Joint Disease Mapping of Two Digestive Cancers in Golestan Province, Iran Using a Shared Component Model

Objectives: Recent studies have suggested the occurrence patterns and related diet factor of esophagus cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC). Incidence of these cancers was mapped either in general and stratified by sex. The aim of this study was to model the geographical variation in incidence of these two related cancers jointly to explore the relative importance of an intended risk factor, diet low in fruit and vegetable intake, in Golestan, Iran. Methods: Data on the incidence of EC and GC between 2004 and 2008 were extracted from Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hamadan, Iran. These data were registered as new observations in 11 counties of the province yearly. The Bayesian shared component model was used to analyze the spatial variation of incidence rates jointly and in this study we analyzed the data using this model. Joint modeling improved the precision of estimations of underlying diseases pattern, and thus strengthened the relevant results. Results: From 2004 to 2008, the joint incidence rates of the two cancers studied were relatively high (0.8-1.2) in the Golestan area. The general map showed that the northern part of the province was at higher risk than the other parts. Thus the component representing diet low in fruit and vegetable intake had larger effect of EC and GC incidence rates in this part. This incidence risk pattern was retained for female but for male was a little different. Conclusion: Using a shared component model for joint modeling of incidence rates leads to more precise estimates, so the common risk factor, a diet low in fruit and vegetables, is important in this area and needs more attention in the allocation and delivery of public health policies. © 2015

Gastric and esophageal cancers incidence mapping in Golestan Province, Iran: Using Bayesian-Gibbs sampling

Objectives: Recent studies of esophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC) have been reported to have high incidence rates of these cancers in Golestan Province of Iran. The present study describes the geographical patterns of EC and GC incidence based on cancer registry data and display statistically significant regions within this province. Methods: In order to map the distribution of upper gastrointestinal cancer, relative risk (RR) were calculated. Therefore, to estimate a more reliable RR, Poisson regression models were used. The adjusted models (adjusted to urban-rural area, sex, and grouped age proportion) were utilized. We considered two-component random effects for each observation, an unstructured (noncorrelated) and a group of "neighbor" (correlated) heterogeneities. We estimated the model parameters using Gibbs sampling and empirical Bayes method. We used EC and GC data that were registered with Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the years 2004-2008. Results: The EC and GC maps were drawn for 2004-2008 in the province. Kalaleh and Minoodasht counties have a high RR of EC and GC in the years of study. In almost all years, the areas with a high RR were steady. Conclusion: The EC and GC maps showed significant spatial patterns of risk in Golestan province of Iran. Further study is needed to multivariate clustering and mapping of cancers RRs with considering diet and socioeconomic factors. © 2015 Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

comparison of three adjuvant chemotherapy regimes using an extended log-logistic model in women with operable breast cancer

Objective: The main objective of the present study was to compare the effects of three common chemotherapy regimes in terms of disease-free survival (DFS) of breast cancer (BC) patients; the three explored regimes were taxane-based, anthracycline-based and CMF (cyclophosphamide methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil). Materials and methods: In this historical-cohort study, we obtained the information of 62 patients with confirmed BC in non-metastatic stage and followed them for 8 years. All the patients had undergone modified radical mastectomy surgery and had received adjuvant chemotherapy in three medical centers in Tehran, Iran. DFS was considered as the end-point. Afterwards, an extended log-logistic regression model was used to compare these regimes. Results: The mean (SD) age of patients was 49.0 (10.3) years. The median time of follow-up was 20.0 months and the probability of 5-years DFS was 0.48. Survival analysis indicated that the type of chemotherapy (OR(CMF vs. taxane) = 0.33, OR(anthracycline vs. taxane) = 0.74), grade (OR(III vs. I or II) = 0.35), tumor size (OR(>5cm vs. <5cm)= 0.179) and nodal involvements (OR(Yes vs. No)= 0.36) affected DFS. Conclusion: The current study revealed that the efficacy of taxane-based, in terms of DFS, was more than CMF (p = 0.05). Moreover, taxane-based chemotherapy prolonged DFS more than anthracycline-based one although the difference was not significant (p= 0.63). Finally, considering the importance of tumor size, histological grade and number of involved lymph nodes in lengthening DFS, it is crucial to highlight the role of public education and screening programs in order to detect tumor in its early stages

Random survival forest in determination of important risk factors on overall survival and disease-free survival in gastric cancer patients

