BackgroundSeveral case-control studies have shown associations between the risk of different cancers and self-reported opium use. Inquiring into relatively sensitive issues, such as the history of drug use, is usually prone to information bias. However, in order to justify the findings of these types of studies, we have to quantify the level of such a negative bias. In current study, we aimed to evaluate sensitivity of self-reported opioid use and suggest suitable types of control groups for case-control studies on opioid use and the risk of cancer.MethodsIn order to compare the validity of the self-reported opioid use, we cross-validated the response of two groups of subjects 1) 178 hospitalized patients and 2) 186 healthy individuals with the results of their tests using urine rapid drug screen (URDS) and thin layer chromatography (TLC). The questioners were asked by trained interviewers to maximize the validity of responses; healthy individuals were selected from the companions of patients in hospitals.ResultsSelf-reported regular opioid use was 36.5% in hospitalized patients 19.3% in healthy individuals (p-value> 0.001).The reported frequencies of opioid use in the past 72 hours were 21.4% and 11.8% in hospitalized patients and healthy individuals respectively. Comparing their responses with the results of urine tests showed a sensitivity of 77% and 69% among hospitalized patients and healthy individuals for self-reports (p-value = 0.4). Having corrected based on the mentioned sensitivities; the frequency of opioid regular use was 47% and 28% in hospitalized patients and healthy individuals, respectively. Regular opioid use among hospitalized patients was significantly higher than in healthy individuals (p-value> 0.001).ConclusionOur findings showed that the level of opioid use under-reporting in hospitalized patients and healthy individuals was considerable but comparable. In addition, the frequency of regular opioid use among hospitalized patients was significantly higher than that in the general population. Altogether, it seems that, without corrections for these differences and biases, the results of many studies including case-control studies on opioid use might distort findings substantially.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an aggressive tumor that is typically diagnosed only when the tumor has gained remarkable size, extended to peripheral tissues, and led to dysphagia. Five-year survival of advanced cancer is still very poor (19%), even with improved surgical techniques and adjuvant chemoradiation therapy. Therefore, early detection and prevention are the most important strategies to reduce the burden of ESCC. Our review will focus on the studies conducted in Golestan province, an area with a high prevalence of ESCC in northern Iran. We review three aspects of the research literature on ESCC: epidemiological features, environmental factors (including substance abuse, environmental contaminants, dietary factors, and human papillomavirus [HPV]), and molecular factors (including oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, cell cycle regulatory proteins, and other relevant biomarkers). Epidemiological and experimental data suggest that some chemicals and lifestyle factors, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), cigarette smoking, opium use, and hot tea drinking are associated with the development of ESCC in Golestan. HPV infects the esophageal epithelium, but so far, no firm evidence of its involvement in esophageal carcinogenesis has been provided. Some of these factors, notably hot tea drinking, may render the esophageal mucosa more susceptible to injury by other carcinogens. There are few studies at molecular level on ESCC in Golestan. Increasing awareness about the known risk factors of ESCC could potentially reduce the burden of ESCC in the region. Further studies on risk factors, identifying high risk populations, and early detection are needed.

Scant evidence exists to support the association of opium use with head and neck cancer, limited to the larynx and oral cavity. In a multicenter case‐control study—Iran Opium and Cancer study, we recruited 633 cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) (254 lip and oral cavity, 54 pharynx, 327 larynx and 28 other subsites within the head and neck) and 3065 frequency‐matched controls from April 2016 to April 2019. Odds ratios (ORs) for opium use and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were obtained using mixed‐effects logistic regression because of heterogeneity among centers. The adjusted OR (95% CI) for regular opium use was 3.76 (2.96‐4.79) for all HNSCC combined. Strong dose‐response effects were observed by frequency or amount of use, and duration of use. Regular opium uses significantly increased the risk of HNSCC of the pharynx, larynx and other subsites within the head and neck with OR (95% CI) of 2.90 (1.40‐6.02), 6.55 (4.69‐9.13) and 5.95 (2.41‐14.71), respectively. The observed associations were significant even among never tobacco smokers (including cigarette and water‐pipe smoking). Moreover, by the multiplicative interaction scale, the effect of opium use could be varied by cigarette smoking on HNSCC, 8.16 (6.20‐10.74). For the first time, the current study showed opium users have an increased risk of several anatomic subsites of HNSCC.

