JOURNAL OF MILITARY MEDICINE
Year:2004 | Volume:6 | Issue:1|Papers Count:16

One of the most toxic effects of organophosphate (OP) poisoning is the paralysis of skeletal muscles, which can lead to paralysis of respiratory muscles and death. However, in this regard, oximes are the only antidotes available to reverse or prevent such toxic effects of OP insecticides and nerve chemical warfare agents. In the present work, effect of different concentrations of paraoxon (as an OP) on the function of skeletal muscle and reversal of these effects by an oxime (Pralidoxime, 2-PAM) were studied; in chick biventer cervices nerve-muscle preparation using twitch tension recording technique.Twitches of the biventer cervices were evoked by stimulating the motor nerve at 0.1 Hz with pulses of 0.2 msec duration and a voltage of greater than that required to produce the maximum response. Twitches and contractors were recorded isotonically using Narco Biosystems.Paraoxon (0.1 µM) induced a highly significant increase (more than 100%) in the twitch height,while higher concentrations (0.3 and 1 µM) could induce partial or total contractors. Therefore, Paraoxon at 0.1 µM was used to examine the capability of Pralidoxime to reverse its effects.Pralidoxime at 100 µM, or higher, could almost fully reverse the effect of paraoxon. While, oxime at 30 and 10 µM could only partially reverse this effect concentration-dependently. These results suggest that the method used is of high value in studying the functional effects of OPs on skeletal muscle tissues and the reversal effects of antidotes.

Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most common cause of surgical acute Abdomen. Despite its considerable prevalence, true diagnosis of AA is very difficult in some cases. Because of indefinite clinical and laboratory findings, evaluating of AA in patient's especially military personnel such as duty soldiers is important.In this analytic cross-sectional study, files of 455 duty soldiers suspicious to AA (cases) were compared with 142 non-duty males aged 14 to 26 years (controls) during a period of two years. Symptoms, signs and laboratory findings were compared between two groups using t-test, chi square test and one-way ANOVA.Mean age (±SE) was 20.4±0.08 years, which had no statistical significant difference between cases and controls. There were no statistical significant difference between cases and controls in percentage of different symptoms and signs, quality and duration of pain, vital signs, and laboratory findings. Negative appendectomy (NA) in cases and controls were 21.7% and 16.3% respectively. It has not a statistical significant difference.In this study. There is no difference between duty soldiers and others in presentation, clinical and laboratory findings and accuracy of the diagnosis of AA. It seems that military physicians can approach duty soldiers suspicious to AA as like as other patients.

Background: During the recent years many victims of chemical weapons (VCW) express the appearance of some degree of refractive errors, which none of them felt this before and assume it presumably as a long-term (delayed) effect of sulfur mustard exposure and no related study has been found. Myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism are the refractive errors of the eye. Prevalence of these errors depends on several factors. These factors include: genetics, age, job, working in closed distance and also some geographical factors. The effect of sulfur mustard on the eye could be very complexed and related to intensity of injury. Cornea is the main target in the eye for sulfur mustard. These effects are produced in early stages of contact. The delayed effects will be discussed in this study.Method: In this study, refractive errors were accounted as one of delayed effects of sulfur mustard in VCW 2252 eyes of VCW and 2228 eyes of normal cases as control were chosen.Both groups went through an optometric and ophthalmic examination. The refractive errors were measured by autorefractometer (Topcon RM 2300). Results were analyzed using student T-test. The significant level was P<0.05. Results and and discussion:1- prevalence of refractive error in VCW group was higher than the control group.2- Astigmatism was the main refractive error in VCW groups, and it's prevalence was higher than the control group.3- The type of astigmatism that mentioned above was mostly Against the Rule and Oblique astigmatism. However, with the rule astigmatism had also a significant prevalence.4- Prevalence of myopic astigmatism in vew groups was also higher than the other type of astigmatisms.More studies may be needed to be carried out to reach to conclusive result.

