Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma Gondii in pregnant females referring to Ashrafi Isfahani Hospital in Khomeinishahr, 1998-2000

Background: Primary infection of toxoplasma gondii in pregnancy may lead to death, abortion, severe infection of neonates and asymptomatic but progressive infections. With respect to the known complications of toxoplasma gondii, the present study was conducted in Ashrafi Isfahani hospital in Khomeinishahr, 1998-2000, to determine the seroepidemiology of toxoplasma gondii in parturients.Materials and Methods: 270 parturients aged 15-45 years were included. Having received 5ml peripheral blood sample, the presence of antibody was determined in dilutions of 1/20 and 1/100. In case of positive results in dilution of 1/100, tests were carried out for higher titers. Titer of 1/20 was considered as the criteria for diagnosis, however titer of 1/400 was considered significant.Results: Toxoplasma gondii was revealed in 32.2 of the subjects, of which, 17.6 had IgM antibody and 82.6 had IgG. Most of the affected individuals aged 20-25 years (36.7).Conclusion: Results have revealed that toxoplasma gondii is relatively prevalent in Khomeinishahr. Bear in mind the susceptibility of pregnant women as well as high expenses of serologic screening tests, the necessity of educational programs in felt further

An evaluation on the adherence of Candida albicans to different denture- base materials

The surface topography of denture base material is an important factor for the"nadhesion of Candida albicans and other microorganisms."nPurpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the adherence of Candida albicans to four types of denture"nbase materials (Acropars acrylic resin, Meliodent acrylic resin, rough and smooth surfaces of Molloplast B)."nMaterials and Methods: Seven blocks of two types of acrylic resins and ten blocks of silicone with one"nrough and one smooth surface were made and incubated in a suspension of Candida albicans. After washing,"nthe blocks were stained with acridine orange and examined under fluorescent microscope. For statistical"nanalysis ANOVA and Duncan tests were used."nResults: It was observed that Candida adhesion to rough surfaces of acrylic resins and silicone was"nsignificantly more than polished surfaces of acrylic resins and smooth silicone (PO.0001). However, no"nstatistical significant difference was found between polished acrylic resins surfaces and smooth silicone."nConclusion: Significant differences in the adherence of Candida to the surfaces of different denture base"nmaterials are due to differences in surface topography, chemical, physical and hydrophobic properties so it is"nrecommended to minimize the roughness and irregularities of denture base

The effect of safety education based on Health Belief Model (HBM) on the workers practice of Borujen industrial town in using the personal protection respiratory equipments

Background and aims   Every year 50-158 million occupational diseases and job accidents occur in the world. Studies on the job injuries show that about 150000 injuries occur annually in  Iran. Unhealthy behaviors are important problems in public health. Education is one of the best ways to change unhealthy behaviors. Interventions based on model and theories have many  capacities for behavior change. Health Belief Model is one of the health education models that are  useful for behavior change. This research has been performed in order to assess the effect of health  education program based on health belief model (HBM) to prevent occupational respiratory   diseases in workers.   Methods   Aquasi-experimental design was used for this interventional study, in which 88 of workers of Borujen industrial town participated, who were randomly assigned to experimental and control group. Data collecting tool were a self-administered questionnaire including 53 questions based on health belief model that was completed by the workers, in addition to the performance check list which was conducted by researcher via insensible controlling the workers' safety behaviour. Validity and reliability of the tools were examined prior to the study. Educational  intervention was conducted in the first stage following by the second data collection one month  later. The data of both experimental and control group were compared statistically before and  after the intervention.   Results   The results showed that the mean of the grade of all parts of health belief model  (HBM) and performance mark of the workers about safety and use of personal respiratory  preventive equipment in experimental group after educational intervention compared to prior the  study and also compared to control group were significantly increased.   Conclusion   The results of this survey showed that by enhancement of health belief model (HBM) components including perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers  and perceived benefits, adopting preventive actions increases, too. Therefore, the results of this survey confirm the effectiveness and efficiency of health belief model (HBM) in safety education and adopting preventive actions of respiratory occupational diseases in worker's behaviors