Journal of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences
Year:2008 | Volume:14 | Issue:4 (46)|Papers Count:12

Background and Purpose: Waste stabilization ponds as a natural treatment method have been found among successful methods in municipal wastewater treatment. They are very costeffective in energy and manpower. Low efficiency rates and vast area required are some of their drawbacks which are less attended to. Therefore this study intends to research the optimization methods in anaerobic ponds.Methods and Materials: In this experimental study, two anaerobic ponds were built in pilot scale with 48 hours detention time, 12 m2 area (6x2 m) and 4m depth. The control pond was a conventional pond; the optimized pond was built in two parts: a digestion pit and a detention time of 12 hours, and the anaerobic pond with 8 baffles with a detention time of 36 hours. The wastewater with BOD5=250 mg/l and TSS=320 mg/l from municipal network in Sabzevar, Iran was used; the pilot took one year from December 2006 to December 2007. The collected data were analyzed in Excel and Tsp7.Result: Average removal efficiency for BOD5 and TSS in the conventional pond were 37% and 53% respectively; the figures for the optimized pond were 68% and 85% respectively. Conclusion: Using optimized anaerobic ponds enhances the removal efficiency rate.

Background and purpose: One of the factors relations to anxiety is the change in endocrine hormones. Previous studies suggest that glucocorticoids might have a modulatory role in fear and anxiety. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine the role of hydrocortisole in modulating the mice anxiety in elevated plus maze.Material and Methods: In this experimental study, 70 male mice (25-30 gr). Were randomly assigned into test, sham and control groups. The test mice received different doses of hydrocortisole (10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/kg, S.C) as the agonist receptor of glucocorticoids; the sham group received the same volume of ethanol 2% plus saline, which was injected 30 minutes prior to anxiety assessment. The control group receined nothing. In order to increase the animals, activity and curiosity, they were led into a black box with checked walls for 5 minutes. Then, each animal was taken to the maze (a standard device for research purposes) at regular intervals. Evaluation indexes and anxiety reactions (frequency of entening into open armr and the time spent) were observed and recorded.Results: the results indicated that hydrocortisole (20 and 50 mg) had significantly increased the frequency and duration of entrance into open arms, which is a sign of reducing anxiety (P<0.01). but other doses (10, 75 and 100 mg) did not have significant effects.Conclusion: The finding revealed that dose-dependent hydrocortisole had an important role in modulating anxiety reactions of mice in the elevated plus maze model.

Background and Purpose: Type II diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion and increased hepatic glucose production. Metformin is a biguanide which reduces the production of hepatic glucose and is able to increase the sensitivity of peripheral tissue to insulin. This study was designed to investigate the effect of metformin on lipid profile and body weight.Methods and Materials: In this clinical trial, 51 type II diabetic patients, admitted to Yazd Research Crnter of Diabetes, with FBS>150 mg/dl, Tg>200 mg/dl and BMI>25 kg/m2 and no previous history of metformin use, were selected. They were give metformin for one month, 1 gr a day; after one month, they were assessed for BMI, 2hPP and FBS. Due to gastrointestinal complications, 4 patients were excluded from the research. Paired t-test was used in comparing the befor-after response means.Results: After using metformin, cholesterole and triglyceride dropped by 9.26±2.1 and 54.02±50.51 mg/dl respectively. Also, metformin induced a significant decrease in FBS, 2h postprandial glucose and body weight. No significant relationship was observed between the mean weight loss and factors of age and sex.Conclusion: In the present study, metformin reduced blood sugar, lipids and body weight.

Background and Purpose: Sweeteners make the diet more palatable. Honey is a natural sweetener which can be useful in weight loss due to its antioxidant content. In this study, we examined the effect of honey intake on body weight and blood glucose of overweight and obese subjects with type 2 diabetes.Methods and Materials: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 34 type diabetics with BMI³25 kg/m2 and fasting blood sugar (FBS) 110-220 mg/dl. Exclusion criteria were malignant disease, major surgery, taking immunoregulatory, cytotoxic or immunosuppressive drugs, pregnancy or lactation in women and insulin injection. They were randomly assigned into 2 groups: Honey Group received oral natural honey for 8 weeks, but  the control group continued their usual diet. Body weight and FBS measurements were done at the end of weeks 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8. Repeated measurement analysis was used for analyzing the trend of changes.Results: After the adjustment for the baseline values, the amount of weight loss in the Honey group was 1.6±0.33 kg in average less than the control group (P=0.0001). After the adjustment of the effect of the baseline FBS, the trend of FBS changes were 10.38±8 mg more than the Honey group, which was not significant. The FBS changes were not also significant across the two groups.Conclusion: The 8-week consumption of honey can help lose body weight in obese and overweight diabetic patients without any harmful damages on blood glucose.

