Search

Background: Effective measures to control COVID-19 should be based on an understanding of its epidemiological pattern and the evaluation of its prevalence in the community. This study aimed to examine the reproductive number (R) of COVID-19 and its trend in Fars Province in southern Iran. Methods: In this ecological study, the R trend was examined from July to November 2020. Data were collected from the daily reports of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. R is the product of three components, namely the number of infection- producing contacts per unit time, the probability of transmission per contact, and the contagiousness period. Incidence and prevalence rates were used to calculate R. The R value was calculated in Microsoft Excel 2016. Results: The first and second peaks of COVID-19 were observed on July 6th and November 22nd, respectively. The median and mean of R were 1.42 and 1.41, respectively. The highest and lowest values of R were observed on October 20th (2.60) and September 1st (0.46), respectively. The values of R had a slightly decreasing trend in the second half of July and November than the first half. In the second half of August and September, an increasing trend was observed than the first half. There was not much change in the second half of October. Conclusion: The highest value of R was related to the dates when there was a higher probability of exposure to the virus, including public holidays and different occasions on which the probability of people's participation in ceremonies, communities, and gatherings was higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most complicated problem in detecting workplace hazards is the dynamic condition of industrial settings and the unpredictability of workers' behavior. A newly developed method focusing on cognitive differences between individuals is required to evaluate unsafe behaviors of workers. This study aimed at development and validation of a new questionnaire for measuring cognitive unsafe behaviors of front-line industrial workers. A new questionnaire with 61 items was developed and the main measurement characteristics (validity and reliability) were analyzed. Content validity analysis showed that 61 items had an excellent content validity index (<0.78) and content validity ratio (>0.42). Good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.95) and stability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.98) were found for the new instrument. The result of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the selected model was satisfactory. The new instrument appears to be a valid and reliable tool to assess cognitive unsafe behaviors of front-line industrial workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: Socioeconomic Status (SES) is considered as one of the important factors associated with use of various drugs. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of SES on cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drug use, and passive exposure to opium and cigarette smoke. Design and Methods: In this study, which is part of a multicenter case-control study, the research hypothesis was checked among controls who had referred to hospitals. Data were collected through a questionnaire and laboratory tests to determine the actual consumers of opium and other illicit drugs. Then, the data were analyzed using STATA 13. Result: This study was performed on 364 individuals within the age range of 30 to 75 years. More than 55% of the participants had a history of life-time consumption of cigarettes and hookah as well as alcohol and drugs. The results revealed an inverse relationship between SES and life-time consumption of hookah and alcohol. Furthermore, individuals with higher SES were more likely to deny their drug use. Discussion and Conclusions: The results revealed little robust evidence supporting the assumption that SES level can have an important effect on illicit drug use. On the other hand, the participants' characteristics could have a prominent effect on precise evaluation of the relationship between SES and drug use. Further multicenter studies are needed with samples diversified in terms of age and ethnicity to identify these confounding relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:This study aimed to design a new mouse and evaluate some of its functional parameters. The prototype of an ergonomic mouse was made according to design principles. Methods:The study was conducted from 2011 to 2013 in the Department of Ergonomics in Shiraz University of Medical Science. Functional parameters including Movement Time (MT) and error rate of the new mouse were evaluated by 10 participants based on ISO 9241-9 standard. Results:The application of design principles in the new mouse resulted in improving MT and error rate so that they could be comparable to those of a standard mouse. MT, in both the standard and the new mouse was 0.846 and 0.864 s, respectively. Error rate of the standard and the new mouse was reported as 13% and 19%, respectively. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference between the two mice from these perspectives. Conclusions:Apparently, the studied functional parameters of the new mouse were similar to those of the standard one. The new mouse could be an appropriate substitution for the standard mouse without losing its positive characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability in Iranian people. Inflammation and oxidative processes are key components of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acid (ω-3 fatty acids) supplementation on inflammation markers and oxidative stress in atherosclerotic patients. METHODS: This study was a two-month clinical, randomized trial. 