Importance of Socioeconomic, Clinical, and Psychological Factors on Health-related Quality of Life in Adolescents After Kidney Transplant

Objectives: Health-related quality of life after kidney transplant in adolescents is a major concern; nevertheless, there is a paucity of data on the variables that have an effect on it. This study evaluated the extent to which socioeconomic, clinical, and psychological characteristics explain the variance in the health-related quality of life of adolescent Iranian kidney transplant recipients. Materials and Methods: Into a hierarchical regression analysis, the cross-sectional socioeconomic, clinical, and psychological characteristics were entered among 55 adolescent Iranian kidney transplant recipients. Results: The relative predictive power of socioeconomic, clinical, and psychological variables with respect to health-related quality of life was 21.8% (P = .088), 21.2% (P = .014), and 27.6% (P = .001). Conclusions: Psychological factors had a greater relative predictive power in postrenal transplant health-related quality of life of adolescents than did the socioeconomic and clinical characteristics. Further research should target to improve the health-related quality of life in adolescent kidney recipients by psychological intervention

Risk assessment of occupational exposure to BTEX in the National Oil Distribution Company in Iran

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the quantitative, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of exposure to BTEX using lifetime cancer risk (LCR) and hazard quotient (HQ) in the National Company for Distribution of Petroleum Products in Iran.METHODS: In this risk assessment method, the data were collected in different parts of the company. In order to determine the concentration of BTEX, sampling was carried out in different parts using activated carbon. A Gas Chromatography–Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) was used for analysis. Analysis and sampling was conducted according to the NIOSH 1500 method. For carcinogenic risk assessment, LCR was calculated. For non-carcinogenic risk assessment, HQ was calculated.RESULTS: The carcinogenetic risk of benzene was definite for loading and deep handling units, and safety officer, and was probable rank for sealing, inspection gate, security, loading 1, and deep handling units. The carcinogenic risk of ethylbenzene was definite for quality control and loading 1 units, was probable for deep handling and loading 2 units, and safety officer, and was possible for sealing, inspection gates, security units. The non-carcinogenic risk of toluene was acceptable for deep handling, clothing, inspection gates, and sealing units, but was unacceptable for officer safety, quality control, loading 1, and loading 2 units. The non-carcinogenic risk of xylene was acceptable for the inspection gate unit, but was unacceptable for security, sealing, officer safety, quality control, deep handling, loading 1, loading 2 units.CONCLUSIONS: This risk assessment method used was a comprehensive and quantitative method, so it determined risk accurately. Commensurate with the risk level of each part of the company, the appropriate corrective actions must be carried out

Women's Blood Donation: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Reasons for Non-Donation of Blood among Female Staff at Tehran Blood Transfusion Center

Background: The blood donation proportion of women to men is 1 to 9 in Iran. Lack of time, fear of needling and difficult access to donation sites were main reasons for not donating blood in previous studies. The aim of this study was to assess barriers of blood donation by women working in Tehran blood transfusion center.Methods: To achieve the aim of this study we designed a qualitative research. The study population came from female personnel in Tehran Blood Transfusion Center (TBTC) they were recruited by qualitative purposeful sampling with no history of blood donation. Results: Twenty-seven female personnel of TBTC aged 21-55 years old were entered to two focus group discussions. In the focus group discussion, knowledge of participants about the needs and importance of blood donation and donor acceptance criteria was desirable. There were common fears and beliefs about blood donation, similar to the results of  previous study in general female population, including weakness, concerns of having or developing anemia, fear of needling, being in reproductive age, menstruation cycle, pregnancy and childbearing stage. Some of participants believed that working in TBTC, especially in technical units, acts as a deterrent  For few females who worked in TBTC, concern of a positive test result either true or false was another cause of not blood donation. A few donors mentioned that derived plasma from female bloods was not used and also some others experienced complicated blood donation in clients. So they did not attempt to donate blood.Conclusions: At first, it seemed that female staff working in TBTC might have different perceptions about blood donation because of greater awareness than women in the general community. However the results of this study showed that reasons of not donating blood in this group of women was not different from females in the general population

Women's Blood Donation: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Reasons for Non-Donation of Blood among Female Staff at Tehran Blood Transfusion Center

