Mehrdad Askarian; Mohsen Hosseingholizadeh mahani; Mina Danaei; Mohsen Momeni
Volume 1, Issue 1 , July 2013, , Pages 1-5
Abstract
Background: Nowadays, self-medication of therapeutic agents is of global concern particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries. Some studies conducted in Iran showed that the frequency of self-medication was significant. Objective: This research was conducted to estimate the prevalence of arbitrary ...
Read More
Background: Nowadays, self-medication of therapeutic agents is of global concern particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries. Some studies conducted in Iran showed that the frequency of self-medication was significant. Objective: This research was conducted to estimate the prevalence of arbitrary use of antibiotics in Shiraz community with special interest in its determinant factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Shiraz, in 2009. Approximately 710 out of all patients referred to all health care centers in Shiraz were selected to fill out a questionnaire containing 23 questions divided into two parts. The frequency of self-medication according to demographic factors was described and the association between independent variables and selfmedication was analyzed. Results: The frequency of self-medication in this study was 44.5% and the request to prescribe antibiotics by the patients was 53.5%. Amoxicillin was the most widely used drug by the participants. There was a significant association between age and gender with self-medication. The frequent cause for self-medication was common cold. Approximately, 74.4% of the participants reported their previous experience as the main reason for self-medication. Conclusion: The results of this survey demonstrated the high frequency of self-medication in Shiraz. Socio-cultural determinants are the etiologic factors for self-medication. Policy makers are recommended to provide community-wide educational programs to make people aware about the adverse effects of self-medication. There was a significant association between age, gender and education with self-medication and governments could pay more attention to these factors for designing the interventional programs.
Mohammad Reza Fakoorziba; Mohammad Djaefar Moemenbellah-Fard; Kourosh Azizi; Heshmatollah Shekarpoor; Hamzeh Alipoor
Volume 2, Issue 1 , January 2014, , Pages 2-7
Abstract
Background: Medicinal plant extracts such as those obtained from Salvia species have a wide variety of chemical compounds in their essential oils. The repellency of a number of essential oils including those from the labiates like Salvia against several insect species including the common house flies ...
Read More
Background: Medicinal plant extracts such as those obtained from Salvia species have a wide variety of chemical compounds in their essential oils. The repellency of a number of essential oils including those from the labiates like Salvia against several insect species including the common house flies is reported. Objective: The aim of this investigation was to find out the excito-repellency effects of Salvia sclarea L. (Lamiaceae) extracts against adult house flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae). Methods: Air-dried plant material from the aerial parts of S. sclarea was subjected to hydro-distillation in a Clevenger type glass apparatus model Soxhlet with acetone, benzene, petroleum ether, chloroform, and aqueous solvents. Only adult house flies were inserted into an exposure chamber and their behavior was monitored for feeding tendency, repellency rate and deterrence rate. Statistical analyses were carried out by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with computation of the significance of differences in the outcome of various treatments. Results: There were significant differences among most of the various extracts with their controls in the sequential effects of feeding (P=0.04), deterrent (P=0.023) and repellency (P=0.01) rates of house flies. The order of potency for various extracts with a concentration of 100 g/l was as follows: petroleum ether> benzene> water> acetone> chloroform. Conclusion: It is thus conceivable to search for native means of combating house flies by fractionating the active ingredients in the Clary sage in the light of its excito-repellency effects.
Fahime Khademi; Mohammad Reza Samaei; Kourosh Azizi; Abbas Shahsavani; Hassan Hashemi; Aida Iraji; Abdolkhalegh Miri
Volume 4, Issue 1 , January 2016, , Pages 2-6
Abstract
AbstractBackground: Biogas is obtained by anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes buried materials used to produce electricity, heat and biofuels. Biogas is at the second place for power generation after hydropower and in 2000 about 6% of the world power generation was allocated to biogas. Biogas is ...
Read More
AbstractBackground: Biogas is obtained by anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes buried materials used to produce electricity, heat and biofuels. Biogas is at the second place for power generation after hydropower and in 2000 about 6% of the world power generation was allocated to biogas. Biogas is composed of 40–45 vol% CO2, 55–65 vol% CH4, and about 1% non-methaneVOCs, and non-methane volatile organic compounds. Emission rates are used to evaluate the compliance with landfill gas emission regulations by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). BTEX comounds affect the air quality and may be harmful to human health. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers that are generally called BTEX compounds are the most abundant VOCs in biogas.Methods: Sampling of VOCs in biogas vents was operated passively or with Tedlar bags. 20 samples were collected from 40 wells of old and new biogas sites of Shiraz’ landfill. Immediately after sampling, the samples were transferred to the laboratory. Analysis of the samples was performed with GC-MS.Results: The results showed that in the collection of the old and new biogas sites, the highest concentration of VOCs was observed in toluene (0.85ppm) followed by benzene (0.81ppm), ethylbenzene (0.13ppm) and xylene (0.08ppm).Conclusion: The results of the study showed that in all samples, most available compounds in biogas vents were aromatic hydrocarbon compounds.These compounds’ constituents originate from household hazardous waste materials deposited in the landfill or from biological/chemical decomposition processes within the landfill.