Objective: Although the incidence of stomach cancer is decreasing in the world, its incidence is still high in Iran. Despite different treatments for cancer, disease recurrence, and death may occur in some patients. Various factors affect survival and recurrence after treatment. This study aims to identify factors affecting overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with gastric cancer (GC) using a random survival forest (RSF). Patients and Methods: In this retrospective study, 553 patients with GC, diagnosed between 2010 and 2018 in Kurdistan province in the west of Iran, were assessed. Important factors of OS and DFS were identified using the COX model and RSF. Analysis of data was implemented by R free software version 3.5.3. Results: The mean (Standard Deviation(SD)) age of patients was 66.99 (13.3) years. The median of OS and DFS was 18 and 37.5 months, respectively. Using RSF, the important affected factors on OS were tumor grade, stage, age, recurrence, surgery, and metastasis, respectively. Also according to the RSF model, stage, tumor grade, radiotherapy, tumor site, surgery, and age were the important risk factors for DFS. Based on the prediction error criterion, the random survival forest performed well in predicting disease-free survival. meanwhile, both RSF and Cox models had the same performance in predicting overall survival. Conclusions: Due to the relationship between tumor grade, disease stage and age, the random survival forest identified these variables as important variables in predicting both outcomes, although the Cox model was not able to detect these factors, which indicates better performance of RSF

The catalytic ozonation of diazinon using nano-MgO@CNT@Gr as a new heterogenous catalyst: The optimization of effective factors by response surface methodology

In this research, the degradation of the insecticide diazinon was studied using a new hybrid catalyst consisting of magnesium oxide nanoparticles (nano-MgO), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and graphite (Gr), nano-MgO@CNT@Gr, under various experimental conditions. This study shows the optimization of the nano-MgO@CNT@Gr/O3 process for diazinon degradation in aqueous solutions. Box-Behnken experimental design (BBD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to assess and optimize the solo effects and interactions of four variables, pH, catalyst loading, reaction time, and initial diazinon concentration, during the nano-MgO@CNT@Gr/O3 process. Analysis of regression revealed an adequate fit of the experimental results with a quadratic model, with R2 &gt; 0.91. Following the collection of analysis of variance (ANOVA) results, pH, catalyst loading, and reaction time were seen to have significant positive effects, whereas the concentration of diazinon had a considerable negative impact on diazinon removal via catalytic ozonation. The four variables for maximum diazinon removal were found to be optimum (82.43) at the following levels: reaction time, 15 min; pH, 10; catalyst dosage, 1.5 g L-1; and diazinon concentration, 10 mg L-1. The degradation of diazinon gave six kinds of by-products. The mechanism of diazinon decomposition was considered on the basis of the identified by-products. According to these results, the nano-MgO@CNT@Gr/O3 process could be an applicable technique for the treatment of diazinon-containing wastewater. © 2020 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Optimization of synthesis a new composite of nano-MgO, CNT and Graphite as a catalyst in heterogeneous catalytic ozonation for the treatment of pesticide-laden wastewater

The production of an efficient, reusable, stable and easily separable catalyst in the ozonation process through a reliable procedure is one of the essential requirements of the catalytic ozonation process (COP). In this study, the nano-MgO/CNT/Graphite composite was synthesized to use as a new catalyst in the COP. Synthesis of the nano-MgO/CNT/Graphite was carried out based on the extreme vertices mixture design (EVMD) using three components; MgO nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Graphite. Based on EVMD, 9 compositions were produced. For assessing the catalytic activity of synthesized compositions, pesticide manufacturing plant wastewater (PMPW) (initial COD=617 mg/L and TOC = 121) was treated in COP with new synthesized catalytic. The highest COD and TOC removal and destruction efficiencies were attained with composition C-9. The surface area of the optimum nano-MgO/CNT/Graphite was calculated to be had 221.631 m2 g�1 and a high density of basic surface functional groups. Kinetics of PMPW oxidation indicated that the rate of COD and TOC removal efficiencies in the optimum nano-MgO/CNT/Graphite/O3 process were 12.73 (13.24/1.04 mg COD/L.min) and 7.11 (1.44/0.2 mg TOC/L.min) times as high as those in the single ozonation (SOP), respectively. Clearly, the optimum nano-MgO/CNT/Graphite showed a significant ability in catalysis of the ozonation process of organic materials by means of increasing O3 decomposition and radOH production. The synthesized optimum nano-MgO/CNT/Graphite was reusable because of the stability and durability of the catalytic activities. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

Assessment of risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders using the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) Method and implementing ergonomics intervention programs in Sepah Bank