Background: The blood donation proportion of women to men is 1 to 9 in Iran. Lack of time, fear of needling and difficult access to donation sites were main reasons for not donating blood in previous studies. The aim of this study was to assess barriers of blood donation by women working in Tehran blood transfusion center.Methods: To achieve the aim of this study we designed a qualitative research. The study population came from female personnel in Tehran Blood Transfusion Center (TBTC) they were recruited by qualitative purposeful sampling with no history of blood donation. Results: Twenty-seven female personnel of TBTC aged 21-55 years old were entered to two focus group discussions. In the focus group discussion, knowledge of participants about the needs and importance of blood donation and donor acceptance criteria was desirable. There were common fears and beliefs about blood donation, similar to the results of  previous study in general female population, including weakness, concerns of having or developing anemia, fear of needling, being in reproductive age, menstruation cycle, pregnancy and childbearing stage. Some of participants believed that working in TBTC, especially in technical units, acts as a deterrent  For few females who worked in TBTC, concern of a positive test result either true or false was another cause of not blood donation. A few donors mentioned that derived plasma from female bloods was not used and also some others experienced complicated blood donation in clients. So they did not attempt to donate blood.Conclusions: At first, it seemed that female staff working in TBTC might have different perceptions about blood donation because of greater awareness than women in the general community. However the results of this study showed that reasons of not donating blood in this group of women was not different from females in the general population

Risk assessment of occupational exposure to BTEX in the National Oil Distribution Company in Iran

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the quantitative, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of exposure to BTEX using lifetime cancer risk (LCR) and hazard quotient (HQ) in the National Company for Distribution of Petroleum Products in Iran. METHODS: In this risk assessment method, the data were collected in different parts of the company. In order to determine the concentration of BTEX, sampling was carried out in different parts using activated carbon. A Gas Chromatography–Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) was used for analysis. Analysis and sampling was conducted according to the NIOSH 1500 method. For carcinogenic risk assessment, LCR was calculated. For non-carcinogenic risk assessment, HQ was calculated. RESULTS: The carcinogenetic risk of benzene was definite for loading and deep handling units, and safety officer, and was probable rank for sealing, inspection gate, security, loading 1, and deep handling units. The carcinogenic risk of ethylbenzene was definite for quality control and loading 1 units, was probable for deep handling and loading 2 units, and safety officer, and was possible for sealing, inspection gates, security units. The non-carcinogenic risk of toluene was acceptable for deep handling, clothing, inspection gates, and sealing units, but was unacceptable for officer safety, quality control, loading 1, and loading 2 units. The non-carcinogenic risk of xylene was acceptable for the inspection gate unit, but was unacceptable for security, sealing, officer safety, quality control, deep handling, loading 1, loading 2 units. CONCLUSIONS: This risk assessment method used was a comprehensive and quantitative method, so it determined risk accurately. Commensurate with the risk level of each part of the company, the appropriate corrective actions must be carried out

Parental Education or Household Income? Which Socioeconomic Status Indicator Can Better Reduce Body Mass Index Disparities among Latino Children?

Aim: We compared the effects of parental education and household income on children’s Body Mass Index (BMI) in Hispanic White (HW) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) families. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study and analyzed data of 5100 children between the ages of 9 and 10. The independent variables were parental education and household income. The primary outcome was BMI value. Ethnicity was the moderating variable. Confounders were age, sex, and family structure. Three mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis. Results: Overall, higher parental education and household income were associated with lower BMI levels in children. While an interaction was reported between ethnicity and parental education, no relation was noted between ethnicity and household income regarding BMI. The interaction indicated weaker protective effects of high parental education on BMI in HW children than NHW children. Household income showed similar protective effects on children’s BMI in HW and NHW families. Conclusion: Parental education but not household income loses some of its protective effects on childhood BMI among HW families compared to NHW families. Distal social determinants of health may be more vulnerable to the MDRs (minorities’ diminished returns) than proximal ones. As a result, closing the income gap may be a good strategy towards closing the childhood BMI gap between highly educated HW and NHW families. Policies that raise the minimum wage and those that help HW families save money (e.g., earned income tax policies) maybe more promising strategies to eliminate the ethnic gap in BMI than increasing the education level of ethnic minority families

Parental Education or Household Income? Which Socioeconomic Status Indicator Can Better Reduce Body Mass Index Disparities among Latino Children?

Aim: We compared the effects of parental education and household income on children's body mass index (BMI) in Hispanic White (HW) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) families. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study and analyzed data of 5100 children between the ages of 9 and 10. The independent variables were parental education and household income. The primary outcome was BMI value. Ethnicity was the moderating variable. Confounders were age, sex, and family structure. Three mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis. Results: Overall, higher parental education and household income were associated with lower BMI levels in children. While an interaction was found between ethnicity and parental education, no interaction was noted between ethnicity and household income regarding BMI. The interaction indicated weaker protective effects of high parental education on BMI in HW children than NHW children. Household income showed similar protective effects on children's BMI in HW and NHW families. Conclusion: Parental education but not household income loses some of its protective effects on childhood BMI among HW families compared to NHW families. Distal social determinants of health may be more vulnerable to the MDRs (minorities' diminished returns) than proximal ones. As a result, closing the income gap may be a good strategy towards closing the childhood BMI gap between highly educated HW and NHW families. Policies that raise the minimum wage and those that help HW families save money (e.g., earned income tax policies) maybe more promising strategies to eliminate the ethnic gap in BMI than increasing the education level of ethnic minority families. Keywords: body mass index (BMI); children; ethnicity; obesity; socioeconomic status

