Tendency Toward Research Articles

Preoperative Medial Meniscus Extrusion on Magnetic Resonance Imaging Is Associated With a Tendency Toward Varus Shifting of Open-Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy: A Minimum 5-Year Follow-Up Study

PurposeTo investigate serial changes in postoperative alignment over 5 years after open-wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) and to identify risk factors associated with alterations in the postoperative weight-bearing line WBL ratio. MethodsPatients who underwent OWHTO during 2011–2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Inclusion criteria were (1) follow-up duration ≥5 years and (2) serial postoperative long-standing hip-to-ankle radiographs to evaluate alignment alterations. The WBL ratio was measured preoperatively and at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years postoperatively to evaluate serial changes. Alterations in the WBL ratio were analyzed using a linear mixed model, considering potential risk factors including International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grades of each compartment, and medial meniscus extrusion (≥3 mm). Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Knee Society (KS) objective and functional scores, and the correlations between clinical outcomes and alignment alteration were examined. ResultsA total of 78 knees were investigated. During the study period, the overall WBL ratio decreased by 5.5 ± 7.2%, signifying varus shifting, from 58.6 ± 11.5% at 3 months post-surgery to 51.5 ± 12.7% at 5 years post-surgery. Based on univariate regression analyses, ICRS grade of the medial compartment and medial meniscus extrusion were included in a linear mixed model regarding alignment alteration. The model identified medial meniscus extrusion as a significant risk factor after adjusting for time (p <0.001). Medial meniscus extrusion also had a significant interaction with time (p <0.001), indicating greater alignment alteration in cases of medial meniscus extrusion. The extrusion was noted in 68 out of 78 knees. ConclusionIn the midterm following OWHTO, the overall alignment had a tendency toward varus shifting. A linear mixed model found that preoperative medial meniscus extrusion on magnetic resonance imaging is associated with the tendency.

Association Between the Creative Experience of Haiku Poetry and a Tendency Toward Self‐Transcendent Emotions

ABSTRACTHaiku is the world's shortest form of poetry, describing nature and ordinary everyday life. Previous studies and quotes from professional haiku poets suggest that haiku can foster self‐transcendent emotions, such as gratitude and awe. This study compares how those who did and did not create at least one haiku in the past month experience self‐transcendent emotions. A total of 192 haiku writers and 177 non‐writers responded to scales related to self‐transcendent emotions, such as gratitude for serenity, gratitude trait, and trait awe. The results of the Bayesian implementation of Generalized Linear Mixed models revealed that haiku writing increased the frequency of gratitude for serenity and awe, rather than general gratitude. These effects persisted even after controlling for interest in art and educational level, indicating that haiku writing has unique characteristics, including encouragement of attention to nature and a different perspective on daily life. Even in the absence of special events, a change in perspective toward everyday life occurs through creating haiku, and people appreciate and feel awe toward ordinary, everyday things. These novel findings contribute to the study of creativity and emotion.

Structural Equation Modeling Modeling of the Tendency Toward Marital Infidelity Based on Significant Five Personality Factors Mediated by Attachment Styles and Sexual Satisfaction

Background: The evaluation of the tendency to marital infidelity is essential based on the influential personality factor mediated by attachment styles and sexual satisfaction. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the structural relationships of the tendency to commit marital infidelity based on the orientation of dialogue and listening and conformity with the mediation of attachment styles and sexual satisfaction. Methods: This study was conducted on all men and women referred to counseling centers in Mashhad, among whom 220 people were selected using the multi-stage cluster sampling method. The data collection tools included the tendency towards extramarital relationships, the Big 5-factor questionnaire, the Hazen and Shaver adult attachment style questionnaire, and the Hudson-Harris and Crosscup sexual satisfaction questionnaire. Results: The five personality factors of neuroticism, extroversion, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness could predict the tendency to marital infidelity both directly and through three secure and avoidant attachment styles. Conclusions: Based on the results, personality factors influenced extramarital relationships directly and indirectly, which can be used in premarital therapy to educate couples.