Alireza Mirahmadizadeh; Ali Soleimani; Fariba Moradi; Elham Hesami; Maryam Kasraeian; Hamed Delam
Volume 5, Issue 1 , January 2017, , Pages 2-6
Abstract
Background/Objective: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of low birth weight and its risk factors in Fars province, south of Iran, 2014.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we collected data of 3,600 neonates through multi-stage random sampling. At first, we divided the hospitals into ...
Read More
Background/Objective: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of low birth weight and its risk factors in Fars province, south of Iran, 2014.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we collected data of 3,600 neonates through multi-stage random sampling. At first, we divided the hospitals into two strata, private and public. Then by stratified random sampling, we selected the neonates from delivery list in each hospital. In univariate analysis, the variables in which the p-value was less than 0.2 were entered into multivariate logistic regression analysis model for adjusting. Two-sided p values <0.05 were statistically considered significant.Result: The prevalence of low birth weight in Fars province was 8.7% (95% CI: 7.8% - 9.7%). In term birth, factors such as mother’s age > 35 years, multiple birth and duration < 24 months with previous pregnancy were risk factors of low birth weight (P <0 .05) and just the father’s literacy was a protective factor for low birth weight.Conclusion: The prevalence of low birth weight in Fars province was low in comparison to that of the world and other districts of Iran. But we should plan for reduction of low birth weight to achieve world health organization’s goal. Variables of pregnancy interval of less than 2 years, multiple births, mother’s age over 35 years and father’s level of education could predict low birth weight of the neonates.
Ehsan Saki; Abouzar Soltani; Mohammad Djaefar Moemenbellah-Fard; Mohsen Kalantari; Hedayat Dorzaban; Kourosh Azizi
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2018, , Pages 2-7
Abstract
Background: Fipronil systemic insecticide and integrated vector management (IVM) leading to control and/or reduction of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) cases were evaluated in the studied endemic foci of Fars province, southern Iran, during 2016 to 2017. Methods: Based on available data on disease ...
Read More
Background: Fipronil systemic insecticide and integrated vector management (IVM) leading to control and/or reduction of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) cases were evaluated in the studied endemic foci of Fars province, southern Iran, during 2016 to 2017. Methods: Based on available data on disease circumstances collected from Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, incidence of disease, and demographics of the natives, five villages were randomly selected among those with high and medium CL infection in Kharameh area. All villagers were checked by physical examination and the incidence rates of ZCL cases were recorded. IVM interventions were implemented. Indeed, these procedures consisted of fipronil systemic insecticide poison baits, indoor residual spraying (IRS), outdoor spraying of the patients’ houses, and the thermal fogging (three times) during peak periods of sand flies’ activities. Results: After interventions, the incidence rates of ZCL decreased by 2.55% in Mehrabad village, in which all IVM methods were implemented. Similarly, the incidence of disease was reduced by 4.89% in Sofla and Moezabad villages, using exclusively fipronil poison baits. Besides, these incidence rates declined by 1.15% in two control villages of Soltan-Shahr and Abshor, where examination of the rodent reservoir hosts was performed. Conclusion: Fipronil and IVM methods were advantageous in reducing the incidence rates of leishmaniasis, but it seems that the use of fipronil systemic insecticide as a poison bait against reservoir rodent was significantly more effective (P-Value=0.01).
Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan; Samira Zahmatbar; Hamed Delam; Azizallah Dehghan; Mozhgan Jokar; Esmaeil Kavi
Abstract
Background: Resiliency is considered as a coping method for nurses in dealing with work problems. Because different personality characteristics also cause different responses by nurses in coping with challenges, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between personality traits and resilience ...
Read More
Background: Resiliency is considered as a coping method for nurses in dealing with work problems. Because different personality characteristics also cause different responses by nurses in coping with challenges, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between personality traits and resilience in Nurses and Paramedical staff in Lar and Gerash hospitals. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The research sample consisted of 160 nurses and paramedical staff in Lar and Gerash hospitals that were selected by convenience sampling strategy. To measure the variables, NEO Personality Inventory (NEO- FEI) and Connor - Davidson Resiliency Scale (CD-RISC) were used. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient in SPSS version 25 software. Results: Statistical analysis showed that extraversion personality traits (r=0.680, P<0.001), openness to experience (r=0.452, P<0.001), agreeableness (r=0.298, P<0.001), and conscientiousness (r=0.635, P<0.001) had a positive and significant correlation with the resiliency variable, and it was only the trait of neuroticism (r=-0.749, P<0.001) that had an inverse and significant correlation with the resiliency variable. Conclusion: In the nursing profession, resiliency is a key element in improving the mental health of nursing staff and helping them to cope better with their stress, challenges and difficulties. Therefore, awareness of the effect of the nurses’ personality traits leads to better management, and since resilience is an educable and changeable variable, problems with nurses who lack effective personality traits can be improved by increasing resiliency
Ogholgol Ghajari; Farzaneh Kasraie; Abdolrahim Asadollahi
Abstract
Background: COVID-19[1] is a new infectious disease that has been declared by WHO[2] as a public health emergency worldwide due to its rapid spread to China and then to other parts of the world. The present study was designed to evaluate the clinical manifestations of this disease in the elderly. ...
