OBJECTIVES: The capture-recapture method was applied to estimate the number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals not registered with any data sources. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Lorestan Province, in the west of Iran, in 2016. Three incomplete sources of HIV-positive individuals, with partially overlapping data, were used, including: (a) transfusion center, (b) volunteer counseling and testing centers (VCTCs), and (c) prison. The 3-source capture-recapture method, using a log-linear model, was applied for data analysis. The Akaike information criterion and the Bayesian information criterion were used for model selection. RESULTS: Of the 2,456 HIV-positive patients registered in these 3 data sources, 1,175 (47.8%) were identified in transfusion center, 867 (35.3%) in VCTCs, and 414 (16.8%) in prison. After the exclusion of duplicate entries, 2,281 HIV-positive patients remained. Based on the capture-recapture method, 14,868 (95% confidence interval, 9,923 to 23,427) HIV-positive individuals were not identified in any of the registries. Therefore, the real number of HIV-positive individuals was estimated to be 17,149, and the overall completeness of the 3 registries was estimated to be around 13.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Based on capture-recapture estimates, a huge number of HIV-positive individuals are not registered with any of the provincial data sources. This is an urgent message for policymakers who plan and provide health care services for HIV-positive patients. Although the capture-recapture method is a useful statistical approach for estimating unknown populations, due to the assumptions and limitations of the method, the population size may be overestimated as it seems possible in our results.
Counseling ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Delivery of Health Care ; HIV ; HIV Seropositivity ; Humans* ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; Iran ; Linear Models ; Methods* ; Population Density ; Prisons ; Registries ; Statistics as Topic ; Volunteers

OBJECTIVES: The capture-recapture method was applied to estimate the number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals not registered with any data sources.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Lorestan Province, in the west of Iran, in 2016. Three incomplete sources of HIV-positive individuals, with partially overlapping data, were used, including: (a) transfusion center, (b) volunteer counseling and testing centers (VCTCs), and (c) prison. The 3-source capture-recapture method, using a log-linear model, was applied for data analysis. The Akaike information criterion and the Bayesian information criterion were used for model selection.RESULTS: Of the 2,456 HIV-positive patients registered in these 3 data sources, 1,175 (47.8%) were identified in transfusion center, 867 (35.3%) in VCTCs, and 414 (16.8%) in prison. After the exclusion of duplicate entries, 2,281 HIV-positive patients remained. Based on the capture-recapture method, 14,868 (95% confidence interval, 9,923 to 23,427) HIV-positive individuals were not identified in any of the registries. Therefore, the real number of HIV-positive individuals was estimated to be 17,149, and the overall completeness of the 3 registries was estimated to be around 13.3%.CONCLUSIONS: Based on capture-recapture estimates, a huge number of HIV-positive individuals are not registered with any of the provincial data sources. This is an urgent message for policymakers who plan and provide health care services for HIV-positive patients. Although the capture-recapture method is a useful statistical approach for estimating unknown populations, due to the assumptions and limitations of the method, the population size may be overestimated as it seems possible in our results.
Counseling ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Delivery of Health Care ; HIV ; HIV Seropositivity ; Humans ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; Iran ; Linear Models ; Methods ; Population Density ; Prisons ; Registries ; Statistics as Topic ; Volunteers

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to investigate the correlation between chronological age and dental pulp volume in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: The literature was searched in 4 databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar). Within each study, the outcome of interest was the correlation (r) between chronological age and pulp volume. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted. Subgroup analysis was carried out according to sex and tooth type. Results: Of 5,693 identified studies, 27 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were selected for meta-analysis. These articles focused on single-rooted teeth (n = 21), multi-rooted teeth (n = 6), maxillary teeth (n = 14), mandibular teeth (n = 6), and maxillary and mandibular teeth (n = 12). The relationship between chronological age and dental pulp volume was examined in the entire population (r = - 0.67), men (r = - 0.75), and women (r = - 0.77) in single- and multi-rooted teeth. The results of the total population analysis showed a relatively strong negative relationship between age and pulp volume. Conclusion This study suggested that CBCT is a reliable and repeatable tool for dental age estimation. A strong inverse relationship was observed between pulp chamber volume and age. Further studies on the correlation between chronological age and pulp volume of multi-rooted teeth may be beneficial. (Imaging Sci Dent 2023; 53: 91-9)