Examining the Role of Stressful Events, Behavioral Brain Systems, and Ego Strength with the Mediating Role of Impulsivity in the Tendency Toward Addiction Among Youth in Yasuj

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the mediating role of impulsivity in the relationship between stressful events, behavioral brain systems, and ego strength with the tendency toward addiction among the youth in Yasuj. Methods and Materials: This study employed a descriptive-correlational design and used structural equation modeling. The statistical population comprised all youths aged 18 to 30 years in Yasuj in 2022. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan (1987) table and using multi-stage cluster random sampling, 384 youths from Yasuj were selected for the study. Data were collected using the Holmes and Rahe (1960) Life Stress Events Questionnaire, the Markstrom et al. (1997) Ego Strength Psychosocial Scale, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (1950), the Carver and White (1994) Behavioral Inhibition/Activation Systems Scale, and the Waid and Butcher (1992) Addiction Proneness Scale. After data collection and extraction, participants' scores were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient, multiple regression, and path analysis via SPSS-24 and AMOS software. Findings: Pearson's correlation coefficient results showed a significant positive relationship between life stress events and the tendency toward addiction among the youth in Yasuj (P &lt; 0.01). There was a significant negative relationship between the behavioral inhibition system and the tendency toward addiction among the youth in Yasuj (P &lt; 0.01). There was a significant positive relationship between ego strength and its components and the tendency toward addiction among the youth in Yasuj (P &lt; 0.01). There was a significant positive relationship between the behavioral activation system and the tendency toward addiction among the youth in Yasuj (P &lt; 0.01). There was a significant positive relationship between impulsivity and the tendency toward addiction among the youth in Yasuj (P &lt; 0.01). Additionally, the results of the path analysis for the study's indirect hypothesis indicated that the mediating role of impulsivity in the relationship between the independent variables (stressful events, behavioral brain systems, and ego strength) and the dependent variable (tendency toward addiction) was confirmed. Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, strategies can be developed to prevent the youth from tending toward addiction by enhancing ego strength and identifying life stressors and behavioral activation systems.

Adverse Conditions, Psychological Aspects, and Teachers’ Tendency Toward Sustainability and a Less Conservative Future

This study aimed to examine the effect of cognitive priming linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, through state anxiety and personal need for structure, on teachers’ tendency toward sustainability and teachers’ tendency toward a conservative socio-economic vision. We involved a sample of 984 Italian teachers, and by manipulating the saliency of the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that the saliency of the COVID-19 pandemic positively impacted state anxiety and that state anxiety impacted teachers’ tendency toward sustainability both directly and indirectly through the mediational role of the personal need for structure. Finally, we found that state anxiety only indirectly through the personal need for structure impacted teachers’ tendency toward a conservative socio-economic vision.

Comparison of Attitude and Tendency Toward Pre-Marital Relationship, Irrational Beliefs, and Self-Inhibition of Male and Female Students

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare attitudes and tendencies towards premarital relationships and irrational beliefs with self-restraint in male and female students. Methods: The research method was descriptive causal-comparative. The statistical population consisted of all students of Shahid Beheshti University in 2015-2016, from which 365 people (170 boys and 195 girls) were selected as a sample by stratified random sampling method. Tools for data collection included the following questionnaires: Irrational Beliefs (Jones, 1980), Premarital Relationship (Cordlow, 2001), and the Self-Determent Questionnaire (Weinberger and Schwartz, 1990). Results: Data analysis by independent t-test showed that there is a significant difference between attitudes and tendencies towards premarital relationship, irrational beliefs and self-restraint in male and female students (P&lt;0.01). Conclusion: The results showed that gender is a factor influencing attitudes and tendencies towards premarital relationships, irrational beliefs and self-restraint. As such, males had greater attitudes and tendencies toward premarital relationships, and lower irrational and slef-restrait, compared with female students.

