Original Articles
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 ...
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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.
Original Articles
Mohammad Khammarnia; Zahra Amani; Mahsa Hajmohammadi; Alireza Ansari-Moghadam; Marzieh Eslahi
Volume 4, Issue 3 , July 2016, Pages 111-114
Abstract
Background: Girls are one of the high risk groups for iron deficiency anemia. Iron supplementation program is a preventive strategy for female students in high schools in Iran. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of iron supplements consumption among high school students in the southeast of Iran. Methods: ...
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Background: Girls are one of the high risk groups for iron deficiency anemia. Iron supplementation program is a preventive strategy for female students in high schools in Iran. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of iron supplements consumption among high school students in the southeast of Iran. Methods: A quantitative study was conducted in Zahedan (the capital of Sistan and Balochestan province) in the southeast of Iran in 2015. The sample size was 400 high school students from different areas of Zahedan who were randomly selected. A standard questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software through descriptive statistics, one way ANOVA and Chi-square. Results: In total, 68.2% of the students did not administer any tablets whether regularly or irregularly during the past 16 weeks. About 41 third grade students did not take any tablets in 16 weeks. There were a statistically significant correlation between lack of taking tablet and their grade point average of the last year (P=0.003, F=1.078); also, it had a significant association with school grade of students (P=0.009). Conclusion: Most of the students did not use iron supplementation in Zahedan high schools. Measures should be taken to increase the culture of consuming iron tablets by providing appropriate environmental conditions; it seems that iron supplementation programs will have positive impacts on the students.
Original Articles
Rezvan Zare; Alireza Choobineh; Sareh Keshavarzi
Volume 4, Issue 3 , July 2016, Pages 115-120
Abstract
Background: Working conditions have considerably changed and exposure to psychosocial risk factors, particularly occupational stress, has recently had an increasing trend. Studies have shown that sickness absence was the worst outcome of occupational stress. The present study aimed to assess the relationship ...
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Background: Working conditions have considerably changed and exposure to psychosocial risk factors, particularly occupational stress, has recently had an increasing trend. Studies have shown that sickness absence was the worst outcome of occupational stress. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between dimensions of occupational stress and sickness absence in a gas company in Boushehr, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 employees of a gas company, Boushehr, Iran who were selected through random sampling. Osipow occupational stress questionnaire was used to determine the participants’ stress levels. Then, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The participants’ mean of sickness absence was 2.164.57± days per year. Besides, 1.5%, 32.5%, 36.3%, and 29.8% of the participants had low, low to moderate, moderate to severe, and severe occupational stress, respectively. Additionally, the mean of total stress was moderate to severe among the study participants. This was also the case concerning the stress dimensions. The results revealed a significant relationship between the number of sickness absences and dimensions of occupational stress, including workload, role insufficiency, role conflict, responsibility, physical environment, and total stress (P=0.0001). Conclusion: The majority of the employees had high levels of occupational stress. Besides, a significant association was observed between the dimensions of occupational stress and sickness absence. Accordingly, to decrease the number of sickness absence, we should take measures to reduce occupational stress.
Original Articles
Marziyeh Ansari Shiri; mansooreh dehghani; Mohammad Reza Samaei
Volume 4, Issue 3 , July 2016, Pages 121-128
Abstract
Background: Atrazine is a widely used herbicide. The increasing salinity of many water resources has had a negative effect on atrazine biodegradation. The aim of this study was to isolate atrazine degrading bacteria in semi-salinity media. Methods: Nine selected bacterial species were cultivated on ...
