Estimation of life expectancy changes in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiyary Province, Iran, during 2005-2009

زمینه و هدف: امید زندگی یکی از اندازه های خلاصه، برای سلامت جمعیت است که مقادیر و روند تغییرات آن در طول زمان، نتیجه اصلی عملکرد نظام سلامت را نشان می دهد. این مطالعه با هدف برآورد تغییرات امید زندگی در طی سالهای 1384 تا 1388 در استان چهارمحال و بختیاری انجام گردید. روش بررسی: این مطالعه توصیفی اپیدمیولوژیک که به بررسی امید زندگی با استفاده از اطلاعات جمعیتی (آمار موجود در مرکز بهداشت استان) و مرگ و میر (بر اساس داده های کشوری ثبت مرگ) بر حسب سن و جنس در سال های 1384، 1385، 1386 و 1388 در استان چهارمحال و بختیاری می پردازد. اطلاعات با استفاده از فرمول های آماری و جمعیت شناسی و ساخت جدول عمر با توجه به دستورالعمل سازمان جهانی بهداشت به کمک نرم افزارهای Excel و PAS (Population Analysis Spreadsheets) تجزیه و تحلیل گردید. یافته ها: امید زندگی در کل جمعیت استان در سال های 1384، 1385 و 1386 به ترتیب 03/70 سال (مردان 7/68 و زنان 49/71 سال)، 24/72 سال (مردان 55/70 و زنان 08/74 سال) و 38/72 سال (مردان 97/70 و زنان 95/73 سال) بوده و همچنین در سال 1388 امید زندگی در مردان به 14/72 و در زنان به 38/75 و در کل جمعیت به 7/73 سال افزایش یافت. نتیجه گیری: امید زنـــدگی در استان چهارمحال و بختیاری در زنان بیشتر از مردان بوده و روند آن در طی سال های مورد بررسی رو به افزایش بوده است

Time-Dependent Bearing Capacity Increase of Uniformly Driven Tapered Piles- Field Load Test

This paper describes the results of field load tests on concrete tapered and straight-sided piles driven into a cohesive saturated ground. The piles were driven into a depth of 12 m at a close distance using diesel hammer machine. The soil profile consisted mainly of soft CL and ML in the Unified Soil Classification System. Two piles were tested initially after 35 days from the installation date using maintained load test procedure according to ASTM D1143-81. Then similar tests were performed on two piles after 289 days following the installation date. The results showed the capacities of both piles were roughly identical after 35 days from the installation time. The load-settlement behaviour of tapered showed stiffer than that of the straight-sided pile. After 289 days from the installation date, both piles offered greater bearing capacity values. The long term bearing capacity of a tapered pile was about 80% greater than that of a uniform pile of the same volume and length. In long term, for a given load level applied to the pile heads, the tapered pile offered greater stiffness than the straight-sided pile. This indicates the advantageous use of tapered piles instead of straight sided piles of the same volume and length

Prevalence of major coronary heart disease risk factors in Iran

Background and aims: Coronary heart diseases (CHDs) contribute to mortality, morbidity, disability, productivity and quality of life. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of major risk factors for CHD in the provinces of Iran. Methods:This study reported pre-existing data and was of secondary, descriptive type. Prevalence of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors was defined for the provinces of Iran. A reliable report of NCD risk factors, the national surveillance program conducted in Iran, such as type II diabetes, hypertension and mean body mass index (BMI), smoking, hookah smoking, high cholesterol and obesity was used. Results: The highest and lowest prevalence of hypertension was obtained in Bushehr (20.85) and Yazd (12.86) provinces, respectively. The highest mean BMI was reported from Mazandaran province (26) and the lowest from Sistan and Baluchestan province (22.50). Qom province had the highest prevalence of diabetes (27.65). The highest prevalence of high cholesterol was obtained in Lorestan province (50.87 ) and the lowest in the Khouzestan province (22.71). East Azarbaijan province had the highest prevalence of smoking (14.8) and Kurdistan province the lowest (0.16). Hookah smoking was most prevalent in Hormozgan province (7.62). The highest prevalence of physical activities was reported from Sistan and Baluchestan province (47.84) and the lowest from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad (22.2). Conclusion:Prevalence of CHD risk factors is the main priority for the Iranian health system. There is a need for intervention programs in the provinces which are at greater risk as well as for modification of people’s lifestyle

Contrasting actions of various antioxidants on hyperlipidemia: A review and new concepts

