Background:Although nutritional status of children and adolescents is of great concern various interventions and modifications aiming at promotion of healthy eating behaviors have limited impact due to insufficient understanding of dietary habits between different age groups and genders. The aim of this study in not only evaluation of nutritional knowledge, practice, and dietary habits of primary school and junior high school students in Isfahan province, but also this research explore crucial differences regarding gender and living area of the above-mentioned population in Iran.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on 4700 primary school and junior high school pupils in Isfahan province. Data were collected through standard 24-h recall food frequency questionnaire and researcher-designed questionnaire. Independent t-test was applied for comparison of mean values of total units of consumed food materials. Qualitative variables were compared by using the Chi-square test. Data were analyzed by ACCESS 2010 and SPSS 18 software.Results:Nutritional knowledge of female pupils and junior high school students was higher than their male and elementary school students respectively; still, theses superiorities did not lead to higher practice score. Bread and cereals group received daily intakes in accordance with food and drug administration (FDA) recommendations. Indeed, vegetables, milk, and dairy products, as well as meat daily intakes, were lower than the FDA recommendation, whereas fats, oils, and sugars intakes were higher. In comparison to females, male participants had significantly lower consumption of vegetables and fruits whilst they had a higher intake of carbohydrates, fats, and meats.Conclusions:Our results showed that adolescents failed to meet sufficient nutritional requirements, and they had an imbalanced diet, which was considerably low in several essential nutrients and high in some food materials.

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Purpose: To compare the choroidal thickness among eyes with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Stargardt disease, Usher syndrome, cone-rod dystrophy, and healthy eyes of sex- and age-matched individuals. Methods: In this comparative study, 503 eyes with RP (n = 264), cone-rod dystrophy (n = 109), Stargardt disease (n = 76), and Usher syndrome (n = 54) were included. To validate the data, 109 healthy eyes of 56 sex- and age-matched individuals were studied as controls. Choroidal imaging was performed using enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography. Choroidal thickness was measured manually using MATLAB software at 13 points in nasal and temporal directions from the foveal center with the interval of 500 μm and the choroidal area encompassing the measured points was calculated automatically. Results: The mean age was 36.33 ± 13.07 years (range, 5 to 72 years). The mean choroidal thickness at 13 points of the control eyes was statistically significantly higher than that in eyes with RP (P < 0.001) and Usher syndrome (P < 0.05), but not significantly different from that in eyes with Stargardt disease and cone-rod dystrophy. Among different inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs), the choroidal thickness was the lowest in eyes with RP (P < 0.001). Choroidal thickness in the subfoveal area correlated negatively with best-corrected visual acuity (r = −0.264, P < 0.001) and the duration of ocular symptoms (r = −0.341, P < 0.001) in all studied IRDs. No significant correlation was observed between the subfoveal choroidal thickness and central macular thickness (r = −0.24, P = 0.576). Conclusion: Choroidal thinning in four different types of IRDs does not follow a similar pattern and depends on the type of IRD and the duration of ocular symptoms. A larger cohort is required to verify these findings.

The findings suggest that in healthy children PM concentration has a significant independent association with biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction and inflammation.

Background:Present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of grades of nutritional status comprising underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity as well as other measurable anthropometric indicators of body mass index (BMI) in regard to gender, educational level, and living area among students settled in Isfahan province.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 4700 individuals (2349 females and 2351 males) being from 9 to 15 years old, while they were students of either primary school or junior high school. Random cluster method was applied in both urban (84%) and rural (16%) areas of Isfahan province. BMI values were measured and then categorized using reference growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2000). Weight-for-age and stature-for-age indices were assessed as well in accordance with CDC growth charts.Results:The overall prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity was 13.9, 10.4, and 5.7%, respectively. Boys and students of urban areas showed a higher tendency of obesity and overweight in comparison with girls and rural students respectively. Furthermore, rural students had poorer status in both weight-for-age and stature-for-age indices. In addition, educational level was the only statistically efficacious factor.Conclusions:This study and previous ones demonstrated that children and adolescents’ nutritional status, which strongly affect general health status of individuals, should receive more exquisite attention.