JOURNAL OF POLICE MEDICINE
Year:2020 | Volume:9 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

Aims: Suspected blood stains are among common forms of trace evidence found at crime scenes. Therefore, discriminating between human and animal origin for blood stains is one of the fundamental analyses in forensic laboratories. Currently, tests for determining the origin of bloodstains, such as serology and presumptive tests, are time-consuming and destructive to the sample. However, different polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods can be used as highly sensitive and specific techniques for determining a bloodstain’ s origin. Materials & Methods: This experimental study was performed to evaluate conventional, nested, and multiplex PCR for discriminating between human and animal bloodstains, and using them in criminal investigations. These methods were designed based on the PCR amplification of cytochrome b and 16S ribosomal mitochondrial DNA fragment. Findings: The presence of a single band 157 and 170 base pair (bp) in nested and conventional PCR, respectively, as well as two bands 157 and 359 in multiplex PCR, indicates a human blood sample. However, the presence of a single band 359 bp in multiplex PCR and multiple bands in conventional PCR points to the sample’ s non-human origin. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that a multiplex PCR assay designed based on the identification of mitochondrial ribosomal 16S gene has high accuracy in differentiating between human and non-human bloodstains, in addition to being affordable in terms of time and cost. This assay can be useful for forensic purposes because the 16S ribosomal mitochondrial fragment is a small human-specific fragment that is easily amplifiable, even in degraded DNA samples from biological materials.

Aims: Given the projected exponential growth in the elderly population in Iran and the world in the future, finding solutions for elderly problems should be one of the health care systems’ priorities. This study aimed to evaluate and promote the geriatric health of the retired NAJA staff in the future. Materials & Methods: This is an applied study, in terms of purpose, and a mixed exploratory study, in terms of data. The implementation method used includes interviews and a cross-sectional survey study. The study tools included a questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale (after evaluating validity and reliability) for quantitative analysis and unstructured in-depth interviews for qualitative analysis. 383 NAJA retirees who went to the clinics of Valiasr Hospital and the NAJA Retirees Center in Tehran, Iran, between July 23, 2019, and February 20, 2020, completed the questionnaires and got interviewed. Findings: The quantitative analysis showed that all aspects of the retirees’ health were favorable except for economic and social health (p<0. 05). Physical aspects of health problems mentioned by retirees mainly included the costs of heart diseases (35%), hypertension (15%), diabetes (13%), and ocular diseases (13%). Emotional health problems consisted of concerns about the future of the family (63%) and lack of spiritual support (34%). For the economic aspect of health, retirees expressed problems with daily expenses, and for the social aspect of health, they referred to few social welfare facilities (40%), as well as their costs (50%). Other problems included the need for jobs (10%) and financial support (90%) in the motivational health dimension and also cognitive problems. Conclusion: Our study showed that the economic and social aspects of the retirees’ health are in poor condition and other aspects of their health are in good condition. Promoting economic health will also help promote health in other areas.

Aims: Due to the prevalence of COVID-19 and the fear of the stigma attached to this disease, psychological characteristics and, consequently, psychological security of individuals can affect the level of Coronavirus-related anxiety and social stigma. This study aimed to investigate the role of psychological characteristics related to psychological security in Coronavirus-related anxiety and the experience of social stigma after the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in students of the Islamic Azad University of Tabriz, Iran. Materials & Methods: The present study is applied, in terms of purpose, and descriptive-analytical, in terms of method. It was conducted as an online questionnaire due to traffic restrictions and universities' shutdown when the risk of Coronavirus disease in Iran became severe. Using a convenience sampling method, 259 undergraduate humanities students at the Islamic Azad University of Tabriz, in May 2020, voluntarily answered the questions of the Maslow Mental Security Questionnaire, Coronavirus Disease Anxiety Questionnaire, and the researcher-made Coronavirus Social Stigma Questionnaire with validity and reliability of 0. 89 and 0. 84, respectively. A multiple regression test using SPSS version 16 software was used to investigate the relationship between psychological characteristics and Coronavirus-related anxiety and social stigma. Findings: In the present study, 252 undergraduate humanities students from the Islamic Azad University of Tabriz participated, of which 208 (82. 5%) were girls, and 44 (17. 5%) were boys, with a mean age of 27. 43± 7. 42 years old. The regression analysis results showed that, among the components of psychological characteristics, paranoia (p=0. 025) and feeling of health (p=0. 009) were able to predict the degree of Coronavirus-related anxiety after the first wave of the epidemic in students. Components of paranoia (p=0. 025) and depression (p=0. 042) were also able to predict the degree of Coronavirus-related social stigma. Conclusion: More severe paranoia and depression in people and less feeling of health can increase Coronavirus-related anxiety and its resultant social stigma.