Introduction: The bank employees usually require the use of computers for long duration in a static position to get the work done. The present study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for musculoskeletal disorder using the ROSA method among the employees of Sepah Bank. An ergonomic intervention was also performed in order to improve the working conditions. .vMaterial and Methods: This interventional descriptive-analytical study was carried out among 165 office employees of central building of Sepah Bank. Using random sampling, the subjects were initially divided into two groups of case and control. Before and after the intervention, ROSA method and Nordic questionnaire was respectively used to evaluate the risk factors that cause musculoskeletal disorders and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. The data were collected two weeks prior the interventions and 9 months after the interventions. SPSS software version 16 was utilized for data analysis and the effectiveness of intervention was determined. ..Results: Before the intervention, the mean ROSA scores of all groups' workstations were above 5 with high risk. The results obtained 9 months after the interventions manifested a statistically significant decrease (P p). .Conclusion: Using the ROSA technique was seemed to be beneficialto assess the ergonomic risk factors of office works, and the deficiencies in the workstation can be identified through this method. Moreover,by design and implementation of an educational intervention program along with engineering interventions which comply with the elements of this technique, the defects can be eliminated

Comprison of the Assessment of Professors by Students Based on Two Different Protocols Asadabad Medical Sciences Faculty, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences

Aims: The process of evaluating the professors by the students, as a common method of evaluating, has many strengths and weaknesses in performance. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the stability of the evaluation of the professors by students using two different protocols. Instrument & Methods: In this interventional study in Asadabad Medical Sciences School in 2013-2014, 174 students assessed 26 professors in 53 courses at two semesters using two different methods paper-based at one week before the end of semester (protocol A) and computer-based on the currently methods (protocol B) after the final exam. The questionnaire was the pre-defined tool in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 20 and Excel 2013 software with paired T, independent T and Pearson correlation coefficient tests. Findings: The mean score of assessments in protocol A (68.99&plusmn;17.73) was significantly less than the mean score of assessments in protocol B (91.78&plusmn;5.40 p0.05). Conclusion: Paper-based assessment of professors by students one week before the end of semester is better than the computer-based method and it can discriminate the professors better

Effects of Physical and Personal Risk Factors on Sick Leave Due to Musculoskeletal Disorders

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of physical and personal risk factors on sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders in an Iranian car company. In this cross-sectional study, 234 workers participated and all of them had sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders in the past year. A physical risk factor checklist and personal information questionnaire were used as data-gathering tools. There was no significant relationship between physical risk factors and sick leave (p > .05). Cigarette smoking (p = .045), body mass index >30 (p = .046) and age (p = .044) showed a significant relationship with sick leave. Workers with lumbar deviation of 20°–60° (OR 1.10) and >60° (OR 1.11) were at greater risk. The ratios for workers with repetitive work (OR 1.30) and workers with force exertion (OR 1.36) were greater than for other workers. Taking preventive actions to improve the ergonomic working conditions of assembly workers and their lifestyle seems crucial

Comparing three adjuvant chemotherapy regimes after modified radical mastectomy in breast cancer patients using log-logistic model

Introduction: Chemotherapy after surgery is one of the adjuvant therapy components in breast cancer patients. In the current study, Taxane-based and Anthracycline-based regimes were compared to Cyclophosphamide, Methotrexate and 5-Fluorouracil (CMF) chemotherapy after modified radical mastectomy (MRM) surgery in terms of disease-free survival (DFS). Materials and Methods: Sixty-two patients with confirmed breast cancer that underwent MRM surgery at no metastasis stage (M0) enrolled. These patients were received one of the three types of adjuvant chemotherapies that mentioned above and the relapse/metastasis in 8-year follow-up was recorded. In addition, some paraclinical and demographical factors were recorded and the efficacy of the different chemotherapy regimes was compared using log-logistic survival model. Results: The mean age (SD) of patients was 49 (1.31). More than 40 of patients had tumors with grade 3. The median time of follow-up was 20.0 months and the rate of 5-year DFS was 48. Survival analysis indicated that type of chemotherapy (OR(Taxane/CMF) =3.676; OR (Anthracycline/CMF) =3.185), histological grade (OR=2.528), tumor size (OR=5.598) and number of lymph nodes (OR=1.112) affect the DFS. Conclusion: The results of the current study indicated that the efficacy of Taxane-based and Anthracycline-based is more than CMF. This study also showed that early detection of tumor was an important factor for a successful treatment in terms of DFS, and so, it declares the roll of screening and public education