reza sadeghi

This study aims to identify the ethical challenges and adverse effects that medical and dental students at Kerman University of Medical Sciences encounter during their studies and how these challenges influence their academic performance.

This research is applied in its purpose and utilizes a mixed-methods approach. It was conducted during the 1401 academic year. The qualitative phase involved moral education experts, with 10 participants selected through purposive and snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. The quantitative phase included 96 dental students and 139 medical students, selected using a convenience sampling method. Quantitative data were analyzed using the chi-square test.

Students’ academic performance was found to be associated with their duration of study at the university, participation in extracurricular activities, residence status, and economic circumstances. Based on participants’ perspectives, the challenges of enhancing moral education at the university were classified into 12 concepts within three main categories: religious and belief-related challenges, media challenges, and cultural and social challenges. The findings indicate that these challenges significantly impact students’ academic performance (p ≤ 0.05).

Students encounter numerous challenges during their academic journey that negatively affect their performance. Implementing preventive measures and targeted interventions can enhance their academic progress.

 COVID-19 is highly contagious, and pregnant women might be at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a self-care education intervention on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) related to preventing COVID-19 among pregnant women.

This experimental study was conducted in Health Centers of Sirjan, West Iran. A total of 60 pregnant women, divided equally into experimental and control groups, participated in this study. The educational intervention included face-to-face training as well as providing educational brochures and posters, and text message reminders, which were sent weekly over two months. Data collection was done using validated and reliable researcher-made questionnaires, including demographic and knowledge, attitude, and practice questionnaires, which were completed before and then two months after the intervention. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 23, using t-tests, chi-square, and correlation coefficients.

The experimental group showed significantly higher mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice in comparison to the control group after the intervention (P<0.001). Additionally, the mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice significantly increased after the intervention in the experimental group, compared to pre intervention (P<0.001). However, there were no significant changes after two months in the control group.

The effectiveness of the educational intervention to improve KAP was confirmed in this study, and notable enhancements were observed in the intervention group compared to the control group. Such intervention not only support individual health but also contribute to reducing healthcare costs and disease burden at the community level.

Hypertension (HTN) is a noncommunicable disease and one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Educational interventions have been conducted to prevent and control HTN. This systematic review tried to summarize the effectiveness of educational interventions to improve blood pressure (BP) control.

Search was done between January 15, 2023 and June 20, 2023, in databases of Scopus, Google Scholar, Medline, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science (for English articles), as well as SID, IranMedex and Magiran (for Persian articles). Educational intervention studies about controlling BP were selected. The keywords used for the search were “BP,” “HPN,” “hypertensive,” “high BP,” “HTN,” “education,” “health education,” “educational intervention,” “effectiveness,” “interventions” and “training methods.” The Cochrane risk of bias (ROB) was used to determine the quality of selected studies. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and checklist were used for reporting.

After searching the aforementioned electronic databases, 4467 related articles (2655 in English and 1812 in Persian) were retrieved. A total of 2625 articles were duplicates, and 1821 articles did not match the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were removed. Finally, 21 studies (10 English and 11 Persian articles) entered the review. In these studies, various individual or community-based interventions were applied, including family-centered, person-centered, texting, training in group sessions, multiple interventions, and community-based interventions. Different methods were used for education, such as lectures, questions and answers (Q&A), group discussion, face-to-face training, counseling, telephone consultation, and PowerPoint presentations. The results showed the positive effect of the designed educational interventions in controlling HPN; however, studies aimed at self-care education were more effective.

Different types of educational interventions and training methods were effective in the control of HTN. Educational interventions are a cheap and applicable way to promote self-care behaviors in hypertensive patients.

The COVID-19 virus has caused concern and fear among people worldwide. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a Community- Based Intervention (CBI) based on the Protection Motivation Theory in preventing COVID-19 infection among bank employees.

This research was a quasi-experimental study (pre- and post-intervention). The study participants were 180 bank employees selected randomly from banks in Sirjan. The CBI was conducted over three months, and participants received educational interventions about promoting health-related behaviors and improving their working environment. Data were collected by a questionnaire with 62 questions in four parts: demographic information, knowledge, questions related to the structures of PMT, and questions about behaviors. Data was analyzed by paired t-test and Mc Nemar’s test in SPSS23 software.