Aims: Children are among the most vulnerable people in emergencies. Education and promotion of children's abilities and skills in safety are among the most important indicators of the level of health and safety in a community. Therefore, this study aims to identify and explain the dimensions of children's safety education in emergencies and present the necessary solutions. Materials & Methods: In this article, the comparative study by "George F. Berry" was used, consisting of four stages of description, interpretation, contiguity and comparison. In each stage, we described each of the studied factors separately. This comparative study analyzed the safety curriculum in countries that, according to UNICEF, have a comprehensive curriculum on promoting safety culture to reduce the damage caused by natural disasters (Japan, France, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, and Bangladesh), and used purposive sampling technique. Findings: The studied countries have divided the dimensions of safety culture education into four main dimensions in the school curriculum: integration approaches, learning methods, evaluation methods, and professional development of teachers. Conclusion: A comparison of the extracted components between Iran and the selected countries revealed that, in the Iranian curriculum, little or no attention had been paid to some components, such as post-accident first aid training (Turkey), health education skills and health promotion (Georgia), and the method to control and behave in accidents. However, training and improving children’ s abilities and skills in safety are among the most important child safety indicators. Paying attention to these dimensions will play a significant role in the proper performance of emergency, police, and relief missions by preventing accidents.

Aims: One of the main reasons for clinical referrals is the complaint of physical symptoms described in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as Somatic Symptom Disorder. This study aimed to determine the fit of the structural model of the relationship between somatic symptoms disorder and stressful organizational variables mediated by self-regulatory processes in a clinical sample of patients diagnosed with somatic symptoms disorder. Materials & Methods: The statistical population consisted of all patients with somatic symptom disorder who had referred to the hospitals and health centers of police in Tehran, Iran, during the first six months of 2019. Of this population, 30 people were selected by the purposive method. The instruments used in the study were a questionnaire for somatic symptom disorders, a short form of the Iranian Police Stress Scale, a self-regulatory scale, a screening questionnaire, and a structured clinical interview to assess DSM-5 disorders, all of which had good validity and reliability. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the obtained data using the SPSS 23 and PLS 2 software. Findings: The results of structural equation modeling confirmed the mediating role of self-regulatory processes in the relationship between stressful organizational variables and somatic symptom disorder. The overall model fit (GOF) in the sample group was 0. 490, and the model fitted the data. Findings showed that mission organizational variables had more effect on physical symptoms than non-mission organizational variables. Additionally, the initial hypothetical model had a good fit with the observed data, and the stressful organizational variables explained more variance of physical symptoms through self-regulation. Conclusion: If police officers use self-regulatory strategies, they can better avoid the effects of organizational stress on physical symptoms. This feature plays a mediating role in the relationship between stressful organizational variables and physical symptoms, and reduces the effect of stress on individuals.

Aims: Before implementing its legal duties, any organization must be able to take into account the occupational health and safety of the employees to be considered as an effective organization. This study aimed to identify the organizational factors affecting the reduction of human casualties in Iranian police forces (NAJA). Materials & Methods: This is a qualitative study with a semi-structured interview technique. Targeted sampling was used in this study. In addition to evaluating the documents related to human casualties over five years (2013-2018) in one of the military-law enforcement organizations, interviews with 31 experts in the field related to the subject matter were conducted until the researcher’ s theoretical saturation was achieved. Then, the necessary re-analysis was performed by the structural analysis method through coding, and in the end, the factors were prioritized using the Friedman test. Findings: According to the results, organizational factors affecting the reduction of human casualties in NAJA included five dimensions, 14 components and 101 indicators, among which the variables of education, safety and health, managerial factors, organizational culture and organizational structure had the most significant impact on reducing human casualties in NAJA, respectively. Conclusion: Training and improving the operational skills of employees, appropriate training commensurate with threats and injuries related to the organization's missions, utilizing new and advanced technologies in missions, escorting staff in missions by safety and health teams (medical and rescue), paying special attention to specific signs (isolation, taciturnity, depression, etc. ) in employees, and reducing job stress have a special effect on improving the level of safety and reducing human casualties.

Aims: In a healthy organization, the physical, mental and emotional health of employees is as important as productivity. In this study, the relationship between emotional incompatibility and health symptoms with the mediating role of job burnout and interpersonal stress was investigated among female nurses working in military hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Materials & Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was performed among female nurses working in three military hospitals in Tehran in 2008. A total of 214 female nurses were randomly enrolled in the study using the convenience cluster sampling method. Four questionnaires of job burnout, general health, stress and interpersonal problems, and Sternberg incompatibility were used to collect data completed by nurses. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling by SmartPLS version 2 software. Findings: Job burnout with a coefficient of determination equal to 0. 945 had a positive and significant effect on health symptoms and interpersonal stress (P <0. 05). Furthermore, emotional incompatibility had a significant effect on interpersonal stress (P <0. 05), and as the path coefficient was positive, we can say with 95 percent confidence that the relationship between the two variables was positive and significant, and emotional incompatibilities were able to explain 67. 3% of the changes in general health. Conclusion: Emotional incompatibilities affect health symptoms with a mediating role of job burnout and interpersonal stress among female nurses working in military hospitals in Tehran. The results of the present study show the need to pay more attention to the mental health of nurses, especially female nurses working in military centers.