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Objective: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women worldwide. Several studies have examined the role of single nutrients and food groups in breast cancer pathogenesis but fewer investigations have addressed the role of dietary patterns. Our main objective was to identify the relationship between major dietary patterns and breast cancer risk among Iranian women. Design: Hospital-based case-control study. Setting: Shohada Teaching Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Subjects: Overall, 100 female patients aged 30-65 years with breast cancer and 174 female hospital controls were included in the present study. Dietary intake was assessed using a valid and reliable semi-quantitative FFQ consisting of 168 food items. Results: Two dietary patterns were identified explaining 24?31 % of dietary variation in the study population. The 'healthy' food pattern was characterized by the consumption of vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, legumes, olive and vegetable oils, fish, condiments, organ meat, poultry, pickles, soya and whole grains; while the 'unhealthy' food pattern was characterized by the consumption of soft drinks, sugars, tea and coffee, French fries and potato chips, salt, sweets and desserts, hydrogenated fats, nuts, industrial juice, refined grains, and red and processed meat. Compared with the lowest tertile, women in the highest tertile of the 'healthy' dietary pattern score had 75 % decreased risk of breast cancer (OR 5 0?25, 95 % CI 0?08, 0?78), whereas women in the highest tertile of the 'unhealthy' dietary pattern had a significantly increased breast cancer risk (OR 5 7?78, 95 % CI 2?31, 26?22). Conclusions: A healthy dietary pattern may be negatively associated with breast cancer risk, while an unhealthy dietary pattern is likely to increase the risk among Iranian women.

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In this study we assessed the dietary phytochemical index in relation to the risk of breast cancer in women. This case-control study was conducted on 100 incident breast cancer cases and 175 healthy controls. Data regarding socio-demographic factors, medical history, medications, and anthropometric measurements were collected. Dietary data were obtained using a validated food frequency questionnaire and a energy-adjusted dietary phytochemical index (PI) was calculated. The odds ratios of breast cancer were assessed across energyadjusted PI quartile categories. The mean age of participants was 46.2±8.9 and 45.9±9.4 years in cases and controls, respectively. The mean PI across quartile categories was 13.9±2.6, 21.1±1.8, 26.7±2.1, 41.6±10.2 in the first, second, third and fourth quartiles, respectively. After adjustment for all potential confounders, the risk of breast cancer in the forth quartile of dietary PI was significantly decreased (OR=0.08, 95%CI=0.01-0.84). Higher intake of phytochemical-rich foods is associated with lower risk of breast cancer.

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Hydrogels containing TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) have photocatalytic properties and degrade pollutants under light. In this study, a polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel was synthesized with TiO 2 P25 NPs as the initiator, acrylamide as a monomer, and N,N 0 -methylene bisacrylamide as a crosslinker in aqueous media under sunlight. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were applied to characterize the TiO 2 /PAAm hydrogel. The effects of different synthetic conditions, such as the initiator concentration, crosslinker, and dilution, on swelling were investigated. The maximum swelling of the TiO 2 /PAAm hydrogel was 45 g/g in the hydrogel synthesized with optimum conditions by 0.2% TiO 2 . The photocatalytic degradability of the hydrogel was investigated with methylene blue (MB) as the pollutant target. Also, the effects of the pH and MB concentration were studied. Under optimum conditions, 95.00% of the MB was degraded by the TiO 2 / PAAm photocatalyst after 5 h of irradiation under sunlight. The comparison of the results with those of the TiO 2 P25 powder showed that the TiO 2 NPs had better activity than the hydrogel, but unlike the hydrogel, the activity of these NPs decreased in each recycling time because of the aggregation of NPs. Finally, the hydrogel was recycled seven times without a considerable reduction in the degradation efficiency.

This study explores the effect of sociological and demographic factors on the intergenerational support system between adult children and their parents. More specifically it attempts to assess the impact of structural and socio-demographic factors, such as living arrangements, number of children, gender, age, and socio economic status of the adult children and their respective parents, on emotional, financial and instrumental support of the parents in Varamin, a southeastern town in Tehran province, Iran. A representative sample of 381 adult children responded to questions on various aspects of their relationship with their living elderly parents, and the kinds of supports they provide to and receive from them. Results show clear differences between mothers and fathers in their intergenerational exchange patterns. Mothers tend to give and receive more than fathers. Daughter and sons also differ in their exchanges with their parents. Sons support their parents more than daughters but when controlling for socio economic characteristics and structural opportunities of the child, the discrepancy between them tends to decrease significantly. While the flow of exchange and reciprocity persists in intergenerational exchange relationships, the scale tips increasingly in favor of elderly parents as they age or experience poorer health status.