JOURNAL OF ILAM UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
Year:2010 | Volume:18 | Issue:1|Papers Count:16

Introduction: The production process in Ahwaz pipe manufacturing due to its nature and activities is facing with safety, healthy and environmental challenges, like any other industries. As a result, it can have effects on human, facilities and the environment at the time of accidents. Therefore, this study was carried out in the field of safety, health and environmental risk assessment and management to recognize the probable hazards, risk estimation, control and reduction of risk rate in order to protect personnel’s health, facilities, capital, and the under-influence environment.Materials & Methods: This research was conducted using “William Fine” method which is a systematic risk assessment method to identify probable hazards, to estimate the risk level in risk management, and to reduce it to an acceptable level. Therefore, after recognizing the company activities and processes, the probable hazards were identified and classified according to their possible occurrence, encounterance rate and the intensity of their effects on human, environment and equipment elements.Findings: The risk levels were estimated in the following way: in inductive furnace operation, 300 points, hydro test (due to noise pollution; 300 points); Pipe grinding, 240 points, and pipe test using water pressure, 200 points. As a result, the above mentioned activities had the highest risk levels. Furthermore, the turning process at the beginning and end of the pipe with the score of 192, exploitation of saw mill with the score of 180, welding process with the score of 160, and washing with phosphoric acid with the score of 120 showed the moderate risk levels. Besides, other activities such as performer (falling down) with the score of 12, hydro test (Pipe split) with the score of 20, and coil rolling with the score of 6 had the minimum risk levels (normal). Discussion & Conclusion: The accidents occurred due to the work place decreased during this research. Considering the increase in the rate of employers in such units in 2007 in comparison with the pervious year, the intensity of accident's frequency coefficient decreased 42%, and lost days of work were reduced 49% approximately.

Introduction: According to the sewage exiting from any plant, the industrial complexes must observe regulations related to the standards of sewage systems. The current study tried to examine the efficiency and restrictions of the system to primary treatment operations by designing and constructing a primary treatment system entitled the "New Activated Sludge System with Falling Aeration".   Materials & Methods: Designing and constructing this system is completely innovative, registered by parent office with number 40091. The main parts of this system include: the electrical connecting cable, steering circuit, miniature cap, a round-the-clock timer, contactor, control key of digested sludge pump to sandy filter, a dimmer of 2kw, adaptor, the keeping case, the electro motor, the gear box, the connector of power transferring from the gear box to main shaft, the power trans-shaft, bearings basin, the sedimentation basin, sludge pump, anaerobic digestion chamber, sand filter, pilot legs/hands, sewage transferring channels. Findings: The goal of constructing this system was offering a new model of the primary treatment operation as well as reducing the costs of primary treatment systems among industrial factories besides eliminating the need to specialists and enabling people to design such systems.Discussion & Conclusion: During the design, process the newly constructed system obtained results from sewage experiments with COD concentration 7035 mg/1, BOD5 4535 mg/1, TSS 1344 mg/1. Using this system with aeration period of about 2.74 hours per day and the average PH of 7.2 and temperature of around 21.3C° proved that eliminating rates of COD, BOD5 and TSS were 73.6%, 84.2% and 85.4% respectively. These resets indicated that the operative dredges system with falling aeration enjoys the necessary efficiency to primary treatment operation.

Introduction: Intensive studies have been done about the epidemiology and psychological predictors of suicide behavior, but, regarding the treatment, a few controlled investigations have been undertaken. The high suicide rate and attempting it among the adolescents reveal the necessity of remedial measures to be taken. This study has been done to consider the impacts of group problem solving on some psychological characteristics (depression, hopelessness, and coping skills) of adolescents attempting suicide.                                                                         Materials & Methods: In this research, the impact of problem solving methods was studied as an independent variable on depression, hopelessness and coping skills as dependent variables by an experimental design, using experimental and control groups. The sample consisted of 26 people chosen randomly and divided into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group was trained in a step by step problem solving program for 12 sessions. The dependent variables were measured by Beck Depression Inventor (BDI), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and Blingz and Mause Coping Skills Questionnaires (CSQ) before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed using T-test.Findings: The results showed no significant difference between the dependent variables of the two groups before the treatment. But after the intervention and performance of the remedial method, there was a significant difference between depression, hopelessness and coping skills variables of the two groups (p<%1).  Discussion & Conclusion: According to this investigation, training in problem solving can decrease depression, hopelessness and increase the efficacy in coping skills of adolescents who attempt suicide.

