An application of failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) to assess risks in petrochemical industry in Iran

Petrochemical industries have a high rate of accidents. Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a systematic method and thus is capable of analyzing the risks of systems from concept phase to system disposal, detecting the failures in design stage, and determining the control measures and corrective actions for failures to reduce their impacts. The objectives of this research were to perform FMEA to identify risks in an Iranian petrochemical industry and determine the decrease of the risk priority number (RPN) after implementation of intervention programs. This interventional study was performed at one petrochemical plant in Tehran, Iran in 2014. Relevant information about job categories and plant process was gathered using brainstorming techniques, fishbone diagram, and group decision making. The data were collected through interviews, observation, and documents investigations and was recorded in FMEA worksheets. The necessary corrective measures were performed on the basis of the results of initial FMEA. Forty eight failures were identified in welding unit by application of FMEA to assess risks. Welding processes especially working at height got the highest RPN. Obtained RPN for working at height before performing the corrective actions was 120 and the score was reduced to 96 after performing corrective measures. Calculated RPN for all processes was significantly reduced (p≤0.001) by implementing the corrective actions. Scores of RPN in all studied processes effectively decreased after performing corrective actions in a petrochemical industry. FMEA method is a useful tool for identifying risk intervention priorities and effectiveness in a studied petrochemical industry

Induced third-degree burn in rat: healing by Melilotus officinalis extract as medicinal plant

Introduction: burn wounds are common happenings which cause many people have irreversible defects and to be death around the world every year.  In this study, we evaluated the effects of Melilotus officinalis and Alpha ointment in the healing of burn wounds and compare their findings with silver sulfadiazine (SSD).Methods: Seventy-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups, and similar burn ulcers were produced on the back of rats. The first group of rats received no treatment, base gel was used topically to group II, in groups III-V, Alpha, SSD and Melilotus officinalis preparations were applied, respectively. Wound healing, contraction and histopathological examination were evaluated at the end of 7, 14, and 21 days.Results: Alpha ointment was equally effective as Melilotus officinalis gel, while its efficacy was better compared to SSD for all parameters of wound healing on days 7, 14 and 21. Alpha and Melilotus officinalis preparations as less expensive medications which significantly improve the quality of wound healing and scar formation and also are more appropriate treatment choices than SSD.Conclusion: Alpha and Melilotus officinalis are recommended as alternative to SSD, especially in patients with low economical backgrounds or in those who show adverse reactions to SSD.</p

The Construct Validity and Predictive Validity of In-Training Evaluations of Emergency Medicine Residents in Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: The evaluation of psychometric indicators in order to evaluate the quality of academic achievement exams is of particular importance. The aim of this study was to investigate the results of the written exams and internal evaluations among the emergency medicine residents in terms of the construct validity and also their ability in predicting resident’s academic success. Methods: In this descriptive correlational study all the emergency medicine residents of Tehran University of Medical Sciences who could enter the emergency medicine residency program within 2009 to 2014 and had participated in the pre-board exam till 2017, were selected through the census method (n=199). The certification exam score was considered as the main variable; then, correlation of written and internal evaluations results were compared with it. The Pearson correlation test was used to determine the correlation between the scores. Results: Finally, the evaluation results of 125 residents were analyzed. The correlation between first and second internal evaluation scores, first and second written scores with the certification exam scores were (p=0.006, r=0.3), (p=0.014, r=0.2), (p=0.202, r=0.1) and (p=0.000, r=0.3), respectively. The mean scores of the first, second and third year residents in written exams were 77.92±12.57, 91.33±8.05, 123.13±8.52 out of 150 in 2014; the mean of these scores were 67.44±8.52, 73.17±23.41, 121.52±6.38 in 2015 and 68.71±28.04, 88.24±14.34 and 118.15±7.73 in 2016, respectively Conclusion: The results of this study showed that in-training evaluations of the emergency medicine residents had acceptable predictive validity in predicting academic success of residents. Also, the ability of the written exams in discriminating between residents of different grades demonstrated the construct validity of these exams

Determining Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes (BTEX) Concentrations in the Hydrometallurgical Environment of Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex

Introduction: Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes (BTEX) are important parts of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) family, which are widely used in many industries. These have been classified as carcinogenic compounds and the neurotoxic effects of BTEX have been reported; so, a screening evaluation of workplace air quality for determining BTEX may seem necessary. Methods: In order to measure the workplace concentrations of BTEX in the hydrometallurgical process, six sampling stations were selected. Volatile organic compounds were analyzed using the method 1501 of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Activated carbon was used for sampling and samples were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Results: The highest measured levels were observed for ethylbenzene at sampling station 1 (0.8 ppm). The concentration of benzene in this sampling location was 0.05 ppm. The highest toluene concentration was reported at sampling station 4 (0.15 ppm) and the lowest toluene concentration was 0.02 ppm at sampling station 6. Conclusions: Indoor air quality in workplaces can be affected by the presence of BTEX. The results of measurements of BTEX showed low concentration levels of these compounds in the studied workplac

Identification o f Clinical Methicillin and Mupirocin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Multiplex-PCR

Background: Infections resulted from multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are increasing worldwide. In the present study, a Multiplex-PCR assay for the detection of antibiotic resistance genes among S. aureus clinical isolates and for the concomitant identification of these isolates was described. Methods: A total of 127 S. aureus isolates were collected from clinical specimens at three teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Screening for methicillin and mupirocin resistance in staphylococcal isolates was performed by disk diffusion method, according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. The presence of femB, mecA, and iles-2 genes was investigated by multiplex-PCR. Results: The 62.2% and 7.8% of Staphylococcus isolates were positive for mecA and ileS-2 genes, respectively. The femB fragment was amplified in all S. aureus strains tested. There is a 100% concordance between susceptibility and PCR results for isolates which harbored ileS-2. However, 55.1% of staphylococci were found as MRSA in the phenotypic assay. Conclusions: The PCR assay described in this study was able detect three genes for identification of S. aureus and its methicillin and mupirocin resistant genotypes concomitantly in a single reaction. Hence, this method can be used on regular basis as a valuable diagnostic and surveillance tool in clinical laboratories