Health risk assessment of heavy metals in indoor dust from Bushehr, Iran

Environmental contamination with heavy metals is one of the main concerns on a global scale and the risk related to exposure to heavy metals present in indoor dust is considered as a serious threat to human health. Therefore, the purpose of the current research was to evaluate the heavy metals concentrations in indoor dust and their potential risks in urban areas in Bushehr city, Iran. Fifty-four indoor dust samples were collected from different buildings including lab rooms, offices, school rooms and households within the Bushehr City, during May – July 2016 and analyzed using ICP-AES (Arcousmodel, Germany). The sum of hazard quotient (hazard quotient (HQs) for heavy metals for adults declined in the order of Cr > Cd > Cu >Ni > Zn > Pb for the household while the order of ΣHQ for trace metals for adults in offices is Cr > Cd > Ni >Cu > Zn > Pb. Moreover, the values ΣHQ for trace metals for children declined in the order of Cr > Cd > Zn > Ni > Cu > Pb for the schools while the order of ΣHQ for trace metals for children in households is Cd > Zn >Cu > Cd > Ni > Cr > Pb. For all heavy metals, the HQs was about an order of magnitude higher for children than for adults. These findings can be attributed to the more vulnerability of children to the toxic substances

Evaluation of intoxication in patients with acute impaired consciousness using rapid urine test tape; a diagnostic accuracy study

Objective: Determining the exact underlying etiology of loss of consciousness (LOC) can become a real challenge for physicians due to the broadness of differential diagnoses. The current study aimed to assess the accuracy of a commercially available strip for urine drug screening, in patients presenting with LOC. Methods: One hundred fifty patients with LOC were enrolled in the current cross-sectional study. The diagnostic accuracy of a multidrug urinary strip rapid test was evaluated in comparison to blood analysis as the reference test, and the screening performance characteristics of the rapid test for each substance were estimated. Results: The average age of patients was 46.21±18.59 years (72.67% male). The most frequent false positive results of the test were related to Benzodiazepine (21.5%), Methamphetamine (7.5%), and Tramadol (5.4%), respectively. The screening performance characteristics of the test tape were the best in detection of Amitriptyline with 100.0% (95% CI: 30.99 – 100.0) sensitivity, Cocaine with 100.0% (95% CI: 5.46 – 100.0) sensitivity, and Methadone with 91.54% (95% CI: 81.88 – 96.51) sensitivity, respectively. Conclusion: The current study reveals that employing a urinary strip test for detecting drug intoxication in the setting of emergency department can lead to significant false positive and negative results. Accordingly, relying on a urine drug screen to determine the underlying etiology of LOC should be done with caution

Investigating the Attachment in Urban Residential Environments (Case Study: Tehran Navvab District)

The attachment to a place can be described as a meaningful relationship between person and place, an emotional bond that people consider to be worthwhile as a setting to return. Attachment to a place is an indicator by which one can measure the degree of distinction of that place among people compared to other places. these distinctions are the result of a variety of material and spiritual factors, including the environment, physical and architectural environment, the social environment and types of activities, the level of culture and history, personal and psychological dimensions (perception, cognition, and feeling). Attention to the identity of places that play an essential role in the socio-humanitarian and urban structure is essential in today's society. Social events in residential districts of cities play a vital role in the vivacity of their inhabitants. The present study explores the attachment to the neighborhood among the inhabitants of the Navvab residential district between Komeyl Street and Mortazavi Street. The present study was a survey method in which data was collected using questionnaires and interviews.  The main questions of the present research are, how is the status of neighborhood attachment among residents in the Navvab district? What is the effect of this phenomenon? How can the attachment in people be enhanced by designing the environment? What are the potential capabilities of the environment, and what is the impact of planning on improving the neighborhood? Findings indicate that the variables of local social ties, access to facilities and educations, the sense of security and social order, age of people have a high impact on the attachment to the residential district. Also, people who are more satisfied with their neighborhood are likely to have more attachment to their neighborhood identity. Indigenous people living in the neighborhood (the effect of the length of stay) have more attachment to their neighborhood than non-indigenous people. The more the security of inhabitant of the neighborhood, the more the attachment of the inhabitants becomes

