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Introduction In the management of recycling waste, separation of the wastes from source is crucially important. A successful source separation plan requires good participation of the community. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention based on the Integrated Behavior Model (IBM) on the behavior change of housewives in Sanandaj City, west of Iran, towards the waste separation at source. Methods This is a quasi-experimental and community trail study. The population study was the households living in Sanandaj. The total number of 144 households were selected and divided into two groups (72 each). For each selected household, only the housewife was interviewed. To evaluate the behavior change towards the dry and wet waste separation, a training program based on the IBM was conducted for one group (training or intervention group) and the second group served as the control and received no training. The length of the intervention was two months with eight sessions. After a month, participants were asked to fill in a validated questionnaire based on the IBM, before and at the end of study. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon and McNemar tests. Results In the intervention group at the baseline, the mean ± standard deviation of the attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, and self-efficacy score were 34.03 ± 5.12, 15.91 ± 4.58, 18.93 ± 4.01 and 31.54 ± 6.79 respectively. At the end of study, the score of components increased to 36 ± 4.28, 18.9 ± 4.56, 21.76 ± 2.65 and 34.72 ± 4.66 respectively. The increase in the components was statistically significant (p Conclusions The intervention based on IBM could be an effective method to improve the behavior of separation the dry and wet waste.

Objective This study assessed the effects of particulate matter (PM), equal or less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10), from the Middle-Eastern Dust events on public health in the megacity of Kermanshah (Iran). Study design This study used epidemiological modeling and monitored ambient air quality data to estimate the potential PM10 impacts on public health. Methods The AirQ2.2.3 model was used to calculate mortality and morbidity attributed to PM10 as representative of dust events. Using Visual Basic for Applications, the programming language of Excel software, hourly PM10 concentrations obtained from the local agency were processed to prepare input files for the AirQ2.2.3 model. Results Using baseline incidence, defined by the World Health Organization, the number of estimated excess cases for respiratory mortality, hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for respiratory diseases, and for cardiovascular diseases were 37, 39, 476, and 184 persons, respectively, from 21st March, 2014 to 20th March, 2015. Furthermore, 92% of mortality and morbidity cases occurred in days with PM10 concentrations lower than 150 μg/m3. The highest percentage of person-days occurred for daily concentrations range of 100–109 μg/m3, causing the maximum health end-points among the citizens of Kermanshah. Conclusions Calculating the number of cumulative excess cases for mortality or morbidity attributed to PM10 provides a good tool for decision and policy-makers in the field of health care to compensate their shortcomings particularly at hospital and healthcare centers for combating dust storms. To diminish these effects, several immediate actions should be managed in the governmental scale to control dust such as spreading mulch and planting new species that are compatible to arid area. © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health

Various Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs), a unique class of metal organic frameworks (MOFs), were prepared and studied for the removal efficiency against the hazardous azo dye eriochrome black-T (EBT) from water. Two type of ZIF were synthesized, Co-based (ZIF-67) and Zn-based (ZIF-8). For each type, four variations with different morphologies were chosen in order to determine the best performing candidate for the further optimization studies. ZIF-67-OAc showed a superior adsorptive EBT removal efficiency compared to the rest herein studied ZIFs. To statistically model the EBT removal, response surface methodology (RSM) using Box-Behnken design (BBD) technique was followed. According to the model, solution/suspension pH was found to play the most significant role that govern the rate of EBT adsorption. Under optimized condition, where pH, ZIF-67-OAc dose, mixing time, and EBT concentration set to be 6.82, 832.4 mg/L, 39.95 min, and 100 mg/L, respectively, a 99 % EBT removal was achieved. The equilibrium data best fitted to Freundlich isotherm model, indicating that the dye molecules accumulate in multilayer on the ZIF-67-OAc surface. Based on the Langmuir isotherm model that was also fitted well (R2 = 0.95), the qmax was found 263.5 mg/g. Furthermore, EBT adsorption onto ZIF-67-OAc was descripted better with the pseudo-first order kinetic model.

Air pollution with its harmful effects has become the most important environmental problem in Tehran city, Iran. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of particulate matters (PM) such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), dynamic light scattering measurement (DLS), and Thermal gravimetric analyses (TGA) analysis and determine the ionic composition of cations (Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+) and anions (Cl−, SO42−, NO3−, and F−), and principal component analysis (PCA) analysis in different stations, during four types of seasons in 2016. The cell viability of human A549 cells of water-soluble and organic extract from PM2.5 particles was tested using the MTT assay. The results showed that the SEM image of PM2.5 particles was a size range of 1.44–2.03 μm and EDX analysis shows that the presence of Si, Ca, Na, and Mg with a higher amount in the structure of PM2.5 particles. The total concentration of ions in PM2.5 for urban stations during spring, summer, autumn, and winter was 7.01 ± 3.2 μg/m3, 6.86 ± 2.85 μg/m3, 7.46 ± 4.85 μg/m3, 8.49 ± 4.1 μg/m3, respectively. The seasonal concentrations of ionic compounds for urban and traffic stations were higher in winter and autumn than in spring and summer. The highest positive correlation for PM2.5 was identified between ionic species in the traffic station, NO3-SO4 (R = 0.93), Cl-SO4 (R = 0.61), Cl-NO3 (R = 0.67), Mg Ca (R = 0.67), Na Mg (R = 0.68), and K Mg (R = 0.57). Toxicity studies showed that a wide range of cytotoxicity values were obtained for organic and water-soluble extractable PM2.5, from 45 to 91% in summer and 36 to 70% in winter, for the three stations.

Do Gastroenterologists Evaluate Patient GERD Symptom Severity and Treatment Outcome More Accurately Than Other Medical Specialists? Usefulness of a Combined Patient Self-Assessment Questionnaire (ReQuest®) and a Physician Symptom Likert Scale Sergio R. Sobrino-Cossio, Miguel Morales-Arambula, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, JoseAntonio Vargas, Aurelio Lopez-Colombo, Julio-Cesar Soto-Perez, Oscar TeramotoMatsubara, Yasmin Crespo, Armando Ramirez, Jorge Gonzalez, Antonio Orozco-Gamiz, Anthony G. Comuzzie, Luis H Lopez-Salazar, Ramirez-Barba Ector