Congenital malformations at a referral hospital in Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran

This study recorded the rate of congenital malformations in 10 000 births at a referral hospital in Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran in 1998-99. The overall incidence of congenital malformations was 1.01% (1.19% in males and 0.76% in females). Anomalies of the musculoskeletal system had the highest incidence (0.38%), followed by central nervous system (0.28%) and genitourinary system (0.25%). The incidence of congenital malformations in different ethnic groups was 0.85%, 1.45% and 1.70% in native Fars, Turkman and Sistani groups respectively. Sex and ethnic background are factors in the rate of congenital malformations in this area

Investigation into structural formation of social relations of the elderly (case study, Golsar Vicinity, Rasht, Iran)

The present study aims to investigate the structural formation of the vicinity and promoting the social relations among the elderly residing there. In the present study the factors affecting the establishment of social relations among those over 60, using the questionnaire handed out, interviews and field observations, each of which was studied separately. The sample size was determined with accuracy of about 99 and error of one percent. Simple randomized sampling was employed, accessible to the elderly. The results obtained from questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS Vr 24; moreover, methodology and research Hypotheses were implemented through ANOVA table, Pearson Correlation and Regression. The validity of the research was therefore confirmed relying on Chronbach's alpha 0.87. This study also aims at identifying the factors affecting social relations, and interrelations thereof, as well as the extent of correlation of the defined indices (green space, variety of applicability, walk-ability). The results indicate that of all three indices, green space has the most contributing role in forming the social relationship among the elderly, whereas walk-ability marked the least.Keywords: Social relation, Elderly, Green space, Walk-ability, Usage diversity, Golsa

Phytoremediation of heavy metals: A green technology

The environment has been contaminated with organic and inorganic pollutants. Organic pollutants are largely anthropogenic and are introduced to the environment in many ways. Soil contamination with toxic metals, such as Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni and Cu, as a result of worldwide industrialization has increased noticeably within the past few years. There are some conventional remediation technologies to clean polluted areas, specifically soils contaminated with metals. In spite of being efficient, these methods are expensive, time consuming, and environmentally devastating. Recently, phytoremediation as a cost effective and environmentally friendly technology has been developed by scientists and engineers in which biomass/microorganisms or live plants are used to remediate the polluted areas. It can be categorized into various applications, including phytofiltration, phytostabilization, phytoextraction, and phytodegradation. A brief review of phytoremediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals has been complied to provide an extensive applicability of this green technology.Key words: Phytoremediation, heavy metals, soil pollution, toxicity

Cryptosporidium infection in patients with gastroenteritis in Sari, Iran

Background: Cryptosporidiosis is a common coccidian parasite infection in patients with diarrhea that has worldwide distribution especially in developed countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of Cryptosporidium infection in patients with gastroenteritis admitted to hospitals of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences by parasitological and molecular methods in Sari, Iran. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 348 patients with gastroenteritis admitted to the hospitals of Medical University in the Sari and Ghaemshahr cities in Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran in 2010-2011. Oocysts of Cryptosporidium identified using Formalin-Ether concentration method and stained by Aacidfast staining (AFS) and Auramine phenol fluorescence (APF). Genomic DAN extracted from microscopically positive samples and nested PCR -RFLP by using SSU rRNA that identifies of the species of cryptosporidium. Results: In 348 patients with gastroenteritis, the most clinical symptoms were diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, dehydration, fever and weight loss. 2.3% (8 cases) of diarrheal samples tested by both microscopy and molecular methods were positive for the presence of cryptosporidium. Nested PCR products yielded unique bands of 846 bp, correspond to cryptosporidium. Species diagnosis carried out by digesting the secondary PCR product with SspI restriction enzyme, which noted 3 clearly bands of 449, 254, and 108 bp correspond to Cryptosporidium spp. Conclusion: The results of present study on Cryptosporidium spp. in this area can make a background data for control programs and further molecular analyses. Thus, further work needs to determine the origin of Cryptosporidium species in this area

Exploring User Needs in the Development of a Virtual Reality-Based Advanced Life Support Training Platform: Exploratory Usability Study

Background: Traditional methods of delivering Advanced Life Support (ALS) training and reaccreditation are resource-intensive and costly. Interactive simulations and gameplay using virtual reality (VR) technology can complement traditional training processes as a cost-effective, engaging, and flexible training tool. Objective: This exploratory study aimed to determine the specific user needs of clinicians engaging with a new interactive VR ALS simulation (ALS-SimVR) application to inform the ongoing development of such training platforms. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with experienced clinicians (n=10, median age=40.9 years) following a single playthrough of the application. All clinicians have been directly involved in the delivery of ALS training in both clinical and educational settings (median years of ALS experience=12.4; all had minimal or no VR experience). Interviews were supplemented with an assessment of usability (using heuristic evaluation) and presence. Results: The ALS-SimVR training app was well received. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed five main areas of user needs that can inform future design efforts for creating engaging VR training apps: affordances, agency, diverse input modalities, mental models, and advanced roles. Conclusions: This study was conducted to identify the needs of clinicians engaging with ALS-SimVR. However, our findings revealed broader design considerations that will be crucial in guiding future work in this area. Although aligning the training scenarios with accepted teaching algorithms is important, our findings reveal that improving user experience and engagement requires careful attention to technology-specific issues such as input modalities

An improved microculture method for diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis

This study evaluated the performance of three diagnostic methods for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Patients who came to the Health Center Laboratory of Gonbad-e-Qabus in Golestan Province, Iran, were enrolled in the study. Skin scraping smear, improved microculture (IMC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed. A total of 303 subjects were recruited, among whom 273 subjects fulfilled the criteria for CL. Sensitivity and specificity were 88.8 % (95 % CI = 84.2–92.2 %) and 100.0 % for smears, 98.4 % (95 % CI = 96.1–99.1 %) and 100.0 % for IMC, both of them 100.0 % for PCR. Although, PCR was relatively more sensitive than the IMC, the high correlation (agreement = 96 %, Kappa = 0.82) between IMC and PCR along with the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, adequate sensitivity and as a needle free method, offers the IMC as a valuable alternative diagnostic method for PCR in diagnosis of CL. © Indian Society for Parasitology 2013

Synthesizing Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives on Using Virtual Reality to Improve the Periprocedural Experience in Children and Adolescents: Survey Study

Background: Virtual reality (VR) technology is a powerful tool for augmenting patient experience in pediatric settings. Incorporating the needs and values of stakeholders in the design of VR apps in health care can contribute to better outcomes and meaningful experiences for patients. Objective: We used a multiperspective approach to investigate how VR apps can be designed to improve the periprocedural experiences of children and adolescents, particularly those with severe anxiety. Methods: This study included a focus group (n=4) and a survey (n=56) of clinicians. Semistructured interviews were conducted with children and adolescents in an immunization clinic (n=3) and perioperative setting (n=65) and with parents and carers in an immunization clinic (n=3) and perioperative setting (n=35). Results: Qualitative data were examined to determine the experience and psychological needs and intervention and design strategies that may contribute to better experiences for children in three age groups (4-7, 8-11, and 12-17 years). Quantitative data were used to identify areas of priority for future VR interventions. Conclusions: We propose a set of ten design considerations for the creation of future VR experiences for pediatric patients. Enhancing patient experience may be achieved by combining multiple VR solutions through a holistic approach considering the roles of clinicians and carers and the temporality of the patient’s experience. These situations require personalized solutions to fulfill the needs of pediatric patients before and during the medical procedure. In particular, communication should be placed at the center of preprocedure solutions, while emotional goals can be embedded into a procedure-focused VR app to help patients shift their focus in a meaningful way to build skills to manage their anxiety

Collaborative workshops at scale: a method for non-facilitated virtual collaborative design workshops

This article introduces a method for conducting a fully online collaborative design workshop requiring no facilitation which we refer to as a Self-guided Collaborative Online Workshop (SCOW). The article provides three main contributions. Firstly, we present a process for the conversion of a face-to-face facilitated design workshop into a SCOW using a method we call the “playboard” which draws on concepts from CSCL literature. Secondly, we evaluate the efficacy of SCOWs using an iterative evaluation with 75 participants, including measures for participant satisfaction, subjective and objective learning outcomes, quality of the online and self-guided experience, and comparison with face-to-face workshops. Results across all measures indicate that the self-guided workshop was as successful as the in-person facilitated original. Moreover, participants reported advantages of the more scalable format including improved access to those with non-visible disabilities and in the Global South. Finally, based on our findings, we present a set of recommendations for others interested in using SCOWs as an inclusive and scalable way to support collaborative experiences

Efficiency comparison of alum and ferric chloride coagulants in removal of dye and organic material from industrial wastewater - A case study

Coagulation and flocculation are most widely methods used for dye and pollution removal from various wastewaters. The aim of this study is efficiency comparison of inorganic coagulant (Alum and Ferric Cchloride) for treatment of textile factory wastewater. The appropriate coagulant was selected at optimum condition for treatment of textile's factory wastewater by measuring of dye, COD, BOD5 and TSS parameters. The different pH (4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9) was used for determine the optimum pH. Totally, 240 samples were collected and exanimated according the standard methods of wastewater and water tests. Results showed that the ferric chloride has more removal efficiency than alum in removal of COD, TSS and dye. The most removal of COD, TSS and dye using alum was obtained 36, 19 and 68.8 while for ferric chloride was obtained 72, 60 and 98 respectively. The optimum pH 7 and 5 were obtained for alum and ferric chloride respectively. Based on the results, it can be concluded that COD, TSS and dye removal using ferric chloride has higher efficiency than alum. Therefore, application of ferric chloride in the same conditions is preferred than alum. © 2015 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Union of Chemists in Bulgaria

Congenital malformations at a referral hospital in Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran

ABSTRACT This study recorded the rate of congenital malformations in 10 000 births at a referral hospital in Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran in 1998-99. The overall incidence of congenital malformations was 1.01% (1.19% in males and 0.76% in females). Anomalies of the musculoskeletal system had the highest incidence (0.38%), followed by central nervous system (0.28%) and genitourinary system (0.25%). The incidence of congenital malformations in different ethnic groups was 0.85%, 1.45% and 1.70% in native Fars, Turkman and Sistani groups respectively. Sex and ethnic background are factors in the rate of congenital malformations in this area. Les malformations congénitales dans un hôpital de recours à Gorgan (République islamique d'Iran) RÉSUMÉ Cette étude portait sur le taux de malformations congénitales pour 10 000 naissances recensé dans un hôpital de recours à Gorgan (République islamique d'Iran) en 1998-1999. L'incidence globale des malformations congénitales était de 1,01 % (1,19 % chez les garçons et 0,76 % chez les filles). L'incidence la plus élevée était celle des anomalies du système ostéo-articulaire et des muscles (0,38 %), suivies par les anomalies du système nerveux central (0,28 %) et de l'appareil génito-urinaire (0,25 %). L'incidence des malformations congénitales dans différents groupes ethniques s'élevait à 0,85 %, 1,45 % et 1,70 % pour les groupes autochtones Fars, Turkman et Sistani respectivement. Le sexe et l'origine ethnique sont des facteurs qui influencent le taux de malformations congénitales dans cette région