Mehdi Nejat; Mohammad Fararouei; Hamid Reza Tabatabaie; Parvin Afsar Kazerooni; Mohsen Akbarpoor; Roksana Estakhrian Haghighi
Volume 4, Issue 2 , April 2016, , Pages 95-102
Abstract
Background: Complete and fast diagnosis, registry and treatment programs are the main effective strategies for controlling infectious diseases. In addition, an organized and extended infectious disease surveillance system is crucial in designing and monitoring communicable diseases control programs. ...
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Background: Complete and fast diagnosis, registry and treatment programs are the main effective strategies for controlling infectious diseases. In addition, an organized and extended infectious disease surveillance system is crucial in designing and monitoring communicable diseases control programs. The quality of the surveillance system can be evaluated by several indices such as timeliness, completeness and sensitivity. This is an evaluation study to measure the mentioned indices for 3 zoonotic diseases (leishmaniasis, brucellosis and rabies) surveillance system. Methods: The indexes such as completeness, timeliness and sensitivity of surveillance system were measured using the data obtained from population based (door to door) interviews and recorded data obtained at each level of health and medical sectors or administrative centers within the diseases reporting system. Interviews were conducted for 5969 participants and the required information was obtained. Results: The total completeness, timeliness and sensitivity of case reporting for leishmaniasis were 26.9%, 103.2 days and 11.1%, respectively. These indexes forbrucellosiswere14.3 %, 58 days, 12.1% and those for suspected rabieswere100%, 83.4 days and 48.2%, respectively. Conclusion: It seems that so called immediate communicable diseases reporting system is not providing reliable, complete and timely information to the health authorities. Program monitoring and personnel training, especially physicians, are recommended to improve the quality of the surveillance system and the related indexes.
Mojtaba Norouzi; Haleh Ghaem; Hamid Reza Tabatabaee; Malihe Abdollahi; Mohammad Afkar; Fatemeh Rahmani
Abstract
Background: Malaria is one of the most important vector-borne diseases, a major health problem, and a serious cause of mortality around the world. Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) together with insecticide-treated nets is among the primary methods used for controlling and reducing the burden of malaria. ...
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Background: Malaria is one of the most important vector-borne diseases, a major health problem, and a serious cause of mortality around the world. Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) together with insecticide-treated nets is among the primary methods used for controlling and reducing the burden of malaria. The present study aimed to determine the appropriate time for malaria management based on entomology, vector abundance, temperature, and precipitation data. Methods:The study data were collected using the entomological data existing in Kazerun’s health and treatment network and weather station between 2009 - 2016. The data were analyzed via time series models with monthly time intervals, which included 96 months. The following models were applied: Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA), Moving Average (MA), Autoregressive (AR), and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA). Indeed, kriging approach was employed for interpolation of temperature and precipitation in the study points. All analyses were done using Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) software. Results: Temperature followed a similar trend in the six villages under investigation. It was predicted up to 20 months after the observations using MAmodel. Accordingly, the mean of temperature was 30°C.The trend of precipitation showed great fluctuations; thus, the results of the precipitation model were not accredited. The trend of Anopheles abundance was predicted using ARMA in Jahad-Abad, Hakimbashi, Seyed Hossein, and Dadin and using ARMA in Khesht and Jareh. According to the results, Anopheles abundance followed a descending trend in the study regions. Considering the temperature trend and peak of Anopheles abundance in the areas under investigation, the best time for residual spraying was two weeks prior to the peak of Anopheles abundance within the temperature range of 25-30°C. Conclusion: Considering entomology and temperature data, two weeks prior to the peak of Anopheles abundance within the temperature range of 25-30°C was found to be the best time for residual spraying in order to prevent and control malaria. Other preventive and control measures, such as active case detection, timely treatment of patients, and public education should also be intensified at this time.
seyed esmaeil Managheb; Mesbah Shams; Mahmood Soveid; Mohamad Hadi Imanieh; Mohsen Moghadami
Volume 3, Issue 3 , July 2015, , Pages 125-127
Abstract
Health care system is organized to achieve more efficiency as well as developing public equity and providing access to the first, second and third levels of services. Family physician is in the first line of the health care system; in other words, family physician is the health system’s goalkeeper. ...
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Health care system is organized to achieve more efficiency as well as developing public equity and providing access to the first, second and third levels of services. Family physician is in the first line of the health care system; in other words, family physician is the health system’s goalkeeper. According to classification of health services, gaining access to specialized services becomes possible through the referral system.1 Referral system is a system in which the client should primarily refer to the family physician in order to gain access to health care services and be referred to a specialist if necessary. The specialist refers the patient to the family physician for following treatment modalities after doing necessary medical care and advice and recording the results in the feedback form.2 Despite the different levels of service delivery, the boundaries between these levels are not clear enough and have caused problems in the referral system. Certainly, for better implementation of family physician plan, empowering family physicians, clarifying the referral procedure, and localizing its components are of great importance. One of the life long concerns of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, especially Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, has been developing clinical guidelines to empower family physicians based on clinical referral system and local conditions of the country. Among effective measures in this field is preparing clinical guidelines, according to the level of services and in line with the referral system. The purpose of developing clinical guidelines is improving the quality of health care and increasing the patient’s satisfaction through the following specific objectives:
Leila Izadpanah; Hamzeh Alipoor; Marzieh Shahriari-Namadi; Kourosh Azizi; Mohsen Kalantari; Abouzar Soltani; Masoumeh Bagheri
Abstract
Background: Sandflies are the vectors of at least eight different diseases, the most important of which is cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). CL is a major public health problem in Iran, with annual cases increasing to more than 20,000 in 2019. Fars Province has the second-highest number of cases with more ...
