Journal of

Background and Aim: Yersinia enterocolitica is a Gram-negative bacterium which its strains are involved in human diseases. To differentiate among pathogenic and non-pathogenic types, tests such as Congo Red absorption, Crystal Violet, and Calcium Dependency test are used. These tests are based on existence of 70-75 kb plasmids and sometimes, with respect to plasmids instability, we will face false negative results. Therefore, by setting up a methodology based on stable chromosomal genes of pathogenic agent we can overcome this hurdle. The goal of this survey was comparison among routine and molecular diagnostic approaches in the identification of Y. enterocolitica pathogenic strains.

Materials and Methods: Some Gram-negative bacteria from family Enterobacteriacea and some Y.  enterocolitica strains isolated of human beings and environment were evaluated.

Results: Obtained results showed that 4 Y. enterocolitica strains isolated of human beings were PCR positive while PCR results of environmental strains, one human strain and non-Yersinia strains were negative.

Conclusion: The mentioned approach can be used as a method to differentiate among pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains of Y. enterocolitica.

Background and Aim: One of the most important reasons why organizations are distinguished from one another is the degree of application and implementation of information technology in their organizational activities. In this regard, individual factors contribute considerably to the application of information technology (IT). Such factors include employees' perceptions and attitudes towards information technology and their demographic characteristics which affect the level of information technology acceptance and implementation.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 110 middle managers from teaching hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) were chosen. A structured questionnaire was used as the data collection device and its validity and reliability were confirmed by a pilot study.

Results: Of the participants, 62.9% were males and 37.1% were females. The findings show that there is a statistically significant relationship between perception and making decisions based on the implementation of information technology. However, there was no significant relationship between work experience, education and training on the one hand and IT implementation on the other.

Conclusion: The results show that human factors (perception and decision) have a considerable impact on the implementation of information technology. Top managers and experts should consider the important aspects of human factors and also the factors affecting them.

Background and Aim: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death and disabilities in the world. The purpose of the present study is to determine the perceived barriers and benefits of adopting health-promoting behaviors among individuals at risk of cardiovascular diseases referring to TUMS Teaching Hospitals in 2011.

Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 325 patients at risk of cardiovascular diseases were randomly selected. The data were collected using a self-made questionnaire having three parts: 14 items for demographic and health-related variables, 12 items for perceived barriers, and another 12 items for benefits. For data analysis, SPSS 18 was used.

Results: The mean age of patients was 53.56±11.27 about 47.7% of patients(n=155) were female and 52.3% (n=170) were male. There was a meaningful relationship between the mean of perceived benefits on the one hand and occupation, physical activity, type and frequency of physical activity, smoking and awareness of cardiovascular diseases on the other(p0.001). Moreover, the mean of perceived barriers showed a meaningful relationship with occupation, smoking and awareness of cardiovascular diseases(p0.05).

Conclusion: The findings of the present study revealed that demographic and health-related variables could affect the perception of barriers and benefits of adopting certain behaviors for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, using interventional and educational approaches appropriate for target group features can help us take effective steps towards health promotion.

 Background and Aim: One of the most important reasons why organizations are distinguished from each other is the extent to which each applies information technology. Among the most important factors playing a role in the application of information technology are organizational factors such as organizational resources, organizational knowledge, processes, management structure, values and goals all these elements affect the level of information technology acceptance and application. Therefore, this study aims to determine the degree to which the above-mentioned elements can affect the application of information technology by middle managers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) teaching hospitals.

 Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study conducted in 2010. The subjects comprised 110 middle managers of TUMS teaching hospitals. The data-collection instrument was a questionnaire structured by the researchers, and its validity and reliability were confirmed prior to the study. The response rate was 80%.

 Results: The participants consisted of 56 (62.9%) males and 33 (37.1%) females. The findings of the study showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between organizational resources, organizational knowledge, processes, management structure, values and goals on the one hand and the application of information technology in TUMS hospitals on the other (p<0.01).

 Conclusion: The results show that organizational factors have a considerable impact on the application of information technology. Besides, managers and experts should consider the important aspects and effects of these organizational factors.

 Background and Aim: Every educational system, whether micro or macro, needs its training programs to be studied and educationally evaluated. This study aims to assess training and internship programs in hospitals based on surveying the students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).

 Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with survey descriptive design. The data collection tool was a questionnaire with 14 five-point Likert style items. The TUMS Educational Development Center (EDC) surveyed all 185 students of training and internship programs, using a questionnaire with the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.81 in 2011, in order to adjust the education with the society’s needs and to improve its quality.

 Results: The mean assessment scores of training and internship programs were 3.32%, 2.98%, 3.38%, and 3.29% for applied training, mental skills, communication skills, and practical skills courses, respectively.

 Conclusion: The students’ satisfaction rate regarding the quality of educational courses of training and internship programs was 50.2%. Educational authorities have made necessary attempts to implement these programs and use potential resources for realizing the objectives and achieving the educational quality however, they should make further attempts in this regard.