JOURNAL OF SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH
Year:2007 | Volume:5 | Issue:1|Papers Count:8

Background and Aim: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite infecting humans and warm-blooded animals. Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy could cause neurologic disorders in the fetus. In immunocompromised hosts, the infection can be reactivated with life-threatening consequences. Detection of the parasite or its components would constitute a better definition of acute infection. Material and Methods: To detect T gondii antigen and DNA, twenty serum samples in the acute phase of infection were tested. Polyclonal antibodies were isolated from immunized rabbits and SDS-page and immunoblotting were perfomed. Also, PCR was done with amplification of the B1 gene with two primers. Results: In one patient T gondii antigen band with a molecular weight of 30 kDa was detected. Parasitemia was detected in the same patient and the 570 bp amplified DNA fragment was isolated. Others had negative results in both immunoblotting and PCR. The patient with positive results had been infected accidentally with a rather virulent C56 strain in the laboratory. Conclusion: The results indicate that antigen and DNA of T. gondii can be detected during the short acute phase of infection.

Background and Aim: Health surveillance systems are now paying more attention to infectious diseases, largely because of emerging and re-emerging infections. The main objective of this research is presenting a statistical method for modeling infectious disease incidence based on the Bayesian approach. Material and Methods: Since infectious diseases have two phases, namely epidemic and non-epidemic, joint distributions seem preferable for modeling disease incidence. We used a hidden Markov model-suitable for joint distributions- to arrive at a statistical model applicable to infectious diseases. Parameter estimation was done using a Bayesian method. The resulting model was then applied to monthly incidence rates for malaria to test the model's applicability to real data. Results: The error sum of squares of the model fitted to monthly incidence rates for malaria was 190.59 and the coefficient of determination between observed and fitted values was 0.84. It appears that the hidden Markov model with a cyclic regression equation has a proper goodness of fit when applied to malaria incidence rates.Conclusion: The hidden Markov model is an efficient statistical tool for modeling infectious disease incidence rates.

Background and Aim: The present article attempts to define the current trend for age at first marriage, based on the nationwide Health Survey of 1999 and using the Brass model. Material and Methods: The national Health survey was conducted in 1999 and involved 1/1000 of the total population, selected via cluster sampling (clusters of 8 households each). The sample used for the present study consisted of 16000 women aged 15-49, including 3026 women in Tehran province. Variables used for analysis were current age, marital status, age at first marriage and residential area (urban/rural). The mean age at first marriage for married women was 17.8 years (sd=3.7) for the whole country, and 18.2 years (sd=3.7) for Tehran province.Results: The Brass model fitted to the data revealed a significant decreasing trend for the proportion of married women in all age groups, especially in the 15-19 year-old category.Conclusion: This obviously indicates an upward trend for age at first marriage.

Background and Aim: One of the biggest problems faced by parents of handicapped children is the child's health care. This study investigates patterns of heath care utilization and the related factors in children with mental impairment. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 110 children (³14 year old) with developmental disabilities in Tehran. Parents were selected by systematic random sampling for face-to-face interView. Statistical analysis was based on negative binomial regression. Results: Over 99% of the surveyed children received ambulatory care and 15% had been hospitalized over the preceding year; 0.9% had never used health services. These children had utilized health services 207±18 times in a year. Among these services 38±3 were not subsidized by the State. Factors affecting service utilization were parent information (p<0.033) and referral to the proper service delivery points (p<0.029).Conclusion: Appropriate interventions are required to address the above-mentioned factors and improve service utilization.

Background and Aim: Health and access to health facilities are now regarded as basic human rights and a fundamental social objective. Reproductive health is essential to promote quality of life and satisfy the need for an enjoyable parenthood. Material and Methods: This was a descriptive-analytic study on 430 women of reproductive age who were receiving health services from urban PHC clinics run by Tehran, Beheshti and Iran medical universities. With the help of a questionnaire we gathered data on factors related to reproductive health knowledge and attitude and analyzed the data using X2, OR, Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: Knowledge and attitude was found to be significantly related to education and employment (p<0.00).There was also an association between knowledge and attitude on one hand and husband's education and employment on the other (p<0.00).Age was not found to have an influence on knowledge and practice (p<0.757). Conclusion: This research shows that education can have a major effect on empowering women to demand and exercise their basic rights, including those related to reproduction and childbearing.