The mean age of participants was 41.6 ± 2.16. There were significant differences in the mean scores of knowledge and perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, response efficiency, rewards, self-efficacy, response cost, fear, and protection motivation after the CBI (p<0.05). Also, health behaviors improved significantly after the CBI (P<0.001); for example, the prevalence of regular hand washing among the target group increased from 36.6% to 93.4%.

The results showed that Protection Motivation Theory was effective in improving COVID-19 prevention strategies among bank employees and may help prevent infection and control this disease outbreak.

Couplings are widely used in the industry and this equipment are always subject to defects and failures due to continuous rotation. Vibration analysis is a suitable technique for failure analysis and failure detection of rotating equipment. The purpose of this research is to analyze the failures that occurred in a coupling, whose data was collected in normal state and three failure states with four sensors connected to the coupling. For this purpose, two different types of feature extraction have been used, and seven machine learning algorithms and one deep learning algorithm have been used to classify situations. In this research, the performance of each of the implemented algorithms and the importance of extracted features have been investigated, and the role of sensors and their importance to reduce the number of sensors have been investigated. From the results of this research, we can point out the high importance of the features of the frequency domain in the accuracy of the implemented models, as well as the high efficiency of two sensors for classification.

In order to determine the transgression time of the Tethyan Seaway in the Jiroft and  Qom areas, and to analyzis depositional conditions at the same time, the basal parts of two exposed sections (Kegharaki and Shurab) were studied in terms of biostratigraphy, microfacies, and depositional environments. In the Kegharaki section, larger benthic foraminifera are mainly represented by nummulitids, lepidocyclinids, and Amphistegina.  In the Shurab section foraminifera are mainly represented by miliolids, Operculina, Amphistegina, and textularids. The presence of Nummulites fichteli/intermedius, Nummulites vascus, and lepidocyclinids in the lower parts of the Kegharaki section indicates that the basal deposits could be attributed to the late Rupelian. The basal part of the Shurab section is indicative of the late Rupelian?–Chattian.  Besides, the presence of tuffaceous layers in the study sections is indicative of contemporaneous volcanic activity. Ten microfacies were identified in the basal parts of the study sections. Microfacies associations of the Kegharaki section cover a range of subdepositinal environments from open marine to open lagoon environments. Coral patch reefs are present, but there is no reef complex with sigmoidal geometries. Microfacies cover a range of subenvironments from restricted lagoons to open marine environments in the Shurab section. Most parts of the Kegharaki section with an association of large and flat perforate foraminifera were deposited in normal saline waters in open marine environments (in the middle ramp). The Shurab section was deposited mainly in the restricted lagoons to open marine environments. The abundance of larger benthic foraminiferal and coralline red algae and coral facies indicates a tropical-subtropical palaeoenvironment.

The effect of utilization of feed disinfected with ozone gas on performance, carcass characteristics and blood parameters of broilers was investigated using 432 Ross 308 male broilers in a 3×2 factorial arrangement with three levels of ozone gas (zero, 20, and 30 parts per million) and two levels of fat including low (1.5 and 2% vegetable oil for grower and finisher periods, respectively) and high (3 and 4% of vegetable oil for grower and finisher periods, respectively) in a completely randomized design with 6 treatments and 4 replications of 18 birds in each. At 42 days of age, two birds were selected from each replication and slaughtered after weighing and the weights of the carcass, heart, liver, small intestine, and ceca were measured precisely. The results showed that the weight gain of chicks fed a high-fat, ozone-free diet was significantly higher than that of chicks fed a high-fat, gassed with a 20 ppm ozone diet (P <0.05). The ceca weight of chicks fed low-fat diets was higher than that of birds fed high-fat diets and birds fed diets gassed with 20 ppm ozone had higher ceca weight (P <0.05). According to the results of this experiment, it seems that the utilization of ozone gas for the disinfection of diets containing high levels of fat has a negative effect on feed quality and reduces the performance of broilers.

