Introduction of a new and multilateral approach in rapid health impact assessment of development projects: A case study of saman sport-tourism project

Background and purpose: Health Impact Assessment (HIA) evaluates positive and negative consequences of development on human health, which is recently proposed in Iran. Human health involves a wide range of factors, therefore, predicting and estimation of their effects require convenient and efficient tools. Materials and methods: In this case study, data was collected and a database on regional health status was created. The research was then carried out in three main stages, including 1- assessment of the epidemiology of important diseases and health risks, 2- health impact assessment of the project via micro-activities, 3-assessment of impacts on three health components, including physical health, metaphysical health, and socio-economic and cultural factors. After assessing negative and positive effects, scoring was performed based on a multidisciplinary panel of experts. Results: According to the final scores calculated, most concerns were associated with diarrheal diseases, intestinal parasites, conjunctiva, and leishmaniasis. On the other hand, preventing and reducing the likelihood of illness due to lack of awareness and the challenge of new people in the region call for extensive cultural and social planning. Conclusion: Quantitative, accurate, rapid, and reliable results of multilateral approach matrix, were able to predict positive and negative effects, thereby leading to an integrated management solutions to mitigate the negative impacts and improving the quality of the project. Implementation of the project proposed was found to be non-problematic while carrying out corrective actions and authorized health monitoring program. © 2018, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

The hypotensive effect of salt substitutes in stage 2 hypertension:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a ubiquitous risk factor for numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease and stroke. There are currently no wholly effective pharmacological therapies for subjects with HTN. However, salt substitutes have emerged as a potential therapy for the treatment of HTN. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of salt substitutes on reducing systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP), following a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Methods: Studies were found via systematic searches of the Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, Ovid, Google Scholar and Cochrane library. Ten studies, comprised of 11 trials and 1119 participants, were included in the meta-analysis. Results: Pooled weighted mean differences showed significant reductions of SBP (WMD - 8.87 mmHg; 95 CI - 11.19, - 6.55, p < 0.001) and DBP (WMD - 4.04 mmHg; 95 CI - 5.70, - 2.39) with no statistically significant heterogeneity between the 11 included comparisons of SBPs and DBPs. The stratified analysis of trials based on the mean age of participants showed a significant reduction in the mean difference of SBP in both adults (< 65 years old) and elderly (�65 years old). However, the DBP-lowering effect of salt substitutes was only observed in adult patients (WMD - 4.22 mmHg; 95 CI - 7.85, - 0.58), but not in the elderly subjects. Conclusions: These findings suggest that salt-substitution strategies could be used for lowering SBP and DBP in patients with stage 2 HTN; providing a nutritional platform for the treatment, amelioration, and prevention of HTN. © 2020 The Author(s)

Source identification and ecological risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments (Case study: Pars special economic energy zone)

Background and purpose: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) compounds are amongst the most hazardous environmental pollutants due to some features such as chemical stability, low degradation, bioaccumulation, and high toxicity for living organisms. Their resources are found in Persian Gulf beaches, so, this study aimed at investigating the concentration, source identification, and ecological risk of PAH compounds in coastal sediments in Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ), Iran. Materials and methods: In order to assess the concentration of PAHs, 16 stations along the coast were selected and in each station two samples were collected. After preparation and extraction of samples using Soxhlet, the concentrations of these compounds were determined by HPLC. The toxicity evaluation indicators and diagnostic ratios were used to assess the ecological risk and determining their origin. Results: Mean concentration of PAHs in sediment was 292.72±54.44 ng/g dry weight. The mean effects range-median quotient of the PAHs (M-ERM-Q, M-PEL-Q), toxic equivalence quotient (TEQ), and mutagenic equivalence quotient (MEQ) showed that current values were less than the permissible limit. Comparison of PAHs concentration with sediment quality standards (NOAA, SQGs, and EPA) showed that the values for all compounds were lower than the standard limits (PEC, TEC, PEL, TEL, ERM). However, among these compounds, the average concentration of Acl was higher than the ERL standard and the concentrations of Acl, Ace, and Phe were higher than the EPA toxicity threshold. Conclusion: In this study, moderate PHAs pollution was seen in the region. Both petrogenic and fuel sources were found to be involved in introduction of these compounds into coastal sediments depending on the location of the station and its sources of contamination. Also, in terms of ecological risk, these compounds have low risks for living organisms. © 2018, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Investigation the mortality rate of children (infants) in west area of Isfahan province from 2006 to 2012