Experimental and drying kinetics study on millet particles by a pulsating fluidized bed dryer

This research studies experimentally the drying of foxtail millet in a pulsation-assisted fluidized bed. The effects of temperature and pulsating flow frequency on millet drying are examined. The experiments are conducted at temperatures of 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C for three pulsating frequencies of 0.5, 1, and 2.5 Hz and continuous flow. The best result is obtained for drying with a frequency of 1 Hz. It shows that the pulsating flow is more effective at 50 °C as compared to other temperatures. Four reliable semi-empirical models are used for predicting the moisture reduction during drying process. Among the fitted dynamic models, the model that has the maximum correlation coefficient (R2) and minimum sum of squares of error (SSE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) and well able to predict the behavior of millet drying in the whole process was chosen

Technological Assessment of Autochthonous Lactic Acid Bacteria and their Antibacterial Activities Against Food borne Pathogens in Goat Milk Lactic Cheese: LAB as biopreservative in dairy products

Background and Objective: Lactic cheese is a highly consumed dairy product that is of great nutritional values. However, great concerns are reported regarding their safety, microbial quality and short shelf life. Addition of antimicrobial compound-producing lactic acid bacteria as protective cultures is known to improve safety and ensure quality of food products. The current study was carried out to assess antibacterial and several technological characteristics of autochthonous Lactic acid bacterial isolates for their use in goat milk lactic cheese to control Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. Material and Methods: Antibacterial and other technological characteristics, including proteolytic activity, diacetyl production, autolytic activity and survival, in various NaCl concentrations and at suboptimal temperatures of several Lactic acid bacteriasolates were assessed. The potent isolates were identified to species level by phenotypic and genotypic methods (16 srRNA gene sequencing) and finally they were assessed for their ability to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes in prepared goat milk lactic cheese. Results and Conclusion: Lactic acid bacterial isolates, showing significant antibacterial action, proteolytic activity and diacetyl production, were identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum RTCC 1290-1, Lactobacillus acidophilus RTCC 1299 and Lacticaseibacillus casei RTCC 1296-1. These isolates survived at 25 and 45 ºC, tolerated up to 8% NaCl and 55 ºC for 10 min (p≤0.01). Lactobacillus acidophilus demonstrated the highest autolytic activity (38.69%) followed by Lacticaseibacillus casei (28.44%) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (18.38%), respectively. Cocultures of the selected lactic acid bacterial isolates in goat milk lactic cheese resulted in a 5 log CFU g-1 decrease in Listeria monocytogenes, while, Staphylococcus aureus counts decreased by only 3 Log CFU g-1 (p≤0.05) during a month of storage at room temperatures. However, lactic acid bacterial counts increased 2–4 Log CFU g-1 from Day 15, which was reported stable up to Day 30. In conclusions, Lacticaseibacillus casei, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus bears promising biopreservative effect for the control of foodborne pathogens. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Marital Relationship and Its Associated Factors in Veterans Exposed to High Dose Chemical Warfare Agents

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the associates of marital relationship in mustard exposed veterans. Materials and Methods: Two hundred ninety two married Iranian mustard exposed veterans, who had been exposed to single high dose mustard gas in Iraq-Iran war, were assessed for marital adjustment with Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS). Census sampling was done. The patients' quality of life (SF-36), spirometric measures and war related data were also extracted. Results: A total of 189 subjects (65%) completed our study. The mean (±SD) of the RDAS Total score, RDAS Dyadic Consensus , RDAS Affectional Expression, RDAS Dyadic Satisfaction , and RDAS Dyadic Cohesion were 50.61 (8.16), 16.67 (2.77), 7.62 (1.84), 14.76 (3.39), and 11.54 (3.79), respectively. RDAS Dyadic satisfaction was correlated with SF-36 and all its sub-scores (p<0.05). RDAS total score showed significant correlation with SF-36 total score and most of its sub-scores (p<0.05). RDAS affective expression was significantly correlated with role limitation, social function, general mental health, vitality, General health perceptions, physical composite score (PCS) and mental composite score (MCS) (p<0.05). RDAS dyadic consensus was not correlated with any SF-36 sub-scores. Conclusion: Veterans health team including physicians, psychologists and/or psychiatrists should know that poorer marital satisfaction is linked with lower quality of life scores, late after mustard exposure, although marital relationship is independent of spirometric findings, age, duration from exposure and comorbidity score