The concept of technoscience, as one of the central concepts in the philosophy of technology in the 20th century, has attracted great attention during the recent decades because of the existing concerns regarding the rise of artificial intelligence. In this paper, the authors compare two main views that have been presented in this regard in the 20th century. Larry Hickman, the American pragmatist philosopher, while accepting the concept of technoscience, introduces Thomas Kuhn as one of its opponents. Here, the authors investigate Kuhn’s reasons for rejecting the unity of science and technology and then criticize his view based on the fundamental principles of Hickman’s philosophy in defense of the concept of technoscience. Their main argument is that Kuhn’s view, although branded as a finding in the history of science, enjoys an ideological nature and weakens the objective bases of science. The significance of Hickman’s view lies in the fact that, relying on Dewey’s philosophy, he introduces technoscience as a teachable and, thus, manageable field.

This study aimed to compare macular vascular changes one and three months after treatment with either panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) or intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB).

A total of 62 eyes with very severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy or early proliferative diabetic retinopathy without center-involved diabetic macular edema, were included in this retrospective study. Thirty-nine eyes were allocated to the PRP group, while 23 eyes were treated with IVB. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was performed to measure foveal avascular zone (FAZ) characteristics as well as the densities of superficial and deep capillary plexuses (SCP and DCP).

In the IVB group, the FAZ area and perimeter expanded at month one but returned to baseline level after three months. In the PRP group, however, the FAZ area and perimeter were rather steady. Changes in the FAZ area were significantly different between the treatment groups at month one (P = 0.02), but not at month three (P = 0.31). There was no significant difference in the change in FAZ circularity index between the two groups at each time point (P = 0.55 and P = 0.31). Similarly, changes in SCP density were not statistically significant between the two groups at both time points (all Ps > 0.05). A comparison of the two treatment arms based on the mean change in DCP density revealed a significant difference at month one, but not at month three (P = 0.01 and P = 0.49, respectively).

Although bevacizumab and PRP have different short-term macular vascular responses, both therapies have the ability to normalize or stabilize vascular measures over time.

White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) has a special place in the food basket worldwide because of its high nutritional value and medicinal properties. To identify bacterial species associated with brown spot disease of edible mushrooms symptomatic samples were collected from Alborz province farms. Moreover, healthy mushrooms were sampled to isolate biocontrol bacterial agents. Sixty-one bacterial isolates were isolated from symptomatic samples among which 19 isolates induced wide, watery and sunken spots on the surface of the cap and necrosis of the middle part and the base of edible mushroom. Nine non-pathogenic isolates were isolated from healthy mushrooms among which four isolated were selected for auxin hormone, siderophore and production of phytase, protease, lipase, lecithinase, cellulase and chitinase enzymes production assays. Biochemical and molecular tests were performed to identify pathogenic and endofungal bacteria. Based on the 16S rDNA sequence analysis isolates were classified into the pathogenic genera including Pseudomonas, Chryseobacterium, Ewingella, Brucella and Klebsiella and endofungal species including Bacillus velezensis, Kocuria rhizophila, Bacillus wiedmannii.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a sense of unsafety and uncertainty in various industries and occupations. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of the employees of Golgohar Mining and Industrial Co. during the COVID-19 epidemic. 

This qualitative content analysis study was conducted on 20 employees of the Golgohar Mining & Industrial Co. in Sirjan, Iran, recruited through purposeful sampling from March 2021 to January 2022. After gaining informed consent, semi-structured interviews were conducted and continued until data saturation was achieved. The interviews lasted for 35-50 minutes and were recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed by MAXQDA software, version 2020. 

Three categories emerged from the qualitative data analysis: “Challenging work environment,” “unsafe workplace,” and “crisis management.” These categories formed the main theme, “encountering a crisis,” which refers to the very difficult situation that the workers experienced with the emergence of COVID-19. 

The workers did not fully comprehend the seriousness of the pandemic and lacked sufficient information about the disease, which contributed to the spread of infection. Teaching problem-solving strategies and behavior control, combined with training on disease prevention, can be effective in crisis management.

Tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lep: Gelechiidae) is one of the most important pests affecting tomato cultivation in Iran. Given its wide spread distribution, it becomes necessary to apply an effective management method. The high damage inflicted by this pest on tomato crops has historically led farmers to use chemical pesticides for quick control, resulting, in pesticide overuse and the development of resistance, rather than effective control against the tomato leafminer. Planting resistant cultivars to agricultural pests considered as one of the most important strategies for the cost-effective production of healthy products and the reduction of pesticide consumption. This study investingates the egg laying preferences of T. absoluta on 15 different tomato genotypes resulting from the hybridization (crossing) of two commercial cultivars, Sakhiya and Eshkol, using a free choice test under greenhouse conditions. Additionally, trichome density and chlorophyll content were assessed in the studied genotypes. The results revealed that Eshkol 52-2 (2), Sakhiya 9-2 (3) and Sakhiya 8-2 (3) exhibited the highest rates of egg laying, while Eshkol 52-7(2) and Eshkol 52-4 (2) showed the lowest. Furthermore, the genotypes with higher egg-laying rates were associated with lower trichome density. However, the chlorophyll content in Eshkol 52-2 (2), which had the most egg-laying rate, was notably high. Conversely, Sakhiya 9-2 (3) and Sakhiya 8-2(3), which also demonstrated relatively high egg-laying rates, exhibited lower chlorophyll content. The chlorophyll content in the genotypes Eshkol 52-7 (2) and Eshkol 52-4 (2), was relatively low but also the egg laying rate was low.

The health team (doctors, nurses, health workers, faculty members, and university professors) is one of the most important and sensitive jobs in the country that deals with people's lives and health. This profession requires high intelligence and a lot of effort to achieve it and has a special place in the society. For this reason, the satisfaction of employees in this profession and the factors that affect this satisfaction are more important than other jobs. One of the ways to maintain and motivate the human force is to meet their needs. According to Maslow's theory, in order for people to reach the stage of self-actualization, it is necessary that their biological needs, including housing, food, and the like, are met, and that these needs are met through job security, appropriate wages, and related benefits. One of the factors that cause dissatisfaction in this valuable profession is the disproportion between the salary and benefits received with the level of education, importance, sensitivity, and legal and moral responsibilities in this profession. This important matter has been aggravated by the inflation caused by the sanctions against the people. Therefore, health-related professions are considered as important, essential, and influential professions in different societies and cultures since long ago, in terms of the fact that they are directly related to human health. In order to overcome challenges such as the reduction of job motivation, the migration of elites, and the rare phenomenon of receipts outside of the approved tariff, it is necessary to respect their high status and preserve the dignity of these funds and scientists of the country; Therefore, it is suggested to increase the motivation and prevent brain drain from the country, planners, policy makers, and officials should adjust the salaries and benefits according to the inflation and provide welfare services and comfortable conditions for them.

The importance of mental health literacy is recognized as an essential component for increasing knowledge and changing attitudes towards mental health and mental illness in school students. To identify mental health problems, tools to measure knowledge of mental health literacy to cases, understanding mental health and mental illness, mental illness stigma, information about specific mental illnesses, experiences of mental illness، Assistance and the importance of positive mental health. The study aimed to translate, cultural adaptation and examine the validity and reliability of the mental health literacy knowledge assessment tool in Iranian students.

The English version of the Mental Health Literacy Knowledge Measuring Tool was conducted with 28 knowledge questions and 8 attitude questions about mental disorders, initial translation, open translation and corrections. Then, the qualitative formalization of the questionnaire was reviewed and approved by 12 experts (psychiatrist, psychologist, educational sciences, health education and health promotion and biostatistics). To calculate the reliability, 30 students aged 13 to 15 completed the first Persian version of the questionnaire twice, 14 days apart.

In the translation of the tool, two questions were adapted and localized to Iranian culture. In the content validity check, the content validity ratio scale and the content validity index were calculated according to the tables of Lavshe, Waltz and Basel. CVI average of the items was 0/88 and in the CVR, questions 4 were unacceptable. Students’ Cronbach's alpha coefficient index of general health knowledge questions and attitude about mental disorders were obtained as 0/96 and 0/86, respectively and the Pearson correlation of the questions of the knowledge section was 0/93 and the attitude was 0/76, which is an acceptable reliability coefficient.

The present tool is a tool for measuring mental health literacy knowledge that was translated and localized in Iran, which is useful for measuring mental health literacy among 13 to 15-year-old high school students. Using the mental health literacy knowledge measurement tool is suggested to increase knowledge and reduce the stigma of mental illness in order to improve mental health literacy in schools.