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Background: Sandflies are the vectors of at least eight different diseases, the most important of which is cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). CL is a major public health problem in Iran, with annual cases increasing to more than 20,000 in 2019. Fars Province has the second-highest number of cases with more than 3000 cases in 2019 in Iran. This study aimed to survey the fauna and different species of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) in Fars Province, southwest Iran. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Sandflies were collected in urban and rural regions using the sticky-traps method, and then they were cleared and fixed in puris medium and identified using the pictorial key. Results: A total of 1071 of sandflies were collected. The dominant species consisted of 5 species of Phlebotomus (Ph. papatasi 55.4%, Ph. alexandri 17.4%, Ph.sergenti 5.6%, Ph. caucasicus 1.4%, Ph. ansari 0.46% and 6 species of Sergentomyia (Ser. sintoni 10.8%, Ser. antennata 5.4%, Ser. tiberiadis 1.4%, Ser. tobbi 1%, Ser. baghdadis 0.5%, and Ser. halepensis 0.09%. Conclusion: This investigation showed that Ph. papatasi was the most prevalent species playing a crucial role in the transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Fars Province. Species of Ph. papatasi and Ph. sergenti are the main vectors of CL in Iran. The healthcare system must take steps to control cutaneous leishmaniasis, raise awareness of the disease, and apply effective ways to prevent it.
Hamidreza Kamalan
Volume 4, Issue 3 , July 2016, , Pages 142-148
Abstract
Background: Landfills are the most important producers of methane as human source. So, prediction of landfill gas generation is by far the most important concern of scientists, decision makers, and landfill owners as well as health authorities. Almost all the currently used models are based on Monod ...
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Background: Landfills are the most important producers of methane as human source. So, prediction of landfill gas generation is by far the most important concern of scientists, decision makers, and landfill owners as well as health authorities. Almost all the currently used models are based on Monod equation first order decay rate which is experimental while the main purpose of this research is to develop a numerical model. Methods: A real scale pilot landfill with 4500 tons of municipal solid waste has been designed, constructed, and operated for two years. Required measurements have been done to provide proper data on greenhouse gases emitted by the landfill and monitor its status such as internal temperature, leachate content, and its settlement during two years. Afterwards, weighted residual method has been used to develop the numerical model. Then, the newly mathematical method has been verified with data from another landfill. Results: Measurements showed that the minimum and maximum percentages of methane among landfill gas were 22.3 and 46.1%, respectively. These values for velocity of landfill gas are 0.3 and 0.48 meters per second, in that order. Conclusion: Since there is just 0.6 percent error in calculation as compared to real measurements from a landfill in California and most of the models used have ten percent error, this simple empirical numerical model is suggested to be utilized by scientists, decision makers, and landfill owners.
Ali Golkari; Mehrdad Vossoughi; Mahsa Mohammadi; Arghavan Behbahanirad; Maryam Bakhtiar
Abstract
Background: Several items affect the use of dental services. The objective of this study was to assess the association between socio-economic status (SES) and dental insurance coverage with the use of dental services amongst Iranian adolescents aged 13-15 years old. Methods: In this cross sectional study, ...
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Background: Several items affect the use of dental services. The objective of this study was to assess the association between socio-economic status (SES) and dental insurance coverage with the use of dental services amongst Iranian adolescents aged 13-15 years old. Methods: In this cross sectional study, we used a researcher-made questionnaire to assess the association between socio-economic status (SES) and dental insurance coverage with the use of dental services in 423 Iranian adolescents aged 13-15 years old. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data, generate descriptive statistics, and perform multiple logistic regressions. Results: Use of dental services was statistically significant amongst the students with dental insurance and parents with higher income (P<0.001), which was independent of the other socio-economic factors (parent’s age, education and marital status). Conclusion: The results showed that one of the important policies to reduce inequality in dental care is to improve dental insurance coverage.
Seyed Mansour Kashfi; Abdolreza Moradi; Tayebeh Rakhshani; Zahra Motlagh
Abstract
Background: Human resources are considered as one of the most important production resources and the basic capital of the organization. This study aimed to investigating the relationship between job motivation and job performance of auxiliary nurses under the coverage Shoush health centers. Methods: ...
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Background: Human resources are considered as one of the most important production resources and the basic capital of the organization. This study aimed to investigating the relationship between job motivation and job performance of auxiliary nurses under the coverage Shoush health centers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on auxiliary nurses under the coverage of Shoush health centers in 2017. Auxilliary nurses were enrolled in the study using census sampling method (150 people). The data collection tools were Herzberg's job motivation questionnaire and Paterson's job performance questionnaire that were completed through the self-report method. Data were analyzed through SPSS-22 software using Pearson correlation and multiple regression tests. Results: Ninety-nine people (66%) were female and 51 (34%) were male. The average motivation and job performance of the subjects were 184.22±14.98 and 42.50±6.26, respectively. According to the results of Pearson correlation test, there was a significant relationship between motivation and job performance (r=-0.223, p=0.006). According to the results of multiple regression, personal relationships with each other and work environment conditions predicted 22 percent of changes in performance of auxiliary nurses. Conclusion: In the present study, according to the relationship between motivation and job performance of health workers, it is suggested that measures should be taken to increase motivation to improve their job performance.