Introduction: The purpose of this research was to qualitatively evaluate the workers health-house, and to determine an appropriate pattern of qualitative evaluation for such centers in Yazd, Iran. Materials & methods: In the current qualitative ordinal study, in order to collect the required data regarding the effectiveness and quality of health care in the worker health-house, after determining the variables on the basis of definitions and standard values of the proposal, designing questions for handling the Delphi method, checklists, and questionnaires was completed. Then, for determining the score and value of each question, the questionnaires and checklists were handed over to the relevant experts. There were 6 randomly selected samples of industries with the workers health-houses and 6 industries without such centers. To avoid any bias in the study, all the questionnaires and checklists were given to the postgraduate students in the field of occupational health. Next, after a separate scoring of the questionnaires and checklists by Delphi group (30 people), the average scores for each question and ultimately each questionnaire and checklist were assessed and then chosen as criteria of measurement in our investigation.Findings: Considering the qualitative ordinal study of the facilities, equipments, and performances of personnel in the workers’ health-houses, the results showed that the average of the official as well as technical facilities and equipments were 65.1% and 61.1% respectively, which according to the table for system status, were both in a moderate rank of quality. However, checking the space and personnel situation, they were 49.3% and 46.6% respectively; as these amounts of quality were ranked in a "bad" situation. Finally, concerning the performance of personnel, the results showed a rank of "moderate" with the average score of 63.3% for the health care technicians called as: "Behdashtyar" and a rank of "bad" with the average score of 32.8% for the occupational practitioners.Discussion & Conclusion: Based on the research findings among the industries with more than 50 personnel in Yazd, it was found that, regarding the measured variables in 2006 using the proposed methodology of the ordinal qualitative study and considering the acquired result of (56.9%), the quality of those centers were determined as "moderate" rank.

Introduction: Calendula officinal is a member of Asteraceae family. Calendula officinal is used for the treatment of skin disorders and pain. It is also applied as a bactericide, antiseptic or anti-inflammatory drug. In this study, the leishmanicidal effect of Calendula officinal with various concentrations was evaluated on promastigotes of L. major in vitro.Materials & Methods: The dried and ground flowers of the plant were extracted using maceration in 80% ethanol, and then the liquid was dehydrated in an evaporator. Afterwards, different concentrations of the extract (500 µg/ ml, 250 µg /ml, 125 µg/ml and 62.5 µg/ml) were prepared in vitro and 5×104 promaastigotes/well were seeded in a 96-well cell culture plate and was added 100µl of each extract/well. The plate was incubated at 24oC for three days and the number of parasites in each well was determined on 24h, 48h, and 72h of experiment microscopically using Neubauer Chamber. RPMI culture medium was used as one negative control. Findings: The extract at concentration of 500µg/ml was found to kill all the parasites. Lower doses exhibited a dose-dependent antileishmanial activity. However, the number of L. major promastigotes in the negative control increasingly grew on 24h, 48h, and 72h respectively. IC50 was calculated for ethanolic & watery Calendula officinalis; 170µg/ml, 215µg/ml after 24h respectively. Discussion & Conclusion: These results indicated that extract of Calendula officinalis is of favorable leishmanicidal activity and can be a candidate for leishmaniasis treatment.