Larry Hickman approaches the philosophy of technology through a pragmatist lens. This article explores the relationship between Hickman’s philosophy of technology and John Dewey’s pragmatism, aiming to elucidate the implications of Dewey’s philosophy in the discourse on technology. Prior to Hickman's exposition, Dewey was not typically regarded as a philosopher of technology. However, Hickman contends that Dewey developed a comprehensive philosophy of technology that diverges from the traditional view of technology as self-sufficient, detached from human essence. Hickman distinguishes between technology and technique by emphasizing the role of knowledge, asserting that technology emerges from systematic research into technique. Dewey introduces the concept of naturalized technology, viewing it as an investigation into existing techniques to enhance adaptation to the environment and modify it according to human needs. In Dewey’s productive pragmatism, technology becomes a philosophical concern, allowing philosophers to employ philosophical methods and tools to enrich their understanding and society’s perception of the interplay among various aspects of technological culture, thereby shaping the evolving technological landscape. Hickman argues that Dewey’s philosophy can reconcile technological culture with democratic values without resorting to holistic systems or linguistic analyses. However, Dewey’s definition of technology tends to centralize it as a general concept, and his critique of realism hints at a resurgence of holistic metaphysics.

Despite the detrimental environmental and distributional effects of economic activity in Iran, these effects are not uniform across provinces. Environmental degradation and income inequality are increasing in some provinces of Iran. This study aimed to determine the causal relationship between environmental degradation and income inequality in provinces. It investigates whether environmental degradation is a cause or consequence of income inequality.

Data were collected from official statistical publications in Iran. Then, two simultaneous regression models were estimated to investigate the causal relationship between environmental degradation and income inequality. Finally, Granger causality tests were performed to verify the results.

The results show a one-way causality from income inequality to environmental degradation, and environmental degradation is not the cause of income inequality. While income inequality leads to environmental degradation, other factors are at play in causing income inequality. Income inequality, per capita gross domestic product (GDP), and industrial structure increase environmental degradation. Energy intensity, education, and environmental government budget reduce environmental degradation. Environmental degradation, education, and per capita GDP negatively impact income inequality, while the environmental protection budget and taxation worsen income inequality.

To reduce environmental pollution and income inequality, policies should be adopted that aim to improve the level of education, increase per capita income, increase the budget for environmental protection, reduce polluting industrial structure, and reduce energy intensity. Also, attention should be paid to better management and improvement of the quality of life in different regions of the country to improve the compatibility of different parts of the society with the environment.

One of the most important sources of research in the history of Zandiyeh is the book Tarikh Giti-gosha by Mirza Seyyed Mohammad Sadegh Mousavi Isfahani, nicknamed, a tasteful poet and a talented writer of this period. This work has two parts which were completed after the death of the author by his student Mirza Abdul Karim bin Alireza Sharif Shirazi and after him Mohammad Reza Shirazi. Taken together, this work narrates the life and characteristics of Karim Khan Zand from the beginning to the end of the work of Lotf Ali Khan Zand (1209 AH). For the first time in 1317 A.H., Saeed Nafisi corrected the erroneous and distorted Gitigosha by using only a late manuscript and by his own admission, without reporting any copy differences and by recreating nearly 25 pages of the original manuscript. . With the investigations done and by referring to the indexes, it becomes clear that there are about 37 manuscripts of this work in the libraries of Iran and the world, and probably the manuscripts which are very close to the date of Gitigosha's authorship and the proofreader did not use them. Therefore, with the availability of these manuscripts, it is felt necessary that this important and valuable work be corrected and refined again to present a revised work with comments from it. In this essay, while pointing out the shortcomings of Saeed Nafisi's correction, we introduce the existing manuscripts of this work.

Sleep health is a relatively new term in the sleep literature and an emerging concept in sleep medicine. Lack of attention to health sleep, leads to an increase in the incidence of various physical, mental, and immune disorders against infectious diseases.

This Narrative review study was conducted in September 2021. Studies and articles published in PubMed Databases, Web of Science, and Google search engine from 1983 to January 2021 were included in the study. All reviews and cross-sectional studies found through the keywords, including Sleep, sleep Health, Sleep Hygiene, Underlying diseases, COVID-19, and coronavirus, were reviewed regardless of the publicationlanguage.

