Knowledge and Practice of Secondary Girl Students of Birjand in Relation to Iron Deficiency Anemia and Iron Supplementation in 2015

Background: Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional problem in the world that has affected the physical and mental health of many adolescent girls. The aim of the present study was to determine the knowledge and practice of secondary girl students of Birjand about iron deficiency anemia and iron supplementation in schools. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 on 300 girl students in the secondary schools of Birjand who were selected through cluster sampling. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire containing demographic variables, 18 questions about knowledge and 7 questions for practice. Data were analyzed through SPSS18 and using Chi-square, Fisher's exact test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Mean scores of knowledge and practice of students were respectively 61.4±13.3 and 59.9±11 of 100. Knowledge of 13.3% of students and practice of 12% of them was good, while 25.7% of students had poor knowledge and 23.3% had poor practice. From all, 13.3% had not consumed iron tablets distributed at school. Knowledge of students showed a significant relationship with father's (P=0.013) and mother's education (P=0.009) and students' practice had a significant relation with father's job (P=0.01) and mother's education (P=0.0001). Conclusion: Given the results of this study showing relatively poor awareness and practice of students; planning and implementation of educational programs to improve students’ knowledge and practice on anemia, prevention of iron deficiency and correct consumption of iron supplements, seems necessary

Premarital Screening for Beta-Thalassemia in Birjand City

Background: Thalassemia is a common inherited anemia; and population-level screening followed by molecular evaluation is the most effective way to prevent it. Given the significance of beta-thalassemia minor and its prevalence in communities, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of beta-thalassemia minor among participants in the pre-marital screening program in Birjand City, located in South Khorasan province, Iran.Methods: The study included individuals who underwent pre-marital testing between 2014 -2019 and were categorized as high-risk for beta-thalassemia based on their blood indices and medical diagnosis. Data on their blood indices and follow-up results were collected from Birjand City's health center using a pre-designed form. The data were analyzed using statistical tests to assess significance.Results: Out of 35,801 couples who underwent premarital testing, 195 (390 individuals) were identified as the high-risk group for beta-thalassemia. Among these high-risk couples, 67.2% responded to iron therapy. Thalassemia prevalence was 9.7% among high-risk couples, 31.6% among individuals at actual risk, and 76% among those who underwent Prenatal Diagnosis (PND). The mean values of MCV, MCH, and Mentzer indices were significantly higher in the group that responded to iron therapy compared to the group eligible for PND.Conclusion: It was demonstrated that the prevalence of beta-thalassemia carriers among marriage applicants attending the health center in Birjand City is currently low. However, the implementation and continuity of beta-thalassemia screening programs for couples in this region can effectively prevent the birth of infants with thalassemia major and prevent unexpected medical treatment expenses

Comparison of growth performance and immune responses of broiler chicks reared under heat stress, cold stress and thermoneutral conditions

P. 1-7This study was conducted to compare the effects of thermal stress on growth performance and some immunity variables of broiler chickens. Birds were randomly assigned to one of three thermal treatments as follows: cold stress (CS, 12±1 °C), (b) heat stress (HS, 33±3 °C) and (c) thermoneutral (TN, 24±2 °C). Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), water intake (WI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded. In order to evaluate the primary and secondary humoral immune responses, two birds per replicate were intravenously administrated with a suspension of 7% sheep red blood cell (SRBC) at 28 and 35 days. The heat-stressed broiler chickens had lower FI (-14.90%), BWG (-25.71%) and higher FCR (+13.06%) in comparison to broiler chickens reared under TN condition (p<0.001) from 1 to 42 days of age. The cold-stressed broiler chickens showed lower FI (-22.05%), BWG (-38.32%) and higher FCR (+22.47%) in comparison to birds reared under TN conditions (p<0.001). Stressed birds (CS and HS) showed decreased antibody titer against SRBC, lymphocyte count and the relative weights of lymphoid organs and increased heterophil count, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio and the serum concentration of corticosterone, in comparison to birds in TN group (p<0.001). In conclusion, HS and CS conditions have similar negative effects on performance and immunity of broiler chickens.S

Evaluation of Changes in Reference Evapotranspiration in Iran Over the Last Decades

