Aim:The purpose of this study was to compare IL-1β and IL-12 gene expression in the gingival tissue of smokers and non-smokers either with healthy periodontium or with chronic periodontitis.Materials and Methods:41 individuals consisting of 21 healthy controls (11 non-smokers and 10 smokers) and 20 chronic periodontitis patients (10 non-smokers and 10 smokers) participated in this study. Samples were collected from papillary regions of targeted areas and cytokines were analyzed using Real Time PCR. Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Witney and Independent T tests were employed for statistical analysis.Results:IL-1β gene expression in gingival tissue of non-smoker group with chronic periodontitis was significantly higher than non-smoker-healthy group (p=0.011). Smoker-chronic periodontitis group showed lower IL-1β gene expression than non-smoker-chronic periodontitis group (p=0.003). IL-12 gene expression was not significantly different between analyzed groups.Conclusion:IL-1β gene expression increases in gingival tissue of non-smoker-chronic periodontitis patients due to inflammatory processes but smoking reduces the expression of this cytokine in diseased periodontal tissues. On the other hand periodontal condition and smoking habits do not seem to affect IL-12 gene expressions in gingival tissues. Authors concluded that reduced levels of IL1 and in some extent IL12 in smoking patients are responsible for higher tissue and bone degenerations and less treatment responses in smokers.

Background and Aim: Cultural diversity among patients is of the issues affecting nurses in clinical settings. Therefore, the cultural competence of nurses is essential to communicate effectively with patients and improve their health. This study was designed to evaluate the cultural competence among nurses employed in the hospitals affiliated with Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2014. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on nurses working in hospitals of Ilam University of Medical Sciences, in which 215 nurses selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected using Moulder's cultural competence questionnaire by self-assessment method, and then analyzed using descriptive tests, t-test and Spearman correlation coefficient via the SPSS 18 software.Moral Considerations: Informed consent was obtained from the participants for attending and conducting research, after complete description of the research objectives and assuring that the information is completely confidential and has no effect on their professional evaluation process. Findings: 55.81% of female participants had a bachelor's degree (95.34%) with 2 to 5 years of work experience (45.58%). Average score of cultural competence of nurses was at a moderate level (115.03±25.56). The results also showed the highest average score of cultural competence in terms of preparation for cultural care (50.16±13.16) and the lowest average for attitudes towards cultural care (12.69±2.50). In addition, there was significant difference in the scores of cultural competence between females and males (P=0.001), so that the level of cultural competence was higher in females compared with males. A significant correlation was found between cultural competence and years of work experience (P=0.040), so that the level of cultural competence improved with increasing work experience. Conclusion:The cultural competence of nurses in this study was reported at the moderate level. Thus, according to the importance of culture in health and social relations, planning toward promotion of cultural competence among nurses is essential.

Context:Increasing life expectancy and the rise in the cost of long-term care at hospitals have led global healthcare systems towards offering home care services. Thus, identifying barriers to this valuable type of care can be an effective step in achieving health-related goals. This study was carried out to determine the challenges faced by home care centers.Evidence Acquisition: This research was conducted as an integrative review in 2018, whereby a wide range of keywords, such as home care, home care nursing, challenges, barriers, and their equivalents in Persian language were used to retrieve related articles. Certain valid Persian and international databases, including EBSCO, EMBACE, SienceDirect, Scopus, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Iran-Doc, CINAHL, IranMedex, Magiran, and SID were utilized in order to search for relevant articles. Among papers written in Persian or English, which were useful for the purpose of this study with their full text being accessible, 39 articles were chosen and analyzed using the Broome (indirect cohort) method. Results:In the process of data analysis, the challenges faced by home care centers were revealed. They included non-application of standard and integrated methods for home care nursing services, deficiency in intra-and extra-organizational communications, absence of proper organizational infrastructure, lack of adequate and effective human resources, absence of legal and security supports, economic problems, information poverty, cultural constraints and ignoring ethical issues. Conclusions:There are many challenges and barriers to home care services; these are often intertwined and each is the cause or effect of others. This wide range of challenges and obstacles require coordination, as well as a comprehensive and accurate programming.

Abstract. Chiraziulus is a highly disjunct, hitherto monotypic genus of cambalid millipedes, geographically isolated in Iran by more than 7000 km from its presumed closest relatives in East Asia and North America. Recent fieldwork in caves of Iran has provided several specimens of this genus, allowing the description of Chiraziulus troglopersicus sp. nov. The intraspecific variability of the type species, C. kaiseri Mauriès, 1983, is illustrated with scanning electron micrographs. Chiraziulus is characterized by exceedingly long microtrichose gonopod flagella which from their insertion points on the posterior face of the anterior gonopod coxites first point distad instead of basad or basad-posteriad as in most other flagelliferous Cambalidea (and Julida), then traverse a groove on the mesal surface of the anterior gonopod coxites, making a full (360°) loop. The same feature is also illustrated for the first time in the genus Cambala. The patterns and prevalence of the infection with a species of ectoparasitic fungus of the genus Rickia (order Laboulbeniales) in the type material of C. kaiseri is described. An updated review of the cave-adapted fauna of Iran is given.