Environmental pollution and pattern formation of Harsin–Sahneh ophiolitic complex (NE Kermanshah—west of Iran)

193-204To determine and estimate the environmental impact of certain elements- 10 soil samples from various areas in these massifs have been investigated. The obtained results show that most of heavy and major elements were exceeding the permissible levels in soil samples in the study area. On the subject of soil quality, concentrations of elements Cr, Mn, Fe, Ca, Mg, Ca, Ni, and Zn are above permissible levels. Comparing the concentrations of elements with results of grain size analysis illustrates that the concentrations of Cr, Ni, Fe, Mg, and Co are positively correlated with sand fraction and the concentrations of Al, P, Mn, and Pb are directly proportional with clay fraction in soil samples. Petrographic evidence indicates that this ophiolitic sequence consists of both mantle and crustal suites. In this complex, generally lithologies include harzburgitic and lherzolitic peridotites, isotropic and mylonitic gabbros, dyke complex, basaltic pillow lavas, and small out crop of plagiogranite. The mineral chemistry of Harsin mafic rocks is island arc setting for this part of complex and geochemistry of mafic and ultramafic rocks of Sahneh region displaying P-type mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) nature

Investigation of Dust Chemical Compounds Emitted by Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) with a reuse perspective

In the process of steel production by electric arc furnace (EAF), it is found that 10 to 20 kg of dust was emitted per every ton of produced steel. Concerning the pollution potential of emitted dust and its reuse ability, the present study was aimed to determine the chemical composition of the electric arc furnace dust with a reuse perspective. This study was done in a steel factory equipped with EAF. Local exhaust ventilation system is installed on the furnace and equipped with cyclone and venturi scrubber. To analysis of dust compounds were gathered in a cyclone and those left the system, the samples were taken from the cyclone hopper and exhaust fan outlet. Finally, the samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). According to the results, the trapped dust in the cyclone and scrubber were 226.86 and 44.81 kg/hr, respectively. The results obtained from XRD analysis also showed that about 50% of the dust was formed by Fe2O3. The quotient of other compounds such as CaO, MgO, SiO2, and Zn was more than 30%. Conclusion: the results of this study showed that EAF dust composed of a range of elements with different concentrations. Given the high weight of these compounds, reusing some of these elements can be having a positive impact on health and the economy

Evaluation of Measles, Rubella, Mumps, Hepatitis B and Varicella Zoster Antibodies in Medical and Dental Students in Shiraz, Iran

 Measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) cause infectious diseases that can be effectively prevented by vaccination. Vaccination of medical students is important, because they are more likely to become exposed and infected by these viruses. A total of 180 students, consisting of 90 women and 90 men, were serologically screened for measles, rubella and mumps, HBV and VZV antibodies. Their sera were examined for Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody against these viruses by using ELISA IgG kits. Total antibody against measles, rubella, mumps, HBV and VZV were 52%, 100%, 76%, 68% and 15% respectively. There was no significant difference in antibodies level according to gender.The results of this study indicate vaccination is vital for medical student prior to hospital training

Study of Soil Pollution with Heavy Metals due to Leakage of Petroleum Hydrocarbons at Kermanshah Refinery

In recent decades, soil pollution with petroleum hydrocarbons in oil-rich countries (such as Iran) has been one of the most challenging issues. In these countries with petroleum industries, mines of oil exploration, refineries, etc., leakage from tanks or pipelines of oil transmission due to corrosion and damage bring about oil pollution for the soil. This study aimed at evaluating and measuring the amount of heavy metals in the soil of Kermanshah Refinery and statistical analysis in order to locate high-risk areas in terms of pollution caused by oil leaks, extraction, refining, and transportation. Therefore; 15 samples of surrounded soil of Kermanshah Refinery were analyzed to determine soil pollution with petroleum compounds. According to results of ICP-MS analysis of soil samples, the process of heavy metal changes in the soil of Kermanshah Refinery was Cr>Zn>Ni>V>Cu>Pb>Co>Sc>As>Cd. Geo accumulation index indicated that the intensity of the refinery soil is classified in the range of no pollution to average with reference to chromium and nickel. Besides, the finding from enrichment factor indicated the average enrichment of the region soil by chromium and lead. Moreover, it confirmed that enrichment in lead and copper has anthropogenic origin. Pollution load index of chromium, nickel, zinc, copper, and lead showed soil pollution to these metals. Zoning map of heavy metal density in the region soil demonstrates that high density of the elements in some stations is related to the petroleum leakage from installations and storage tank