IntroductionToday, one of the biggest challenges for mankind is the lack of water resources in the world. This is one of the limiting factors for agricultural development in Iran in recent years. Identifying and estimating reference evapotranspiration (ET0) can help make decisions to plan and mitigate the use of water resources and appropriate management methods in the country. Thus, one of the ways to reduce water losses in the fields is good irrigation planning, which is based on accurate estimation of the water requirements of plants and ET0. The aim of this research is to evaluate the ET0 changes using temperature and radiation methods, statistical tests such as Man-Kendall, Sen’s slope analysis in Iran over the last decades. Material and MethodsIn the current research, primary evaluation of data, such as sorting, etc., was conducted in the desired ET0 calculation format. For the classification of weather station climate, annual precipitation and temperature data from 1976 to 2020 were used. To estimate ET0, maximum temperature (°C), minimum temperature (°C), average relative humidity (%), wind speed (m/s), and sunshine hour (h) were used on a monthly time scale. The Koppen-Geiger climate classification method was used to classify the meteorological stations studied. For estimating monthly and annual ET0, the methods such as FAO Penman-Monteith (FAO PM), Hargreaves-Samani (H-S), and Priestley Taylor (PT) were used. Then, an attempt was made to introduce the appropriate model for each climate by using the results of ET0 estimation using RMSE and MAE. ET0 maps were produced with more accuracy based on the results of the RMSE. Among different geostatistical interpolation methods, the Kriging method worked better than the other methods, which was used as the superior interpolation method. The Mann-Kendall non-parametric test was used to detect the trend of time series. To examine the trend slope in the ET0 time series, the  non-parametric Sen's slope method was used. For qualitative analysis of the ET0 trend, the innovative ITA trend was used for all three methods on a yearly basis Results and DiscussionIn this research, the station climate classification results show that climate varieties in Iran are high and can be divided into seven different climates. According to the RMSE and MAE statistical evaluations, the H-S method in semi-desert climates, dry and cold steppe, dry desert, temperate with dry summers, very hot semi-desert and snowy climates; and PT method in dry desert climates, moderate with dry summers, semi-desert, and very hot semi-desert were recognized as superior methods. In the temperate and rainy climate zone of Bandar Anzali, the H-S, and in Rasht, the PT methods were evaluated as suitable methods. Based on the monthly ET0 estimation, the amount of ET0 is significantly reduced in the northwestern, western and northeastern regions during the winter season. In winter, ET0 decreases as a result of increased air moisture. In the spring season, the amount of ET0 declined in the northern latitudes. The onset of convective spring rains in the northern latitudes of the country is one of the reasons behind this reduction in ET0 in these areas. During the summer season, regions in the upper latitudes have a lower ET0 because of their lower temperature than southern latitudes. In the autumn, there is a lower ET0 in the northern latitudes than in the southern regions of the country. Trend analysis shows that with the exception of the Arak station with an ET0 downward trend in April, most ET0 time series have a positive trend in the rest of the stations. Sanandaj is the only station that has a downward trend in ET0 in November. An increasing trend is observed in most of the studied stations, but in some other stations such as Arak and Sanandaj, a downward trend in the Reference Evapotranspiration may be observed. Finally, the results of the Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA) showed an upward trend in the amount of ET0 in both high and low areas in all seasons. This shows the increase of the long-term ET0 trend, indicating the increase in water requirements for plants in Iran. In the present study, climatic data from 40 stations from 1976 to 2020 were used to estimate ET0 in Iran. The Koppen- Geiger method was also used to classify the weather stations into the seven climates classes. The FAO PM, H-S, and PT models were used to estimate monthly and annually ET0. To choose the appropriate method of estimating ET0 in each climate zones; the H-S and PT methods were compared with the FAO PM method, and validated using RMSE and MAE statistics. Due to the involvement of various processes in ET0 changes, the best estimation method differs between stations. In this research, the H-S method was more compatible than the PT method at most of the stations.  Results have been presented as monthly and annual zoning maps. The zoning results of the three ET0 calculation methods mentioned showed that changes in climatic elements in different regions and periods have different effects on the ET0 value. The trend in ET0 changes using the Mann-Kendall test showed that the ET0 data at most stations have an increasing slope. Only two stations (Arak representing the top stations and Sanandaj representing the bottom station) have a decreasing slope. Based on the results of the ET0 time series analysis using ITA, the ET0 trend increased at all stations representative of the high and low elevation zones. Overall results show that TE0 has increased in most parts of the country, resulting in increased water requirements for plants. In the absence of effective management, Iran will face a serious water crisis in the future

The effectiveness of in-service training on cardiopulmonary resuscitation: report of first and second levels of Kirkpatrick\'s model