Introduction: Measles is a severe contagious disease preventable by vaccination. Besides the prevalence of measles in Iran, Ministry of Health conducted a nation-wide vaccination against measles for all the 5-25 years old population in 2003. This study was done to evaluate the anti measles IgG antibody among the medical students from Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science.Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was accomplished on 196 medical students of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science. The chart contained age, history of vaccination in childhood, history of vaccination in 2003, history of measles, any familial history of measles, history of contact with measles cases and any experience of fever during vaccination. The existence of IgG was confirmed by ELISA test in 5 cc blood taken from each case.Findings: All the cases were male with the mean age of 23/5±3/01. The history of vaccination was positive in childhood in 194 people (99%). The history of vaccination in 2003 was positive in 188 cases (95/9%). Measles infection history was positive in 14 people (7/1%), family in 17 cases (8/7%), contact with measles cases in 19 people (9/7%) and fever during vaccination in 1 person (0/5%). Anti measles IgG antibody was positive in 174 people (88/8%), negative in 19 (9/7%) and equivocal in 3 (1/5%).Discussion & Conclusion: Our results indicated that the IgG level among the students was not sufficient to prevent small epidemics. Since the medical students are living in a high risk area, the evaluation of measles IgG antibody before prescription of the vaccine is suggested.

Introduction: One of the most common purposes of training science emphasizes on the function and adaptation for better performance of the athlete skills. Adaptation to strength & endurance training is generally different, and, at times, opposed to each other. The purpose of this research was to investigate the neuromuscular adaptation of two types of training concurrently.Materials & Methods: Thirty- six healthy male students [mean (so) age (21.6±0.09) years, height (175±3.39) cm, weight (73.6±6.3) kg were randomly divided into three groups: the Strength group (n=12), the Endurance group (n=12) and the Concurrent group (n=12). The strength group performed (%70-%85 1R.m) in 3 sets with 12, 10, 8 numbers respectively. The endurance group performed cycle interval training in 80- 90% maximum heart rate in 3 minutes the concurrent training included half strength and half endurance training with change of consequence of training 3 sections during 12 weeks. Surface electromyography (sEMG), Maximal Voluntary Contraction (MVC) Maximal Repetition (1RM) assessments were made before-middle and after training. General-leaner-model was used within the group and one- way ANOVA between the groups.Findings: The final results of our study were as follows: the result within the group showed a significant decrease in all the groups, of mean signal (EMG) after 6 weeks and in (S) and (C) groups after 12 weeks. In all the groups, 1RM increased after 6, 12 weeks. MVC increased in (S) and (C) groups after 6, 12 weeks, but in (E) group, it did not increase significantly. The results among the groups, showed a decrease in the mean signal (EMG) and an increase in1RM with the same rate in (S) and (C) groups in 6, 12 weeks, but in (E) group, it wasn’t significant. In all the groups, MVC wasn’t significant in 6 weeks, but there was a significant difference in (S) and (C) groups in 12 weeks.Discussion & Conclusion: The findings showed that the increasing strength of the concurrent group was less than that of the strength group and more than the endurance group. Probably, simultaneous exercise improves neuro-muscular adaptations without any disturbances in strengthening.

Introduction: The accomplished studies show that stress can cause changes in biochemical and physiological parameters in healthy people. Materials & Methods: The present study was a cross sectional study conducted on 50 healthy university students selected randomly. Serum and urinary free cortisol was measured by immunoassay a month (control) before the examinations. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 11.5. The significance of differences was considered P<0.05.Findings: The average of systolic blood diastolic blood pressures in the control group were 110.70±9.25 (mmHg), 73±8.97 (mmHg), respectively, while in the case group, 30 minutes prior to the examinations, they were 120.20±11.29 (mmHg), and 77.6±8.76 (mmHg), but immediately after the exams 108.80±9.97 (mmHg), 73.2±6.39 (mmHg). There was a statistical significance between the three groups. Also the average of serum and urinary cortisol concentrations in the control group was 151.83±48.86 (mg/lit), 133.03±47.1 (mg/lit), 30 minutes prior to examination 201.13±62.46 (mg/lit), 175.10±44.99 (mg/lit) and immediately after the examinations 141.48 ±49.25 (mg/lit), 165.98±46.08 (mg/lit) respectively. There was also a statistical significance among the three groups. Discussion &Conclusion: Examination is a potent stressor in students. It causes biochemical and physiological changes such as enhancement of blood pressure, serum and urinary cortisol.