Seyed Esmaeil Managheb; Mesbah Shams; Mahmood Soveid; Mohamad Hadi Imanieh; Mohsen Moghadami
Volume 3, Issue 4 , October 2015, , Pages 165-166
Abstract
Compiling clinical guidelines is one of the requirements of family physician plan and classification of health care services.1 The high prevalence of type 2 diabetes can easily be seen in general practice so that 2.5% of referrals to general practitioners are due to diabetes. More than half of the patients ...
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Compiling clinical guidelines is one of the requirements of family physician plan and classification of health care services.1 The high prevalence of type 2 diabetes can easily be seen in general practice so that 2.5% of referrals to general practitioners are due to diabetes. More than half of the patients with Type 2 diabetes are left undiagnosed and most of them suffer from its complications at the time of diagnosis. For example, 6.2% of patients suffer from diabetic retinopathy at the time of diagnosis.2 Most patients diagnosed with diabetes take more than one type of medication to treat the complications; about 60% take only oral medications, and 14 percent take oral medications and insulin.3 Although the principles of care for people with Type 2 diabetes is well known, there is a gap between the quality of care in general practice and optimal care so that up to 50% of patients’ condition are weakly controlled.4 Chronic care model for patients with chronic diseases explains the necessary measures to improve the care of people with chronic diseases. These elements include supporting disease management by the patients themselves, patient care, and support teams. Consultation and training are often done in general practice while it is usually a brief consultation about weight, medication or exercise. There is little evidence that mere printed texts are effective in controlling the disease. Extensive training programs are designed to develop self-management skills for diabetes control.4 The implementation of clinical guidelines in medical practice is a challenging task. But, a number of evidences have been shown to accelerate effective clinical guideline implementation and care improvement.5 Management of diabetes mellitus type 2 is shown in Figure 1.
Shahla Heidari; Sareh Keshavarz; Alireza Mirahmadizadeh
Volume 5, Issue 4 , October 2017, , Pages 180-187
Abstract
AbstractBackground: In this cross-sectional study, 501 employees of petrochemical companies were selected by simple sampling method.Methods: Data were collected using Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory (SOFI-20), Occupational Fatigue/Exhaustion Recovery (OFER-15), and General Health Questionnaire ...
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AbstractBackground: In this cross-sectional study, 501 employees of petrochemical companies were selected by simple sampling method.Methods: Data were collected using Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory (SOFI-20), Occupational Fatigue/Exhaustion Recovery (OFER-15), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). To identify the factors associated with fatigue and general health, we used ordinary least squares regression (OLS) and SUR and the results were compared. The analysis showed that satisfaction, mental disorder and sleepiness were the important factors associated with fatigue among these workers. However, the SUR estimator provided higher precision of the estimates than the OLS estimator as the parameters obtained by SUR are characterized by lower standard errors. As the models are intended to predict the fatigue risk factors, we particularly focused on the SUR method because it assesses the precision of the model in predicting fatigue determination. SUR estimators performed consistently better than the OLS estimators since SUR takes the correlation between error terms into account. Results: The findings showed that the study population were young and almost had a low job tenure. The correlation test showed that there was a significant relationship between fatigue and general health with job satisfaction (p=0.05), sleep disorder (p=0.01) and mental disorder (p=0.001). Finally, the analysis showed that fatigue as the result of work was affected by some organizational and individual risk factors, among which "general health status" in general fatigue and "job satisfaction and mental disorders" in mental, physical, shift work, chronic and acute fatigue had the most effect.Conclusion: The prevalence of fatigue among the study population was assessed high. Thus, elimination and reduction of casual risk factors are necessary to reduce the prevalence of fatigue at work environmental.
azar nematollahi; Farideh Vaziri; Nasrin Asadi; Mona Doracvandi; Mehrab Sayadi
Volume 4, Issue 4 , October 2016, , Pages 199-204
Abstract
AbstractBackground: Sleep disorders like snoring, mouth breathing, andinsomnia are frequent in pregnancy and studies have shown thatpoor sleep is linked to obstetric complications. Muscle relaxationtechnique is an effective method used for improving sleepquality. The purpose of this study was to determine ...
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AbstractBackground: Sleep disorders like snoring, mouth breathing, andinsomnia are frequent in pregnancy and studies have shown thatpoor sleep is linked to obstetric complications. Muscle relaxationtechnique is an effective method used for improving sleepquality. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectof muscle relaxation technique on fetal outcomes in complicatedpregnancies with sleep disorders.Methods: This study was performed as a clinical trial on 160pregnant women who suffered from preeclampsia and gestationaldiabetes. The participants filled the Pittsburgh Sleep QualityIndex (PSQI) in order to measure the quality and patterns oftheir sleep. The participants with the total score of 5 or morewere included in the present study. Intervention group were askedto use muscle relaxation technique twice a week at home for 8weeks alongside the routine care. Study variables included sleepquality, Apgar scores, birth weight, levels of Interleukin- 6 (IL-6), as well as umbilical cord PH and PO2.Results: The mean score of PSQI before the intervention was9.28±4.16 and 9.18±3.06 in the intervention and control groupswithout a significant difference (P=0.6), respectively. However,PSQI global score of the experimental group was smaller than thecontrol group at the end of the study (P<0.001). Also, birth weight(P=0.04), Apgar score (P=0.01), and umbilical cord blood po2(P=0.03) and PH (P=0.01) were higher, and IL-6 (P=0.04) wassmaller in the experimental group compared to the control group.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that musclerelaxation, as a simple, inexpensive and safe method, canimprove the fetal outcomes such as birth weight, Apgar score,cord blood po2, and cord blood PH, and also it leads to lowerIL-6 in complicated pregnancies.