Introduction: Today, organizations have special attention on effective in-service training for their growth and development. The aim of this study is to present a report on the first and second levels of Kirkpatrick's model for the effectiveness of in-service training of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for nurses. Methods: This is a cross-sectional evaluation study based on Kirkpatrick's model. For this purpose, in-service training workshop of CPR was held and then evaluated. With&nbsp; &nbsp;eighty nurses participated in the study with informed consent where simple sampling method was used. The in-service training course was evaluated based on reaction and learning levels of Kirkpatrick model. Results: The effectiveness score obtained in the first level of model was 4.2&plusmn;0.32. The effectiveness score in the second level of model, which is evaluated with research made questionnaire using pretest-posttest design, was 4.7&plusmn;0.09 that is statistically significant. Conclusion: Although the next level of evaluation is in progress and the results are still unmet, the results of this study showed that CPR in-service training has good efficacy and Kirkpatrick evaluation model can be used as an appropriate model for evaluating the effectiveness of nursing in-service training

The Antimicrobial Effect of Methanolic Extracts of Achillea wilhelmsii, Myrtus communis, and Allium sativum on Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Background and Objectives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium, which has the ability to cause opportunistic infections in patients with immunodeficiency. The conditions of the patient as well as the response of infection-producing strain to treatment, can be very effective in infection progression process, so that, infectivity process leads to bacteremia and sepsis, causing a difficult situation. Increasing resistance of this bacterium has prompted researchers to discover an effective agent to suppress the pathogenicity of this pathogen. Since ancient times, herbal extracts have been used to treat various infections. In this study, the antimicrobial effect of methanolic extracts of Achillea Wilhelmsii, Myrtus communis, and Allium sativum, was investigated on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. &nbsp; In this study, the effect of Achillea Wilhelmsii, Myrtus communis, and Allium sativum extracts, was investigated on 4 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the effect of each extract, was studied using agar dilution method. &nbsp; Among these three extracts, the Allium sativum &nbsp;extract showed the highest antimicrobial activity. Also, observations were indicative of difference in the susceptibility of the studied strains to different extracts, which showed different reactions to each of the extracts based on the origin and antibiotic resistance level. &nbsp; According to the results of this study, extracts are a natural and valuable sources to produce antimicrobial drugs against pseudomonas strains and other resistant pathogenic bacteria. &nbsp; &nbsp

Polysaccharide-based hydrogels containing herbal extracts for wound healing applications

Development of an ideal wound dressing with effective function for healing various types of wounds is the ultimate desire of the researchers. Natural-based compounds such as polysaccharides and phytochemicals offer useful properties making them perfect candidates for wound management. Polysaccharides-based hydrogels with an interconnected three-dimensional network, and desired properties have great potential as a carrier for delivery of different herbal extracts for oral and topical applications. Herbal extracts are extensively used for wound healing purposes, individually or in combination with other active agents. This study summarizes the current knowledge acquired on the preparation, functionalizing, and application of different kinds of polysaccharide-based hydrogels enriched by herbal extracts for different wound healing applications. The structural, biological, and functional impact of the polysaccharides and herbal extracts on the final hydrogel characteristics, as well as their influence on the different phases of the wound healing process have been discussed

The effect of Coriander cream on healing of superficial second degree burn wound

Background: Coriander with the binominal name of Corianda Sativum, is one of the oldest medicinal plants ever known to man. Anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal effects of its oil has been mentioned in numerous studies. This study examines the impact of coriander cream on wound healing of the second-degree singe burn. Methods: In this experimental study which was performed in the animal lab of the Hazrat Fatemeh Hospital in Tehran, 48 adult male rats with an approximate weight of 250-300 grams, with deep burns of 2 cm 4&times;2 dimensions were prepared and divided into 4 groups of 12. We used silver sulfadiazine cream, alpha ointment, coriander cream and vaseline gauze (control group) dressings in burn wound of the groups 1 to 4 respectively. At the end of the study (30 days), rats were euthanized with a high dose of thiopental and the wounds were evaluated on days 10 and 17 with a punch biopsy. Samples were fixed with 10% formalin on histopathology slide using haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining (to assess and determine the presence of inflammatory cells). The amount of fibrin and collagen at the site were evaluated using a software program ImageJ, version 1.45 (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA). Results: The mean of wound surface area in the first photography was no significant (P= 0. 135). The rate of wound healing in alpha ointment and coriander cream had better outcomes than either of the other two groups (P= 0.000). The healing of the wound in silver sulfadiazine group was significantly less than other groups. Pathology results showed a statistically significant difference between the four groups (coriander, alpha, SSD and control), based on the Kruskal-Wallis test. These relate to (1) polymorphonuclear in the first (P= 0.032) and the second series (P= 0.003), (2) Angiogenesis in the second series (P= 0.004). (3) Fibrosis in the first series (P= 0.024) and the second series (P= 0.000). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that wound healing improvement in coriander cream group was better than the control group and silver sulfadiazine group; and similar to alpha ointment group