Mining Digital Traces of Facebook Activity for the Prediction of Individual Differences in Tendencies Toward Social Networks Use Disorder: A Machine Learning Approach.

More than three billion users are currently on one of Meta’s online platforms with Facebook being still their most prominent social media service. It is well known that Facebook has designed a highly immersive social media service with the aim to prolong online time of its users, as this results in more digital footprints to be studied and monetized (via psychological targeting). In this context, it is debated if social media platforms can elicit addictive behaviors. In the present work, we demonstrate in N = 1,094 users that it is possible to predict from digital footprints of the Facebook users their self-reported addictive tendencies toward social media (R > 0.30) by applying machine-learning strategies. More specifically, we analyzed the predictive power of a set of models based on different sets of features extracted from digital traces, namely posting activity, language use, and page Likes. To maximize the predictive power of the models, we used an ensemble of linear and non-linear prediction algorithms. This work showed also sufficient accuracy rates (AUC above 0.70) in distinguishing between disordered and non-disordered social media users. In sum, individual differences in tendencies toward “social networks use disorder” can be inferred from digital traces left on the social media platform Facebook. Please note that the present work is limited by its cross-sectional design.

The Effect of the Quantity and Distribution of Teammates' Tendency Toward Self-Interest and Altruism on Individual Decision-Making.

Previous studies have explored the impact of the cost ratio of individual solutions versus collective solutions on people’s cooperation tendency in the presence of individual solutions. This study further explored the impact of team credibility on people’s propensity to cooperate in the presence of individual solutions. Study 1 investigated the influence of different level of altruistic tendencies or the self-interest tendencies of teammates on participants’ decision-making. Study 2 explored the influence of the distribution of altruistic tendencies or self-interest tendencies on participants’ decision-making. The results of Study 1 showed that the proportion of participants who chose the collective solution increased with an increase in the altruistic tendencies of the team. When the altruistic tendencies of the teammates reached a certain value, the proportion of participants taking the collective solution showed a trend to stabilize. Furthermore, the proportion of participants who chose the individual solution increased with the increase in the self-interest tendencies of the team. When the self-interest tendencies of the teammates reached a certain value, the individual solution was stably adopted. The results of Study 2 showed that with the total altruistic tendency remaining unchanged, the more altruistic group members that altruistic tendencies were allocated to, the higher a participant’s level of trust in the team would be, which showed the decentralized effect of altruistic tendencies. In the case that the total self-interest tendency was unchanged, the fewer self-interest group members the self-interest tendencies were allocated to, the higher a participant’s level of trust in the team would be, which showed the convergent effect of self-interest tendencies.

Plexiform Cellular Schwannoma in Infancy and Childhood: A Clinicopathological Study of Seven Cases of an Underrecognized Nerve Sheath Tumor with a Tendency Toward Local Recurrence

Plexiform cellular schwannoma (PCS) is very rare, and it is not completely understood. We present our experience with 7 additional cases of PCS in infancy and childhood to further characterize its distinctive clinicopathological features. There were 5 females and 2 males with a mean age of 28 months (ranging, 2 months to 8 years). The involved sites included the left forearm (n = 2), sacrococcygeal region (n = 2), retroperitoneum (n = 1), thoracic spinal canal and thoracic cavity (n = 1), and neck (n = 1). Tumor sizes ranged from 3 to 13 cm in maximum diameter (mean, 7.1 cm). Histologically, all tumors consisted of abundant spindle cells arranged in a multinodular or plexiform growth pattern, possessing elongated, hyperchromatic nuclei and pale eosinophilic cytoplasm with indistinct cell margins. Mitotic figures were easily identified, with a mean count of 4 per 10 consecutive high power fields (HPF). Immunohistochemically, all tumors were strongly and diffusely positive for S100 protein, SOX10 and H3K27me3. The Ki-67 index ranged from 5% to 30% (mean, 15%). Follow-up (available in 6 cases) revealed that 5 patients experienced local recurrence and were treated by re-excision. There was no evidence of recurrence and metastasis in 3 patients, and the other 2 were alive with the disease. In conclusion, PCS is an uncommon nerve sheath tumor predominantly occurring in infants and children, featuring a plexiform or multinodular growth pattern and exhibiting a tendency toward local recurrence. PCS is easily mistaken as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) due to its locally aggressive behaviors and worrisome features, including hypercellularity, hyperchromatism and high proliferative activity. Increased awareness of its potential occurrence and greater familiarity with its characteristic features are helpful for both clinicians and pathologists to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary overtreatment.

