objective: the aim of the present study is to perform a systematic review of studies that have investigated the prevalence of sexual disorders in iran. method: a broad search was conducted in pubmed medline, isi web of science, psychinfo, cinahl, embase, and three iranian databases, including iranpsych, iranmedex, and scientific information database (sid). to cover those studies that were not p...

It appears that the negative effect of forest management on biodiversity has become an axiom. Whether the negative effect, however, is a fact based on solid empirical evidence is not self-evident. Most of the studies that address the issue suffer from a lack of geographic extent and taxonomic narrowness. Therefore, a synthesis drawing together results from the individual studies is direly neede...

BACKGROUND Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in decreased insulin secretion and increased insulin resistance, hallmarks of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We tested the hypothesis that low plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the general population. METHODS We measured 25(OH)D in 9841 participants from the general population, of whom 81...

CONTEXT Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reliably associated with areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in genome-wide association studies of mostly older subjects. OBJECTIVE We aimed to test those SNPs for an association with peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) bone measures in two young cohorts. DESIGN AND STUDY PARTICIPANTS We genotyped nine SNPs from t...

PURPOSE The tumor suppressor gene p16 is frequently silenced and inactivated by hypermethylation in human cancers, including prostate cancer. However, the association between the methylation status of p16 and prostate cancer risk remains ambiguous. This study aimed to assess the association of p16 methylation with prostate cancer risk by a comprehensive metaanalysis. METHODS Relevant studies ...

BACKGROUND Recent studies have documented the efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in patients with rhinitis, but the value of this treatment in those with asthma is still debated. We evaluated the efficacy of SLIT in the treatment of allergic asthma in children by a metaanalysis of randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled (DBPC) clinical trials. METHODS Electronic d...

BACKGROUND Anemia in patients with cancer causes fatigue, weakness, and impaired concentration, negatively impacting quality of life (QOL). In clinical trials involving patients with cancer who had varied characteristics, it has been shown that epoetin alfa treatment increased hemoglobin levels and improved QOL. A systematic review and metaanalysis of data from those trials was conducted to sum...

Epidermis, a continuously self-renewing and differentiating organ, produces a protective stratum corneum that shields us from external chemical, physical and microbial threats. Epidermal differentiation is a multi-step process regulated by influences, some unknown, others insufficiently explored. Detachment of keratinocytes from the basement membrane is one such pro-differentiation stimulus. He...