Introduction: Increasing prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and its association with cervical cancer as a leading cause of death make it necessary to evaluate and improve the public knowledge, especially of university students, about this cause of disease. Methods: A cross-sectional study of knowledge and attitude of a total 669 students from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences was therefore performed with a modified validated questionnaire, arranged into 5 parts and containing 55 questions, in July 2011. Questions were directed to study socio-demographic characteristics of the participant, knowledge about HPV disease, transmission route, relationship with cervical cancer, predisposing factors, and participants attitude toward people with HPV infection. Results: All of the participants were Moslem with a mean age 25.6±5.33 years of age. All of the participants had heard of HPV, and acquired their knowledge through university courses (90.6%); the majority of them knew that HPV is a sexually transmitted disease and a potential cause for genital warts but general knowledge about details was not high. Mean knowledge score of residents and post graduate midwifery and nursing students was high as compared to other groups (P<0.001). Statements that indicated the presence of fear to communicate with people suffering HPV and people's avoidance to rely on babysitting of these patients were observed. Educational level (β=0.21, P<0.001), age (β=0.18, P=0.002,) and smoking (β=-0.11, P=0.006) were predicted to effect knowledge. Conclusions: Moderate level of knowledge about HPV among medical university students makes it necessary to set effective national public health efforts on HPV education and prevention considering he excess of young population in Iran vulnerable to cervical cancer.

Infection by human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of common sexually transmitted diseases leading to cervical cancer. Evaluation of parental knowledge and attitudes toward HPV were aims of present study to provide an appropriate method to decrease burden of this infection on society. During this study, 358 parents were assessed for knowledge about HPV and its related disorders. Some 76% of parents had no information about HPV infection and among the informed parents 36% had obtained their information via internet and others from studying medical resources. The average score of mothers information about HPV infection was higher than that of fathers, and also educational level and age had significant impact on knowledge of parents about HPV. Parent knowledge about the hazards of HPV was higher than their knowledge about modes of transmission. Lack of awareness about HPV infection was high in this study, underlining the urgency of education among all adult people in our society.

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Objectives: The administration of betamethasone is associated with increased placental vascular resistance results in the return of the diastolic flow. This study aimed to assess the changes in the flow velocity waveform (FVW) color Doppler in the umbilical artery after the administration of betamethasone in pregnancies with fetal growth retardation (FGR). Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical research included all pregnant women who were referred to Al-Zahra teaching hospital and diagnosed with FGR. The eligibility criteria were the impaired umbilical artery FVW color Doppler, qualified for the administration of a fix-dosed Betamethasone, and no fetal abnormalities. The perinatologists performed the FVW color Doppler ultrasonography before and after the administration of betamethasone at intervals of 24, 48, and 96 hours and weeks 1 and 2. FVWs were obtained by pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasonography. Then, neonatal outcomes were recorded based on neonates’ admission documents. Finally, one-way repeated measures ANOVA, Cochran’s Q test, and paired-samples t-test were used to compare Doppler indices before and after betamethasone administration. Results: The mean pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) of the umbilical artery showed a statistically significant reduction after the administration of betamethasone (P<0.001). The measured umbilical artery PI at two weeks after drug administration predicted the neonatal intensive care unit admission (P = 0.042). Eventually, the results revealed no significant association between the amniotic fluid index (AFI) and betamethasone administration (P = 0.3). Conclusions: In general, betamethasone administration improved the FVWs of the umbilical artery in pregnant women with fetal growth restriction while no association was found between the AFI and betamethasone administration.