Read More
Background: COVID-19[1] is a new infectious disease that has been declared by WHO[2] as a public health emergency worldwide due to its rapid spread to China and then to other parts of the world. The present study was designed to evaluate the clinical manifestations of this disease in the elderly. Methods: We performed a systematic review on the database of the World Health Organization, CDC[3], PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and lancet. All of the articles published until March 15, 2020, have been extracted from the above articles in English on coronavirus infection, disease, virology, epidemiology, clinical features, treatment, and prevention of the disease. Of the 1376 articles, 5 were selected out of recently published articles focusing on the epidemiological information of the virus, pneumonia caused by new corona virus, and the effects of the disease on different age groups, especially the elderly, and the rest were excluded from the review. The mean age of the patients, the mean age of mortality and the underlying diseases were chosen as the criteria of data extraction. Findings: Based on the researchers' perceptions of the text of the articles, 342 cases were included in these 5 studies. The mean age of the patients was 58.4 and that of the diceased patients was 66.5. More than 50% of the total cases had one or more underlying diseases. Conclusion: Despite the involvement of various age groups in this infection, the virus is most likely to cause severe complications and fatalities in older people with underlying diseases.
Naeimeh Asadi; Alireza Choobineh; Sareh Keshavarzi; Hadi Daneshmandi
Volume 3, Issue 1 , January 2015, , Pages 8-12
Abstract
Background: Manual load lifting is the most common and stressful activity that imposes high biomechanical pressures on the body, particularly on the back. Diverse studies have shown that load lifting can cause work-related musculoskeletal disorders among workers. This study was conducted to assess manual ...
Read More
Background: Manual load lifting is the most common and stressful activity that imposes high biomechanical pressures on the body, particularly on the back. Diverse studies have shown that load lifting can cause work-related musculoskeletal disorders among workers. This study was conducted to assess manual lifting activity using NIOSH equation and WISHA index and compare the results of the two methods in workers with manual lifting activities.Methods: This cross- sectional study was carried out among 120 workers with manual lifting activity in 7 industrial settings of Shiraz city. Nordic Musculoskeletal disorders Questionnaire (NMQ) and demographic questionnaire, as well as NIOSH lifting equation and WISHA index were used to gather the required data. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, 19.Results: The results showed that back problems were the most frequent musculoskeletal disorders among the workers studied (68.3%). The results of lifting evaluation indicated that 79.2% of the individuals in the NIOSH method and 39.2% in WISHA index were at risk of back injuries. The kappa value was equal to 0.29, indicating a fair agreement between the results of assessment by the two methods.Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed a fair correlation between these two assessment methods, so they might be used interchangeably.
masoud neghab; ahmad soltanzadeh; roghayeh abedini; jafar hasanzadeh; saeed sarvestani
Volume 2, Issue 2 , April 2014, , Pages 42-48
Abstract
Background: Noise pollution has a particular importance in quiet environments such as hospitals. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of noise exposure on the auditory system, blood pressure and precision, concentration and other psycho-neural components.Methods: This cross-sectional ...
Read More
Background: Noise pollution has a particular importance in quiet environments such as hospitals. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of noise exposure on the auditory system, blood pressure and precision, concentration and other psycho-neural components.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in three large hospitals of Shiraz, during the period of 2012 to 2013. The study population consisted of 81 health care personnel (the exposed group) and 79 non-exposed individuals (the referent group). Day and night time sound levels were measured at different wards of the hospitals by a sound level meter (B&K 7110). Hearing status was assessed by pure tone audiometry of subjects by an Interacoustic AD27 audiometer. Blood pressure was measured with a mercury sphygmomanometer at resting time and psycho-neural components including sleep disturbances, headache, irritability and … were evaluated by a questionnaire devised and validated for this purpose. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software.Results: Average sound pressure level for the exposed group (65.32±5.23 dB) was significantly higher than that of the referent group (53.26±2.46 dB) (P<0.05). Similarly, the mean values of permanent threshold shift (dB) as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in the exposed group than in their counterpart individuals (P<0.05). Likewise, symptoms such as headache and irritability were significantly more common among the exposed subjects. Conclusion: The findings suggest that exposure to sub-TLV levels of noise (recommended by ACGIH) in hospital environments is also associated with decreased hearing threshold, increased blood pressure, and prevalence of psycho-neural disorders.
Mohammad Reza Samaei; Majid Nozari; Marziyeh Ansari Shiri; Mehdi Mokhtari; Asghar Ghasemi; Reza Rezaei Javanmardi
Volume 5, Issue 2 , April 2017, , Pages 44-50
Abstract
Background:Discharge of raw or treated wastewater containing linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS) into the environment causes significant public health and environmental problems. The purpose of this study was the treatment of hospital wastewater using an intermittent cycle extended aeration system (ICEAS).Methods:Experiments ...
