Policies and Programs for Prevention and Control of Diabetes in Iran: A Document Analysis

Trend analysis in 2005 to 2011 showed high growth in diabetes prevalence in Iran. Considering the high prevalence of diabetes in the country and likely to increase its prevalence in the future, the analysis of diabetes-related policies and programs is very important and effective in the prevention and control of diabetes. Therefore, the aim of the study was an analysis of policies and programs related to prevention and control of diabetes in Iran in 2014. This study was a policy analysis using deductive thematic content analysis of key documents. The health policy triangle framework was used in the data analysis. PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were searched to find relevant studies and documents. Also, hand searching was conducted among references of the identified studies. MAXQDA 10 software was used to organize and analyze data. The main reasons to take into consideration diabetes in Iran can be World Health Organization (WHO) report in 1989, and high prevalence of diabetes in the country. The major challenges in implementing the diabetes program include difficulty in referral levels of the program, lack of coordination between the private sector and the public sector and the limitations of reporting system in the specialized levels of the program. Besides strengthening referral system, the government should allocate more funds to the program and more importance to the educational programs for the public. Also, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the private sector should involve in the formulation and implementation of the prevention and control programs of diabetes in the future

Determinant criteria for designing Health benefit package in selected countries

Health benefit package described as primary health interventions that provided with government using general funds for all regardless their financial ability. This study was aimed at determine appropriate pattern for Iran using comparative survey of Health benefit package in various countries. A review exploration was done, scholars was selected population of both developed and developing countries, required information was also extracted by articles, searches and reports of reliable sources and date were analyzed by SPSS, in brief. The vast majority frequencies was respectively allocated to accessibility (40.7%), cost- effectiveness (29.6%), prioritize, efficacy and cost (22.2%). most countries located in WHO African region were selected cost-effectiveness and accessibility, WHO southeast Asia region were selected, coverage, prioritize, efficacy and quality and finally most WHO Europeans region were elected effectiveness and services costs for including services in Health benefit package. According to most Health benefit package designer emphasis on criteria including accessibility and costeffectiveness, to design Health benefit package for Iran, these criteria must be noticed

Epidemiological characteristics and determinants of mortality in acute coronary syndrome in Iran

Abstract Background and purpose: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) includes ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and unstable angina. This study was conducted to determine the characteristics of patients with ACS and determinants of their mortality in Iran. Materials and methods: This study was a hospital-based prospective cohort study in which we used the data of 20,750 patients registered in National Registry of myocardial infarction in hospitals with cardiology ward in 31 provinces in Iran. To determine the factors associated with patients’ mortality, Cox regression (relative hazards model) was used. Results: Mortality rate in followed up patients with STEMI and NSTEMI was 3698.4 and 4573.3 per 1000 person-year, respectively. The mean age of patients with STEMI was 60.5± 13.1 years and in those with NSTEMI was 62.9± 13.4 years. The prevalence of STEMI and NSTEMI was 75.8% and 24.2%, respectively. The most important determinants of mortality in patients were age over 84 years of old, female sex, illiteracy, lack of receiving thrombolytic therapy, right bundle branch block, STEMI, heart failure, and receiving angioplasty. Conclusion: The characteristics of patients with ACS, could help the health system personnel in strategy adoption and decision making as well as assessment, monitoring, and treatment of patients. Training people to refer early for emergency care in case of manifesting ACS symptoms, and providing them with treatment at golden time could be of great benefit in reducing the rate of mortality

Individual-based modelling of cyanobacteria blooms: Physical and physiological processes

Lakes and reservoirs throughout the world are increasingly adversely affected by cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs). The development and spatiotemporal distributions of blooms are governed by complex physical mixing and transport processes that interact with physiological processes affecting the growth and loss of bloom-forming species. Individual-based models (IBMs) can provide a valuable tool for exploring and integrating some of these processes. Here we contend that the advantages of IBMs have not been fully exploited. The main reasons for the lack of progress in mainstreaming IBMs in numerical modelling are their complexity and high computational demand. In this review, we identify gaps and challenges in the use of IBMs for modelling CyanoHABs and provide an overview of the processes that should be considered for simulating the spatial and temporal distributions of cyanobacteria. Notably, important processes affecting cyanobacteria distributions, in particular their vertical passive movement, have not been considered in many existing lake ecosystem models. We identify the following research gaps that should be addressed in future studies that use IBMs: 1) effects of vertical movement and physiological processes relevant to cyanobacteria growth and accumulations, 2) effects and feedbacks of CyanoHABs on their environment; 3) inter and intra-specific competition of cyanobacteria species for nutrients and light; 4) use of high resolved temporal-spatial data for calibration and verification targets for IBMs; and 5) climate change impacts on the frequency, intensity and duration of CyanoHABs. IBMs are well adapted to incorporate these processes and should be considered as the next generation of models for simulating CyanoHABs

Effect of water stress on seed germination of Artemisia spicigera & Artemisia fragrans

Physiological effect of five levels of water stress (0,-0.3,-6,-9 and -1.2MP) was studied on seed germination and tigella as well as radicule growth length in two different Artemisia species namely: Artemisia spicigera and Artemisia fragrans. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used to provide appropriate water potentials. A total of 50 seeds were sown from each Artemisia species. Experimental design was a factorial one of complete randomized design. Maximum germination rate was obtained at -0.3 MP. Germination rate, and tigella & radicule growth lengths declined with decreasing water potential level. Artemisia spicigera was more resistant to water stress in comparison with Artemisia fragrans