Inborn errors of type I interferon immunity in patients with symptomatic acute hepatitis E

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The clinical spectrum of human infection by HEV ranges from asymptomatic to severe acute hepatitis. Furthermore, HEV can cause diverse neurological manifestations, especially Parsonage-Turner syndrome. Here, we used a large-scale human genomic approach to search for genetic determinants of severe clinical presentations of HEV infection. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We performed whole genome sequencing in 3 groups of study participants with PCR-proven acute HEV infection: (1) 24 patients with symptomatic acute hepatitis E; (2) 12 patients with HEV-associated Parsonage-Turner syndrome; and (3) 16 asymptomatic blood donors (controls). For variant calling and annotation, we used GATK4 best practices followed by Variant Effect Predictor (VEP) and Annovar. For variant classification, we implemented the ACMG/AMP Bayesian classification framework in R. Variants with a probability of pathogenicity >0.9 were considered damaging. We used all genes with at least 1 damaging variant as input for pathway enrichment analyses. We observed a significant enrichment of type I interferon response pathways in the symptomatic hepatitis group: 10 out of 24 patients carried a damaging variant in one of 9 genes encoding either intracellular viral sensors (IFIH1, DDX58, TLR3, POLR3B, POLR3C) or other molecules involved in type I interferon response [interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7), MYD88, OAS3, GAPDH]. We did not find any enriched pathway in the Parsonage-Turner syndrome group or in the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the essential role of type I interferon in preventing symptomatic acute hepatitis E

Nationwide Prevalence of Diabetes and Prediabetes and Associated Risk Factors Among Iranian Adults: Analysis of Data from PERSIAN Cohort Study

Introduction Over the past decades prevalence of diabetes has increased in Iran and other countries. This study aimed to update the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in Iran and to determine associated sociodemographic risk factors, as well as diabetes awareness and control. Methods This is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey that included 163,770 Iranian adults aged 35-70 years, from different ethnic backgrounds, between 2014 and 2020. Diabetes was diagnosed at fasting blood sugar of >= 6.99 mmol/L (126 mg/dL), or receiving blood glucose-lowering treatment. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to detect determinants associated with prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes, as well as predictors of diabetes awareness and glycemic control. Results Sex- and age-standardized prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes was 15.0% (95% CI 12.6-17.3) and 25.4% (18.6-32.1), respectively. Among patients with diabetes, 79.6% (76.2-82.9) were aware of their diabetes. Glycemic control was achieved in 41.2% (37.5-44.8) of patients who received treatment. Older age, obesity, high waist to hip ratio (WHR), and specific ethnic background were associated with a significant risk of diabetes and prediabetes. Higher awareness of diabetes was observed in older patients, married individuals, those with high WHR, and individuals with high wealth score. Moreover, glycemic control was significantly better in women, obese individuals, those with high physical activity, educational attainment, and specific ethnic background. Conclusions The prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in Iranian adults. High proportion of uncontrolled patients require particular initiatives to be integrated in the health care system

Prevalence and predictors of low back pain among the Iranian population: Results from the Persian cohort study