Read More
Background:Discharge of raw or treated wastewater containing linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS) into the environment causes significant public health and environmental problems. The purpose of this study was the treatment of hospital wastewater using an intermittent cycle extended aeration system (ICEAS).Methods:Experiments were carried out on Yazd Shohaday-e-Kargar hospital wastewater treatment system and samples were collected in a 2 month period from the influent and effluent of the system. The used pilot study carried out consisted of two zones: pre-react and main react zones. They were divided using a baffle wall. Firstly, wastewater enters a pre-react zone and then through the opening at the bottom of the baffle wall it enters the main react zone. The cycle time and flow rate for the system were considered 6 h and 2 L/h, respectively. Then, the necessary tests were performed on the system’s influent and effluent.Results:The removal of BOD5, COD, and LAS by ICEAS were 94.54%, 92.97%, and 84.99%, respectively. The averages of SVI, F/M, MLSS and MLVSS in the system were 113 mL/g, 0.086 Kg.BOD5/Kg.MLSS.d, 4327 mg/L and 3172 mg/L, respectively.Conclusions:This work showed the excellent efficiency of ICEAS to effectively remove BOD5, COD, and LAS from hospital wastewater. The results of this research can help to manage wastewater treatment in hospitals.
Shiva Faghih; Mehdi Hedayati
Volume 3, Issue 2 , April 2015, , Pages 50-55
Abstract
Background: Although it is assumed that calcium has beneficial effects on weight loss, the interaction of calcium and iron would be a major concern. We did this study to investigate the effects of calcium and low-fat milk on serum ferritin in overweight or obese premenopausal women. Methods: Sixty-four ...
Read More
Background: Although it is assumed that calcium has beneficial effects on weight loss, the interaction of calcium and iron would be a major concern. We did this study to investigate the effects of calcium and low-fat milk on serum ferritin in overweight or obese premenopausal women. Methods: Sixty-four healthy overweight or obese premenopausal women recruited in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences clinics participated in this clinical trial. Participants were randomly allocated to one of the following dietary regimens for 8 weeks: 1) a control diet providing a 500 kcal/day deficit, with 500-600mg/day dietary calcium; 2) a calcium- supplemented diet identical to the control diet with 800mg/day calcium carbonate 3) a milk diet providing a 500kcal/day deficit and containing three servings of low fat milk. Serum ferritin and anthropometric indices were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks. Primary outcome measure was serum ferritin level. Results: Mean±SD of baseline values for age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and serum ferritin were 37.44±9.46 (year), 30.79±3.63 (kg/m2), 88.04±8.90 (cm), and 59.20±47.8 (μg/l), respectively. There were no significant differences in baseline age, BMI, WC, and serum ferritin among 3 groups. Mean values of serum ferritin reductions were 0.26±20.36, 14.59±17.07 and6.57±25.93 (μg/l) in control, calcium, and milk groups, respectively. Reduction in serum ferritin was only significant in the calcium group (P=0.003). Serum ferritin reductions were not significantly different among the 3 groups (P=0.260). Conclusion: An energy-restricted diet in combination with calcium supplement or low-fat milk does not induce any additional adverse effect on iron status, compared to an energyrestricted diet alone.
Alireza Mirahmadizadeh; Reza Majdzadeh; Kazem Mohammad
Abstract
Background: The goal of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of harm reduction programs among Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs) who referred to Drop-In Centers (DICs) for prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) infection. Methods: To calculate ...
Read More
Background: The goal of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of harm reduction programs among Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs) who referred to Drop-In Centers (DICs) for prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) infection. Methods: To calculate the cost-effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention, we used data from a cross-sectional study carried out in 2009 in which we selected 13 DICs out of 45 active DICs using systematic random sampling. Through interview, data of all IDUs (1309) who had attended DICs were collected by means of a questionnaire approved by 3 experts. Averted cases of HIV infection were considered as the unit of effectiveness. The cost was also calculated from the perspective of governmental service provider and all costs were converted into US dollar (USD). Sensitivity analysis was used to measure the effect of some uncertain parameters in modeling the number of HIV cases that have been averted; also, Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) was estimated. Results: Results showed that the DICs averted around 120.2 HIV cases in one year (102.977 cases from drug injection, 11.45 cases from homosexual and 5.77 cases from heterosexual ways). ICER for each HIV infection averted was 13,248.5 USD. Sensitivity analysis showed that providing harm reduction services in the best and worst case scenarios could change the ICER from 13,055 to 13,954 USD for each HIV case averted, respectively. Conclusion: Since the most common cause of transmission and spread of HIV infection in Iran is drug injection via needle shared by IDUs, DICs programs in.
Zahra Hosseini; Mostafa Salehi Vaziri; Sara Ahmadnia; Mohammad Reza Fakoorziba; Tahmineh Jalali; Zakkyeh Telmadarraiy; Mohammad Djaefar Moemenbellah-Fard
Abstract
Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a neglected tick-borne viral zoonotic disease. The aim was to detect CCHF virus (CCHFV) among wild ticks from Artiodactyla, Bos taurus, Ovis aries, and Capra hircus, in a previously declared CCHFV-free province of Kohgiluyeh Boyer-Ahmad, southwest ...