Background: Several research priority-setting studies have been conducted in different countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran. Aims: We conducted a systematic review and evaluated the quality of the priority-setting reports about health research in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods: English and Farsi databases were searched from January to July 2016 to extract reports (up to December 2015) about priority setting in health research in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We constructed a checklist to extract data from the identified studies. Articles were studied in detail and content analysis was carried out. Relevant items were scored and analysed using Microsoft Excel. Results: We identified 36 articles. Eight articles involved all the main stakeholders. About half the articles used valid criteria for ranking. Transparency was fulfilled in 13 articles. Upstream rules and regulations were ignored in 26 articles. An implementation plan was considered in 9 articles and context analysis was demonstrated in only 3. Conclusions: Developing standard packages for priority setting, training of researchers and improving the capacity of organizations may improve the quality of priority-setting studies in the future.

Background and Objectives:More than 8% of Iran's populations are elderly. The greatest challenge in this generation is improvement of health and QoL. The main goal of this study was QoL for elderly residents in nursing homes over 65 years in Golestan Province - Iran.Methods:This research was an analytical cross study. The population society includes the elderly over 65 years in Golestan Province - Iran. The sample size was calculated based on the correlation of 193 elderly men and women. Therefore, if the correlation is 2.0 or greater is statistically significant at 80% and 0.95 confidence.The needed data collected from two questionnaires Consumer product Safety Commission (CPSC) to assess the QOL of nursing homes and the SF-36 for health QOL the elderly indicators through interviews and observation. The reliability of the CPSC questionnaire was estimated using Cronbach's alpha with a coefficient of 0.838. The SF-36 questionnaire was validated with Cronbach's alpha with a coefficient of 0.95. To analyze data, ANOVA one-way test was used that after investigating homogenization of variances with Levin statistic, if homogenization reported P is rejected, the independent T-test was used to interpret it.Results:Among QOL dimensions only General Health (GH) status showed a significant association with supporting organizations covering status (P = 0.01). The relationship between QOL with marital status in both genders was observed that the General Health (GH) (P = 0.001), Physical Functioning (PF) P = (0.007) Mobility Restricts (MR) P = (0.002), Emotional Problems (EP) (P = 0.001), vitality (V) (P = 0.001), Mental Health (MH) (P = 0.001) were significantly related.Conclusions:There was a significant relationship between the Physical Functioning (PF) mean and the mean of other QOL indicators in two groups of male and female (P = 0.007), also the safety of nursing homes just related respectively with residence variable (P = 0.01) and their employment (P = 0.031).

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Quality of life subscales was influenced by different factors including age, gender, and financial status and more importantly by health, education, financial and marital status. The main goal of this study was relationship between (QOL) with demographic variables of elderly in Golestan province-Iran. This research was an analytical cross study that conducted on 193 individuals going to Jahandidegan geriatric charity institution of Golestan-Iran. The data were collected from questionnaire SF-36 for QOL the elderly indicators through interviews and observation and then analyzed using SPSS V.17 Software. Among QOL dimensions, only general health status showed a significant association with supporting organizations covering status (P = 0.01). The relationship between QOL with current employment status in both genders was observed.

Background: Bladder cancer is one of the common cancers. Currently some studies found an association between opium use and incidence of bladder cancer, however, underreporting and detection bias was high in the previous studies and also some of them did not adjust their results for confounding variables and had small sample size, various and unclear definition of opium use, and lack of data on starting age, duration, dose, and route of opium consumption. In this study we investigated the association between opium use and incidence of bladder cancer, overcoming previous studies limitations and doing sensitivity analyses for underreporting bias. Methods: We performed a population-based case-control study, including 300 cases diagnosed with bladder cancer and 600 controls (matched for age, sex, and place of residence) between 2013-2015. We used conditional logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Overall, 200 cases (64.9%) and 172 controls (27.9%) reported regular use of opium, resulting in an adjusted OR (95% CI) of 4.4 (2.9-6.5). Dose response relationship was seen and the adjusted OR for low and high dose consumption groups were 4.2 (95% CI 2.6-6.8) and 4.5 (95% CI 2.9-7.2) respectively. The association between opium use and bladder cancer was statistically significant even after controlling for underreporting bias. Conclusion: This study confirmed that opium use was associated with the bladder cancer incidence. We suggest primary prevention and early detection for bladder cancer, especially in the high risk groups.