Masume Bazrafshan; Hamidreza Vakilifard; Bizhan Abedini; Davood Khodadadi
Abstract
Background: Corporate goals are to maximize efficiency and profit, but in the age of information and competition to succeed, they must respond to societal expectations. Corporate disregard for social responsibility can create problems for the company and cast doubt on the company's actions and mission ...
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Background: Corporate goals are to maximize efficiency and profit, but in the age of information and competition to succeed, they must respond to societal expectations. Corporate disregard for social responsibility can create problems for the company and cast doubt on the company's actions and mission and, consequently, its success. The purpose of this study was to investigate the social responsibility status of pharmaceutical companies in Iran in 2019. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study that was done in the year 2019. The study population consisted of all staff working in pharmaceutical companies. In this study, 354 individuals were selected through the available sampling method. The data gathering tool was demographic information questionnaire and social responsibility scale. The dimensions of the social responsibility scale included political, cultural, economic, moral, social, legal, and environmental factors. Results: Some 62.4% of the samples were male, and 53.10% had a bachelor's degree. Nearly 56% of the samples were occupationally in the middle management category, and 49.20% had human qualifications. Most of the samples (46.6%) were under 30 years old and 34.5% had 5-10 years old. The social responsibility components in all seven dimensions were higher than the median number three. They were political (3.91 ± 0.69), cultural (3.69 ± 0.80), social (3.65 ± 0.90), ethical (3.45 ± 0.85), legal (3.37 ± 0.83), economic (3.23 ± 0.78), and environmental factors (3.18 ± 0.86). Conclusion: From the point of view of pharmaceutical companies, all social responsibility indices, including political, cultural, economic, ethical, social, environmental and legal factors are important.
Milad Gholami; Zahra Zamanian; Reza Kalantari; Mehdi Hasanshahi; Esmaeil Hosseinzadeh Roknabadi; Somayeh Gheysari
Abstract
Background: Safe performance and patient safety are two important issues in the delivery of healthcare services. Non-technical skills are necessary for safe performance of anesthesiologists in the operating room. This study aimed to assess the anesthetists’ non-technical skills in Iranian hospitals. ...
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Background: Safe performance and patient safety are two important issues in the delivery of healthcare services. Non-technical skills are necessary for safe performance of anesthesiologists in the operating room. This study aimed to assess the anesthetists’ non-technical skills in Iranian hospitals. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 38 anesthetists working in orthopedic surgery wards of two hospitals in 2019. The data were collected using the Anesthetist’s Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) system, which included four domains, namely task management, teamwork, situation awareness, and decision-making. The anesthetists were assessed by a trained observer via observing and recording the events during surgeries. Results: The mean score of ANTS was 10.12±1.66 out of 16. Among the four skills, the highest and lowest mean scores were related to “task management” (2.94 out of 4) and “decision-making” (2.26 out of 4), respectively. Work experience showed a significant positive relationship with “decision-making” (p=0.008, r=0.974). However, higher education level was not associated with improved anesthesiology skills. Conclusion: The quality of non-technical skills was below the acceptable level in the studied anesthetists. Thus, it is recommended that the anesthetists’ skills should be improved through educational and political interventions.
Tayebeh Rakhshani; Mansour Kashfi; Fariba Idani; Mohammad Reza Ebrahimi; Seyyed Saeed Hashemi Nazari
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2018, , Pages 46-51
Abstract
Introduction: Deaths from traffic accidents (RTIs) are a major public health problem in all societies, especially in the low and middle-income countries; the present study was conducted to investigate the epidemiology of fatal road traffic accidents in Ahvaz city. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study ...
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Introduction: Deaths from traffic accidents (RTIs) are a major public health problem in all societies, especially in the low and middle-income countries; the present study was conducted to investigate the epidemiology of fatal road traffic accidents in Ahvaz city. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which included all deaths from RTIs in Ahvaz province (Southwest Iran) admitted to forensic medicine during 2015-2016. ICD-10 was used as diagnostic criteria. Demographic variables as well as injury circumstance) name, surname, phone number, age, sex, season, month, day, accident location, vehicle type, status of the injured person (were recorded by trained research team in forensic medicine. Descriptive data are reported. SPSS 20 software was used for analysis of data. Results: During years 2015-2016, a total of 50 deaths occurred due to road accidents in Ahvaz province. The mean age was 34.99 ± 19.98 years. The mortality rate was higher in men (79.4%), married subjects (57.4%), illiterate ones (26.2%), self-employed subjects (34.6%) and residents of urban areas (78.8%). There were statistically significant relationships between the accident location and the place of death, and between the trauma spot and the cause of death (P <0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that most of the deceased were male, married and young, so preventive measures such as precise traffic surveillance and enforcement of the regulations for safe driving are considered essential.