Background and Purpose: The diagnosis of women with LBW or macrosomic infants through a simple convenient means provides them with timely and appropriate caregiving. In this study, the value of symphysis-fundal height and abdominal girth in predicting birth weight was examined.Methods and Materials: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the study population included parturients of 38-42 weeks gestational age. 795 parturients admitted to Shahidan Mobini hospital in Sabzevar, Iran were purposively selected. The inclusion criteria were bearing single alive term fetus and longitudinal lie. Women with severe fetal anomaly, presence of thick fat layer at the lower abdomen, oligohydramnios or polyhyramnios based on ultrasound reports were excluded. Symphysis-fundal height and abdominal girth were measured a few hours before delivery and birth weight was measured after delivery. Birth weight was predicted by using two formulae: (Birth weight = fundal height * abdominal girth) and (Regression model of birth weight over fundal height). Relevant data were analyzed using correlation coefficient, regression, covariance analysis and t-test in SPSS.Results: 56% of the sample were primipara. Head engagement occurred only in 21.9% before admission to the hospital. The correlation between birth weight and fundal height measurement was 0.581 (p = 0.000). The correlation between birth weight and fundal height multiplied by abdominal girth measurement was 0.56 (p = 0.000). To predict birth weights more than 4000 grams, the sensitivity and specificity of fundal height multiplied by abdominal girth measurement with cut point 3900 gram were 81% and 82% respectively. For the second formula with cut point 3450 gram, these figures were 75% and 85% respectively. To predict birth weights less than 2500 grams, the sensitivity and specificity of fundal height multiplied by abdominal girth measurement with cut point 3000 gram were 70% and 79% respectively; for the second formula with the same cut point, these figures were 77% and 85% respectively.Conclusion: In order to detect infants with birth weights more than 4000 grams, the first formula with cut point 3900 gram is more valid and better than the second formula but for the prediction of birth weights less than 2500 grams, the second formula, with cut point 3000 gram, is more valid than the first.

Background and purpose: Pain relief is a basic need and right of any patient as well as a priority in nursing. However, postoperative pain control have been inadequate for years with no significant progress. This research was intended to deter mine the effect of nurses' pain management or reducing patients' abdominal postoperative pain.Methods and Materials: In this quasi-experimental study, deta collection instruments were pain and demographic information questionnaire and a visual scale for pain control (0-10). Samples were surgery candidates at Sabzevar Emdad Hospital in Sabzevar, Iran, selected in a one-month period by poisson distribution and their specifications. Control group sampling was done with 65 patients and demographic data were gathered. Before intervention, the vital signs charts were corrected in patients' recordings by adding "pain" as fifth vital sign so that it is measured every time other vital signs are controlled; for each pain scale, appropriate interrentions were considered. Interventions included 3 sessions of 45-60 minutes training and orientation for nurses to perform pain management program. Designed care giving was conducted for 60 experimental patients for one month. Then their pain scores were measured. The obtained data were analyzed using chi-square.Results: The findings revealed that patients experienced less pain 72 hours after surgery in comparison with the first 24 hours; so that within 72 hours of hospitalzation after intervention, 38.6% of the patients scaled 3-5 degrees of pain and in the first 24 hours after interrention, 41.7% of the patients expressed very severe pain scores of 8-10.Conclusion: The study findings indicated that, nurses ' pain management can lead to appropriate and timely pain control in postoperative abdominal patients.