Read More
Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a neglected tick-borne viral zoonotic disease. The aim was to detect CCHF virus (CCHFV) among wild ticks from Artiodactyla, Bos taurus, Ovis aries, and Capra hircus, in a previously declared CCHFV-free province of Kohgiluyeh Boyer-Ahmad, southwest Iran. Methods: From April to November 2015, hard ticks were collected in a cross-sectional study and checked by microscope for species identity from ungulates in 51 study villages. About 55% of the ticks were then subjected to reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect CCHFV genome. Results: Overall, 859 hard ticks were captured, from which 8 different species in two genera were identified. The genus Rhipicephalus was distributed in half (#26) of the study villages. It was the most frequent (≈60%) tick genus. Hyalomma anatolicum, H. asiaticum, H. excavatum, H. marginatum, H. scupense, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, R. turanicus, and R. bursa were identified on the ruminants. From 469 adult ticks subjected to RT-PCR, one (0.2%) tick, R. bursa, was positive with CCHFV genome. It was from a cold hardy highland village in Dena County. It had CCHFV RNA for the first time from this region. Conclusion: The detection of CCHF viral RNA in one hard tick species, R. bursa, was confirmed in the southwest of Iran, thus partially indicating CCHFV presence of ticks in this region.
Zahra Bahrami Nejad; Sanjar Salajegheh; Ayoub Sheikhi
Volume 4, Issue 2 , April 2016, , Pages 54-63
Abstract
Background: According to quality transformation of services during the time, the quality requirements and standards also change and recognition of these requirements and transformation process can assist in recognizing the quality dimensions of services. The aim of this research was to explain the transformation ...
Read More
Background: According to quality transformation of services during the time, the quality requirements and standards also change and recognition of these requirements and transformation process can assist in recognizing the quality dimensions of services. The aim of this research was to explain the transformation process, requirements and quality dimensions of services in hospitals. Methods: The present study is a descriptive research of correlational type that used measuring method. In the study, the hospitals affiliated to Medical Sciences Universities were chosen from 4 provinces of Tehran, Fars, Lorestan, and Yazd. 432 staff members answered the quality requirements and transformation process questionnaires; 500 customers answered quality dimensions questionnaires. Data analysis was done using Pearson correlation coefficient, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation. Results: The results showed that quality transformation in the studied hospitals with an average of 3.34 was more than the satisfaction and the quality requirements with an average of 3.75 was in a good level; also, the quality dimensions with theaverage of 3.61 was also in a good level. Moreover, there was an inverse relationship between quality transformation and quality requirements and a direct relation between quality requirements and quality dimensions. There was no statistical meaningful and direc relationship between quality transformation and quality dimensions. Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, among 4 steps of quality transformation, our country Iran is in the quality control step. Moreover, based on opinions of hospital staff, professional requirement is the most important one among quality requirements components. Also, according to the customers’ viewpoint, if the service is provided with high security, then it is a high quality service. Therefore, quality control together with professional requirement can make a high secure service that contains all quality dimensions.
Alireza Mirahmadizadeh; Elham Kavoosi; Marzieh Vakili; Razieh Shenavar; Mohsen Moghadami
Volume 1, Issue 2 , October 2013, , Pages 57-66
Abstract
Background: Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) have been recognized as a major public health problem worldwide. Consequences of IDD include goiter, hypothyroidism, and intellectual disability followed by retarded growth and development of the brain. This report aimed to determine the state of IDD in Fars ...
Read More
Background: Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) have been recognized as a major public health problem worldwide. Consequences of IDD include goiter, hypothyroidism, and intellectual disability followed by retarded growth and development of the brain. This report aimed to determine the state of IDD in Fars province, south of Iran.Methods: In this study, we gathered data from all scientific papers, published and unpublished reports of IDD surveillance system, results of IDD-related surveys and all data from the center for disease control (CDC) at provincial and national levels during 1989-2012. Five main IDD indices are summarized, interpreted, and then organized in graphs and tables.Resuits: After formation of national committee of IDD followed by launching of extensive iodine delivery, most of IDD indices have improved. The percentage of iodized salt intake has increased from 0 to near 100%, and that of salt with adequate amount of iodine has increased to 94.5%. Median of urinary iodine concentration (UIC) has always been higher than the acceptable value (≥100 μg/L) and 68% of people had a mean of UIC ≥100 μg/L. The percentage of TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) >5 mU/L in the screened newborns has persistently been less than 1% during 2005-11. Prevalence of goiter has declined from 68% in 1989 to 1.3% in 2007.Conclusion: Present findings address those efforts to combat iodine deficiency which were effective. According to the small sample size and also the fact that some data have been derived at the national level, we recommend that a comprehensive populationbased survey should be carried out with sufficient sample size to achieve information with high accuracy and precision.
Shiva Faghih; Alireza Abadi; Mehdi Hedayati; Seyed Masoud Kimiagar
Volume 2, Issue 3 , July 2014, , Pages 88-92
Abstract
Background: Obesity and metabolic syndrome are serious public health problems. It is suggested that high calcium diet can improve lipid profile, blood pressure and insulin resistance.Methods: In this clinical trial, 75 healthy overweight or obese premenopausal women were randomly allocated to one of ...
