Journal of

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Background and Aim: Pruritus is a major symptom of dermatologic diseases and a common symptom of systemic diseases. Severity of itch cannot be measured objectively. It’s usually determined to using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). But none of them can determine the effect of pruritus on patients' quality of life. So in the present study we sought to translate and develop a validated reliable Farsi version of pruritus specific quality of life instrument, ItchyQoL.

Methods: ItchyQoL questionnaire was translated to Farsi by two bilingual people, and then it was back-translated to English by two other bilinguals. These two questionnaires were matched and revised and the final Farsi questionnaire was established. Forty four patients with dermatologic pruritus filled the questionnaire at the baseline and 72 hours later, and the structural reliability and validity of it was analyzed.

Results: The questionnaire had internal consistency and reproducibility. The questionnaire reliability was also analyzed by test-retest which was significant. Construct validity was analyzed by examining the relationship between intensity and frequency of itching with the total score in the three main axis symptoms, which was significant in all except the dysfunction axis.

Conclusion: The Farsi version of ItchyQoL questionnaire has favorable reliability and validity.

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Diseases of the skin can cause harm and emotional distress  in patients. The desirable  drug is one with least complications and most effectiveness. By prolongation of target exposure, drug effectiveness could be improved. There are several suggested solutions, including the use of chemical enhancers, electroporation, iontophoresis, and the use of nanoparticles as carriers of pharmaceutical agents. The use of various nanostructures, including liposomes, dendrimers, autosomes, and many mineral nanoparticles, have been proposed to prevent the limitations  with conventional formulations. Topical drug delivery has many benefits, including  using high concentrations of the drug and reducing  systemic passage of medicament. Many skin products, such as Estrasorb, Diractin and Aczone are available in the market with new and different manufacturing techniques for more skin penetration.
This paper introduces new approaches to drug delivery, types of nanocomposites and methods for increasing the penetration of pharmaceutical agents in the skin. Various factors such as physicochemical properties and the size of nanoparticles, as well as the effects of manipulation on the surface of these particles, have been discussed.

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Background and Aim: Skin cancer is the most preventable type of cancer. Farmers, due to their work under the sun's ultraviolet radiation, are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine the determinants of skin cancer prevention behaviors in farmers.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among farmers in the rural of Javanroud city in the west of Iran. Information was collected by questionnaire and interview. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 16 statistical software. Crude and adjusted linear regression was used to measure the determinants of skin cancer prevention behaviors.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.47 years. Perceived self-efficacy (ß=0.193, P=0.004) and response costs (ß=0.145, P=0.025) were the most important influencing determinants on skin cancer prevention behaviors.
Conclusion: It seems that if the development of interventions to promote skin cancer prevention behaviors among farmers focuses on promoting perceived self-efficacy and reducing response costs, it can seek useful findings in promoting skin cancer prevention behaviors.