Background Neck circumference (NC), emerging as a key morphological index for pediatric obesity, is associated with obesity- and overweight-related detrimental conditions in children. In this study, we aimed to provide the age- and sex-specific percentile reference values for neck circumference of the Iranian children and adolescents. Methods We used the data gathered through the weight disor...

Tree worship is very common worldwide. This field study surveys the ceremonies and customs related to sacred trees in present-day Israel; it includes the results of interviews with 98 informants in thirty-one Arab, Bedouin, and Druze villages in the Galilee. The main results are: 1. Sacred trees were treated as another kind of sacred entity with all their metaphysical as well as physical manife...

INTRODUCTION The American continent is very rich in psychoactive plants and fungi, and many pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures used them for magical, therapeutic and religious purposes. OBJECTIVES The archaeological, ethno-historical and ethnographic evidence of the use of hallucinogenic substances in Mesoamerica is reviewed. RESULTS Hallucinogenic cactus, plants and mushrooms were used to...

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. Based on the latest Iranian national cancer department report, the total number of women registered with breast cancer was 6976 cases during 2007. Five year survival is one of the indicators used for evaluation of the quality for care to different types of malignancies including breast cancer. OBJECTIVES The aim of this...

The concept of ceremony is introduced as an extension of the concept of network protocol, with human nodes alongside computer nodes and with communication links that include UI, human-to-human communication and transfers of physical objects that carry data. What is out-of-band to a protocol is in-band to a ceremony, and therefore subject to design and analysis using variants of the same mature ...

The social engagement and self-rated health of retirees were studied for gender differences in a Nigerian setting. The study was based on the hypothesis that gender difference in the level of social engagement entailing particularly, the traditional ceremonies may be reflected in differential self-rated health. The engagement (visitations, traditional ceremonies, religious activities and leisur...

UNLABELLED We provide the first reference values for bone mineral content and bone mineral density according to age and sex in Iranian children and adolescents. The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D was high, and levels of physical activity were low in our sample. Multiple regression analyses showed age, BMI, and Tanner stage to be the main indicators of bone mineral apparent density. PURPOSE N...

BACKGROUND Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. It affects approximately 18.0% of Iranian adults. This study aimed to estimate age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension and its control among Iranian persons older 19 years of age. It also tried to find and socioeconomic factors associated with hypertension control in Iranian population. METHODS In Isfahan Healthy Hear...