Read More
Background: Obesity and metabolic syndrome are serious public health problems. It is suggested that high calcium diet can improve lipid profile, blood pressure and insulin resistance.Methods: In this clinical trial, 75 healthy overweight or obese premenopausal women were randomly allocated to one of the following dietary regimens for 8 weeks: 1) a control diet 2) a calcium-supplemented diet containing 800mg/d calcium carbonate 3) a high milk diet containing three servings of low fat milk (all of them providing a 500kcal/day deficit). At baseline and after 8 weeks, waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, serum triglyceride (TG), fasting blood sugar (FBS), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured.Results: After 8 weeks, WC, FBS and HDL-C decreased in all groups (P<0.001), but there were no significant reduction in TG and blood pressure. Reduction of WC in the milk group was significantly higher than the controls (P=0.028). Also, reduction of HDL-C in the calcium and milk groups was less than the controls (P=0.023 and P=0.019, respectively). Changes in FBS, TG and blood pressure were not significantly different among the 3 groups.Conclusion: We found that increasing milk consumption led to more WC reduction. Milk or calcium intake caused less adverse effect on HDL-C, but has no effect on the blood pressure, FBS and TG. So increase in milk or calcium intake can reduce WC among the metabolic syndrome complications.
Mitra Keshavarz; Seyed Mohammad Mazloomi; Siavash Babajafari
Volume 3, Issue 3 , July 2015, , Pages 88-93
Abstract
Background: Spinach is one of the vegetables with a high concentration of nitrate which is affected by various processes such as cooking and refrigeration before consumption. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of home cooking method, which has not been studied before, on the level of nitrate ...
Read More
Background: Spinach is one of the vegetables with a high concentration of nitrate which is affected by various processes such as cooking and refrigeration before consumption. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of home cooking method, which has not been studied before, on the level of nitrate and nitrite in spinach. The effect of refrigeration was studied, as well. Methods: After removing non-edible parts of spinach, it was cut into 4-7 cm pieces. Then, it was washed with deionized water thrice and drained. A part of raw spinach was set aside to measure the nitrate and nitrite and the other part was heated in a closed container without adding water, until almost all the water of the spinach was evaporated and then refrigerated. HPLC method was used to measure the nitrite and nitrate levels. The collected data were analyzed using Wilcoxon test by SPSS. Results: The mean concentrations of nitrate and nitrite in the raw spinach were 336.54±182.2 and 26.49±10.07 mg/kg, respectively. Cooking process caused a significant increase in the level of nitrate, while refrigeration process led to a significant decrease in this regard. Besides, a slight reduction was observed in the nitrite level after cooking, but the change was not statistically significant. Refrigeration also had no significant effects on the nitrite level of spinach. Conclusion: Considering the non-significant changes in nitrite levels, it seems that home cooking without adding water, unlike refrigeration, is not a proper method to reduce the intake of nitrates and nitrites from spinach.
Hamidreza Mokarami; Haji Omid Kalteh; Ali Tajpoor
Volume 5, Issue 3 , July 2017, , Pages 100-106
Abstract
Background: Due to the high cost of advanced tractors in developing countries, their use with lower cost and technology has been further considered. Consequently, many of these machines in terms of ergonomics are in poor condition and cause musculoskeletal problems in the drivers. This study aimed to ...
Read More
Background: Due to the high cost of advanced tractors in developing countries, their use with lower cost and technology has been further considered. Consequently, many of these machines in terms of ergonomics are in poor condition and cause musculoskeletal problems in the drivers. This study aimed to identify harmful postures causing musculoskeletal disorders in the tractor drivers in Iran.Methods: The study was conducted in March 2018 among farmers in Golestan province. The tasks of tractor drivers are divided into three stages consisting of getting on, steering tractor, and getting off. Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method was used to assess the body postures. In REBA, different postures of the body regions such as the neck, wrist, hands and legs were assessed and finally the level of risk was determined. Then, the levels of ergonomic interventions were suggested based on the risk level. Results: Based on the REBA analysis, most of the tasks performed by the tractor drivers had medium risk and they need prompt investigation and change. For the task of getting on and getting off the tractor, the highest scores were assigned to the arms, legs and trunk. For the task of steering tractor, the highest postural scores were related to the wrists, trunk and legs.Conclusion: Ergonomic and posture conditions of Iranian tractors are not suitable. Therefore, it is necessary to implement ergonomic interventions to reduce the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders.
Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan; Ahmadreza Eidi; Zahra Keshtkaran; Nasrin Shokrpour; Parisa Zand; Hamed Delam
Abstract
Background: In December 2019, a series of pneumonia cases of unknown cause appeared in Wuhan, China, which was very similar to viral pneumonia. In late January 2020, the World Health Organization named this disease the sixth public health emergency of international concern due to an increase in ...