One of the most important duties of military forces is to treat the wonders of war and to solve their medical problems.In this study we reviewed the war trauma patients that were admitted in surgical ward of Shohada Hospital between 1984 and 1986 Retrospectively 151 patients were studied which there were 374 traumatic injuries in chest, abdomen, extremities, head and neck.Treatment of the patients who died underwent reoperation or developed complication were interpreted as mismanaged patients Overall 222 (60%) of the patients injuries had appropriate managements, 128 (34%) cases were mismanaged and data of 24 (6%) cases were not available, the most frequent injuries were 64 (42.38%) cases of colorectal injuries, with 36 (56.25%) mismanaged and the less frequent injury was pancreatic injury 2 cases (1/32 %) With 0% mismanagement one of the most important points in our study was about the validity of medical records of patient before arrival at Shohada Hospital.Unfortunately 82 cases (54.3%) had invalid and unusefull records, 45.7% of records were good enough to evaluate. Thus, we have to revise the medical guidelines in our military forces and make the physicians to manage the victims. Although standard documents is one of necessities.

Iraq with a population of around 23 million people is an important and strategic country in the Middle East. Regarding it's long border line with Iran and the great number of people traveling between the two countries, the necessity of knowledge about geographical pathology of Iraq plays an important role in keeping health standards and preventing infectious disease.The current study is a descriptive-transactional study in which the data in the filed of infections disease were collected and analyzed. for this analysis, various sources such as books, magazines, Internet sites particularly official site of WHO, Pub Med., Rose-net and CDC were used.Based on the collected information and the results of this study, different diseases such as Malaria, Measles, Typhoid fever, Hepatitis type E, Pertussis, Cholera and Diphtheria were considered widespread in Iraq and every year we winess innumerous outbreaks of the aforementioned diseases in Iraq. Necessary to mention that over the past years several wars has agitated the health condition of the Iraq people evermore and this has also effected and disturbed the health and treatment reporting procedures like other affairs of Iraq.This living condition of people has especially effected their health and treatment status in a way comparing to other countries in the region, Iraqi people are in a very desirable health and treatment condition. The present condition is critically threatening to Iraqi people, the people traveling to the country and the neighboring countries. Therefore, the recognition of the epidemic diseases in Iraq would health and treatment personnel in border cities and the military forces in the mentioned regions in executing preventive actions and can prevent damages caused by mentioned disease to Iran.

Mental veterans, due to participation in war, have lost their occupational, educational and socioeconomic opportunities. They have given their physical and mental health for Allah without any expectancy.The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of individual, familial and socioeconomic factors of mental veterans on their psychiatric symptoms.Subjects: Sample size Was 138 Patients with a history of recurrence disease, The data collecting instrument was a questionnaire in which included three aspects included individual factors, familial factors and Socioeconomic factors.Results: According to findings of the present study, 37% of the patients were diagnosed to have PTSD and 1.4% diagnosed to the psychiatric. With regard to the individual factors affecting their mental symptoms the results indicated that 85% of them stated that they have taken their drugs regularly and visited by their physician and 64.9% have taken their drugs irregular and 97.3% lost their job. Among the familial factors that they reported, 72.2% had parental- adjustment problem. 91.3% had spouse- adjustment problem and 85% children- adjustment problem. Regarding to socioeconomic factors, 97.8% without welfare facilities and recreates, 94.6% economic problems, 81.8% with neighbor's misbehavior influenced on severity of psychiatric symptoms.

From the pool of studies assessing mental health of prisoners of war (POWS) a small proportion is related to former prisoners. The aim of this study was to estimate the psychiatric symptoms and their association with some personal characteristics of POWS before and during of imprisonment. We evaluated 60 Iraqi prisoners of war, living in Iranian camps, between 1997 and 1998. We used SCL-90 questionnaire. Based on SCL-90 test, the most and least signs were related to depression and psychosis, respectively. There was no relationship between SCL-90 test scales and duration of imprisonment or having children. More physical complaints, compulsive, depression and anxiety in prisoners with lower educational levels, more anxiety and aggression in prisoners who had no responsibilities in the camp, more physical complaints, interpersonal reactions, and GSI score in who suffered from a physical disease and more physical complaints, anxiety and GSI in prisoners who suffered from a previous psychiatric disorder were seen. Although the sample size was small in our study, there was a significant correlation between some personnel characteristics of before and during imprisonment POWS and psychiatric symptoms, which can be important for health care providers for prisoners.