Background and Aim: Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) is a known occupational carcinogen. Over the recent years, the increasing number of exposed workers and the emergence of serious health effects have led to considerable lowering of permissible exposure levels for Cr6+.Moreover, a number of methods have been developed for rapid and precise measurement of Cr6+concentrations. Given the importance of accurate measurements, this study was carried out to compare the performance of different samplers in relation to factors such as sampling height, sampling duration, and electroplating solution concentration. Material and Methods: We used a hexavalent chromium generator fitted with a special sampling chamber and with proven ability to produce homogenous atmospheric concentrations. The performances of 4 samplers including IOM and CIS (as inhalable particle samplers) and Open and Closed-face cassettes (as total particle samplers) were examined through a simultaneous sampling technique. Sampling was done using the NIOSH 7600 method (samples were collected on PVC membrane filters with a pore size of 5.0 mm, at an air flow rate of 2.0±0.1 1/min). Variables investigated with regard to their effects on sampler performance were sampling height (heights from bath solution: 35 and 50 cm), duration (30 and 180 min) and solution concentration (125 and 250 g/l). Results: The measured concentrations ranged from 2 to 2725 mg.m-3.Analysis of the results in a completely randomized block design showed significant differences in performance between different samplers (P<0.001). There were also differences between samplers at different heights and electroplating concentrations (P=0.0007). Multiple comparisons by Scheffe's method showed that the difference detected was due to the superior precision of the IoM (P<0.05).Conclusion: Over ally, there were statistically significant differences between the performances of the studied samplers; Cr6+concentrations at the studied heights (4.09, 8.68 mg.m-3), sampling duration (5.90, 6.88 mg.m-3) and bath concentration (2.73, 11.88 mg.m-3) had no significant effects on sampler performance. The CIS sampler underwent corrosion during acidic mist collection and thus can not be recommended for Cr6+mist collection.

Background and Aim: Motorcyclists constitute a large and growing portion of the victims of traffic accidents in Iran. Reasons include high motorcycle production rates and relatively low prices. This case control study was conducted to look at the role of a number of presumed risk factors in Kashan; a city with high motorcyclist casualty rates. Material and Methods: Cases for this study were motorcyclists listed by the Traffic Police as either injured or killed over the period extending from 20/3/2005 to 20/9/2005. For each case, another motorcyclist who regularly passed the point of accident on the same day of the week was taken as control. Supplementary data were gathered by interview with the subjects (when possible) or a first-degree relative (for dead cases). Data were analyzed using the SPSS software. Results: There were statistically significant relationships between the occurrence of death or injury and the following set of factors: age, marital status, job, education, vehicle ownership, BMI, driving experience with motorcycles and cars, time spent driving in one day, driver's estimate of his own speed, and weather conditions.Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of effective interventions and offers some useful information for policy makers.

Background and Aim: Rabies is one of the oldest and most serious zoonoses in the world. In Iran, the disease has been reported from most of the provinces and among domestic as well as wild animals. This study was conducted in the province of Kerman and aimed to assess the frequency and epidemiological features of suspected and confirmed animal rabies cases from 1993 to 2003. Material and Methods: During the study period, all cases of suspected animals (brain specimens) had sent to Pasteur institute of Iran for pathological (Negri bodies) examinations. After collecting data on variables such as species of animal, city, season, annual rainfall and temperature, analysis was performed by calculation of Pearson correlation coefficient and Chi square, Fisher's exact, Students's t and Kolmogorov Smirnov tests using the SPSS package (ver.11.5). Results: From 362 suspected brain samples, 301 (83.1%) had positive serologic and pathological results. We recorded an ascending trend over the study period (p=0.0l). The effect of seasonal variations on the frequency of suspected and confirmed cases of animal rabies was significant (p<0.001): most cases occurred in winter and fall. The relative frequencies of confirmed cases among the animals were as follows: As for domestic animals, the infection rate in cows was 81.45%; sheep and goats 10.63%; dogs and cats, 4%; camels 1.33% and donkeys, 0.7%. Among wild animals (foxes, mongooses, wolves and jackals) the rate was 1.89%. Among wild animals, the total infection rate was 60 %. Concerning the role of predatory animals in the transmission of rabies to domestic animals, among the cases which had been confirmed (28 cases), the predator species were: foxes 50%, wolves 7%, mongooses and jackals 3%. Considering the relationship between frequency of animal rabies and ecological variations in the province of Kerman, the results of this survey showed that there is some correlation between decreased rainfall (drought) and the resurgence of animal rabies (r=0.34, P=0.001). Conclusion: The increasing number of stray dogs and the migration of these and wild animals to cities and villages could be an important factor in the spread of rabies in the region. Among various predatory species, the role of foxes in disease transmission merits further investigation.