Background and objectives: Low back pain (LBP) is a common health condition in populations. Limited large-scale population-based studies evaluated the prevalence and predictors of LBP in developing countries. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with LBP among the Iranian population. Methods: We used baseline information from the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN), including individuals from 16 provinces of Iran. LBP was defined as the history of back pain interfering with daily activities for more than one week during an individual's lifetime. Various factors hypothesized to affect LBP, such as age, sex, marital status, educational status, ethnicity, living area, employment status, history of smoking, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, sleep duration, wealth score, history of joint pain, and history of morning stiffness in the joints were evaluated. Results: In total, 163770 Iranians with a mean age of 49.37 (SD = 9.15) were included in this study, 44.8% of whom were male. The prevalence of LBP was 25.2% among participants. After adjusting for confounders, the female gender [OR:1.244(1.02-1.50)], middle and older ages [OR:1.23(1.10-1.33) and OR:1.13(1.07-1.42), respectively], being overweight or obese [OR:1.13(1.07-1.19) and OR:1.21(1.16-1.27), respectively], former and current smokers (OR:1.25(1.16-1.36) and OR:1.28(1.17-1.39), respectively], low physical activity [OR:1.07 (1.01-1.14)], and short sleep duration [OR: 1.09(1.02-1.17)] were significantly associated with LBP. Conclusion: In this large-scale study, we found the lifetime prevalence of LBP to be lower among the Iranian population in comparison to the global prevalence of LBP; further studies are warranted to evaluate the causality of risk factors on LBP

Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension based on ACC/AHA versus JNC7 guidelines in the PERSIAN cohort study

In this cross-sectional population-based study, we used the baseline data of the Prospective Epidemiologic Research Studies in IrAN cohort study collected in Iran from 2014 to 2020. The main outcomes were the prevalence of hypertension and proportion of awareness, treatment, and control based on the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline compared to the seventh report of the Joint National Committee (JNC7). Of the total of 163,770 participants, aged 35–70 years, 55.2% were female. The sex-age standardized prevalence of hypertension was 22.3% (95% CI 20.6, 24.1) based on the JNC7 guideline and 36.5% (31.1, 41.8) based on the ACC/AHA guideline. A total of 24,312 participants [14.1% (10.1, 18.1)] were newly diagnosed based on the ACC/AHA guideline. Compared to adults diagnosed with hypertension based on the JNC7 guideline, the newly diagnosed participants were mainly young literate males who had low levels of risk factors and were free from conventional comorbidities of hypertension. About 30.7% (25.9, 35.4) of them (4.3% of the entire population) were eligible for pharmacologic intervention based on the ACC/AHA guideline. Implementation of the new guideline may impose additional burden on health systems. However, early detection and management of elevated blood pressure may reduce the ultimate burden of hypertension in Iran

Socioeconomic inequalities in prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension: evidence from the PERSIAN cohort study

Background Elevated blood pressure is associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease. In this study, we examined the socioeconomic inequality and its related factors in prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control (ATC) of hypertension (HTN) in Iran. Method The study used data from the recruitment phase of The Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN). A sample of 162,842 adults aged > = 35 years was analyzed. HTN was defined according to the Joint National Committee)JNC-7(. socioeconomic inequality was measured using concentration index (Cn) and curve. Results The mean age of participants was 49.38(SD = +/- 9.14) years and 44.74% of the them were men. The prevalence of HTN in the total population was 22.3%(95% CI: 20.6%; 24.1%), and 18.8%(95% CI: 16.8%; 20.9%) and 25.2%(95% CI: 24.2%; 27.7%) in men and women, respectively. The percentage of awareness treatment and control among individuals with HTN were 77.5%(95% CI: 73.3%; 81.8%), 82.2%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%) and 75.9%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%), respectively. The Cn for prevalence of HTN was -0.084. Two factors, age (58.46%) and wealth (32.40%), contributed most to the socioeconomic inequality in the prevalence of HTN. Conclusion The prevalence of HTN was higher among low-SES individuals, who also showed higher levels of awareness. However, treatment and control of HTN were more concentrated among those who had higher levels of SES, indicating that people at a higher risk of adverse event related to HTN (the low SES individuals) are not benefiting from the advantage of treatment and control of HTN. Such a gap between diagnosis (prevalence) and control (treatment and control) of HTN needs to be addressed by public health policymakers