Crisis is a kind of response to the risky events and is actually a response to the risk of each event, which is experienced in the form of a trauma and painful situation. Crisis can be limited to a few hours or lasts till many weeks. Crisis tends to activate the powerful reflections in order to help the person in diminishing the problem and brings the person back to the previous stable position in terms of excitement balance. When the person reaches the excitement balance the crisis is removed. The adjective reflections against crisis activate the potential of crisis growth, but the non-adjective responses or reflections result in deepening of the crisis, degeneration repression and appearance of psychological disorders symptoms. There are different types of crisis. Crisis is classified to different types based on factors like, intensity, type of source, nature and the methods of confronting crisis. One of them is crisis caused by natural disasters. The crisis like divorce, loosing a beloved person, internal torture or punishment, stress, loosing properties, homelessness and immigration are among the types that are mostly caused by natural disasters. Psychological effects of accident crisis are lose, guilt- ulcering, stress and migration. Regardless of the type of crisis they have nearly common specifications, symptoms, phases and confrontation methods (intervention methods).In this article we have tried to compile and supply the most important and basic psychological principles and methods strategies of intervention in crisis with the emphasis on the crisis caused by events and accidents, through relying on scientific resources and utilizing clinical experiences. The method of collecting information is library and clinical. We have tried to recognize, discuss and analyze the inter-venture methods in crisis that are in compliance with the society's cultural situation and related to the crisis caused by events and accidents.

Since many years ago, after the discovery of microbes in the early 19th century, different disinfectants and decontaminates has been used in human life. During recent years necessity of applying such materials has been raised. However, physicians, chemists and health researchers attempted to find out a specific chemical disinfectant with low toxicity for human and highly selective toxicity against microbes, particularly spore form of bacteria, which are very resistant to many physical and chemical agents. In addition, such selective disinfectant must have antiseptic too. Based on these characteristics, many disinfectant materials became available in market for decontamination purposes. After recent events, because of possible nuclear, biological and chemical threats, which may be declared by enemies, scientists have considered the preparation of new disinfectants.The newest, most famous, and most effective disinfectant is called" Foam" which consists of hydrogen peroxide and a detergent, formed through mixing in basic condition.The results of studies reveal that, "Foam" as a disinfectant and sporicidal agent could be applied for decontamination of animate and inanimate materials with high efficacy.It should be mentioned that the new disinfectant could damage Bacillus anthracis spores within a few minutes. In addition, this new disinfectant could also destroy different chemical agents such as Sarin, Soman, Tabun and Mustard gas. The recent studies reported that its stability is at a suitable level.Consequently, Foam is a material with three abilities which mentioned above. Therefore, this article discusses the characteristics of new disinfectant explains how it could be made and finally its application for different purposes.

The scientific developments in the areas like molecular characterization of cell components, sequencing of living organisms and infectious agents, discovery of molecular characteristics of immune defense mechanism along with genetic engineering technology have revolutionized major areas in research, prevention, diagnosis and treatment. However like other scientific developments these technologies could be misused for military or unpeaceful applications. In the next two decades chemical and biological threats have been carefully considered and civil and military research institutes in developed countries are doing research with advanced technologies on new biological and chemical agents. Most of these novel agents are defined as dangerous for human health.Generation of super virulent Mouse pox virus by genetic manipulation procedures, laboratory synthesis of Polio virus, development of new bacteria using advanced genome information and analysis and genetic recombination of Smallpox virus are examples published in scientific Journals.Development and production of super pathogens, multiple drug resistant agents, ethnic agents, making virulent bacteria and viruses and development of novel biochemical agents are prohibited by two international conventions of biological and chemical weapons.