CONTEXT: Iran's culture and religion prohibit sexual contact prior to marriage. Due to the sensitivity of the topic, little is known about the sexual activity of unmarried adolescent males or about their knowledge of, and attitudes toward, sexuality and reproductive health. METHODS:A population-based study of 1,385 males aged 15-18 in Tehran was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire. Participants were questioned about their beliefs and knowledge regarding reproductive health, and asked whether they had engaged in sexual activity. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with sexual knowledge, attitudes and behavior.RESULTS: Twenty-eight percent of the sample reported having engaged in sexual activity. Sexual experience was associated with older age, access to satellite television, alcohol consumption and permissive attitudes toward sex. Substantial proportions of respondents held misconceptions regarding condoms, STIs and reproductive physiology. Attitudes toward premarital sex were more permissive among respondents who were older, were not in school, had work experience, had access to the Internet or satellite television, lived separately from their parents, or reported having used alcohol, cigarettes or drugs. CONCLUSION:The relatively high prevalence of sexual activity and the lack of knowledge regarding STIs and contraceptives pose a significant threat to the sexual and reproductive health of adolescent males in Iran. Programs are needed to provide adolescents with the information and skills to make safe sexual decisions.

Different biological methods are gaining recognition for the production of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) due to their multiple applications. One of the most important applications of Ag-NPs is their use as an anti-bacterial agent. The use of plants in the synthesis of nanoparticles emerges as a cost effective and eco-friendly approach. In this study the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using Vitex negundo L. extract and its antimicrobial properties has been reported. The resulting silver particles are characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV–Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopic techniques. The TEM study showed the formation of silver nanoparticles in the 10–30 nm range and average 18.2 nm in size. The XRD study showed that the particles are crystalline in nature, with a face centered cubic (fcc) structure. The silver nanoparticles showed the antimicrobial activity against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Vitex negundo L. was found to display strong potential for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents by rapid reduction of silver ions (Ag+ to Ag0).

IntroductionThe United Nations (UN) identified health as a basic human right, but, unfortunately, the evidence shows that people with disabilities (PWD) often have lower levels of health than the general population. This can be associated with problems in access to the services and programs. The aim of this study was to explore barriers of the health system to rehabilitation services for PWD in Iran.MethodsThis was a qualitative study conducted on 21 participants using semi-structured, in-depth interviews and content analysis from June 2014 to July 2015. Data analysis was performed by MAXQDA version 10.Results“Barriers” were the most prominent challenge of people with disabilities that needed access to rehabilitation services. These barriers were categorized into eight concepts of deficiency in the system that provides rehabilitation services, defect of education, deficiency in detecting and screening of people with disability, defect of stewardship in rehabilitation, ignoring socio-cultural factors, accessibility hardships, lack of identification, and financial hardships in rehabilitation.ConclusionsAn efficient rehabilitation plan requires a common understanding, considering the long-term complications involved in addressing the barriers. Understanding the barriers of the health system to rehabilitation services requires comprehensive management that first should be familiar with all of PWD, providers, policy makers, and other beneficiaries. It also is necessary for policy makers to consider rehabilitation services as a main part of the health plan; especially, they must change their oversight of rehabilitation services and programs. Thus, policy makers should have need comprehensive management and recommended further research.

Abstract:The genus Linum L. (Lineacea) has over 15 species, subspecies or ecotypes in Iran. These species show extensive geographical distribution and form many local populations throughout the country. Linum album is herbaceous medicinal plant containing important lignans such as podophyllotoxin (PTOX) and 6-methoxy podophyllotoxin (MPTOX), which have antiviral and anticancer properties. Studying the genetic and morphological diversity of different geographical populations produces detailed knowledge about population divergence and identification of the infra-species taxa if at all they are present. Moreover, the populations that differ in their genetic content and structure may also differ in their chemical and medicinal properties. The present study considers morphological and genetic diversity analyses of 20 L. album geographical populations by using nuclear ISSR markers, genome size, and cytogenetic characteristics. These populations differed significantly in many of their quantitative morphological characters and in some of their qualitative features. They also differed significantly in their molecular characteristics and genome size. Details of morphological and molecular variations are reported and discussed.

BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to assess attitudes toward premarital dating and sexual encounters in individuals aged 15–49 years in Tehran.MethodsUtilizing the attitudes section of an original cross-sectional study (n = 755) aimed at assessing sexual health needs of adults, this paper examined personal attitudes towards premarital dating, non-sexual relationships and sexual encounters in both male and female adults aged between 15–49 years. Multi-stage cluster random sampling and a validated/reliable questionnaire were used. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using statistical software.ResultsThe results indicated that the majority of the participants were supportive of dating. Almost three-fourths of the males were more positively inclined towards non-sexual, yet tactile, affectionate interactions between unmarried males and females as opposed to only half of the females (70 % vs. 50.5 %). Also, males held significantly more liberal attitudes than females in their acceptance of premarital sex. On preserving virginity prior to marriage, 43 % of the males felt that it was important for a female to be a virgin, whereas only 26 % felt it was important for males to remain a virgin. Interestingly, more females (61 %) supported the importance of a female’s virginity compared with the importance of males’ virginity (48 %). This study showed that, being a male, of a younger age, single, and being less religious or being secular were important determinants of a liberal sexual attitude.ConclusionThese results might reflect a socio-cultural transition in the sexual attitudes of different age groups of participants - a phenomenon that will need empirical studies to unpack in the Iranian socio-cultural context.