According to the collected evidence, sleep deprivation is one of the main causes of underlying diseases, and people with underlying diseases are most vulnerable to COVID-19. Also, East Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea, with more scientific production in the field of healthy sleep, compared to EU member states, can protect themselves from diseases caused by unhealthy sleep and have lower mortality rate of COVID-19 infection.

given the vulnerability of underlying diseases to coronavirus, one of the most important functional areas and preventive factors in the occurrence of the underlying diseases that should be considered is sleep health. Encouraging and promoting sleep health is also important as a protective factor in preventing and managing COVID-19 infectious diseases. Sleep health might also be one of the important factors playing a role in the vulnerability of COVID-19 in different societies.

Hookah smoking has become prevalent, especially among the Iranian population. Knowing the associated factors is essential in designing preventive interventions. This systematic review was conducted to consolidate the factors linked to hookah smoking in the Iranian people.

This study searched 3 Iranian databases—Magiran, SID, and IranMedex—for articles in Persian and 4 international databases—Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, for articles in English. The search spanned from April 23, 2023, using the keywords “waterpipe,” “hookah,” “goza,” “shisha,” “hubble bubble,” “narghile or smoking,” and “predictive factors or predictors.” This review followed the PRISMA (the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) framework.

The review included 16 studies (7 English papers and 8 Persian articles). Based on these studies, positive attitudes towards hookah smoking, subjective norms, self-efficacy, perceived threat, socializing with friends, passing leisure time, entertainment, unemployment, pleasant feeling, reducing anxiety and fatigue, and easy access to hookah were related to hookah smoking.

The synthesized evidence from this systematic review highlights the influence of social, cultural, and contextual factors, such as unemployment, anxiety, fatigue, and easy access, on hookah smoking in Iran. Incorporating the above factors in designing and implementing public health interventions might effectively deter hookah use among Iranians.

Exposing and receiving meaning from a work of art, especially in the field of the image, requires a systematic and coherent framework. Ervin Panofsky has presented a three-step method for passing through the meaning of the face, which in this study has been used to study two paintings of the incident of Ismail's victim. The slaughter of a child by Ibrahim is a turning point in the life of that Imam, which artists, influenced by the society, religion, and art schools of their time had a realistic and surreal look at it. The purpose of the present study is to explain the lyrical and humanistic concepts in the two images of the incident of Ishmael's sacrifice, and the main question of the research is: What are the visual features related to the lyrical and humanistic concepts in the images? Therefore, relying on Panofsky's iconographic method and considering the temporal and spatial conditions of the production of works, it was concluded that due to Farshchian, the existence of lyrical, mystical, and extraterrestrial elements such as open frame, circular composition, and warm colors. Rouhani has emphasized a surreal atmosphere. The reverse is true of the Da Vinci painting, which is the product of a closed, compressed frame and other elements of the image, such as color, light, and composition, that align with the expressive look. Besides, the research method in this qualitative research is descriptive-analytical, which has been collected with a comparative approach using the library and computer resources and by taking notes.

Lifestyle changes and, consequently, changes in dietary habits have led people, especially young people, to consume more processed and fast food. This study evaluated the knowledge, attitude, and practice of fast-food consumption among medical sciences students in Rafsanjan, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, data were collected using a researcher-designed self-reported questionnaire, which was distributed among 350 medical sciences students in Rafsanjan, Iran, selected by stratified random sampling from 2019 to 2020. The validity and reliability of this questionnaire were confirmed before commencement. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. The results showed that university students had above-moderate knowledge (39.7 ± 0.55) and positive attitudes (60.52 ± 0.43) about fast food consumption. The mean number of times students consumed fast food in the past month was 12.41 ± 0.46. There was a statistically significant and positive correlation between attitude and practice. Also, knowledge had a significant inverse correlation with attitude and practice. The level of women’s knowledge was significantly higher (P = 0.001) than men’s knowledge, and the knowledge score of dental and medical students was significantly higher (P = 0.04) than that of students from other schools. The men’s attitude score was significantly higher (P = 0.04) than the women’s. Appropriate interventions should be implemented to improve students’ knowledge, attitude, and practice concerning fast food consumption. Food labeling, teaching healthy cooking and preparation, time management, improving university meal programs, and opening affordable, healthy on-campus restaurants are recommended.