A suggested prototype for assessing bone health

Background- Osteoporosis is becoming a health concern worldwide. Considering the fact that prevention plays an important role in reducing the burden of this silent disease and in view of the limited resources available, many countries have adopted certain programs to fight osteoporosis through shifting their attention towards at-risk individuals. The Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (IMOS) is one of these programs. The program aims to assess bone health and the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in different parts of Iran with various altitudes, latitudes and lifestyle habits in a way that the results could be generalized to the country. Method- The present article presents the protocol used in the third phase of the study. It was designed based on the experiences gathered in the previous phases to overcome the shortcomings particularly subject loss. The questionnaire applied in this study was developed based on a thorough literature review of the risk factors and secondary causes of osteoporosis and was approved by an expert panel. It should be added that while the majority of the existing studies aim to study a certain aspect of osteoporosis, the present protocol provides the information needed for policy makers and researchers to study different osteoporosis-related issues. Conclusion- The authors believe the protocol, to be implemented with small modifications, can help policymakers in different parts of the world, particularly developing countries, gather accurate information on different aspects of bone health at the national level. © 2015, Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran. All rights reserved

Modelling of flow around hexagonal and textured cylinders

The flow regime around a hexagonal polygon with low Reynolds numbers Re<200 is numerically investigated in two different orientations namely face-oriented and corner-oriented. The basic flow characteristics, including drag coefficient, lift coefficient, Strouhal number and critical Reynolds number of the hexagonal cylinders, are calculated using 2D transient numerical analysis. Within the studied range of Re, the predicted lift coefficient and Strouhal number of the face-oriented hexagon were higher than those of the corner-oriented hexagon. In contrast, the predicted drag coefficient and critical Reynolds number of the corner-oriented hexagon were greater than those of the face-oriented. Flow characteristics of a novel textured geometry are also studied using 3D transient analysis. The Strouhal number St of the textured geometry was found to be in between the St of both the hexagonal cylinders, and its lift coefficient is lower than that of the hexagonal cylinders

International marketing knowledge and international entrepreneurship in the contemporary multi speed global economy

The past two decades have witnessed the relentless advancement of a body of knowledge focused on explaining aspects of firms’ entrepreneurial internationalisation behaviour. The cross disciplinary ethos of this nascent field is amply reflected in the wealth of international entrepreneurship (IE) studies that actively bridge the contiguous domains of international marketing, international management, international business and much else. The present Special Issue extends this admirable tradition by showcasing boundary spanning research that contributes to both theory and practice. The selected papers have drawn on a range of theoretical perspectives to further understanding of how emerging developments, including technological advances, in the multi-speed global economy are affecting entrepreneurs’ internationalisation activities

High prevalence of refractive errors in 7 year old children in Iran

Background: The latest WHO report indicates that refractive errors are the leading cause of visual impairment throughout the world. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism in 7 yr old children in Iran. Methods: In a cross-sectional study in 2013 with multistage cluster sampling, first graders were randomly selected from 8 cities in Iran. All children were tested by an optometrist for uncorrected and corrected vision, and non-cycloplegic and cycloplegic refraction. Refractive errors in this study were determined based on spherical equivalent (SE) cyloplegic refraction. Results: From 4614 selected children, 89.0 participated in the study, and 4072 were eligible. The prevalence rates of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism were 3.04 (95 CI: 2.30-3.78), 6.20 (95 CI: 5.27-7.14), and 17.43 (95 CI: 15.39-19.46), respectively. Prevalence of myopia (P=0.925) and astigmatism (P=0.056) were not statistically significantly different between the two genders, but the odds of hyperopia were 1.11 (95 CI: 1.01-2.05) times higher in girls (P=0.011). The prevalence of with-the-rule astigmatism was 12.59, against-the-rule was 2.07, and oblique 2.65. Overall, 22.8 (95 CI: 19.7-24.9) of the schoolchildren in this study had at least one type of refractive error. Conclusion: One out of every 5 schoolchildren had some refractive error. Conducting multicenter studies throughout the Middle East can be very helpful in understanding the current distribution patterns and etiology of refractive errors compared to the previous decade. © 2016. Iranian Journal of Public Health. All Right Reserved

Geostatistically estimation and mapping of forest stock in a natural unmanaged forest in the Caspian region of Iran

Estimation and mapping of forest resources are preconditions for management, planning and research. In this study, we applied kriging interpolation of geostatistics for estimation and mapping of forest stock at-tributes in a natural, uneven-aged, unmanaged forest in the Caspian region of northern Iran. The site of the study has an area of 516 ha and an elevation that ranges from 1100 to 1450 m a.s.l. Field sampling was per-formed on a 75m × 200m systematic grid using 309 geo-referenced circular sample plots of 1000 m2 area. Experimental variograms were calculated and plotted for basal area (BA), volume (V) and stem density (N). Whereas the calculated variograms of BA and V exhibited spatial auto-correlation only after data stratification based on diameter size classes and tree species, the variogram of stem density displayed a moderate spatial structure that was fitted by a spherical model. Stem density was estimated by ordinary block kriging and the accuracy of estimation was validated by cross-validation result. We conclude that geostatistical approaches have the potential to more accurately capture and describe the spatial variability of forest stock, and thus reduce the uncertainty in estimates of stem density as well as produce more accurate stem density maps of forests in comparison with the spatially uninformed classic method. Geostatistical methods provide a very suitable tool to derive more accurate estimates of growing stock, particularly in structurally complex, unmanaged, uneven-aged forest such as this one from the Caspian region of northern Iran