Mohammad Ali Baghapour; Babak Djahed; Mojdeh Ranjbar
Volume 1, Issue 1 , July 2013, , Pages 48-56
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Activated carbon is an adsorbent which is mostly employed in order to remove dye from aqueous solutions; however, commercial activated carbon is expensive and this is considered as an obstacle for its usage. Therefore, the present study aimed to use waste paper as an inexpensive ...
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Background and Objectives: Activated carbon is an adsorbent which is mostly employed in order to remove dye from aqueous solutions; however, commercial activated carbon is expensive and this is considered as an obstacle for its usage. Therefore, the present study aimed to use waste paper as an inexpensive precursor to produce activated carbon. Materials and Methods: In the present study, KOH was used for the chemical activation process; in order to prevent the precursor oxidation during the carbonization process, a completely sealed furnace was used. In order to determine the characteristics of the prepared activated carbon texture, N2 gas adsorption and BET isotherm were used. Moreover, Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Redlich-Peterson isotherm models as well as Pseudo-first order, Pseudo-second order, and intra-particle diffusion kinetic models were used to determine the characteristics of Methylene Blue adsorption on the prepared adsorbent. Results: According to the results, SBET and VTOTAL were 66.01m2/g and 0.063cc/g, respectively. Ferudlich and pseudo-second order models were the best isotherm and kinetic models for prediction of the Methylene Blue adsorption on the produced adsorbent. Furthermore, the qmax constant from the Langmuir model was obtained as 68.03 mg/g. Conclusion: In comparison to other studies, the produced activated carbon in the present study had a desirable surface area and adsorptive capacity for methylene blue adsorption in aquatic environments. Moreover, it seems that preparing activated carbon from waste newspaper is inexpensive, effective, and environment friendly.
Jalal Mohammadi; Hossein Faramarzi; Aboozar Soltani
Abstract
The class Diplopoda (the millipedes) is the most abundant and diverse group within the Myriapoda, comprising 15 orders and numerous families. They range in length from very tiny (∼5 mm in Polyxenida) to the longest terrestrial invertebrates (some Spirostreptida being up to 35 cm long) in tropical ...
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The class Diplopoda (the millipedes) is the most abundant and diverse group within the Myriapoda, comprising 15 orders and numerous families. They range in length from very tiny (∼5 mm in Polyxenida) to the longest terrestrial invertebrates (some Spirostreptida being up to 35 cm long) in tropical and subtropical regions. On the 29th September 2018, the residents of Dare Mal (a village of Marvdasht city) were faced with a massive infestation of an unknown larva. Arthropods were transferred to the Entomology Laboratory of Shiraz Health School. The unknown arthropods were identified as millipede larvae belonging to the Polyxenidae family (Polyxenus spp.) Millipede larvae are not of medical importance, but they cause panic among the residents and make them evacuate their homes. The source of their infestation was a leftover farmyard watering near the village. The number of larvae declined sharply and their activity decreased after conducting the control program. This program included physical control as well as spraying of the infested areas with permethrin and diazinon. Activity of larvae abruptly decreased and eventually they were removed from all infested homes.
Vahid Gharibi; Mohammad Ghaedi Jahromi; Mohammad Reza Mohammadnia; Seyedeh Mahsa Hosseini Gharbi
Abstract
Background: Environmental risk assessment, the process of qualitative analysis of potential hazards and coefficients of potential risks in the project, as well as the vulnerability of a peripheral environment need to be taken into account. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to identify and investigate ...
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Background: Environmental risk assessment, the process of qualitative analysis of potential hazards and coefficients of potential risks in the project, as well as the vulnerability of a peripheral environment need to be taken into account. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to identify and investigate the potential hazards and make practical suggestions in order to eliminate or reduce the environmental hazards related to gas wells drilling effluents and wastewater in southern cities. Methods: This is an applied research using descriptive-analytical method. The required data were categorized into two groups including: a review of written sources and a field study of one of the oil and gas wells based on the available components and variables. Data analysis was done using EFMEA (Environmental Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) and the components and variables were analyzed using Analytic Network Process model (ANP). Analysis of variance and correlation coefficients were also used to investigate the relationship between the components. Finally, a strategy model was developed based on the studies conducted to determine the effectiveness of corrective and control measures. Results: Research findings based on EFMEA environmental risk assessment of oil and gas drilling effluents and wastewater showed that 83.4% of the risk scores, in this case, were placed at the medium risk level and 16.6% at the low-risk level. The results of the network analysis model also showed that drilling effluents and wastewater caused by drilling wells of Oil and Gas had the highest impact (0.124) on the degradation of vegetation and also on the destruction of the natural habitats in this region. Conclusion: Accordingly, some strategies such as integration of EFMEA and ANP Models which were developed to reduce the environmental crises in oil and gas drilling have been very useful and appropriate.
Seyyed Esmaeil Managheb; Mahmood Soveid; Mohammad Kasaei
Volume 4, Issue 1 , January 2016, , Pages 50-53
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to atherosclerosis is the foremost cause of premature mortality and of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in developed and developing countries (1). The associated mortality is preventable through treatment of dyslipidemia (2). Over half of the first CHD events ...
