Original Article
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 ...
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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.
Original Article
Alireza Abbasi; Saeed Yosefinejad; Shima Bahrami; Mohamad Hoseini
Abstract
Introduction: Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, tasteless, colorless, and nonirritating poisonous gas, recognized as the silent killer for the 21st century. It is produced during partial combustion of carbon-containing compounds. Improper ventilation and flue installation of vented gas space heaters ...
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Introduction: Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, tasteless, colorless, and nonirritating poisonous gas, recognized as the silent killer for the 21st century. It is produced during partial combustion of carbon-containing compounds. Improper ventilation and flue installation of vented gas space heaters cause carbon monoxide gas to penetrate the building, leading to many deaths annually. The catalytic oxidation of CO has received great attention due to its applications in different fields. In this study, alumina foam coated by CuMnOx catalyst was used to remove CO from the vented gas space heaters. Method: This is a full-scale experimental study on the outflow from vented gas space heaters. Alumina foam supported hopcalite (CuMnOx) catalyst was synthesized using a co-precipitation method for CO oxidation from THE vented gas space heaters. The XRD and SEM were used to characterize the synthesized catalyst. The concentration of CO was measured by IMR 1500 combustion gas analyzer. Result: The particle size of the catalyst was in the range of 200-600 nm. XRD showed different crystallizations, and the crystal size was in the range of 20 -120 nm. There was no significant CO removal in the case of using uncoated alumina foam. Results showed CuMnOx catalyst significantly increased the CO removal. The removal efficiencies were 83% and 89% in heating powers of 2300 and 3200 kcal/hr, respectively. The average CO conversation rate was approximately 60.45 µg/gr.min. Conclusion: CuMnOx coated on alumina has a significant effect on CO removal from the vented gas space heaters. The catalyst and outlet gas temperature were the most important factors affecting CO removal.
Original Article
Reza Kalantari; Zahra Zamanian; Mehrdad Kamrani; Ehsan Bakhshi; Matin Rostami; Morteza Mortazavi Mehrizi; Ebrahim Nazari far
Abstract
Background: Mental workloadis the operator´s mind effort, the excessive levels of which can endanger his/her health. Work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WMSs) could be the result of a high mental workload. As the workload level depends on the task, this study aims to assess the relationship ...
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Background: Mental workloadis the operator´s mind effort, the excessive levels of which can endanger his/her health. Work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WMSs) could be the result of a high mental workload. As the workload level depends on the task, this study aims to assess the relationship between mental workload and musculoskeletal symptoms in different working groups of a hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 240 employees in three main working groups including office staff, clinical employees, and service workers in a governmental hospital at Shiraz. Demographics, NASA Task Load Index, and Nordic musculoskeletal symptoms questionnaire were the data collection tools. SPSS, version 21, was used for data analysis. Results: The mean mental workload was 66.03 in office staff, 67.86 in clinical employees, and 72.41 in service workers. The prevalence of WMSs was 67% in office staff, 62.5% in clinical employees, and 60.8% in service workers. The overall mental workload was related to symptom prevalence in the elbow, thighs, knee, and foot (P-value < 0.05). Conclusion: Some domains of the mental workload are related to WMSs in the studied working groups. Paying attention to the special needs of each working group is necessary for reducing mental workload and WMSs.
Original Article
Vahid Gharibi; Nafiseh Nasouhi; Mahshid Badrian; Mahdieh Nikoo; Mehdi Jahangiri
Abstract
Background: Teachers are prone to Voice Disorder (VD). The present study aims to investigate the onset of VD symptoms and their effects on the job performance of the elementary school teachers. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 121 male and female elementary ...
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Background: Teachers are prone to Voice Disorder (VD). The present study aims to investigate the onset of VD symptoms and their effects on the job performance of the elementary school teachers. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 121 male and female elementary school teachers in Mobarakeh County during the academic year 2018-2019. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. In doing so, the researchers talked to 10 people composed of qualified experts in occupational health, ergonomics, and health education and a number of teachers about how to design the questions as well as the answer scale for each section. Results: In the present study, the prevalence of VD was higher among female teachers (41%) compared to male ones (20%). That is to say, the prevalence of the VD symptoms in female teachers was more than twice that of the male teachers. The study results demonstrated a significant relationship between having a silent resting place and coughing (p=0.028). Accordingly, the prevalence of the symptoms of cough was significantly higher in the teachers who did not have a silent resting place in comparison to those who benefitted from a quiet resting place. Conclusion: Thus, it is recommended that safety, occupational health, and ergonomic programs should be designed for teachers at the Ministry of Education in collaboration with concerned specialists. Periodic examinations, identification of teachers with disorders, culturalization, and education are among the themes of these programs.
