grip strength of the hand. In the same way the effect of presence of fifth superficial flexor digitorum on grip strength of the hand has been investigated. The aim of the present study was to assess the combined effect of these anatomical variations on pinch and grip strength.
In a cross sectional study, 1046 hands in 523 volunteers were enrolled. Each hand was assessed for the presence or absence of palmaris longus tendon and also variations of fifth superficial flexor digitorum function. Then the grip and pinch power of the hands were measured with Jammar Dynamometer.
Presence or absence of Palmaris longus had no effect on grip strength of the individuals. In the same way, variations of fifth superficial flexor digitorum function had no effect on the grip and pinch strengths. But the positive and statistically significant effect of presence of palmaris longus on pinch strength (25.38 in hands with palmaris present v/s 24.43 in hands without it) was evident (p=.03). Grip and pinch powers were higher in men compared to women (p Based upon the findings of the present study, it seems that absence of palmaris longus tendon is associated with a reduction in pinch strength, but has no effect on grip strength and the variations of fifth superficial flexor digitorum have no effect on pinch and grip strengths.

Clinical environments have a crucial role on medical students ' training. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess clinical environments based on the (Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure) DREEM model from the viewpoint of interns and residents in hospitals affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2012.

This was a descriptive-analytic study. The data collection tool was the DREEM Questionnaire with 50 questions (5-point Likert scale) in the 5 domains of learning, teachers, educational environment, student ' s academic self-perceptions, and student ' s social self-perceptions. The study environment consisted of 4 main wards (internal, surgical, pediatrics, and gynecology) of hospitals affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences. The study subjects consisted of 63 interns and 73 residents. Data was analyzed in SPSS software using Students ' t-test and ANOVA.

Mean score of perception of educational environment in interns was 161.17 ± 22.30 and in residents was 157.45 ± 21.14. The comparison of different areas of clinical environment evaluation only showed a significant difference between the two groups in the area of student's social self-perceptions (P < 0.05). The interns ' score was higher than that of the residents. No significant differences were observed between hospitals and the studied wards.

The students ' perceptions of their educational environment in clinical wards were desirable. Despite different literature ' s recommendation of using DREEM in order to evaluate weaknesses and strengths of clinical environments, the concurrent use of other methods and instruments for the assessment of the efficacy of this questionnaire is recommended.

In order to promote quality of education, teaching performances of all academic staff are evaluated by students every semester. This study aims to address the changing trend of staff scores in different semesters, and factors affecting it, in Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran, using multilevel modeling. Moreover, the results were compared to that of simple linear regression modeling.

In the present analytical study, the scores of 336 academic staff of Kerman University of Medical Sciences during 2008 to 2012 were extracted from the students’ monitoring website. The tutor’s code was used for the identification of their scores in different semesters and was entered into the multilevel models. In order to investigate the effects of gender, work experience (in years), school (seven schools), and academic rank (master, assistant professor, associate professor, professor), the simple regression and multilevel models were compared. To study the significance of the random intercepts, the likelihood ratio test was used. In addition, to study the goodness of fit of the models, the Akaike information criteria (AIC), Bayesian information criteria (BIC), and the mean squared error (MSE) were used.

The results showed that time had a significant positive impact on the improvement of staff scores. However, the scores of male and female staff were not significantly different. The scores of professors were significantly higher than assistant professors. In addition, the score of dental school staff was significantly higher than that of medical school staff. The comparison of the goodness of fit of models showed that the multilevel modeling provided a better fit to the longitudinal data. In the linear regression model, variables such as work experience and academic rank (professors in comparison to assistant professors and nursing school staff in comparison to pharmacology school staff) were falsely considered significant, due to the lack of consideration of the dependence of longitudinal observations of the evaluation and correction of standard errors.

The multilevel model, due to the consideration of the dependence of longitudinal observations of the evaluation, provides a better fit to data. Moreover, the incorrect use of the linear regression model, considering longitudinal observations to be independent, led to erroneous conclusions. The results of the present study, in terms of the goodness of fit of the models, showed a positive trend in scores of academic staff of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. In other words, the scores have improved over time.

Female physicians, especially gynecologists and pediatricians, have a comprehensive knowledge of the complications caused by Cesarean section. These specialists play a pivotal role in raising maternal awareness, providing prenatal care, performing screening tests and delivery of healthy infants. Given the significant correlation between the type of delivery and the mental development of neonates, this study aimed to compare the rate of Cesarean section among female gynecologists and pediatricians with other specialists. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 179 female physicians with at least one living, healthy child in 2012. Data were collected using questionnaires including the degree of specialty, mode of delivery and the reason (medical or non-medical), maternal age at birth time and the employment status of the subjects. In total, more than 60% of the studied specialists chose Cesarean delivery for non-medical reasons, and the rate of C-section among gynecologists and pediatricians was 2.36 times higher compared to other specialists. In addition, the possibility of C-section declined to 42% with the increasing number of childbirths, and the risk of C-section increased between 25-30% with the age. Gynecologists and pediatricians preferred C-section 4.2 times than other specialists, and no significant differences were observed between the employment status of the subjects (faculty members vs. Others) and the choice of delivery mode. According to the results of this study, the preference of C-section for non-medical reasons was noticeably higher among gynecologists and pediatricians compared to other specialists. Therefore, these two groups could not be considered as a proper model to reduce the rate of C-section.

Knowledge transition is an important issue in social epidemiology. Taking into account the importance of knowledge translation network among vulnerable young people in closed environments, this study was conducted to recognize and survey knowledge transition in school lessons. The study aimed at teenagers residing in orphanages in the city of Kerman, using social network analysis. The study samples of this cross-sectional study were all teenagers aged 12-18 years old residing in orphanages. Data was collected via a checklist. In order to study the structural cohesion of social networks and the position of teenagers, density and centrality indices were calculated. Local structure of networks was studied using the triad census method. Finally, the effects of independent variables on indegree index were investigated using a mixed model. The mean density in knowledge transition was 0.34 (0.42 and 0.27 in girls and boys, respectively. (P=0.2)). Completely null and completely mutual triads were 17.1% and 11.2% in girls and 33.7% and 0.09% in boys, respectively. Indegree increased with an increase in age (P<0.001), the average of the scores in school exams (P=0.002), and studying non school materials (P=0.04). Age, average score of school exams, and studying non school materials were important factors in indegree. In general, density of social network was rather low. The rate of knowledge transition was small. Therefore, activities are required to enhance knowledge sharing and transition.

After an earthquake, casualty information is needed for planning and providing health care. However, developing countries do not have an efficient health information system even in normal conditions. In these countries, health information systems become worse in critical conditions. The aim of this study was to estimate the number of mortalities, limb amputations, and spinal cord injuries after the Bam earthquake. In this cross sectional study, the network scale up method was used to estimate the number of casualties. We selected 80 residents of Bam and asked them whether they knew any one with spinal cord injury or limb amputation in three houses on the right and three houses on the left. The total estimated number of deaths was 54,041 in the earthquake. The number of people with spinal cord injury and limb amputation was 622 and 519, respectively. For tertiary prevention measures and better resource allocation, an accurate health information system is needed. In the absence of such a system, there are limitations in using direct methods. It sounds that the network scale up method is an appropriate method for estimating such casualties.