Background and aims: The study investigated mortality rates of children in west area of Isfahan province in 2006-2012. Methods: This cross- sectional study performed in a seven- years period by using information received from Isfahan Health center on neonatal mortality rate, infant mortality rate,under 5 years mortality rate in the west of Isfahan province. Results: The results showed that the NMR in rural areas was 13.5 and in urban areas was 9.5, IMR in rural areas was 18.6 and in urban areas was 13.5, and also U5MR in rural areas was 21.8 and in urban areas was 15.3, Results showed significant relation between indicators of NMR and IMR and U5MR with their life area showing? Conclusion: The results showed that the family physician design has been effective in reducing child mortality, but child mortality rates are still higher in rural areas than urban areas. Therefore, it can be concluded that with implementation family physician design only couldn’t change healthy indications in different areas by itself. Other social and economic factors such as income and health education should be improved along with it

Synthesis and crystal structure of trans-[Ni(pyzdcH)M2(H2O) 2] based on pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid

The determined structure of the title compound C24H20Ni2N8O20 consists of the mononuclear trans-[Ni(pyzdc)2(H2O)2], (pyzdc = pyrazine-2,3- dicarboxylate). The Ni(II) atom is hexa-coordinated by two (pyzdcH)- groups and two water molecules. The coordinated water molecules are in trans-diaxial positions and the (pyzdcH)- anion acts as a bidentate ligand through an O atom of the carboxylate group and the N atom of the pyrazine ring. There are diverse hydrogen bonding interactions such as O&mdash;H&middot;&middot;&middot;N and O&mdash;H&middot;&middot;&middot;O contacts, which lead to the formation of a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture.&nbsp;KEY WORDS: Ni(II), Pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid, Coordination chemistry, Supramolecular&nbsp; chemistry, Hydrogen bond, Proton transferDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v26i1.1

Tetra­kis{4-[(2H-tetra­zol-5-yl)meth­yl]morpholin-4-ium} dodeca­tungstosilicate hexa­hydrate

The crystal structure of the title compound, (C6H12N5O)4[W12(SiO4)O36]·6H2O, consists of an α-Keggin-type [W12(SiO4)O36]4− polyoxidoanion, four [(2H-tetra­zol-5-yl)meth­yl]morpholinium cations and six uncoordinated water mol­ecules. In the cations, the morpholine rings display chair conformations. Extensive N—H⋯O, N—H⋯N, O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds are present in the crystal structure

Urban Heat Island Monitoring and Impacts on Citizen’s General Health Status in Isfahan Metropolis: A Remote Sensing and Field Survey Approach

Urban heat islands (UHIs) are one of the urban management challenges, especially in metropolises, which can affect citizens' health and well-being. This study used a combination of remote sensing techniques with field survey to investigate systematically the effects of UHI on citizens' health in Isfahan metropolis, Iran. For this purpose, the land surface temperature (LST) over a three-year period was monitored by Landsat-8 satellite imagery based on the split window algorithm. Then, the areas where UHI and urban cold island (UCI) phenomena occurred were identified and a general health questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was applied to evaluate the health status of 800 citizens in terms of physical health, anxiety and sleep, social function, and depression in UHI and UCI treatments. The average LST during the study period was 45.5 +/- 2.3 degrees C and results showed that the Zayandeh-Rood river and the surrounding greenery had an important role in regulating the ambient temperature and promoting the citizens' health. Citizens living in the suburban areas were more exposed to the UHIs phenomena, and statistical analysis of the GHQ-28 results indicated that they showed severe significant (P < 0.05) responses in terms of non-physical health sub-scales (i.e., anxiety and sleep, social functioning, and depression). Therefore, it can be concluded that not all citizens in the Isfahan metropolis are in the same environmental conditions and city managers and planners should pay more attention to the citizens living in the UHIs. The most important proceedings in this area would be the creation and development of parks and green belts, as well as the allocation of health-medical facilities and citizen education. Keywords:urban heat island; land surface temperature; split window algorithm; general health questionnaire-28; Isfahan metropoli

The changing profile of cutaneous leishmaniasis agent in a central province of Iran

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran is usually caused by Leishmania major or L. tropica. However, the direct examination or the cultures of biopsies for diagnosis are not very sensitive. The objective of this study was to identify the responsible species obtained from patients suspected of cutaneous leishmaniasis referred to the reference laboratory at Yazd in Iran during 2010-2011 using parasitological and molecular assays. After completing a clinical/epidemiologic data questionnaire for 145 patients with suspected skin lesions, scraping samples were collected. Each specimen was examined using both direct microscopy and molecular assay using polymerase chain reaction-restriction length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Location of the lesions included 47.7% on hands, 30.7% on face, 15.4% on feet, and the remainder on other regions. Out of 145 samples, Leishman body was observed in 52 by direct smear and 73 by PCR assay. Molecular assay indicated 36 cases as L. major, 36 cases as L. tropica and one case as unknown.  In conclusion, molecular characterization showed changing profile of Leishmania species in the study area which may have implications on treatment and/or control strategies