Erratum: Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Interpretation: By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning

Investigation of attenuation of the Lg-wave amplitude in the Caribbean region

The focus of this study is to determine the frequency-dependent quality factor function Q (f) for the Caribbean region. The analysis considers the Lg portion of 2685 three-component waveforms. Waveforms are selected from 116 earthquakes that occurred between 2006 and 2013 with moment magnitude Mw ranging from 4.6 to 7.0. Spectral amplitudes over 12 distinct passbands from 0.1 to 12.8 Hz are calculated only for waveforms with a signal-to-noise ratio of 5 or better. In the regression model, the vertical component and the geometric mean of two horizontal components are used to estimate Q (f). A geometrical spreading function with spectral amplitude decay of R−0.5 is used for distances beyond 100 km. The following quality factor functions for the assumed geometrical spreading are obtained: QH = 310f0.54 for the horizontal components, and QV = 235f0.65 for the vertical components

Study on Properties and Performance of Cotton/Epoxy Composites Inhibitor

Inhibitory effect of double-base solid propellants is exerted to control and prevent the burning degree of the exposed area which is due to longer burning time. In this research a composite inhibitor based on cotton fibers/epoxy resin was manufactured by filament winding technique. Some flame retardant materials such as antimony trioxide and tetrachlorophthalic anhydride were employed as the components of an inhibitor to control the burning process. A desirable viscosity of an epoxy resin should idealistic increase the wettability of fibers and create stronger adhesion to the propel-lant surface, as low density cotton fibers show high fracture strain. Some samples of composite inhibitors have been produced according to ASTM standards and their mechanical and thermal properties have been studied byseveral tests such as tensile and adhesive tests, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, thermomechanical analysis and flame retardancy. Finally the inhibited propellant charge, statically fired at ambienttemperature, was found to display a smooth and flat pressure-time profile which confirmed the successful performance of cotton/epoxy composite inhibition system without the application of any coating barrier. Also, it is evident that the burning time is increased as well

The Effect of Scrophularia striata Extracts on Wound Healing of Mice

Abstract Background & aim: Scrophularia striata extract has been traditionally used for wound healing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Scrophularia striata extract on wound healing on mice. Methods: In this experimental study, a number of 35 male mice (NMRI) weighing 25-30 g were divided into 5 equal groups. Two 6 mm circular wounds were punched on the back of the mice moreover they were treated for 3 weeks in separate cages. The first group wasconsidered as the control group and the other groups were treated with phenytoin ointment 1%, alcoholic extract, hydroalcoholic and aqueous 10% twice a day for 21 days respectively. The wounds were daily photographed by a digital camera and the wound area was calculated using Image J software. Data were analysed by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney test. Results: The average healing duration in the control group, phenytoin and extracts, aqueous and alcoholic were 9.1 ± 3 6, 6.6± 1.9, 6.5 ± 1.7, 6.7 ± 1.8 and 6.1 ± 0.9 days respectively. The remaining scar size in these groups were 9.08 ± 1.83, 5.84 ± 1.20, 3.7 ± 0.62, 3.5 ± 0.74 and 2.81 ± 0.79 millimeters respectively. The average duration of scar healing and the remaining treatment groups were significantly different from controls (p<0.05). Conclusion: Scrophularia striata extract decreased the period of wound healing in mice. Among the three types of extracts, the hydroalcoholic extract demonstrated the best result. Key words: Scrophularia striata, Healing, Extract, Mic

Learning Medical Pharmacology through Role-Playing Method

Background and Objective: Traditional methods of medical education, despite being easy to implement, do not have long-lasting efficiency. The main aim of this study is to use the help of the learners to teach parts of the medical pharmacology course using role-playing pedagogy. This was done for the first time in Babol University of Medical Sciences with the cooperation of medical students who entered the university in 2016. Methods: Students were divided into 5 groups and a group leader was introduced for each group. Five topics were selected and corresponding scenarios were written. There were three to seven people in each group. The physician together with the hypothetical resident or student examined the patient's problems and prescribed medicine and gave them the necessary recommendations. All participants were given a pre-test and a post-test, and then the findings were statistically analyzed. Findings: 101 students (49 girls and 52 boys) with a mean age of 21.43±1.14 years participated in the study. Except for the topic of poisoning, the mean difference in pre- and post-test scores of female students was lower than that of male students. For example, this difference was observed in the topic of Parkinsonism (p<0.0001). All students involved in the performance obtained better grades in the same topics compared to other students (88.15 vs. 59.71 out of 100). 74% of female students and 79% of male students expressed satisfaction with the implementation of this method. Conclusion: According to the findings, this method has increased the motivation to learn the medical pharmacology course and stabilize the course topics. Therefore, its implementation in difficult courses with diverse and voluminous content not only helps them to learn better, but also helps them maintain their enthusiasm and increase motivation to learn more and consolidate what they have learned