Hyperlipidemia can lead to disorders that result in the onset of various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases which are the leading cause of death in many industrialized countries. Antioxidants are recommended in the treatment of various diseases, particularly atherosclerosis. However, the results of the studies are inconclusive and do not provide strong evidence that antioxidants have a substantial effect on disease. From the results of the studies presented in this paper it might be concluded that although antioxidants might be beneficial in patients with atherosclerosis or other cardiovascular diseases, however, single or even combination of a few antioxidants are not reliable agents for this purpose. This might be due to the complexity of free radicals which are produced and work as a continuous chain. It is known that after scavenging electron, if an antioxidant is not restored by the following antioxidant in the chain, it usually changes to a pro-oxidant. In this situation, the final effect of such supplementation would be no or a damaging effect. In this review study, other than presenting and discussing the studied antioxidants on hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular diseases, the possible reasons for the opposing actions of different antioxidants are discussed in detail

Overview of medicinal plants used for cardiovascularsystem disorders and diseases in ethnobotany of differentareas in Iran

Background and Aims: Today, cardiovascular diseases are the prominent cause of death in industrialized countries which include a variety of diseases such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, thromboembolism, coronary heart disease, heart failure, etc. Recent research findings haveshown that not only the extent of cultivation and production of medicinal plants have not beenreduced, but also day-to-day production and consumption have increased. In traditional botanicalknowledge, herbal medicines are used for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. In this study,we sought to gather and report medicinal plants used to treat these diseases in different regionsof Iran.Methods: The articles published about ethnobotanical study of cardiovascular diseases in variousregions of Iran, such as Arasbaran, Sistan, Kashan, Kerman, Isfahan Mobarakeh, Lorestan andIlam were prepared and summarized.Results: The results of ethnobotanical studies of various regions of Iran, such as Arasbaran, Sistan,Kashan, Kerman, Isfahan Mobarakeh, Lorestan and Ilam were gathered. The results showed thatsumac plants, barberry, yarrow, wild cucumber, horsetail, Eastern grape, hawthorn, wild rose,spinach, jujube, buckwheat, chamomile, chicory, thistle, Mary peas, nightshade, verbena, sorrel ,cherry, citrullus colocynthis, Peganum harmala, sesame and so many other plants are used for thetreatment of cardiovascular diseases and disorders.Conclusion: Herbal medicines are used effectively for some cardiovascular diseases. Rigoroustraining of patients to take precautions and drug interactions into account and to avoid thearbitrary use of medicinal plants is very important

Removal of acid red 88 from wastewater by adsorption on agrobased waste material. A case study of Iranian golden Sesamum indicum hull

Background: Colors are very useful in different industries such as textile and leather but when they enter water, can cause many biological and environmental problems. In the present research, a waste agricultural material which is freely available is employed to analyze its efficiency for removing acid dye from contaminated wastewaters. Methods: In this study, batch adsorption experiments were performed in the treatment process of acid red 88 (AR88) by Iranian golden Sesamum indicum (IGSI) seeds hull which is produced abundantly in some countries and especially in Iran up to 1100 kg/ha. Also, the effect of operational parameters like adsorption time, pH, dye concentration and adsorbent dosage was studied on pollutant removing efficiency. The experimental data of AR88 adsorption was fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images for the IGSI were taken before and after adsorption process. Results: The efficiency of dye adsorption on adsorbent was found to be 98.2%. The optimum pH for treatment was 4.5 which is in the acidic range. Enhancing the adsorbent dosage from 0.5 to 2.5 g caused increasing in removal efficiency from 73.85% to 95.85%. Decreasing in dye concentration from 70 to 30 mg/L caused increasing in removal efficiency from 79.73% to 95.83%. The process of adsorption was best fitted to Langmuir model and the amount of dye adsorbed on adsorbent, qe, was found to be 25 mg/g. Comparison between SEM images before and after dye adsorption, showed the significant difference that was due to the dye loading on adsorbent. Conclusion: The results of present study demonstrated higher dye removal efficiency for AR88 in acidic pHs. Employing the IGSI material in this study proves to be a potential alternative to expensive adsorbents, utilized for the treatment of contaminated industrial waste waters. Keywords: Adsorption, Acid red 88, Waste products, Sesamum, Waste water, Color remova

Echocardiographic versus fick method for determination of cardiac output in children with various congenital heart disease

