Objective: Prevalence of breast cancer was increased in recent 50 years and it affects Iranian women at least one decade younger than their counterparts in other developed countries. With awareness and ingoing to breast cancer screening prognosis will be better. Our study is intended to highlight the extent women knowledge their practice of self breast examination (SBE). [Evaluation of their awareness about SBE]

Materials & Methods: In a cross-sectional descriptive study a written questionnaire was distributed to 376 women aged 12-70 years in women clinic ward of Baqiyatollah and Najmieh Hospitals to assess their attitudes to knowledge and practice of SBE (It was an unelected population study). Their responses were then collected analyzed with SPSS version 11.5 Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: 64.6% of respondents had different kinds of education about SBE. 49.4% of them had practiced it occasionally but 27.4% do it regularly and 23.7% do it on time and only 3% of them practiced it both regularly and on time.

Conclusion: In the women on our study there is either no awareness about SBE or do not practice it regularly and / or on time. Then we suggest establishing breast self examination education programs and encouraging women to SBE. There is need for a regular vigorous education program and encouragement our women to pay attention to SBE rather than before. It is hoped that this will help to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with breast cancer. Also it can improve treatment and promote health and welfare.

Objective: Despite evaluation of spinal muscle endurance was done in chronic low back pain, this has not been studied in first episode acute low back pain. The purpose of present study was comparatively evaluating patients with first-episode low back pain and healthy subjects to predict disability and chronicity after six weeks with spinal muscle endurance tests.

Materials & Methods: Through an analytical, cross sectional and case – control study in the first stage of research Eliot’s spinal endurance tests were used to evaluate endurance. Disability and pain were used to assess recovery. The study was conducted in two groups of patients (n=32) and normal subjects (n=51) using non-randomized simple sampling. In the second stage, a longitudinal prospective study was done. Studied variables were compared in recovered and non recovered patients after six weeks. Data were analyzed by using Kolmogorof – Smirnoff test, independent T test and Chi-Square.

Results: The results of independent t tests showed lower muscular endurance in patients compared to normal individuals (P<0.0001). Also the results of independent t-tests showed lower flexor endurance in unrecovered patients (P<0.04).

Conclusion: It seems low back pain patients can contract decreased endurance in the first episode and no need to repeat episodes. Results show may be endurance tests could differentiate acute low back pain patients with high risk to chronicity and disability.

Objective: Assessment of cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients is very important. Because the cognitive deficiencies in memory and intelligence are the fundamental and underlying aspects. Both indicate from a structural and neurological similar deficits. The present study sought to examine the impact of severity and prognosis of schizophrenia on cognitive function, such as memory and intelligence and the relationship between intelligence and memory.

Material & Methods: In this study, 60 schizophrenia patients participate, who had at least 2 years of their diagnosis. Based on interviews by the PANSS scale in the two groups of 30 persons including the first group with mild symptoms (stable group) and the second group with severe symptoms (deteriorate group), were studied. Two groups by age, literacy, lack of mental retardation before diagnosis of disease, the use of ECT, the lack of anti-psychotic drug treatment more than three months during the past year were cloning. the Wechsler memory test and the raven IQ test for adults were used, the results were analyzed with using independent t-test, correlation and regression.

Results: Average of memory quotient in stable group with 77.4 and in deteriorated group with 65.93 had significant difference (P=0.002). Average of IQ in stable group with 84.26 and in deteriorated group with 76.9 had significant difference (P=0.015). Regression test showed that the memory can be predicted from IQ (P=0.001).

Conclusion: with severity of disease and deteriorated of schizophrenia and negative symptoms, deficiency in memory, has increased. In these patients, there was a positive relationship between intelligence and memory. The level of intelligence was in deteriorated group significantly lower than from stable group