Exploring the Associations Between Self-reported Tendencies Toward Smartphone Use Disorder and Objective Recordings of Smartphone, Instant Messaging, and Social Networking App Usage: Correlational Study.

BackgroundSocial communication via instant messaging (IM) and social networking (SN) apps makes up a large part of the time that smartphone users spend on their devices. Previous research has indicated that the excessive use of these apps is positively associated with problematic smartphone use behaviors. In particular, image-based SN apps, such as Instagram (Facebook Inc) and Snapchat (Snap Inc), have been shown to exert stronger detrimental effects than those exerted by traditional apps, such as Facebook (Facebook Inc) and Twitter (Twitter Inc).ObjectiveIn this study, we investigated the correlation between individuals’ tendencies toward smartphone use disorder (SmUD) and objective measures of the frequency of smartphone usage. Additionally, we put to test the hypothesis that the pathway linking the frequency of actual smartphone usage to self-reported tendencies toward SmUD was mediated by the increased frequency of IM and SN app usage.MethodsWe recruited a sample of 124 adult smartphone users (females: 78/124, 62.9%; age: mean 23.84 years, SD 8.29 years) and collected objective information about the frequency of smartphone and SN app usage over 1 week. Participants also filled in a self-report measure for assessing the multiple components of tendencies toward SmUD. Bivariate associations were investigated by using Spearman correlation analyses. A parallel mediation analysis was conducted via multiple regression analysis.ResultsThe frequency of smartphone usage, as well as the use of IM apps (Messenger, Telegram, and WhatsApp [Facebook Inc]), Facebook, and image-based apps (Instagram and Snapchat), had significant positive associations with at least 1 component of SmUD, and the cyberspace-oriented relationships factor exhibited the strongest associations overall. We found support for an indirect effect that linked actual smartphone usage to SmUD tendencies via the frequency of the use of image-based SN apps.ConclusionsOur novel results shed light on the factors that promote SmUD tendencies and essentially indicate that image-based SN apps seem to be more strongly associated with problematic smartphone behaviors compared to IM apps and traditional SN apps, such as Facebook.

Individual Differences in Tendencies Toward Internet Use Disorder, Internet Literacy and Their Link to Autistic Traits in Both China and Germany.

Recent evidence demonstrates that Internet Use Disorder tendencies (IUD; formerly known as Internet Addiction) are associated with higher tendencies toward autistic traits. In the present study, we aimed to further explore this association between IUD tendencies and autistic traits in a large cohort of German and Chinese subjects (total N = 1,524; mostly student background) who completed the short Internet-Addiction-Test, the Autism-Spectrum-Quotient, and the Internet-Literacy-Questionnaire. Moreover, the present research also enabled us to study potential differences in the investigated variables between the Chinese and German cultures. First, the results indicated higher occurrence of IUD symptoms in China. Moreover, Chinese subjects scored significantly higher on all ILQ dimensions than German participants, with the exception of self-regulation where the reverse picture appeared. Second, results confirmed a positive association between IUD tendencies and autistic traits both in China and Germany, although effect sizes were low to medium (China: r = 0.19 vs. Germany: r = 0.36). Going beyond the literature, the present study also assessed individual differences in Internet Literacy and shows in how far variables such as technical expertise, production and interaction, reflection and critical analysis as well as self-regulation in the realm of the Internet usage influence the aforementioned association between IUD tendencies and autistic traits. Although the present study is limited by being of correlational nature it is discussed how the association between IUD tendencies and autistic traits might be explained.