Original Articles
Mohammad Saleh Bahreini; Mohammad Hossein Motazedian; Shahram Bamdad; Mohammad Javad Abbaszadeh afshar; Qasem Asgari
Abstract
Background:Free Living Amoebas, as opportunistic protozoa, can cause more problems such as meningoencephalitis, encephalitis and keratitis in human being. These protozoa have been isolated from many sources in Iran. This study was undertaken to determine the diseases due to these parasites in the south ...
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Background:Free Living Amoebas, as opportunistic protozoa, can cause more problems such as meningoencephalitis, encephalitis and keratitis in human being. These protozoa have been isolated from many sources in Iran. This study was undertaken to determine the diseases due to these parasites in the south of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and 15 corneal scrapings were collected from patients admitted in clinics of Shiraz city. The samples were examined by light microscopy, cultivation and molecular methods. Phylogenetic relationship was also conducted among the sequences and various Acanthamoeba spp. based on nucleotide sequences in NCBI GenBank. Results: No infection in CSF samples was seen, while one patient suspected with keratitis was positive to Acanthamoeba sp. infection only by PCR. Using Sequencing technique and Phylogenetic tree, the genotype of the parasite was demonstrated T4. This sample belonged to a 26 year old woman who used a contact lens. Conclusion: Our results indicate that it is necessary to pay attention to the complexity of the free living amoeba infections, especially in soft contact lens wearers. Also, PCR as an appropriate method in diagnosis is recommended for the detection of free living amoebae. However, it is unavoidable to suspect these protozoa as an infectious agent in patients with central nervous system infection due to increased immunodeficiency disorders.
Original Article
Zeinolabedin Mohammadi; Saeed Shahabi; Fatemeh Ghorbani; Asghar Khajeh
Abstract
Background: Morphological and allozyme studies are not remarkably efficient in identification of cryptic and unknown species; therefore, the differences between intra-and interspecific genetic variation (DNA barcoding) have been applied in recent decades. Applying molecular markers has been common for ...
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Background: Morphological and allozyme studies are not remarkably efficient in identification of cryptic and unknown species; therefore, the differences between intra-and interspecific genetic variation (DNA barcoding) have been applied in recent decades. Applying molecular markers has been common for identification of taxa, so that suitable marker choice representing high divergence is a crucial issue to reveal taxonomic status of the taxa in this approach. Methods: In this analytical study, the performance of two mitochondrial markers including cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (cyt b)was compared with nuclear recombination activating protein I locus(RAGI), and their efficiency in identification of mammal taxa as the host of zoonotic diseases was evaluated. The COI, cyt b, and RAGI sequences were retrieved from GenBank. Intra-and interspecific genetic distances were estimated and compared at the species level. The variances in genetic divergence were also calculated and compared between the markers. Results: Our results showed a wide gap between intra-and interspecific genetic distances for both COI and cyt b markers and less apparent gap for RAGI, indicating that this nuclear marker is less proper for species delimitation in DNA barcoding. Conclusion: We concluded that in the case of multiple sequences available COI, contributes to accurate differentiation at the species level, showing a significant gap between intra-and interspecific genetic distances and may play an important role as DNA barcoding marker.
Original Article
Zahra Mousavi-Shirazi-Fard; zohreh mazloom; Mohammad Jalali; Naeimehossadat Asmarian; Mohammad Hossein Dabbaghmanesh; Mahmood Panahiyan
Abstract
Objective: Individualized Medical Nutrition Therapy (IMNT) is recommended as a part of glycemic control in hospitalized diabetic patients. However, it is provided only for a small number of patients. This study aimed to compare the effects of IMNT and Consistent Carbohydrate Meal-Planning (CCMP) on glycemic ...
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Objective: Individualized Medical Nutrition Therapy (IMNT) is recommended as a part of glycemic control in hospitalized diabetic patients. However, it is provided only for a small number of patients. This study aimed to compare the effects of IMNT and Consistent Carbohydrate Meal-Planning (CCMP) on glycemic control, energy, and carbohydrate and protein intake in hospitalized diabetic patients. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 164 hospitalized diabetic patients. The patients were randomly selected from internal wards of Namazi hospital, Shiraz, Iran from September 2016 to October 2017. They were allocated to IMNT or CCMP groups using simple randomization for four days. Blood glucose was measured before each meal and at bedtime. A 24-h food recall was also completed to measure the energy and carbohydrate and protein intake during the study. The data were analyzed using independent sample t-test and repeated measures ANOVA via the SPSS software, version 19. Results: The results showed a significant decrease in the IMNT group compared to the CCMP group regarding the mean blood glucose level measured prior to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime during the first, second, third, and fourth days of the study (p=0.025, p=0.030, p=0.002, and p=0.011, respectively). Besides, mean peak and nadir of glucose level (p=0.042 and p=0.036, respectively) and the means of energy, carbohydrate, and protein intake were significantly increased in the IMNT group compared to the CCMP group. Conclusion: IMNT could help to control the blood glucose. In addition, it could improve energy and nutrients intake, which might play a role in patient recovery.
Original Article
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.