BACKGROUND: The Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire-50 (NOSACQ-50) was developed by a team of Nordic occupational safety researchers based on safety climate and psychological theories. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Persian version of NOSACQ-50 and assess the score of safety climate on a group of workers in a steel company in Iran. METHODS: The Persian version of NOSACQ-50 was distributed among 661 employees of a steel company in Qazvin Province (Iran). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis were used to determine the dimensions of the questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach α coefficient. Pearson correlation test was applied to investigate the correlation between different dimensions. RESULTS: The results of EFA showed that the Persian version of NOSACQ-50 consisted of six dimensions. The Cronbach α coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.94. The mean score of safety climate in all dimensions was 2.89 (standard deviation 0.60). CONCLUSION: The Persian version of NOSACQ-50 had a satisfactory validity for measuring safety climate in the studied Iranian population.
Climate* ; Iran ; Occupational Health ; Psychological Theory ; Steel*

OBJECTIVES: In women, breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death. Screening tests are the basis for early diagnosis. In Iranian women, the mortality rate of breast cancer is high due to insufficient screening examinations and delayed visits for care. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors affecting breast self-examinations among Iranian women employed in medical careers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 501 women working in the medical professions at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in western Iran in 2018. The subjects were selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed, self-report questionnaire that contained demographic information and questions based on protection motivation theory and social support theory. Descriptive data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23 and model fitting with PLS version 2. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 37.1±8.3 years, and most of the women (80.4%) were married. Most women had a bachelor's degree (67.5%). The findings of this study showed that the coping appraisal construct was a predictor of protection motivation (β=0.380, p<0.05), and protection motivation (β=0.604, p<0.05) was a predictor of breast self-examination behavior. Additionally, social support theory (β=0.202, p<0.05) had a significant positive effect on breast self-examination behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of practicing self-examinations among women employees in the medical sector was low; considering the influence of social support as a factor promoting screening, it is necessary to pay attention to influential people in women's lives when designing educational interventions.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast Self-Examination ; Breast ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Delivery of Health Care ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Iran ; Mass Screening ; Mortality ; Motivation ; Self-Examination ; Statistics as Topic

OBJECTIVES: In women, breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death. Screening tests are the basis for early diagnosis. In Iranian women, the mortality rate of breast cancer is high due to insufficient screening examinations and delayed visits for care. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors affecting breast self-examinations among Iranian women employed in medical careers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 501 women working in the medical professions at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in western Iran in 2018. The subjects were selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed, self-report questionnaire that contained demographic information and questions based on protection motivation theory and social support theory. Descriptive data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23 and model fitting with PLS version 2. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 37.1±8.3 years, and most of the women (80.4%) were married. Most women had a bachelor's degree (67.5%). The findings of this study showed that the coping appraisal construct was a predictor of protection motivation (β=0.380, p<0.05), and protection motivation (β=0.604, p<0.05) was a predictor of breast self-examination behavior. Additionally, social support theory (β=0.202, p<0.05) had a significant positive effect on breast self-examination behavior. CONCLUSIONS The frequency of practicing self-examinations among women employees in the medical sector was low; considering the influence of social support as a factor promoting screening, it is necessary to pay attention to influential people in women's lives when designing educational interventions.

OBJECTIVES: This report provides information on 14 behavioral and nutritional factors that can be addressed in stomach cancer prevention programs. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched through December 2018. Reference lists were also screened. Observational studies addressing the associations between stomach cancer and behavioral factors were analyzed. Between-study heterogeneity was investigated using the χ2, τ2, and I2 statistics. The likelihood of publication bias was explored using the Begg and Egger tests and trim-and-fill analysis. Effect sizes were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Of 52,916 identified studies, 232 (including 33,831,063 participants) were eligible. The OR (95% CI) of factors associated with stomach cancer were as follows: Helicobacter pylori infection, 2.56 (95% CI, 2.18 to 3.00); current smoking, 1.61 (95% CI, 1.49 to 1.75); former smoking 1.43 (95% CI, 1.29 to 1.59); current drinking, 1.19 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.29); former drinking, 1.73 (95% CI, 1.17 to 2.56); overweight/obesity, 0.89 (95% CI, 0.74 to 1.08); sufficient physical activity, 0.83 (95% CI, 0.68 to 1.02); consumption of fruits ≥3 times/wk, 0.48 (95% CI, 0.37 to 0.63); consumption of vegetables ≥3 times/wk, 0.62 (95% CI, 0.49 to 0.79); eating pickled vegetables, 1.28 (95% CI, 1.09 to 1.51); drinking black tea, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.84 to 1.20); drinking green tea, 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80 to 0.97); drinking coffee, 0.99 (95% CI, 0.88 to 1.11); eating fish ≥1 time/wk 0.79 (95% CI, 0.61 to 1.03); eating red meat ≥4 times/wk 1.31 (95% CI, 0.87 to 1.96), and high salt intake 3.78 (95% CI, 1.74 to 5.44) and 1.34 (95% CI, 0.88 to 2.03), based on two different studies. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis provided a clear picture of the behavioral and nutritional factors associated with the development of stomach cancer. These results may be utilized for ranking and prioritizing preventable risk factors to implement effective prevention programs.