Read More
Background: In December 2019, a series of pneumonia cases of unknown cause appeared in Wuhan, China, which was very similar to viral pneumonia. In late January 2020, the World Health Organization named this disease the sixth public health emergency of international concern due to an increase in the number of COVD-19 cases. This study was designed to determine different epidemiological and clinical aspects of COVID-19 worldwide. Methods: This is a review study. We searched for articles related to COVID-19 from December 20, 2019 to June 05, 2020. Two researchers performed the search separately, and finally articles containing information on coronavirus, its mortality and epidemiology and clinical characteristics of the patients were selected for review and extraction. Results: The results of various studies show that the most common symptoms of the disease include fever, cough and fatigue, and the most common respiratory symptom is Rhinorrhoea. Transmission occurs primarily when an infected person sneezes or coughs through respiratory droplets, such as the spread of influenza and other respiratory pathogens. Some studies have reported that the COVID-19 incubation period is an average of 4.6 days, ranging from 1.2 to 11.1 days and can potentially be asymptomatic. Conclusion: The significant increases in the morbidity and mortality necessitate prevention and control activities by educating people on important health issues such as staying at home, using clean masks and gloves, as well as performing proper and timely medical interventions.
Mohsen Dehghani; Fatemeh Mosaferi; Vali Alipour
Volume 4, Issue 3 , July 2016, , Pages 106-110
Abstract
Background: Given that the share of imported rice from India and Pakistan, the current study was conducted to determine the concentration of lead, arsenic and cadmium in the rice imported from the two mentioned countries in comparison to Iranian rice. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted ...
Read More
Background: Given that the share of imported rice from India and Pakistan, the current study was conducted to determine the concentration of lead, arsenic and cadmium in the rice imported from the two mentioned countries in comparison to Iranian rice. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 in Bandar Abbas, using a completely randomized block design. Five samples of each brand (India,Pakistan and Iran) and a total of 75 samples were selected. To measure the amount of arsenic in them, atomic spectrum poll and to determine the amount of lead and cadmium, the graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer optical-compliant were used. To analyze the data, we applied descriptive statistics and analysis of variance using SPSS software. Results: The mean of Cd, As and Pb were 0.045, 0.057, and 0.022 mg/kg, respectively. There was a significant difference for Cd in the local and imported rice (P=0.002). Difference for As in the local and imported rice was not significant (P=0.218). A statistically significant difference was found between the imported and Iranian rice (P=0.354). There were no significant differences among all the measured heavy metals in the tested samples of India and Pakistan rice, both legally and illegally (P=0.144). Conclusion: It was found that the rice was contaminated with heavy elements; it is recommended that measures should be taken to promote healthy rice production, including periodic monitoring of heavy metals in the water and rice seeds, establishing an appropriate operating system to reduce heavy metal emissions, using international experiences on the effects and complications of heavy metals in water resources and farming, and performing quality control measures on the imported rice.
Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan; Esmaeil Kavi; Amir Mansouri; Hamed Delam
Abstract
Abstract Water pipe tobacco smoking with biological, psychological and social dimensions is one of the problems of the present age. The purpose of this article was to investigate the factors affecting the use of hookah among women. This article is a review study conducted by searching the scientific ...
Read More
Abstract Water pipe tobacco smoking with biological, psychological and social dimensions is one of the problems of the present age. The purpose of this article was to investigate the factors affecting the use of hookah among women. This article is a review study conducted by searching the scientific databases using search engines in the articles published in Scopus, Pubmed, Google scholar databases as well as the general Google search engine using the keywords hookah, Shisha, water pipe, tobacco, women. A rapid literature search strategy was conducted for all theEnglish language literature published before January 2020. The findings of this study indicate the effect of multiple personal, social and family factors on the initiation and continuation of water pipe tobacco smoking among women. Therefore, it seems that with regard to these risk factors, appropriate programs and interventions for prevention of water pipe tobacco smoking use among women can be considered.
Masumeh Khosravi; Masoud Karimi; Elham Bagherinezhad
Abstract
Background: Nowadays, the ability to understand and interpret statistical data is the basis for any decision in all societies. In the health system, people who play a role in the information system cycle could have a significant impact on decision makers in health organizations and communities. This ...
Read More
Background: Nowadays, the ability to understand and interpret statistical data is the basis for any decision in all societies. In the health system, people who play a role in the information system cycle could have a significant impact on decision makers in health organizations and communities. This study was conducted to investigate the statistical literacy of the HIS managers and workers as an educational need assessment in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Methods: In this cross-sectional study, statistical literacy of 89 statistics officials and statisticians working in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and Health Services was investigated via a researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed based on the basic scientific requirements of the study group and educational programs held during the past two years and inspiration from the two questionnaires developed by Watson (Watson, 2003) and Shield (Shield, 2002). Results: The mean score of the respondents (19.7) was slightly higher than half (19) of the total score. 50% of the participants obtained a score of 19 and lower. Only 25% of the participants answered about two-thirds of the questions correctly. The statistical literacy of the participants about the measures of central tendency and using tables and charts was less than the areas of the probability and statistical inference. Conclusion: The findings indicate the need for designing more effective in-service training sessions and workshops for HIS workers, paying more attention to the quality of the reported health statistical data, and employing HIS workers by the health system administrators.