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Background: Atrazine is a widely used herbicide. The increasing salinity of many water resources has had a negative effect on atrazine biodegradation. The aim of this study was to isolate atrazine degrading bacteria in semi-salinity media. Methods: Nine selected bacterial species were cultivated on the mineral salt broth culture medium containing atrazine (50, 100, 500 mg/L), NaCl concentration (10 g/L), and 2% (wt/vol) agar. The bacteria with higher growths in the atrazine medium (500 mg/L) were selected. Then, those with higher growths were transferred to the medium with atrazine concentration of 1000 mg/L. The atrazine biodegradation rates by Ochrobactrum oryzae and consortium bacteria (all of the nine bacteria species) were compared by cultivating separately on the mineral salt broth containing atrazine concentration of 30 mg/l, and NaCl concentration of 10 g/L in the incubation time of 10 day and HPLC analysis. Results: The results indicated that Ochrobactrum oryzae had the highest growth compared to the other investigated bacteria (Acinetobacter radioresistens, Paenibacillus lautus, and Bacillus sp) in the mineral salt broth culture medium containing atrazine concentrations (1000 mg/L), NaCl (10 g/L), and 2% (wt/vol) agar. In the Ochrobactrum oryzae and bacterial consortium comparison, atrazine biodegradation rate in the culture medium containing NaCl, by Ochrobactrum oryzae, was higher than bacterial consortium and atrazine biodegradation rate in the culture medium with no NaCl addition, by Ochrobactrum oryzae, was lower than bacterial consortium. Conclusion: Based on the results, Ochrobactrum oryzae was significantly capable of atrazine biodegradation in the semisalinity aqueous environment.
Original Articles
Haleh Ghaem; Atousa Fakherpour; Mahmoud Hajipour; Mohsen Shafiee
Volume 4, Issue 3 , July 2016, Pages 129-136
Abstract
Background: Today, the quality of life (QoL) studies have an important role in public health care, especially among the old adults suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes. Diabetes and its complications can widely affect various aspects of QoL. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess diabetic ...
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Background: Today, the quality of life (QoL) studies have an important role in public health care, especially among the old adults suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes. Diabetes and its complications can widely affect various aspects of QoL. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess diabetic patients’ QoL and identify the factors that affect it. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 593 randomly selected diabetic patients aged 60 years and above who were admitted in 13 diabetes clinics in Shiraz, Iran, in 2014. Diabetes Quality of Life-Brief Clinical Inventory (DQOL-BCI) questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life in these patients. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed, using Stata software, version 12, to identify the predictors of DQoL. Results: The participants’ mean DQoL score was 41.8±6.2 with a mean age of 66.2±6.0 years. Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that FBS level (115-180 mg/dL: P=0.05; above 180 mg/dL: P=0.02) and duration of diabetes (4-9 years: P=0.06; above 9 years: P=0.002) were two important clinical predictors of DQoL. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a relationship between clinical and socio-demographic factors and diabetic patients’ QoL. Considering these related variables could lead to effective control of diabetes complications and improvement of the patients’ QoL.
Original Articles
Leila Bazrafkan; Sedigheh Ebrahimi
Volume 4, Issue 3 , July 2016, Pages 137-141
Abstract
Background: Changes in expectations and requirements of the end users of medical education “community members” and evolution in health services necessitate some changes in the medical education curriculum. To achieve this reform in curricula, obtaining insight into the health care needs of community ...
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Background: Changes in expectations and requirements of the end users of medical education “community members” and evolution in health services necessitate some changes in the medical education curriculum. To achieve this reform in curricula, obtaining insight into the health care needs of community members and their comments about their physicians is highly required in community-oriented education. This survey was conducted to determine the attitudes of health care receivers toward the general physicians’ professional behavior in Fars province, Iran. Methods: This is a descriptive study and the subjects were the receivers of health care services. We selected 97 individuals in each city of Fars province using randomized-cluster sampling. The sample size increased to 150 in each city and overall 2500 individuals participated in the study. For data collection, an anonymous questionnaire was developed which was tested for the validity of the contents using the experts’ views and reliability was checked using test-retest. The data were analyzed using SPSS 14 statistical software. Results: The results of this study revealed the participants’ attitudes toward education, treatment and consultative services by physicians in Fars province. Overall, the response rate was about 95%. The patients rated the physicians’ professional behavior, as one of the key determinants of their experiences with healthcare services. Moreover, 73.2% of the participants were fully satisfied with the quality of care they received from their physicians and 24.9% were satisfied to some extent. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the physician’s educational and consultative roles in medical education curricula must be reviewed and emphasized.
Original Articles
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.
Original Articles
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.