Social and Cultural Factors Affecting the Tendency Toward Emotional Divorce (Case Study: Couples Referring to Counseling Centers in Tehran)

مقدمه و هدف: پژوهش حاضر با هدف بررسی عوامل اجتماعی و فرهنگی موثر بر گرایش به طلاق عاطفی در روابط زناشویی (مورد مطالعه: زوجین مراجعه کننده به مراکز مشاوره شهر تهران) انجام شده است. مواد و روش­ها: پژوهش فوق، از نظر هدف، تحقیقی کاربردی است و از نظر روش، توصیفی ـ تبیینی و از نوع پیمایشی است. ابزرا گردآوری اطلاعات پرسشنامه است. جامعه آماری پژوهش شامل کلیه مردان و زنان متأهل مناطق 4، 16 و 22 شهر تهران می‌باشند که به منظور مشاوره خانوادگی به مراکز مشاوره این مناطق مراجعه کرده‌اند که تعداد آن‌ها 1134 نفر بود. به منظور تعیین حجم نمونه در تحقیق حاضر از فرمول کوکران استفاده شد و حجم نمونه 420 نفر به دست آمد. یافته­ها: نتایج نشان داد بین پایگاه اجتماعی- اقتصادی زوجین و طلاق عاطفی زوجین (با ضریب همبستگی 56 درصد)، بین سبک زندگی مدرن زوجین و طلاق عاطفی زوجین (با ضریب همبستگی 68 درصد)، بین میزان استفاده از شبکه‌های اجتماعی مجازی و طلاق عاطفی زوجین (با ضریب همبستگی 65 درصد)، بین تعارضات زناشویی زوجین و طلاق عاطفی زوجین (با ضریب همبستگی 64 درصد)، بین احساس محرومیت نسبی زوجین و طلاق عاطفی زوجین (با ضریب همبستگی 63 درصد)، بین سرمایه اجتماعی زوجین و طلاق عاطفی زوجین (با ضریب همبستگی 45 درصد)، بین سرمایه فرهنگی تجسم‌یافته زوجین و طلاق عاطفی زوجین (با ضریب همبستگی 35 درصد)، بین سرمایه فرهنگی عینیت‌یافته زوجین و طلاق عاطفی زوجین (با ضریب همبستگی 57 درصد)، بین سرمایه فرهنگی نهادی زوجین و طلاق عاطفی زوجین (با ضریب همبستگی 18 درصد) همبستگی معنی‌داری وجود دارد. بحث و نتیجه­گیری: هر چه زوجین به مشارکت‌های اجتماعی و مسائل فرهنگی علاقه‌مندی بیش‌تری داشته باشند و هر چه از سبک زندگی مدرن، رسانه‌های اجتماعی مجازی و مادیات فاصله داشته باشند امکان طلاق عاطفی بین آن‌ها کم‌تر است.

The Role of Impulsivity and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in the Tendency Toward Addiction in Male Students

Background: Addiction is one of the most important issues today that has affected all institutions, including the family and the society, and the close connection between this issue and the correct methods of raising children in the family is undeniable. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of impulsivity and cognitive emotion regulation in the tendency toward addiction in students of Ardabil universities. Methods: The methodology applied in this research was descriptive correlation. A total of 520 male students who study at Ardabil universities were selected by 2-stage random sampling. To measure the variables, the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-P), and the Addiction Preparation Scale of Weed and Butcher were used. Results: To analyze the findings, the Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regressions were used. The obtained results show that there is a positive correlation between impulsivity and tendency to addiction (P&lt;0.01). Also, there is a correlation among all components of impulsivity and tendency to addiction (P&lt;0.01). Statistically, there is a positive correlation between cognitive emotion regulation and tendency to addiction (P&lt;0.01). The results of multivariate regression showed that motor impulsivity, cognitive impulsivity, nonplanning, self-blame, acceptance, rumination, and putting into perspective were significantly able to predict the tendency to addiction. Conclusions: Noting that the variables of impulsivity and cognitive emotion regulation can properly predict the tendency to addiction, university counseling centers can, through workshops, teach the students different ways of controlling these variables in a variety of situations and so they will be able to prevent the tendency toward drug use.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Depression on Implicit and Explicit Trust Tendencies Toward Automated Systems

