Pajouhan Scientific Journal
Year:2023 | Volume:21 | Issue:3|Papers Count:8

Background and Objectives: Cancer is among the main causes of death worldwide and the third cause of children’s death Iran. Children who suffer from cancer experience anxiety, and their parents’ mental health will be put in danger. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between parents’ mental health and anxiety in children with cancer in Hamadan, Iran, 2023. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 100 children aged between 6-18 years old with cancer who were accompanied by their parents and referred to the Hematology Ward of Besat Hospital, Hamadan, Iran, and had inclusion criteria were selected through available sampling. Data collection tools included the Demographic Information Questionnaire, Goldberg mental health questionnaire (GHQ-28), and multidimensional anxiety scale for children (MASC). The collected data was analyzed using SPSS (version 26) and correlation and regression tests. Results: The mean and SD of the age of the children was 9.59 ± 2.88 years, and most (55%) of the studied children were boys and had leukemia (42%). The mean and SD of parents' mental health was 27.56 (10.66), and children's anxiety was 60.8 (14.93). No statistically significant relationship was observed between the mental health of parents and the anxiety of children with cancer (P>0.05). Conclusion: The obtained results showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between parents' mental health and children's anxiety. Therefore, it is suggested to investigate these characteristics in a larger sample size and a different statistical population in future studies.

Background and Objectives: Teaching life skills to children and adolescents is one of the key responsibilities of the education systems and families. Synectics teaching method is a new training approach to enhance creativity in individuals. These exercises are designed to enable the person to use creativity to understand metaphors and analogies for creating new (“groundbreaking”) alternatives. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of life skills training using the Synectics method on social tolerance, wisdom, and emotion control in junior high school male students. Materials and Methods: The statistical population in this quasi-experimental study included all the first-year high school male students (n=5,000) in Hamadan, Iran, of whom 50 students (2 groups of 25 students) were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Social tolerance, wisdom, and emotion control questionnaires were used to collect data. The multivariate analysis of covariance and Scheffé’s post hoc test were used to analyze the collected data. Results: Based on the obtained results from Scheffé's test, the mean post-test scores in the group who were trained in social tolerance, wisdom, and emotion control for anger control, positive emotion control, depressed mood control, and adolescent anxiety control, using the Synectics method, were higher than the control group by 10.08, 28.16, 12.32,1.8, 11.64 and 96.13 scores, respectively. Conclusion: Teaching life skills through Synectics method is considered an effective method in improving social tolerance, wisdom, and emotion control of adolescents, and it is suggested to use this method in designing educational interventions.

Background and Objectives: Quality of life is a comprehensive concept related to physical health, psychological status, level of independence, social relations, personal beliefs, and environmental factors.   This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the quality of life of students with disabilities in the universities of Kerman, Iran. Materials and Methods: The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study population (n=307) consisted of students with disabilities in Kerman province selected by the census method. The required data were collected using a two-part questionnaire that included demographic characteristics and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS19 software    using analysis of variance, t-test, and multivariate regression analysis. Results: The results showed that the total score of quality of life of the students was (46. 4831±9. 5117). Among the dimensions of quality of life, the highest mean score was related to social health (67. 5207±20. 69675), while the lowest mean score was obtained for general health (34. 0798±21. 01655). In addition, the quality of life of students was associated with gender,   education level, residence status, number of children in the family, family income, type of disability, and cause and severity of their disability (P<0. 05). The results of multivariate regression analysis showed that residence status, family income, number of children in the family, and severity, cause, and type of disability significantly predicted the quality of life of students (R2=0. 36). Conclusion: This study provides useful evidence for identifying the factors that influence the quality of life and makes it possible to plan and implement appropriate health policies to improve the quality of life of students.

Background and Objectives: Balance weakness and changes in the walking pattern of deaf children due to vestibular disorders have been clarified by past studies. This study aimed to investigate static balance and walking in sensorineural deaf children with two methods of linear and non-linear assessment of posture control. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 20 hearing and healthy boys (10.80±1.46 years old) and 20 boys with deafness greater than 75 dB (11.30±1.89 years old). Static balance was evaluated during tandem stance and with feet together on an unstable surface using a force plate. Kinetic and kinematic variables of gait were also investigated. The independent and dependent t-tests were used to assess the inter-group and between-group differences in SPSS21 software with p < 0.05. Results: The results of static balance showed a significant difference between groups in linear variables. The amount of sway, path, area, and speed of the center of pressure movement in the deaf was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). However, entropy (non-linear evaluation) was only significant in the medial-lateral direction of tandem test (P<0.05). Lower gait speed and an increase in the medial-lateral component of the ground reaction force were observed in the deaf (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, the evaluated linear variables were more sensitive to deafness and vestibular system disorder than the nonlinear variable. Entropy is a sign of variability and irregularity in a person's performance; therefore, deaf people may be more likely to be vulnerable in the medial-lateral direction due to more irregularity in this direction.

