Study of acute flaccid paralysis surveillance system in Kerman (Iran) for one decade

Background — During the past decade, polio eradication has stalled globally. Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance is a key strategy for monitoring the progress of polio eradication. All AFP patients who referred to expert committee were evaluated about the causes. Methods — This case series study is the result of activities for one decade of expert AFP committee of Kerman University of Medical Sciences from 2002‐2011, with coverage of more than 2,650,000 populations and 730,677 child with age of ≤15 years old. All patients have gone under diagnostic and therapeutic managements. Results — The total cases referred to Kerman expert committee of AFP for ten years were 147 cases. In our study the incidence of AFP was 2.016 per 100000 populations for one year.The most common causes of AFP were Guillain‐Barre syndrome (GBS). Other causes of AFP were; stroke, synovitis, myelitis, seizures, cerebral palsy, viral infections, tumors, cerebellitis and non‐polio AFP. The rate of GBS in our study was 0.96 per 100000 in children 15 years old or smaller, and more in male. In this study the incidence rate in cities with low mean temperature was higher than in cities with high mean temperature. Conclusion — We had no polio case in this period. The most common cause of AFPs was Guillain–Barre syndrome. The incidence of GBS was higher in areas with low mean temperature

Mid-term Prediction of Meteorological Drought Using Fuzzy Inference Systems

Forecasting and monitoring droughts are important elements of optimum water resources management specifically in the metropolitan areas. Tehranas the biggest city of Iranand its five dams (Amirkabir, Lar, Latyan, Mamloo and Taleghan) are also exposed to drought hazards. In the current article, monthly meteorological data in the geographic area covering [0˚, 60˚] Northern latitudes and [0˚, 90˚] Eastern longitudes with 10×10 degree resolution including air temperature and geopotential height at 1000, 850, 700, 500 and 300 mbar levels are used as the model predictors. These data recorded in the period of 1948 to 2008 have been used to develop a model for forecasting SPI (Standardized Precipitation Index) values in Winter and Winter-Spring seasons with 2.5 and 4.5 months leadtime. This model has been calibrated using 31 years of data. Mutual Information (MI) index has been used to select the inputs (predictors) for each basin in each season. Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) has been used to formulate the model. The fuzzy membership functions have been selected based on sensitivity analysis and engineering judgment. The results of the study have shown that geopotential height in 850 and 300 mbar levels are the best predictors for forecasting SPI values in the selected seasons. The model results have had enough accuracy to be used for forecasting SPI values in Winter and Spring seasons inKaraj and Taleghan basins and SPI values in the Winter season in Mamloo, Latyan, and Lar basins

Accurate measurement of nanofluid thermal conductivity by use of a polysaccharide stabilising agent

Measuring the thermal conductivity of low viscosity fluids such as aqueous nanofluids is challenging due to the formation of convection currents. In the current work, a modification of the transient hot-wire thermal conductivity measurement technique was investigated to address this problem. The polysaccharide agar was used as a gelling agent to prevent the formation of convection currents, thereby enabling measurement of thermal conductivity. The experimental method was validated by comparison of experimentally measured thermal conductivity values with published reference values over a range of temperatures for two reference fluids stabilised by agar: water and an ethylene glycol/water solution. The precision of thermal conductivity measurements was found to be significantly improved by use of this gelling agent. These findings indicate that agar, or a similar gelling agent, can be used to enable accurate measurement of the thermal conductivity of aqueous fluids. This measurement technique was utilised to accurately measure the thermal conductivity enhancements of copper and alumina aqueous nanofluids with low nanoparticle concentrations, over a range of temperatures. The thermal conductivities of these nanofluids were found to be within ± 2 % of those predicted by the Maxwell model.Higher Education AuthorityUniversity College DublinMinistry of Science, Research and Technology (Iran)24 month embargo - A

The relationship between work-life balance and quality of life among hospital employees

Introduction: Work-Life Balance (WLB) has got a significant attention among issues in a working environment. This study was conducted to investigate the current WLB status, and its’ association with quality of life (QoL) among hospital employees. Method: A cross-sectional survey of 210 hospital employees was conducted in a period of 3 months (April to June 2016) in three training hospitals in Yazd, Iran. Two standard questionnaires including WLB and WHO Quality of Life were used to gather data. The differences in the WLB by demographic variables were examined using Independent t-test and one-way ANOVA statistics. Pearson correlation coefficient was also used to examine the association between WLB and QoL among hospital employees. Results: Most of the study participants devoted more time on work other than personal life. Employees’ perception toward WLB was proved to be associated with QoL in all of the domains. However, there was no significant difference in terms of age, working shift, and work experience. Conclusion: By increasing the WLB, QoL increases. Also, clinical staff and employed women were more likely to be the subject of poorer work-life balance which requires appropriate policy making in workplaces to effectively deal with the issue

Dietary supplementation of a mixture of Lactobacillus strains enhances performance of broiler chickens raised under heat stress conditions

