Nowadays, obesity is considered as a serious and growing global health problem. It is documented that the overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a series of noncommunicable diseases, and in recent years, the obesity-cancer link has received much attention. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that obesity is associated with increased risk of several cancer types, including colon, breast, endometrium, liver, kidney, esophagus, gastric, pancreatic, gallbladder, and leukemia, and can also lead to poorer treatment. We review here the epidemiological and experimental evidences for the association between obesity and cancer. Specifically, we discuss potential mechanisms focusing how dysfunctional angiogenesis, chronic inflammation, interaction of proinflammatory cytokines, endocrine hormones, and adipokines including leptin, adiponectin insulin, growth factors, estrogen, and progesterone and strikingly, cell metabolism alteration in obesity participate in tumor development and progression, resistance to chemotherapy, and targeted therapies such as antiangiogenic and immune therapies.

The aim of the current study was to investigate breast cancer screening performance among Iranian Turkmen women along with their knowledge and beliefs. A cross-sectional study was carried out in June to December 2011. Through clustered sampling method, 1080 Iranian Turkmen women completed the questionnaire including breast cancer screening adherence, knowledge, fatalism beliefs, and perceived threat using Champions Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS).The mean age of the participants was 43.04 (SD = 11.80) years. Compliance rate in a regular basis based on national guidelines was 13.1%, 2.5%, and 0.9% for SBE, CBE, and mammography, respectively. A mere 4% have been provided adequately with information about breast cancer. Having knowledge was the best predictor of breast cancer screening adherence along with high educated husbands for SBE performing. Susceptibility and fatalism were low and were influenced by participants' educational level and age. In conclusion, Iranian Turkmen women had insufficient knowledge, low perceived susceptibility, high fatalistic belief, and very poor adherence to breast cancer screening. There is a need for providing breast cancer education programs among the Iranian Turkmen women to increase their adherence rate.

IntroductionThe uptake of Pap smear among Iranian women is low, resulting in a high rate of casualties from cervical cancer in Iran. The present study used the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Stages of Change theory as theoretical frameworks for understanding the predictors of the behaviour of Iranian Women Health Volunteers (WHVs) with respect to cervical cancer screening.MethodsData from the 1,253 WHVs were analyzed using path analysis to assess the effects of cognitive factors (including knowledge, perceived susceptibility to cervical cancer, perceived severity of cervical cancer, Pap smear benefits, Pap smear barriers, and Pap smear self-efficacy) on the stages of change for Pap-smear behaviour.ResultsThe majority of the respondents (71.5%) reported that they had not taken previous Pap smear tests; only 3% had received a regular Pap test. The perceived benefits to cervical cancer screening, the perceived barriers to cervical cancer screening, and the perceived self-efficacy to perform cervical cancer screening emerged as the predictors of cervical cancer screening’s stages of change; perceived threat to cervical cancer, however, did not.DiscussionUptake of regular cervical screening for Iranian WHVs was very low. Different interventions, such as media campaigns and educational interventions could provide an opportunity to improve women's knowledge on cervical cancer and Pap test benefits, address any misconceptions or fears about the procedure of the Pap test, and finally increase the cervical screening uptake by Iranian women.

Backgrounds:Marriages and establishing a family is one of the most important events in the life of each person. It has significant effects on personal and social health, if it occurs with sufficient knowledge in the proper conditions. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of pre-marriage instruction on the knowledge and health attitudes of the couples attending the pre-marriage counseling classes.Materials and Methods:This pre and post quasi-experimental study was conducted on 250 couples attending the pre-marriage counseling classes. The required information was collected using an autonomous questionnaire designed based on the research objectives. The questionnaire included three parts: Demographic information, knowledge (27 questions) and attitude (18 questions. The questionnaire was filled out before and after the pre-marriage counseling program, which was presented as lectures. The effect of the instructional program was analyzed using a statistical test.Results:The results showed that 83.2% of the couples had poor knowledge, 16% average, and 0.8% had good knowledge before the intervention. After the intervention, 60.4% of couples had poor knowledge, 31.6% average and 8% had good knowledge. The results also revealed that that the difference in mean scores of knowledge and attitudes regarding reproductive health, family planning, genetic diseases and disabilities was statistically significant (P < 0.001).Conclusions:Despite the mean scores of knowledge and attitude of the couples had increased after the instructional intervention, the increase in knowledge level was not very high. So the knowledge score of the couples increased just 4.3%, and only 8% of the couples had good knowledge after the instructional intervention. Therefore, to achieve a relatively stable behavior change in individuals and improving the health level of the young couples, it is recommended that more attention pay to the quality of the instructional classes.

Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (Z. jujuba) is a traditional herb with a long history of use for nutrition and the treatment of a broad spectrum of diseases. It grows mostly in South and East Asia, as well as in Australia and Europe. Mounting evidence shows the health benefits of Z. jujuba, including anticancer, anti-inflammation, antiobesity, antioxidant, and hepato- and gastrointestinal protective properties, which are due to its bioactive compounds. Chemotherapy, such as with cis-diamminedichloroplatinium (CDDP, cisplatin) and its derivatives, is widely used in cancer treatment. It is an effective treatment for human cancers, including ovarian cancer; however, drug resistance is a major obstacle to successful treatment. A better understanding of the mechanisms and strategies for overcoming chemoresistance can greatly improve therapeutic outcomes for patients. In this review article, the bioactive compounds present in Z. jujuba are explained. The high prevalence of many different cancers worldwide has recently attracted the attention of many researchers. This is why our research group focused on studying the anticancer activity of Z. jujuba as well as its impact on chemoresistance both in vivo and in vitro. We hope that these studies can lead to a promising future for cancer patients.