This paper explores whether generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and depression have any effect on an individual’s explicit general propensity to trust automated systems (trust that is unspecific to any one automated system) and whether those that do have these disorders have an implicit bias towards automated systems over other humans. The human-automated system literature to date has discovered that individual differences in humans, such as self-confidence, mood, and personality types, can influence the human-automated system relationship through human trust and reliance attitudes and behaviour. However, whether suffering from a mental disorder influences an individual’s attitudes towards automated systems generally is yet to be explored. In this study, 184 UK university students responded to online experiments between December 2019 – January 2020 and were subjected to the cultural trust instrument survey and the implicit association test in a between-subjects design to measure their general propensity to trust and implicit association towards automated systems respectively. A two-way ANOVA was performed to evaluate GAD $\times $ depression interaction effects on the dependent variables. Results suggest there was a significant interaction between GAD and depression regarding propensity to trust automated systems but they have little to no influential effect on mean implicit association test scores. Furthermore, those without depression showed a significantly higher trust score when they also had GAD. It can be concluded that GAD and depression have potential critical influence over human-automated system trust, thus creating potential issues with misuse and disuse and must be accounted for in automated system design.

Data-Driven Human Modeling: Quantifying Personal Tendency Toward Laziness

This letter addresses the modeling of a personal tendency by utilizing the data collected from a manned control system. In the control system, it is assumed that a control operator, namely a human controller, determines the control actions based on his/her tendency toward laziness. The tendency is described by a cost function that includes the L <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> norm of the state and the L <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sub> norm of the control action. Then, the operator behavior is modeled by the solution to the optimization problem formulated with the L <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> -state/L <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sub> -action cost function and the plant model. The tendency modeling is reduced to the problem of estimating the cost function. The estimation problem is further extended by taking into account the operator dynamics caused by the recognition and motion to derive an MPC-based formulation. Finally, the estimation method is demonstrated via an actual manned control experiment with a toy game.

Prediction of the Tendency Toward Emotional Divorce based on Personality Traits, Metacognitive Beliefs and Emotional Maturity of Couples

Prediction of the Tendency Toward Emotional Divorce based on Personality Traits, Metacognitive Beliefs and Emotional Maturity of Couples

Effective Personality Traits in Students' Tendency Toward Cosmetic Surgeries

Effective Personality Traits in Students' Tendency Toward Cosmetic Surgeries

People’s Tendency Toward Norm-Interventions to Tackle Waste Disposal in Public Open Spaces in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Waste disposal at undesignated sites in public open spaces causes hygiene problems, city landscape deterioration, and urban flooding in many developing countries. We used different types of norms—subjective norms, perception about government pressure as one injunctive norm, and personal norms—as interventions to promote people’s intentions to avoid disposing of waste in public open spaces. Six different statements focusing on these three norms were designed, and the residents’ tendencies to follow each statement were investigated using 15 pair-wise comparisons in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In addition, the likely effectiveness of each statement to encourage the residents’ intentions was asked of national and local government officials using the same pair-wise questions. The results showed that residents were most likely to follow an intervention focusing on personal norms, especially when touching on people’s responsibility, and this was also perceived to be the most effective by the government officials. Social pressure from the government, either in a strict way with punishments or in a soft way with recommendations, were the least preferred and thought to be ineffective by both the residents and government officials in avoiding waste disposal in public open spaces. The result suggests that future policy implication should be more focused on bottom-up approaches rather than top-down counterparts. Voluntary civic engagement is more vital in dealing with waste disposal in public open space than government interventions.