Background and Objectives: Various factors can play a role in producing aberrant response. The presence of aberrant response has a significant effect on the validity of the test. If the test scores do not have adequate validity, the score does not reflect the true latent trait of the test. Individual person fit statistics are indicators for evaluating the compatibility of test scores with a certain measurement model or with a group of examinees. This research was conducted with the aim of investigating how to compute the person fit statistics of the biology course of the 2022 university entrance exam using the PerFit package in the R software. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, the answer sheets of 1000 candidates aged 16 to 18 years of the national exam who answered 50 items in the biology course were examined. To compute individual person fit statistics, PerFit package was used in R software. Also, a number of its functions were also examined. Results: The commands for compute individual person fit statistics, and were presented and the values of these statistics were calculated. Conclusion: The PerFit package was introduced as a powerful tool for measuring individual person fit and it was shown that the individual person fit statistics can be easily used for academic achievement tests using this package.

Background and Objectives: Type 1 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in glucose metabolism. Poor glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) commonly leads to oxidative stress and further diabetic complications. Trace elements, such as magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu), play a role in the process of lipid peroxidation, pathogenesis, and exacerbation of diabetic complications. The present study aimed to investigate trace elements in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Golestan province in 2022. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 26 children with type 1 diabetes and 26 non-diabetic children. After 12 hours of overnight fasting, 2 ml of venous blood was taken from the samples. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 18) using chi-score and logistic regression tests at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The serum level of zinc was lower than the normal level in 42.3% of children with diabetes and 15.4% of the non-diabetic group. Moreover, the serum levels of copper and magnesium were lower than normal in 7.7% and 11.5% of children with diabetes, respectively. Body mass index, gender, and duration of diabetes demonstrated no significant relationship with zinc, copper, and magnesium levels. Conclusion: Having type 1 diabetes causes a decrease in serum levels of zinc and copper in children. According to body mass profile, gender and duration of diabetes are not associated with this serum reduction.

Background and Objectives: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a common cardiac disease diagnosed in young adults and rarely detectable in childhood. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy exhibits considerable diversity in its clinical and genetic characteristics. To date, mutations in multiple genes associated with HCM have been discovered, with the most common ones being MYBPC3 and MYH7 genes. The present study aimed to utilize whole exome sequencing for conducting a genetic analysis of Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in four children belonging to Iranian families. Materials and Methods: Patients underwent medical evaluation, including clinical assessment, electrocardiography, and echocardiography. Genetic testing was performed after DNA extraction using whole exome sequencing to identify genetic alterations that may be responsible for this disease. In addition, bioinformatic analysis of the genetic changes was carried out using software tools for alignment, variant calling, and interpretation. Finally, the Sanger sequencing method was employed to confirm the genetic variations in the affected individual's family members. Results: The patients were children presenting with initial symptoms, such as syncope and palpitations. They were diagnosed with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy type 3 and 4 based on the results of electrocardiography and echocardiography. The genetic testing results revealed a pathogenic de novo mutation (c.1208G>A, p.Arg403Gln) in the MYH7 gene. In addition, another disease-causing homozygous nonsense genetic variation (c.3811C>T, p.Arg1271Ter) was identified in the MYBPC3 gene, resulting in the production of a premature protein. Conclusion: This study not only expanded the spectrum of genetic variations associated with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy disease and aided in genetic counseling for families affected by it but also presented the first variations of the sarcomere gene in Iranian children.

Background and Objectives: Disruptive mood dysregulation is one of the mood disorders which causes functional problems and has many treatment challenges. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on emotion regulation and social competence in children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. Materials and Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental research design with a pretest-posttest, follow-up, and a control group. The statistical population consisted of 8-11-year-old boys with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder in Isfahan, Iran, and their mothers who were referred to specialized child counseling centers in Isfahan. Thirty children and their mothers were selected purposefully and then randomly placed in two groups of 15 (one experimental group and one control group). The research tools included the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire by Garnefski et al. (2007) and the Perceived Social Competence Scale by Anderson Boucher et al. (2007). The experimental group was treated in 10 sessions (60 min for the child and 30 min for the mother), and the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that the effect of schema therapy on emotional regulation and social competence was significant and remained stable in the follow-up phase (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, schema therapy can be used to improve the emotional regulation and social competence of children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.