This study presents the first population-based report on breast cancer in the Islamic Republic of Iran using data derived from a cancer registry. A retrospective study was conducted to find all new breast cancer cases in 5 provinces covered by the cancer registry during the 5-year period 1996-2000. There were 2421 cases recorded in the 5 registries. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) was...

A high proportion of maternal deaths are caused by abortion, especially induced abortion. This cross-sectional study determined the prevalence of illegally-induced abortion prior to admittance and its associated risk factors in 8 maternity hospitals in Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran, during 2003-04. In confidential interviews with 417 women who attended the hospitals with abortion, 50 (12.0%...

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 2246 girls born between 1985 and 1989 to determine the age of menarche in Mazandaran province, northern Islamic Republic of Iran. Six cities were selected randomly and cluster sampling used to select high-school students in urban and rural areas. Students with malnutrition, anaemia and chronic infections such as tuberculosis were excluded. The mean ...

A large-scale intervention field trial of the effect of Olyset long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets on transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis was carried out in 2 cities in the Islamic Republic of Iran from October 2003 to July 2005. We enrolled 8620 individuals in 3000 households in 6 pairs of sectors in each city. Epidemiological and entomological surveys were carried out pre- and post-i...

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1997, 50 years after the partitioning of United India from the British Raj. For Pakistan (fig 1), this was also a time to evaluate the health and population status of its people. In Pakistan, during the 1940s, population growth rates begin to accelerate as health improvements lengthened life expectancy and birth rates remained hi...

This paper seeks to illuminate the sociocultural contexts of attempting suicide among Iranian youth. A qualitative approach was employed to uncover the social and cultural dimensions of attempting suicide. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 participants aged 14-17 years who attempted suicide and were admitted to 2 of the hospitals in Isfahan. A thematic analysis approach was employed. T...

To identify the prevalence and risk indicators of periodontal disease in high-school students in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, the periodontal condition of 867 students aged 15-19 years was assessed using the community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN). The results showed that 88.7% of these students had less than perfect periodontal health. Multiple regression analysis revealed ...

A study in Kerman, Islamic Republic of Iran in 2002 compared the effectiveness of fennel and mefenamic acid on pain relief in primary dysmenorrhoea. Two groups of high-school girls (mean age 13 years) suffering dysmenorrhoea were randomized to receive fennel extract (n = 55) or mefenamic acid (n = 55) for 2 months. In the fennel group, 80% of girls and in the mefenamic acid group, 73% of girls ...

The CASPIAN Study aims to implement a school-based surveillance system for prevention of noncommunicable diseases from childhood in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The baseline survey was conducted from November 2003 to May 2004 in 23 provinces among 21,111 school students aged 6-18 years and their parents. The data collected included: birth weight and current anthropometric measurements; dietary...

We carried out a clinical cross-sectional study on 728 overweight and obese women aged 20-60 years during July 2005-May 2006 in Sistan and Baluchestan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) showed significant correlation with total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. After adjustment for age and BMI, this was also ...