Abstract 018: Female Offspring of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Rat Model Exhibit Insulin Resistance and Tendency Toward Increased Blood Pressure With Aging

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with metabolic dysfunction and elevated blood pressure (BP). Whether daughters born to PCOS mothers exhibit a PCOS phenotype is controversial. In addition, whether daughters of PCOS women develop metabolic dysfunction and elevated BP with aging has not been reported. Objectives: The present study tested the hypothesis that aging causes an increase in MAP and metabolic dysfunction in female offspring of PCOS rats (F1 DHT ) along with changes in matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). Methods: PCOS was induced in SD females by implantation of 5α-dihydrotestosterone pellets (DHT; 7.5 mg/90 days, sc) starting at 4 wks of age. Rats were mated with SD males, and allowed to deliver and lactate. F1 DHT were left untreated and were studied at 14-16 wks or 16-18 mos of age. Control dams were implanted with placebo pellets sc, allowed to mate, deliver and suckle their offspring (F1 PL ). Results: MAP (radiotelemetry) in 14-16 wk F1 DHT females was not different from F1 PL, nor did they exhibit other PCOS characteristics. With aging, F1 DHT rats showed a strong tendency for increased MAP compared to F1 PL (107 ± 4 versus 93 ± 1 mmHg; p = 0.07 (n=2-4)). Plasma MMP-9 and TGF- β1, 2 and 3 were not different between groups. Fasting blood glucose was not different between groups (91 ± 2.6 vs 90 ± 1.6 mg/dl), but F1 DHT rats showed significant hyperinsulinemia (0.9 ± 0.05 vs 0.78 ± 0.03 ng/ml, p ≤ 0.05) and insulin resistance (increased HOMA-IR index; 3.3 ± 0.2 vs 2.8 ± 0.1, p ≤ 0.05, (n = 5-6)). Lean mass (248.3 ± 5.5 vs 241.2 ± 2.5 g), fat mass (38.7 ± 4.8 vs 39.7 ± 2.2 g) and total water (185.8 ± 4.8 vs 179.9 ± 3 g) by Echo MRI, in addition to body weight (310.7 ± 7.7 vs 298.1 ± 4.6 g ; (n = 6-8)) were also not different between groups. Conclusion: MAP in aging female offspring of PCOS rat model tends to be increased along with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance with no changes in fasting glucose, lean/fat mass, body weight, MMP9 or TGF-β. The data suggest that women whose mothers had PCOS may be at increased risk for hypertension and metabolic dysfunction with aging, although the mechanisms for the hypertension are not clear.

Reasons Behind the Tendency Toward the Only Child in Iranian Families: A Conventional Content Analysis Study

Background: The “only child” phenomenon can swiftly reduce the fertility rate in Iran, disrupt the age pyramid, and be followed by irreparable social and economic harms. Objectives: The goal of this qualitative study was to understand the reasons behind the tendency toward the only child in the Iranian society. Methods: The conventional content analysis was done following the semi-structured interview. Maximum opportunistic sampling was done. The variables taken into consideration for maximum variation were sex, age, education, and occupation. Results: Overall, 46 interviews were conducted. Most of the participants underscored the role of economic causes as the most effective factor. They emphasized that the rise in costs of living was the main factor behind the employment of both parents, particularly the mother, which subsequently robs her of adequate time and patience for parenting. Conclusions: The most important factors contributing to the lack of tendency toward family fertility were, economic factors, rising marriage age; inadequate support for working mother, and being away from relatives. Thus, if policy makers are bent towards intervening in fertility and neutralizing it, they must make the necessary arrangements to improve the families’ economic status.