High ambient temperature is a major problem in commercial broiler production in the humid tropics because high producing broiler birds consume more feed, have higher metabolic activity, and thus higher body heat production. To evaluate the effects of two previously isolated potential probiotic strains (Lactobacillus pentosus ITA23 and Lactobacillus acidophilus ITA44) on broilers growing under heat stress condition, a total of 192 chicks were randomly allocated into four treatment groups of 48 chickens each as follows: CL, birds fed with basal diet raised in 24 °C; PL, birds fed with basal diet plus 0.1 % probiotic mixture raised in 24 °C; CH, birds fed with basal diet raised in 35 °C; and PH, birds fed with basal diet plus 0.1 % probiotic mixture raised in 35 °C. The effects of probiotic mixture on the performance, expression of nutrient absorption genes of the small intestine, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and microbial population of cecal contents, antioxidant capacity of liver, and fatty acid composition of breast muscle were investigated. Results showed that probiotic positively affected the final body weight under both temperature conditions (PL and PH groups) compared to their respective control groups (CL and CH). Probiotic supplementation numerically improved the average daily gain (ADG) under lower temperature, but significantly improved ADG under the higher temperature (P < 0.05) by sustaining high feed intake. Under the lower temperature environment, supplementation of the two Lactobacillus strains significantly increased the expression of the four sugar transporter genes tested (GLUT2, GLUT5, SGLT1, and SGLT4) indicating probiotic enhances the absorption of this nutrient. Similar but less pronounced effect was also observed under higher temperature (35 °C) condition. In addition, the probiotic mixture improved bacterial population of the cecal contents, by increasing beneficial bacteria and decreasing Escherichia coli population, which could be because of higher production of VFA in the cecum, especially at heat stress condition. The two Lactobacillus strains also improved the fatty acid profile of meat, including at heat stress. Generally, the two Lactobacillus strains can be considered as good potential probiotics for chickens due to their good probiotic properties and remarkable efficacy on broiler chickens

Effect of Dietary Lead on Intestinal Nutrient Transporters mRNA Expression in Broiler Chickens

Lead- (Pb-) induced oxidative stress is known to suppress growth performance and feed efficiency in broiler chickens. In an attempt to describe the specific underlying mechanisms of such phenomenon we carried out the current study. Ninety-six one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 2 dietary treatment groups of 6 pen replicates, namely, (i) basal diet containing no lead supplement (control) and (ii) basal diet containing 200 mg lead acetate/kg of diet. Following 3 weeks of experimental period, jejunum samples were collected to examine the changes in gene expression of several nutrient transporters, antioxidant enzymes, and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) using quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that addition of lead significantly decreased feed intake, body weight gain, and feed efficiency. Moreover, with the exception of GLUT5, the expression of all sugar, peptide, and amino acid transporters was significantly downregulated in the birds under Pb induced oxidative stress. Exposure to Pb also upregulated the antioxidant enzymes gene expression together with the downregulation of glutathione S-transferase and Hsp70. In conclusion, it appears that Pb-induced oxidative stress adversely suppresses feed efficiency and growth performance in chicken and the possible underlying mechanism for such phenomenon is downregulation of major nutrient transporter genes in small intestine

Investigatinon of Green Hospital Standards in Jiroft Hospitals

Introduction: The International Standard Organization created a set of specified standards titled ISO 14000 in 1996 which includes numerous advisory documents related to the environment management, environment supervision, environmental performance evaluation, ecologic labeling, life cycle evaluation and environmental aspects. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical cross sectional study. The population being studied includes the managers and the staff of Jiroft hospitals. The required data are collected using standard questionnaires of environmental management system from 118 managers and staff in various sections of Jiroft hospitals. Results: The results of the study show that the laboratory, laundry and kitchen condition, water management, contaminants management and spreading to the air, as well as environmental strategies in attaining green hospital standards in Jiroft hospitals, in accordance with ISO 14000, are suitable and at the optimum level. Conclusion: Hospital and health systems can improve their economic and moral situations in the society by helping to attain the goals of the millennium development in the field of health and stability as well as green economic

Characteristics and health risk assessment of heavy metals in indoor air of waterpipe cafés

This research characterized the concentrations of heavy metals in indoor air of waterpipe (WP) cafés. Fifty of the 236 WP cafés in Ardabil city, Iran were randomly selected and air samples were taken from standing breathing zones of smokers and staff ~150 cm above ground level. Concentrations of Ag, Al, As, B, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sn, Sr, V, and Zn were determined in the samples using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry system (ICP-OES). Mean concentrations of the selected metals and their maximum values did not exceed workplace limit levels. However, concentrations were drastically higher than indoor air guidelines. For smokers, the average inhalation lifetime cancer risks (LTCRs) for As, Cd, Cr, and Ni were calculated 1.75 × 10−5, 3.8 × 10−6, 4.19 × 10−4, and 7.79 × 10−5, respectively. Also for employees, the mean LTCR of As, Cd, Cr, and Ni is 1.65 × 10−4, 6.94 × 10−5, 4.47 × 10−3, and 8.17 × 10−4, respectively. Except than the LTCR of Cd for the smokers, it was higher than the standard limit set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and world health organization (WHO) for the remain metals. The mean of Hazard quotients (HQ) for Cr, Hg, and Mn were calculated to be 3.82, 0.02, and 0.73, respectively. WP smoking was the main source of the metals in indoor air of WP cafés and concentrations were especially high in cafés located in basements (vs. ground level) and which relied exclusively on natural ventilation