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to atherosclerosis is the foremost cause of premature mortality and of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in developed and developing countries (1). The associated mortality is preventable through treatment of dyslipidemia (2). Over half of the first CHD events and 3/4 of CHD deaths are preventable by controlling the risk factors, including diet, exercise, weight and blood pressure control; prescription of aspirin and tobacco cessation ; and lowering lipids (3). Dyslipidemia covers the broad spectrum of lipid abnormalities (4). However, elevations of the total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) have received the most attention (4). Epidemiologic data revealed that about 70 million Americans had elevated levels of LDL cholesterol between 2005 and 2008 (5). Abnormalities in lipid components are prevalent in Iran and they are more common among men in urban areas. Urbanization, unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle are the underlying reasons for the high prevalence of dyslipidemia in Iran (4). Dyslipidemias may be related to other diseases (secondary dyslipidemias); therefore, secondary causes of abnormal lipid levels should be considered first and treated when appropriate (6).The primary target in treating dyslipidemia has been and will probably continue to be LDL cholesterol because it is the most atherogenic lipoprotein which correlates more closely than other lipids with CHD (7). Statin therapy is likely to continue to be emphasized because they are the most effective lipid-lowering agents for reducing LDL cholesterol concentrations, and their efficacy for lowering the risk for cardiovascular events has been proven (8). Every 1.0 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) reduction in LDL-C is associated with a corresponding 22% reduction in CVD mortality and morbidity (9). Patients with an elevated LDL-cholesterol level should begin the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes program as well as an individualized program of regular exercise. Lifestyle modifications include diet, aerobic exercise, weight control, smoking cessation, evaluation of alcohol consumption; and a nutritional supplement containing sitostanol ester, a saturated derivative of plants’ seed oil (6). Diet and exercise are the cornerstones of treatment for asymptomatic patients with dyslipidemia (6). Smoking cessation reduces coronary event rate by about 50% within one to two years of stopping. Among the benefits of smoking cessation is a 5-10% increase in HDL-C (3). Clinicians should initiate statin therapy regardless of LDL, in patients with established ASCVD. Statins are the drugs of choice for lowering LDL-cholesterol, and aggressive treatment with statins should be pursued (6). Large scale clinical event trials include lovastatin, pravastatin, simvastatin atorvastatin, and rosuvastatin (3). Statin Dose Intensity is shown in Table 1 (3).
Masoud Karimi; Fatemeh Zare Haroftah; Mohammad Hossein Baghianimoghadam; Vali Bahrevar; Hasan Ghiyasi
Volume 5, Issue 2 , April 2017, , Pages 94-99
Abstract
Background: Soft drinks consumption is a major world public health concern. This study investigates the factors which influence the students’ intention to consume fewer amounts of soft drinks, using The Extended Parallel Process Model.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 320 high schools ...
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Background: Soft drinks consumption is a major world public health concern. This study investigates the factors which influence the students’ intention to consume fewer amounts of soft drinks, using The Extended Parallel Process Model.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 320 high schools boys in Yazd, Iran (2014). A 15-item, 5-point Likert-type scale questionnaire was used to measure the participants’ perceived susceptibility, severity, response-efficacy and self-efficacy and intention about soft drinks’ consumption. Internal consistency (Cronbach alpha >0.7 for each construct) and external consistency: r = 0.79, P. =0.01) of questionnaire was approved. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16, using descriptive analysis, bivariate correlation, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: The participants’ average soft drink consumption was 3±3.4 daily glasses. Danger control processes had more frequency over fear control ones (57.7% vs. 42.3% of participants). The intention of fewer amounts soft drinks consumption was positively correlated with perceived response efficacy, self-efficacy and total efficacy. 16% of the participants’ intention variations were explained by self-efficacy. The odds of intention towards not to consume soft drinks were significantly higher for the high efficacy/ low threat category (OR=1.51, p= 0.04) compared with low efficacy / low threat category. Conclusion:The results revealed that inducing fear is not an effective way to promote healthy drinking behavior and the choice of fear appeals is often a poor choice in this subject. It can be suggested that health educators should move from traditional threatening fear arousal messages to improving their target audience’s self-efficacy.
Hadi Daneshmandi; Alireza Choobineh; Haleh Ghaem; Anahita Fakherpour
Abstract
Background: For an organization to be successful, the productivity of its employees is of vital importance.This study aimed to: 1) translate and examine the psychometric properties of the Health and Work Questionnaire (HWQ) among Iranian office workers, and 2) Determine the association between six subscales ...
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Background: For an organization to be successful, the productivity of its employees is of vital importance.This study aimed to: 1) translate and examine the psychometric properties of the Health and Work Questionnaire (HWQ) among Iranian office workers, and 2) Determine the association between six subscales of the Persian version of HWQ (P-HWQ) and Work-related Musculoskeletal Symptoms (WMSs) among the subjects. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among office workers employed at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. In order to standardize the questionnaire, the English version of the HWQ was translated into Persian (the Iranian official language), using the standard “forward-backward” translation, cognitive debriefing, and cultural adaptation procedure. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was used to determine the WMSs prevalence rate among the subjects. Results: 129 office workers, including 44 (34.1%) males and 85 (65.9%) females with a mean ± SD age of 36.22±7.72 years voluntarily participated in this study. Internal consistency of the P-HWQ was acceptable for all subscales (0.65≤α). Factor analysis of the P-HWQ for each item related to the subscale was acceptable (0.4<). The highest prevalence rates of WMSs in the last week were related to lower back (51.2%), neck (43.4%), and shoulders (41.1%). The concentration/focus subscale of productivity (derived from P-HWQ) was related to WMSs in participants. Conclusion: The P-HWQ has good structural characteristics, is a valid and reliable instrument, and can be used for measuring the productivity of Iranian office workers. Improvement of working conditions is suggested to reduce the musculoskeletal problems, and enhancement of people’s concentration/focus and productivity.