Mohammad Ali Baghapour; Seyed Mohammad Mazloomi; Kourosh Azizi; Razieh Sefidkar
Volume 3, Issue 4 , October 2015, , Pages 128-132
Abstract
Background: The consumption of healthy food is considered as an essential need to devoid the physical, chemical, and biological hazards. The importance of this issue is more conspicuous in places such as hospitals where people with somehow compromised immune systems are under treatment. Therefore, this ...
Read More
Background: The consumption of healthy food is considered as an essential need to devoid the physical, chemical, and biological hazards. The importance of this issue is more conspicuous in places such as hospitals where people with somehow compromised immune systems are under treatment. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of food contact surfaces in a kitchen in one of the hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In the present study, samples were taken from 48 food contact surfaces according to ISO 18593:2004(E) and placed into the bags containing diluting solution; they were then transferred to the laboratory for microbial analysis in the cold chain. The microbial analysis was carried out according to ISO 4833-1:2013 and BS ISO 4832:2006 for enumeration of total bacterial count and coliform. Results: Based on the results presented here, 39.6% and 85.7% of the samples showed acceptable contamination with regard to the enumeration of total bacterial and coliform count. Besides, 18.2% and 72.7 % of work surfaces groups (cutting board, table, and hand) showed acceptable contamination with regard to the enumeration of total bacterial count and coliform in comparison to the standards. Furthermore, 45.9% and 89.2% of other surfaces showed acceptable total bacterial and coliform count, respectively. Conclusion: The results showed that safe management of the kitchen, education of the staff and also improvement of the equipment used are necessary.
zahra zamanian; hadi daneshmandi; Hojjatolah Setoodeh; Ebrahim Nazaripoor; Abdollah Haghayegh; Saeed Shaban Sarvestani
Volume 2, Issue 4 , October 2014, , Pages 134-139
Abstract
Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common causes of occupational injuries that appear in the lower back, neck and upper and lower extremities mainly. This study was conducted to assess the risk of MSDs and determine of its associated factors in workers of a dairy products ...
Read More
Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common causes of occupational injuries that appear in the lower back, neck and upper and lower extremities mainly. This study was conducted to assess the risk of MSDs and determine of its associated factors in workers of a dairy products company.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 male employees (21-41yrs) using census sampling method participated. Data were collected using demographic questionnaire, Nordic musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire (NMQ) and QEC method for assessment of postures during the work. Data were analyzed using statistical tests including test of proportion, multiple logistic regression, and Fisher’s Exact by SPSS software (Version 16.0).Results: The results of this study showed that the lower back (37%), shoulders (36%), and hand/wrist (33%) had the highest prevalence of symptoms of disorders among workers. The results of multiple logistic regression showed a significant association between the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in different regions of the body and age, job experiences, shift working and BMI. The results of assessment of physical exposure to musculoskeletal risks by QEC technique showed that in 52% of the studied workers, the level of exposure to musculoskeletal risks was in Action Level (AL) 1, 9% in AL2, 30% in AL3, and 9% in AL4. Also, the finding revealed a significant relationship between the prevalence rate of MSDs and the risk level (low and high risk) achieved by QEC method.Conclusions: Prevalence of symptoms of pain in different regions of the body had an association with age, job experience, shift working and BMI. Corrective measures seemed essential in improvement of working condition in the studied workers.
Mahmood Derakhshan; Mojtaba Fazeli
Volume 5, Issue 4 , October 2017, , Pages 144-152
Abstract
Background:Petrochemical wastewaters are a critical environmental challenge in industrial zones due to the amount of pollutants they release into the environment. Therefore, finding a solution for treatment of the wastewater has become the priority of the researchers. The main objective of this research ...
Read More
Background:Petrochemical wastewaters are a critical environmental challenge in industrial zones due to the amount of pollutants they release into the environment. Therefore, finding a solution for treatment of the wastewater has become the priority of the researchers. The main objective of this research is improvement of petrochemical wastewaters’ biodegradability using Fenton oxidation process and defining the effective parameters on the efficiency of this technique.Methods: In this research, the capability of Fenton method for promoting the biodegradability of hardly-decomposable wastewaters of petrochemical complexes was studied. The actual wastewater of Karoon and Maroon petrochemical complexes were used in this research. Design of the experiments and also the analysis of the experimental results were carried-out using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with four variables and four parameters. A rector with sizes of 60, 20 and 20 cm was designed and built. The ranges of CODin, H2O2 concentration, Fe2+ dosage, and TDS variation were 1000-2500 mg/L, 1000-4000 mg/L, 500-3000 mg/L, and 4500-11500 mg/L, respectively, and the average ratio of BOD/COD in the inlet stream was 0.09.Results:The range of BOD/COD in the outlet stream was 0.19-0.37 which decreased with the COD growth. The trend of biodegradability promotion with increase in H2O2 concentration and Fe2+ dosage was ascending, while the effect of TDS on biodegradability was not noticeable.Conclusion:The optimum conditions for achieving maximum efficiency of the reactor were COD=1375 mg/L, [H2O2] = 2509.27 mg/L, [Fe2+] = 1753.49 mg/L and TDS = 8622.9 mg/L and the BOD/COD ratio was 0.32.