Background and Purpose: Monitoring infants' physical growth is one of the important methods of determining the nutritional status and well being. It can also play an important part in diagnosing developmental growth and malnutrition in the earlier stages of life. This study is therefore intended to investigate the anthropometric indexes of infants of up to one year old and to compare the results with NCHS.Methods and Materials: This is a descriptive analytical study conducted on the population of infants of up to one year old admitted to health clinics in Sabzevar, Iran in 2005. 873 infants were randomly, and in proportion to the number of infants under the care giving programs of each clinic, selected as the study sample. Under constant circumstances, weight, height and head perimeter were measured by kilogram, centimeter and centimeter respectively for all subjects. The study instruments included interview and observation checklists and the obtained data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive figures and tables, chi Square and comparison of relations.Results: The subjects were found to be under the third NCHS percentile 10.5% by weight/age index, 6.5% by height/age index and 14% by head perimeter/age index, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Infants with employed mothers enjoyed a better growth than those with housewife mothers enjoyed a better growth than those with housewife mothers. Infants deprived from breastfeeding weighted less in comparison with breastfeeding infants so that 19.4% of the former and 9.8% of the latter fell below the third percentile of NCHS (p=0.014).Conclusion: The results indicated that infants of up to one year old in Sabzevar, Iran do not have a good growth status.

Background and Purpose: Application of 9/5 MHz microwaves in mobiles causes thermal and non-thermal effects. Due to occupational exposure to microwaves particularly in telecommunication operators, and due to the importance of antioxidants in immune system and prevention of diseases, this study was designed to investigate the biological effects of 915 MHz microwaves in mobiles on antioxidant changes and their eversibility to normal after disconnected exposure.Methods and Materials: This experimental study was conducted on 14 white male rabbits (three month old/1400-1700 gr) of pure NewZealand race. They were randomly assigned into case and control groups. Case rabbits were exposed, for three weeks 8 hours a day, to simulated mobile microwaves of 915 MHz frequency and mean density of 0.6789 mW/cm2 in radiation chamber. In order to investigate the reversibility of antioxidant capacity to normal, the exposure was disconnected for two weeks. Blood samples by cardiac puncture were obtained from both groups in three intervals (after 3 weeks exposure, after one week rest, again after two weeks) and plasma antioxidant was measured by FRAP assay. The absorption rate of TPT2-Fe+2 was read in 593 nm by spectrophotometer. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS using ANOVA and Tukey testes.Results: The results of mean comparison of antioxidant concentration in control rabbits (890.61±104.555 mmol/lit) and case rabbits after threeweek exposure (630.61±151.08 mmol/lit) showed significant differences. The results of mean comparison of antioxidant concentration in control rabbits (870.28±104.55 mmol/lit) and case rabbits after a one-week disconnection (575.33±132.58 mmol/lit) and two weeks after disconnected exposure (526.66±20.66 mmol/lit) indicated that the induced effects were not reversible, and that they are statistically different from control rabbits' antioxidant mean.Conclusion: Mobile-induced microwaves decreases plasma antioxidant capacity and it can be a harmful physical effect. Disconnection from exposure for two weeks is not sufficient for returning antioxidant capacity to normal due to occupational chronic exposure to mobile microwave radiation, chain reactions producing radicals and their persistence or stability or causing instability to parent molecules.

Background and purpose: Craniosynostosis is the premature fastening of skull sutures, mainly characterized by Apert syndrome and more often associated with syndactyly. This paper is intended to report a neonatal case of Apert syndrome associated with Dandy walker malformation, corpus callosum agenesis and pneumothorax simultaneously.The patient: A female neonate was born in a teaching hospital in Birjand, Iran , who shoured, from birth, respiratory distress, skull malformation and syndactyly in hands and legs. Upon physical examinations, peripheral cyanosis, mild respiratory distress with a decrease in the lung sounds of the left side as well as syndactyly of all fingers and toes were obserrable. Left side pneumothorax was obserred in the chest X-ray; and partial synostosis was obrious in head X-ray. Also, skull Ct scan revealed cystic dilation in the fourth cerebral ventricle (Dandy walker malformation) and corpus callosum agenesis. Pneumothorax was treated using chest-tube insertion, and the patient was referred to neurosurgeon after being reliened from respiratoly distress.Conclusion: Apert syndrome can occur simultaneously with Dandy walker malformation, corpus callosum agenesis and pueumothorax.