Tahereh Mokhtaryan; Fatima Ghodrati; Marzieh Akbarzadeh
Volume 4, Issue 2 , April 2016, , Pages 103-104
Abstract
Postpartum blues, as a transient phenomenon of mood changes, generally begins 1 to 3 days after the child birth.1 This phenomenon is accompanied with symptoms such as unstable moods, ranging from euphoria to sadness, high sensitivity, crying for no reason, restlessness, poor concentration, anxiety, irritability, ...
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Postpartum blues, as a transient phenomenon of mood changes, generally begins 1 to 3 days after the child birth.1 This phenomenon is accompanied with symptoms such as unstable moods, ranging from euphoria to sadness, high sensitivity, crying for no reason, restlessness, poor concentration, anxiety, irritability, and anger.2 Prevalence of postpartum blues has been estimated 44.3% in Hong- Kong,3 31.3% in Nigeria,2 and 58% in India.4 In Iran, 22.3% of women suffer from weak postpartum blues, 10.8% have medium, and 21.1% suffer from severe postpartum blues.5 Interaction between different biological, psychological and social factors could affect the postpartum blues.6 Some researchers have indicated that there is a reverse relationship between religion related beliefs and spiritual attitudes, participation in religious activities and reduction of pregnancy and postpartum anxiety and depression.7 Also, according to another study, 57% of the doctors believe that praying could enhance the healing effect of treatment.8 However, some other studies reject this idea.9-10 In this cross-sectional study conducted in selected prenatal clinics of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2013, 176 healthy pregnant women aged 18-35 years old participated. For assessment of postpartum blues, standard questionnaire of Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)11 and Religious Attitude Scale (RAS-R) containing 25 questions with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.954 in Iran were used.12
Alireza Mollaei; Maryam Hamidian Shirazi; Amir Reza Hamidian Shirazi
Abstract
Background: The presence of antibiotic residues in milk and other livestock by products is a health hazard that can endanger the public health. Antibiotics are widely used in animal husbandry to treat bacterial infections. In this industry, antimicrobial drugs are being used for decades; as a result, ...
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Background: The presence of antibiotic residues in milk and other livestock by products is a health hazard that can endanger the public health. Antibiotics are widely used in animal husbandry to treat bacterial infections. In this industry, antimicrobial drugs are being used for decades; as a result, continuous administration of antibiotics to livestock had led to contamination of industrialized dairy farms. Background: This research was conducted to evaluate antibiotic residues in raw milk samples in Sepidan, using ECLIPS 50 kit and TWINE SENSOR kit. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, one hundred raw cow milk samples were randomly collected from different farms and milk factories in Sepidan and Beyza townships from winter 2017 to spring 2018. The ECLIPS 50 and TWINE SENSOR kits were used to monitor antibiotic residues in milk samples. The data were analyzed employing Chi-square test, using SPSS software version 20. The significance level was considered p <0.05. Results: In total, 100 raw milk samples were collected, of which 60 (60%) were from Beyza and 40 (40%) from Sepidan. A total of 95 samples (95%) were antibiotic-free and 5 (5%) contained antibiotic residual. 5 samples (5%) of ECLIPS 50 kit, 5 samples (5%) of TWINE SENSOR kit were shown to be positive, using both kits. Conclusion: There was no difference between ECLIPS 50 kit and TWINE SENSOR kits in detecting antibiotics residue in raw milk samples. The positive samples in the two sets of kits were identical. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the two types of kits
Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan; Maasumeh Elahi
Abstract
Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a cluster of acute respiratory illness with unknown causes, occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China since December 2019(1). COVID-19, a contagious disease, has spread all around the globe. It has affected almost every country on the planet (2). COVID-19 was declared ...
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Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a cluster of acute respiratory illness with unknown causes, occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China since December 2019(1). COVID-19, a contagious disease, has spread all around the globe. It has affected almost every country on the planet (2). COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic on January 30, 2020 by WHO(3). This rapid growth in the number of infected people has enforced every country to take appropriate actions to control this disease(3). The most effective way to stop COVID-19 that human being had used to battle epidemics for hundreds of years is quarantine or isolation(4). Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. This definition differs from isolation, which is the separation of sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. The two terms are often used interchangeably, especially in communication with the public(5). In recent outbreak of COVID-19, many countries have taken various kinds of quarantine measures to slow down the explosive spread of COVID-19. Effective and reasonable quarantine appears to be able to slow the spread of the virus until research finds an effective medical treatment(4).The quarantine is proven to be effective against the disease, but there are some side effects which includes the effect on human psychology and world economic crisis(6). Findings of the study conducted by Nelson et al. indicated that mental health symptoms were currently elevated compared to historical norms, and that variation in these symptoms were associated with COVID-19 concern when compared to epidemiological data signifying objective risk. Loss of employment is associated with greater depressive symptoms and COVID-19 concern, and both anxiety symptoms and psychological concern about COVID-19 were the strongest predictors of self-quarantine behavior(7). Under such circumstances, vulnerable people may turn to ineffective defense mechanisms such as smoking, alcohol, and drugs to relieve their psychological pain(8). Therefore, although the pandemic threatens everyone, it is a particularly high risk to people with alcohol and drug use disorders. In fact, studies show that even the fear of job loss can increase the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs. Those who are unemployed are much likely to use drugs or alcohol and develop substance use disorders. Those in recovery are also more likely to return to substance use, and job loss is a substantial trigger for relapse(9, 10). Also, due to COVID-19 outbreak and quarantine, the psychiatric sessions and counseling of these people may be interrupted. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address the mental health issues of substance users during the Novel Coronavirus Disease pandemic and it is necessary to consider measures to prevent the occurrence and return of addictive behaviors. Conflicts of interest: Nothing to declare.