Some recommendations and health protocols were presented to control COVID-19 after the outbreak, such as the use of face masks, observing social distancing, closure of schools, etc. Despite these protocols, we witnessed different peaks and variants of COVID-19 for more than two years. This study investigated some risky behaviors, such as not wearing face masks, violating social distancing, and attendance at crowded places.

We used a checklist containing some demographic, caring behaviors, and survey questions. Data were collected from four universities in Iran. Patients with positive PCR results for COVID-19 were included in the study. The minimum sample size required for this study was estimated to be 407, which were selected from the universities by proportional allocation.

The use of face mask proportion was different between the upper and lower age groups of 50 years (P=0.005). Also, this proportion was different in the subgroups of educational level, job status, income, and living area.

The space of most crowded places was confined and many patients did not use face masks and did not observe social distancing in these places. Hence, social distancing and face mask use can be considered the most important caring behaviors to deal with COVID-19.

Diabetes is a non-communicable disease with fatal complications. Diabetic patients are highly susceptible to COVID-19 side effects and persistent post-discharge symptoms that impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

This study aimed to assess HRQoL and examine factors affecting diabetic and non-diabetic COVID-19 patients after hospitalization.

In a cross-sectional study, 220 diabetic and non-diabetic COVID-19 patients were randomly selected after hospitalization in Sirjan, Iran, from January 2020 to October 2021. The European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level Version (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire was used to measure HRQoL as a dependent variable and its dimensions (including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression) as independent variables. In addition, a checklist was used to identify determinants of HRQoL, including age, gender, education, family income, household ownership, occupation, number of family members, and access to health services, that might affect the HRQoL participants.

The mean HRQoL score in COVID-19 diabetics (0.766±0.110) was significantly lower than that in their non-diabetic counterparts (0.859±0.077). The EQ-5D-5L scores in the diabetic group were significantly higher in younger participants, men, employed subjects, patients with higher educational levels, higher income, higher health status, supplemental insurance, access to health services, and fewer family members. According to the results of the Betamix model, education and diabetes were significant independent predictors of HRQoL scores.

Diabetic COVID-19 cases experienced a significant decrease in HRQoL after hospitalization. This drop might have been due to more side effects of COVID-19 in diabetic patients and lower utilization of health services during this period. It is suggested that the health sector changes the management of diabetics during the COVID-19 epidemic by taking measures such as using telemedicine, providing home services, or prescribing medications for a longer period.

Dear Editor, According to the WHO, preventive medicine means empowering people to control the determinants of health at three levels of individual, community, and environmental, to achieve complete physical, mental, and social well‑being.[1] Preventive medicine has three components. This includes the following: guiding people to what they need to do to stay healthy, believing that the benefits of prevention outweigh the disadvantages, and finally believing that its recommendations are correct.[2] Preventive medicine aims to eliminate the disease, either by preventing the disease or by stopping the disease and preventing its incidence.[3] COVID‑19 epidemic highlighted the importance of early diagnosis, action, and strengthening of public health systems, of which preventive medicine is one of the most critical tools to address such a need.[4]

Unmeasured confounding is the primary obstacle to causal inference in observational research. We aimed to illuminate the association between exposure to influenza vaccination (IV) within six months before contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and COVID-19 hospitalization in relation to unmeasured confounding using the E-value method.

Information about 367 patients, 103 of whom (28.07 %) had received IV, and confounders included sex, age, occupation, cigarette smoking, opium, and comorbidities were collected. We estimated the interest association using the inverse probability weighted (IPW) method. There was no information on some potential unmeasured confounders, such as socio-economic status. Therefore, we computed E-value as a sensitivity analysis, which is the minimum strength of unmeasured confounding to explain away an exposure-outcome association beyond the measured confounders completely.

IPW denoted 1.12 (95% CI: 0.71 to 1.29) times greater risk of COVID-19 hospitalization in patients exposed to IV than in unexposed individuals. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that an E-value (95% CI) of 1.49 (1.90 to 2.15) is required to shift the RR and the corresponding confidence Interval (CI) lower and upper limits toward the null. Moreover, if they had been omitted, the most computed E-values for measured confounders were relatively larger than for unmeasured confounders.

According to the context of the measured confounders, if they had been omitted, an E-value of 1.16 to 1.76, a weaker confounding could fully explain away the reported association, suggesting that no relationship exists between IV and COVID-19 hospitalization.