Deep Vein Thrombosis despite Receiving Anticoagulant Prophylaxis; a Cross-sectional Study

مقدمه: آمارهای مختلفی از بروز ترومبوز ورید عمقی و عوارض متعاقب آن حتی پس از درمان ضدانعقادی پیشگیرانه در بیماران با آسیب اندام تحتانی وجود دارد. با توجه به وجود این اختلاف نظرها، مطالعه حاضر با هدف ارزیابی شیوع وقایع ترومبوآمبولیک در بیماران مبتلا به شکستگی اندام تحتانی که تحت درمان ضد انعقادی پیشگیرانه قرار گرفته اند طراحی شده است. روش کار: مطالعه مقطعي گذشته نگر حاضر با هدف ارزیابی میزان شیوع عوارض ترومبوآمبولیک متعاقب شکستگی اندام تحتانی در بیماران مراجعه کننده به بخش اورژانس طی یک سال طراحی شد. بیماران بالای 18 سال با ترومای اندام تحتانی پایین تر از زانو که نیازمند ثابت سازی با آتل یا گچ برای بیش از 2 هفته بودند مورد بررسی قرار گرفتند. یافته ها با استفاده از آماره های توصیفی و نرم افزار آماری SPSS نسخه 21 گزارش شدند. يافته ها: 130 بیمار با میانگین سنی 5/18± 05/40 (92-15) سال مورد مطالعه قرار گرفتند (5/61 درصد مرد). 18 (8/13 درصد) بیمار سابقه سوء مصرف مواد داشتند، 1 (8/0 درصد) بیمار مبتلا به دیابت، 8 (2/6 درصد) بیمار مبتلا به پرفشاری خون، 1 (8/0 درصد) مبتلا به آسم، 1 (8/0 درصد) بیمار مبتلا به سکته مغزی بودند. مکانیسم تروما در 44 (8/33 درصد) مورد سقوط از ارتفاع، 50 (5/38 درصد) مورد سوانح جاده ای و در 36 (7/27 درصد) مورد ترومای مستقیم بود. در نهایت 3 (3/2 درصد) بیمار علی رغم دریافت داروی ضد انعقاد مبتلا به ترومبوز ورید عمقی شدند. متوسط زمان بین ترخیص تا وقوع علائم 6/3 ± 6 روز بود. نتيجه گيری: یافته های مطالعه حاضر حاکی از شیوع  3/2 درصدی حوادث ترومبوآمبولیک در بیماران نیازمند به ثابت سازی اندام تحتانی تحت درمان با هپارین با وزن مولکولی پایین بود. هر سه مورد ترومبوز ورید عمقی در مطالعه حاضر در دو هفته اول بعد از ثابت سازی اتفاق افتاده بودند.Introduction: Contradicting statistics exist regarding the prevalence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following lower limb trauma despite administration of anti-thrombotic agents. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of DVT in patients with lower limb trauma despite receiving anticoagulant prophylaxis. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of traumatic lower limbs DVT despite anti-thrombotic therapy, in patients presenting to emergency department. Patients over 18 years old with traumas in the areas lower than knees in need for fixation with cast or splint for > 2 weeks were enrolled. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and descriptive statistics. Results: 130 patients with the mean age of 40.05 ± 18.5 (15-92) were studied (61.5% male). 18 (13.8%) cases had history of drug abuse, 1 (0.8%) had diabetes mellitus, 8 (6.2%) had hypertension, 1 (0.8%) had asthma, and 1 (0.8%) had history of cranial vascular thrombosis. Mechanism of trauma was falling down in 44 (33.8%) cases, road traffic collisions in 50 (38.5%), and direct trauma in 36 (27.7%). 3 (2.3%) patients developed DVT despite receiving prophylactic anti-thrombotic agents. The mean time interval between discharge and development of DVT was 6 ± 3.6 days. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, the prevalence of DVT, despite receiving anti-thrombotic agents, in patients with lower limb trauma in need for fixation for > 2 weeks was 2.3%. All three cases of DVT in this study were developed in the first 2 weeks of fixation.