90 volunteers who referred to Emam Reza Heart Clinic of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Iran) from February to March 2011 and had the inclusion criteria of this study were selected. Participants were classified into 3 groups receiving 3 g/d CLA, 1920 mg/d ω-3, or placebo for 2 months. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured before and after supplementation. RESULTS: The hs-CRP level decreased significantly in both the omega-3 and CLA group (P < 0.05). IL-6 reduced significantly in the ω-3 group, but the reduction of IL-6 levels in the CLA group was not significant. GPx increased in the CLA and omega-3 groups (P < 0.05). MDA level decreased significantly in both omega-3 and CLA groups (P < 0.05). Comparison between the groups indicates a significant change in CRP levels in the ω-3 group relative to the control group. However, other indices did not cause any significant change in the ω-3 and CLA groups in comparison to the control group. CONCLUSION: Diet supplementation with CLA and ω-3 can have a beneficial effect on some indices of inflammatory and oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manual patient handling is known to be the major source of musculoskeletal load among hospital nurses. The objectives of the present study were determination of frequency of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and its associated factors together with assessment of musculoskeletal load due to patient transfer by PTAI method in hospital nursing staff of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 400 randomly selected nurses of SUMS hospital participated. Data were collected by anonymous demographic and Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaires together with PTAI index checklist. Statistical analyses were undertaken using SPSS, version 16. Age and job tenure means of participants were 30.76±6.44 and 6.92±5.75 years, respectively. 88.2% of the nursing staff reported some forms of musculoskeletal symptoms during the 12 months prior to the study. The results of PTAI index assessment demonstrated that in 4%, 8.5% and 87.5% of the subjects, musculoskeletal load were at levels 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The results revealed that PTAI index score was significantly associated with musculoskeletal disorders occurrence (p<0.001). Musculoskeletal load was high among nurses with patient transfer activity. Age, nurse to bed ratio, marital status, shift work and PTAI score were associated risk factors for MSDs in the studied nursing staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvements in knowledge as well as technology and industrial workers' exposure to adverse factors have caused more attention to be paid to the workers' occupational health. According to the report by W.H.O., noise, as one of the most important physical factors of workplace, causes 4 million dollars health damage every day. Noise can also reduce the workers' morale as well as motivation and, consequently, have negative effects on their performance. Considering the importance of occupational health, the present study aimed to determine the effect of noise exposure on the steel industry workers' general health. The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 steel industry workers as the exposed group and 50 general practitioners as the reference group. Both study groups completed the demographic information questionnaire as well as GHQ-28. Then, the similarity of the demographic characteristics in both groups was determined using t-test and Chi-square. After scoring the questionnaires, the subjects' final scores were computed and their general health statuses were determined. Besides, Mann-Whitney U test was used in order to compare the two groups' mean scores. The demographic characteristics were similar in both study groups. In addition, the two groups' mean scores were significantly lower than 23, as the cut-off point. The results also revealed a significant difference between the two groups regarding abnormal social performance and depression; in a way that the workers' mean score was significantly higher than that of the physicians (p<0.001 and p=0.018, respectively). This implies that in comparison to the physicians, the workers had a significantly lower health status. In addition, 36% of the workers suffered from at least one psychological disorder. Overall, the steel industry workers had a lower level of psychological health; in a way that they were significantly different from the reference group regarding the abnormal social performance and depression. Therefore, noise can be considered as a risk factor in the incidence of psychological disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug data has been used to estimate the prevalence of chronic diseases. Disease registries and annual surveys are lacking, especially in less-developed regions. At the same time, insurance drug data and self-reports of medications are easily accessible and inexpensive. We aim to investigate the similarity of prevalence estimation between self-report data of some chronic diseases and drug data in a less developed setting in southwestern Iran. Methods: Baseline data from the Pars Cohort Study (PCS) was re-analyzed. The use of disease-related drugs were compared against self-report of each disease (hypertension [HTN], diabetes mellitus [DM], heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], sleep disorder, anxiety, depression, gastroesophageal reflux disease [GERD], irritable bowel syndrome [IBS], and functional constipation [FC]). We used sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and the Jaccard similarity index. Results: The top five similarities were observed in DM (54%), HTN (53%), heart disease (32%), COPD (30%), and GERD (15%). The similarity between drug use and self-report was found to be low in IBS (2%), stroke (5%), depression (9%), sleep disorders (10%), and anxiety disorders (11%). Conclusion: Self-reports of diseases and the drug data show a different picture of most diseases' prevalence in our setting. It seems that drug data alone cannot estimate the prevalence of diseases in settings similar to ours. We recommend using drug data in combination with self-report data for epidemiological investigation in the less-developed setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most serious cause of mortality in developed and developing countries. Epidemiological studies indicated that dyslipidemia is the major risk factor of CVD. Dyslipidemia can be modified either by proper lifestyle or medical intervention or by the combination of both. Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) and ω3 fatty acids have beneficial effects on plasma lipids and lipoproteins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of CLA and omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3 fatty acids) supplementation on lipid profile in atherosclerosis patient., Materials and Methods: This study was a 2-month clinical randomized trial. Ninety atherosclerotic patients with angiographically diagnosed coronary atherosclerosis who were referred to Emam Reza Heart Clinic of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences from February to march 2011 were selected if they fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The participants were randomly classified into 3 groups receiving 3 g/d CLA or 1 920 mg/d ω3 or placebo for 2 months. High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and total cholesterol were measured before and after the intervention. This study was a two-month clinical randomized trial., Results: Data were analyzed using SPSS software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, version19). Although CLA did not appear to have a significant effect on TG, ω3 supplementation significantly reduced TG level. Consumption of CLA and ω3 supplementation did not significantly affect HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol., Conclusions: ω3 supplementation significantly reduced TG level but CLA and ω3 did not show significant changes in other indices of lipid profile in atherosclerotic patients.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability in Iranian people. Inflammation and oxidative processes are key components of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acid (ω-3 fatty acids) supplementation on inflammation markers and oxidative stress in atherosclerotic patients., Methods: This study was a two-month clinical, randomized trial. 90 volunteers who referred to Emam Reza Heart Clinic of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Iran) from February to March 2011 and had the inclusion criteria of this study were selected. Participants were classified into 3 groups receiving 3 g/d CLA, 1920 mg/d ω-3, or placebo for 2 months. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured before and after supplementation., Results: The hs-CRP level decreased significantly in both the omega-3 and CLA group (P < 0.05). IL-6 reduced significantly in the ω-3 group, but the reduction of IL-6 levels in the CLA group was not significant. GPx increased in the CLA and omega-3 groups (P < 0.05). MDA level decreased significantly in both omega-3 and CLA groups (P < 0.05). Comparison between the groups indicates a significant change in CRP levels in the ω-3 group relative to the control group. However, other indices did not cause any significant change in the ω-3 and CLA groups in comparison to the control group., Conclusion: Diet supplementation with CLA and ω-3 can have a beneficial effect on some indices of inflammatory and oxidative stress.

Background: Pandemic flu had at least two waves in Iran. Knowing how many of the general population were already exposed to this infection has a major impact on national preventive measures. As of December 30, 2009, a total of 3672 confirmed cases of human infection with a novel Influenza A (2009 H1N1) virus had been reported in Iran with 140 deaths., Objective: In this study we aim to measure, as a pilot study, the seroprevalence of positive antibody titer (humoral immunity) against 2009 H1N1 virus in Iranian population in Shiraz, Southern Iran., Methods: Through cluster random sampling of families residing in Shiraz, 2553 subjects were selected and after a medical interview blood samples were taken and checked for polyclonal antibody against 2009 H1N1 antigen using hemagglutination inhibition assay. An antibody titer of more than 1:40 dilution was considered positive. Data were analyzed considering the demographic characteristics of the population and were compared among different age groups., Results: 1504 (58.91%) samples were tested positive for the presence of polyclonal antibody against 2009 H1N1 virus. The prevalence of positive titers were significantly higher in 60 to 64 years old group and significantly lower in 20 to 24 years old group (p<0.05). Data did not differ based on other demographic characteristics or the history of flu like illnesses in the past 6 months., Conclusion: High seroprevalence of antibody against 2009 H1N1 in the sera of our subjects describes either a high level of pre-existing immunity against H1N1 in Iranian population or a high rate of asymptomatic infection in our area compared to other countries.