Leila Keshtgar; Ali Akbar Azimi
Volume 4, Issue 3 , July 2016, , Pages 149-157
Abstract
Abstract Background: The compounds which contain nitrogen entering the environment can cause some problems, such as eutrophication for water resources and potential risk for human health because of methemoglobinemia and cancer. Biological techniques are effective in removing nitrate. The aim of this ...
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Abstract Background: The compounds which contain nitrogen entering the environment can cause some problems, such as eutrophication for water resources and potential risk for human health because of methemoglobinemia and cancer. Biological techniques are effective in removing nitrate. The aim of this study was to remove nitrate from groundwater using denitrification. The main objectives of this research were determining the reduction of water nitrate based on different retention time and also the effect of using grape extract as organic matter and electron acceptor in biological nitrate removal from water. Methods: In this experimental study, the effect of heterotrophic Pseudomonas separated from Shiraz wastewater treatment plant on removing nitrate from groundwater was investigated at pilot scale using grape extract as carbon source and filamentous media at constant pH (7±0.1) and temperature (20±1 °C). During this study, 2 pilots were made. Pilot number 1 was used for separation and growth of the above mentioned bacteria (Pseudomonas) that are able to remove nitrate. Pilot number 2 was also used for surveying the removal of nitrate by these bacteria. At least, 13 samples were examined in every retention time and each test was repeated for 2 or 3 times. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS (ver.19) software using one-way repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni tests. Results: According to the results, nitrate removal rates were 49%, 55%, 67% and, 67% at retention times of 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 hours, respectively. The best retention time was 2 hours with 67% removal rate (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that using grape extract as the carbon source and proper growth of bacteria in filamentous media led to a significant increase in the removal rate.
Leila Bazrafkan; Farangis Torki; Tayebeh Rakhshani
Abstract
Introduction: Emotional intelligence is considered as one of the significant aspects of person-environment adaptation and one of the important factors of individual differences. As students of each society are the human resources and the constructors of its future, and their physical and mental health ...
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Introduction: Emotional intelligence is considered as one of the significant aspects of person-environment adaptation and one of the important factors of individual differences. As students of each society are the human resources and the constructors of its future, and their physical and mental health is of great importance, the present study aimed to compare emotional intelligence in medical and non-medical students of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 483 students of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences who were selected through stratified sampling in 2018. The data collection tool was the Goleman's standardized emotional intelligence questionnaire. Chi-square and independent t-test were used for statistical data analysis by SPSS version 20. The significance level was considered 0.05 in all the tests. Results: The mean and standard deviation of emotional intelligence in medical and non-medical students were 81.79 ± 8.45 and 84.03 ± 7.71, respectively. The independent t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the mean score of emotional intelligence and the field of study (P = 0.003). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the mean score of emotional intelligence in non-medical students was higher than that of medical students. Hence, it is suggested that educational managers of universities should have special financial investments in emotional self-awareness, while holding training courses and using human resource educators for conducting emotional intelligence promotion workshops.
Saeed Shahabi; Ali Pouryousef; Kourosh Azizi; Bahador Sarkari
Abstract
Background: Rodents have a significant role as a reservoir in zoonotic diseases. Rodents which live close to human habitats such as muroid species play an important role in public health and economy. The current study aimed to evaluate the intestinal helminths infections of the Zagros Mountain rodent, ...
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Background: Rodents have a significant role as a reservoir in zoonotic diseases. Rodents which live close to human habitats such as muroid species play an important role in public health and economy. The current study aimed to evaluate the intestinal helminths infections of the Zagros Mountain rodent, Calomyscus (Calomyscus cf. bailwardi), in Shiraz, capital of Fars province, southern Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from April to October 2019, and a total of 10 Calomyscus were trapped. The animals were transferred to the animal laboratory for euthanization and dissection. Each of the digestive organs was separately cut and examined to identify their intestinal helminths. Parasites were removed by a special needle, and then transferred to 5% glycerin alcohol for the identification of the isolated helminths, using carmine staining. Results: Among the 10 total numbers of specimens, 60% (6 out of 10) were infected. All of the intestinal helminths obtained from the rodents were identified as Syphacia obvelata. Conclusion: Given the fact that the infected rodents which live in close contact with human society may cause rodent-borne infections among the residents, this parasitological study can be important in identifying the epidemiologic pattern related to zoonotic diseases, especially in rarely studied host species like Calomyscus cf. bailwardi.