برون ده قلبی مهم ترین شاخص عملکرد قلب می باشد که در نحوه اداره بالینی، اتخاذ شیوه درمان و پیش آگهی بیماران مبتلا به ناهنجاری های مادرزادی قلبی اهمیت بسزائی دارد. هدف کلی این مقاله شامل تعیین و مقایسه برون ده قلبی با دو روش فیک (به عنوان استاندارد طلائی) و اکو- داپلر به منظور معتبرتر نمودن روش اخیر در برآورد برون ده قلبی در کودکان با ناهنجاری های مختلف مادرزادی می باشد. در طول 2 سال، 56 کودک بین 15–3 سال با بیماری های مختلف مادرزادی مورد بررسی قرار گرفتند. برون ده قلبی با روش فیک (در موقع کاتتریزاسیون قلب) و با روش اکو-داپلر محاسبه و سپس اندکس قلبی بر اساس سطح بدن به دست آمد. همبستگـــی بین مقادیر با آزمــــون رگرسیون و مقاسیه میانگیــــن هـــا با آزمون t-paired test انجام گردید و مقادیر کمتر از 05/0 معنی دار در نظر گرفته شد. اندکس قلبی با روش فیک 18/2±18/7 لیتر در دقیقه و با روش اکو94/1±58/7 لیتر در دقیقه محاسبه گردید. ضریب همبستگی بین مقادیر فوق919/0= r با 0001/0P< و 85/.r²= به دست آمد و با این پژوهش به فرمول: (اندکس قلبی با روش اکو) 03/1+63/0-= اندکس قلبی با روش فیک دست یافتیم. اختلاف میانگین برون ده قلبی با دو روش مذکور معنی دار بود (001/0

Equivalent Capacity and Its Application to Bandwidth Allocation in High-Speed Networks

High-speed fast-packet-switched network architectures are capable of supporting a wide range of connections with different bandwidth requirements and traffic characteristics. While this environment provides increased flexibility in supporting various services, its dynamic nature poses difficult traffic control problems when trying to achieve efficient use of network resources. One such a problem is the issue of bandwidth management and allocation. Because of the statistical multiplexing of all connections at the physical layer and the variations of connections bit rate, it is important to characterize, for a given Grade-Of-Service (GOS), both the effective bandwidth requirement of a single connection and the aggregate bandwidth usage of multiplexed connections. In this paper, we propose a computationally simple approximate expression for the equivalent capacity or bandwidth requirement of both individual and multiplexed connections, based on their statistical characteristics and the desired GOS. The purpose of such an expression is to provide a unified metric to represent the effective bandwidth used by connections and the corresponding effective load of network links. These link metrics can then be used for efficient bandwidth management, routing, and call control procedures aimed at optimizing network usage. While the methodology proposed in the paper can provide an exact approach to the computation of the equivalent capacity, the associated complexity makes it infeasible for real-time network traffic control applications, hence, an approximation is required. The validity of the approximation developed in the paper is verified by comparison to both exact computations and simulation results

Staphylococcus phytotherapy: An overview on the most important Iranian native medicinal plants effective on Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus exists everywhere such as respiratory tract and skin of adults and it is considered as one of the important factors for nosocomial and outpatient infections such as Endocarditis, Osteomyelitis, Toxic shock syndrome, Abscess, Pneumonia, Meningitis, etc. The aim of this study was presenting an overview on the most important Iranian native medicinal plants affecting on Staphylococcus aureus. All required information was obtained by searching key words such as S. aureus, medicinal plant extracts or essential oils of published articles in authentic scientific databases such as PubMed, Sciencedirect, Blackwell Wiley, Springer , Google scholar , Scientific information database (SID) and Magiran. Plantago psyllium (Fleawort), Aloe vera, Zataria multiflora (thyme), Achillea wilhelmsii (yarrow), Avicennia marina (mangrove), Nerium oleander (oleander), Allium sativum (garlic), Trigonella foenum (fenugreek), Teucrium polium (Poleigamander), Cichorium intybus L. (chicory), Lavandula stoechas (lavender) and Salvia leriifolia Benth (common sage) are the most important plants which have antibacterial effects on staphylococcus aureous. Results of this study showed that antioxidant compounds and flavonoids such as Thymol, Carvacrol, Camphor, Cineol, Tannins, Allicin and Tripenes are active antimicrobial and antifungal compounds. Many antimicrobial properties of plant extracts are due to presence of phenolic compounds, polyphenolic acids, terpenoids, essential oils, alkaloids, sulfuric compounds and so on, in different parts of plants such as roots, leaves, buds, seedlings and skin. Since the use of these compounds as anti-staphylococcal effect has been proved, specific tests can be performed for production of bioactive herbal drugs against this bacterium