Systematic design of habitat services network (HSsN) for updating conservation areas in iran's arid and Semi-Arid ecosystems

Threats caused by human activities have reduced the quantity and quality of wildlife habitats connectivity. This research seeks to protect habitat biodiversity by creating a network of high quality habitats that remained. Therefore, it is very necessary to know about the dynamic effects of changes in the landscape pattern on the quality of the habitat, because it helps to preserve biodiversity, guarantee ecological security, and environmental sustainability. In the present study, a systematic process was used to design a network of habitat services comprising hotspots and corridors in arid and semi-arid ecosystems of eastern Iran, South Khorasan Province. In this process, habitat quality was first modeled using the InVEST software, then data mining methods were used to identify habitat hotspots and their spatial distribution. In the next step, habitat corridors were extracted based on the circuit theory and using the Circuitscape software. In the ultimate step, using graph theory based on the concept of ecological security, the connectivity of the habitat network was evaluated. The results of habitat network construction showed that 8% and 6% of the total area of the study area included key habitat patches and corridors, respectively. On the other hand, the overlapping of habitat network components with the conserved areas of the study area showed that free or non-conservation areas make up a significant amount of network components (49.18% of the habitat patch and 80.02% of the habitat corridor). These results reveal the existence of habitat protection potential and can help in updating the new boundaries of conservation areas. Also, the composite indices of dPC and dIIC could determine the importance of each of the network's components in evaluating the connectivity of the habitat network, so that the application of the results can show the priority options to the land managers for protecting the habitat network. In general, the systematic process proposed in this research can be used in planning the sustainable conservation of habitat networks, identifying patterns of ecological security, evaluating and constructing habitat networks in lands with similar climates, and changing and wisely reviewing the conservation area boundaries

Relationship between temporomandibular joint dysfunction and psychological distress among students of Babol University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Iran

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction is a condition which affects the TMJ and muscles of mastication in the stomatognathic system and the associated structures. Several studies have indicated that approximately 60-70% of people suffer from at least one of the symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) in their life while only 5% need treatment. Some of evidence have suggested that myofascial pain, functional somatic syndromes are critical conditions of muscle pain which may be resulted from the psychosocial factors. The purpose of this epidemiological study was to evaluate the prevalence of relationship between TMDs, and psychological distress among university students at Babol University of Medical Sciences and Babol University of Technology, Iran. METHODS: This study conducted due to diversity in prevalence reports and to follow the standardized diagnostic method of research in this field. In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical (wrong term) research, 592 students at different universities in Babol were selected using stratified sampling method. Information about the signs and symptoms of TMD was collected by dental students and through completing the research diagnostic criteria (RDC) for TMD questionnaire. The data were analyzed using χ2, t-test, and Student’s test. RESULTS: Between the subjects (28.9%) had at least one type of TMD and the difference between two sex groups was statistically significant. About 5.7% of subjects had moderate to severe symptoms of depression and the difference between two sex groups was statistically significant. In this study, the relationship between depression symptoms and non-specific physical symptoms (NPS) (either with or without pain) with TMD was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: In this study, no significant relationship was observed between depression symptoms, as well as NPS (with or without pain) and TMD (P = 0.682). KEYWORDS: Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, Depression, Prevalence, Psychological Distresse

A 15-Month-Old Boy With Respiratory Distress and Parapharyngeal Abscess: A Case Report

Parapharyngeal abscess is a life-threatening disease. Upper respiratory tract infection is the main cause in children. We present a 15-month-old boy admitted to the emergency ward with the chief complaint of difficulty in breathing caused by parapharyngealabscess. His condition deteriorated gradually, and he transferred to the operation theater quickly for abscess drainage and because of the difficulty in orotracheal intubation; a tracheostomy was performed. His respiratory condition deteriorated 2 days after PICU admission, and the medical team noticed an unexplainable respiratory distress. A chest x ray obtained and showed a right side pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema around theneck area. The case presented here, had not been diagnosed at the first examination; however, there were enough clinical clues (such as respiratory distress, drooling, torticollis, bulging of theneck, previous viral respiratory infection, possible pharyngeal trauma). The story of this case reminds us the importance of the precise physical exam and history taking which could be life-saving