OBJECTIVES: This report provides information on 14 behavioral and nutritional factors that can be addressed in stomach cancer prevention programs. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched through December 2018. Reference lists were also screened. Observational studies addressing the associations between stomach cancer and behavioral factors were analyzed. Between-study heterogeneity was investigated using the χ2, τ2, and I2 statistics. The likelihood of publication bias was explored using the Begg and Egger tests and trim-and-fill analysis. Effect sizes were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Of 52,916 identified studies, 232 (including 33,831,063 participants) were eligible. The OR (95% CI) of factors associated with stomach cancer were as follows: Helicobacter pylori infection, 2.56 (95% CI, 2.18 to 3.00); current smoking, 1.61 (95% CI, 1.49 to 1.75); former smoking 1.43 (95% CI, 1.29 to 1.59); current drinking, 1.19 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.29); former drinking, 1.73 (95% CI, 1.17 to 2.56); overweight/obesity, 0.89 (95% CI, 0.74 to 1.08); sufficient physical activity, 0.83 (95% CI, 0.68 to 1.02); consumption of fruits ≥3 times/wk, 0.48 (95% CI, 0.37 to 0.63); consumption of vegetables ≥3 times/wk, 0.62 (95% CI, 0.49 to 0.79); eating pickled vegetables, 1.28 (95% CI, 1.09 to 1.51); drinking black tea, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.84 to 1.20); drinking green tea, 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80 to 0.97); drinking coffee, 0.99 (95% CI, 0.88 to 1.11); eating fish ≥1 time/wk 0.79 (95% CI, 0.61 to 1.03); eating red meat ≥4 times/wk 1.31 (95% CI, 0.87 to 1.96), and high salt intake 3.78 (95% CI, 1.74 to 5.44) and 1.34 (95% CI, 0.88 to 2.03), based on two different studies. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis provided a clear picture of the behavioral and nutritional factors associated with the development of stomach cancer. These results may be utilized for ranking and prioritizing preventable risk factors to implement effective prevention programs.

OBJECTIVEThe prevalence of obesity is increasing in Iranian youngsters. This study aimed to assess some dietary determinants of obesity in a representative sample of children in Neishabour, a city in northeastern, Iran.

METHODSThis case-control study was conducted among 114 school students, aged 6-12 years, with a body mass index (BMI) ≥95th (based on percentile of Iranian children) as the case group and 102 age- and gender-matched controls, who were selected from their non-obese classmates. Nutrient intake data were collected by trained nutritionists by using two 24-hour-dietary recalls through maternal interviews in the presence of their child. A food frequency questionnaire was used for detecting the snack consumption patterns. Statistical analysis was done using univariate and multivariate logistic regression (MLR) by SPSS version 16.

RESULTSIn univariate logistic regression, total energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat (including saturated, mono- and poly-unsaturated fat), and dietary fiber were the positive predictors of obesity in studied children. The estimated crude ORs for frequency of corn-based extruded snacks, carbonated beverages, potato chips, fast foods, and chocolate consumption were statistically significant. After MLR analysis, the association of obesity remained significant with energy intake (OR = 2.489, 95%CI: 1.667-3.716), frequency of corn-based extruded snacks (OR = 1.122, 95%CI: 1.007-1.250), and potato chips (OR = 1.143, 95%CI:1.024-1.276). The MLR analysis showed that dietary fiber (OR = 0.601, 95%CI: 0.368-0.983) and natural fruit juice intake (OR = 0.909, 95%CI: 0.835-0.988) were protective factors against obesity.

CONCLUSIONSThe findings serve to confirm the role of an unhealthy diet, notably calorie-dense snacks, in childhood obesity. Healthy dietary habits, such as the consumption of high-fiber foods, should be encouraged among children.

Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Energy Intake ; Feeding Behavior ; Humans ; Iran ; epidemiology ; Logistic Models ; Obesity ; epidemiology ; etiology

Objective: To examine the prognostic factors of progression from HIV to AIDS and AIDS to the death in people living with HIV/AIDS in Iran. Methods: In this registry-based retrospective cohort study, we recruited 28 873 HIV-infected people from 158 Behavioral Diseases Counseling Centers of Iran. Two outcomes of interest included survival rates from HIV diagnosis to AIDS and from AIDS to the death. We used Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression model to investigate survival rate and factors affecting on survival controlling effect of confounding factors. Results: The one, three, five, and ten-year survival rate from HIV to AIDS were 85%, 73%, 61% and 32%, and for AIDS to death were 90%, 81%, 74% and 55%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the risk of progression from AIDS phase toward death in individuals with CD4 less than 200/mm