Economic evaluation of municipal solid waste recycling in Yazd: Cost-benefit analysis

Background and aims: In every urban waste management plan, recycling and reuse is considered as an economic pattern. This study aimed to economic evaluation of municipal solid waste recycling in Yazd by cost-benefit analysis in 2015. Methods: This research is a descriptive–analytic study which in the data about quality and quantity of municipal solid waste in Yazd city were collected through the sampling and physical analysis and the data about total income and costs from the implementation of waste separation and recycling were collected by interview with recovery officials and field observations and were analyzed through the economic analysis of the cost-benefit. Results: The results indicated that the mean of waste produced annually in Yazd city was 109679.51 tons per years. The percentage of municipal waste components was organic matter (67%), plastics (7%), paper and cardboard (5%), metals (2%), wood (2%), glass (2%), leather and rubber (1%), textiles (1%) and PET containers (1%), respectively. Also, Only 2 percent of total daily production of waste were separated and recycled at source. The implementation a cost of waste separation at source on a monthly basis was 768,880,000 Rails and the benefits of it was 904,667,400 Rails and as a result, the amount of net benefit derived from the recycling scheme was 135,787,400 Rails. Conclusion: Considering the economic benefits of waste separation and recycling at source in the city of Yazd, can be in addition to compensate the many of the waste management sector costs and reduced waste disposal and management costs, Preventing environmental degradation and pollution of water, soil and air resources

Effects of Peer Education and Orientation Tour on Anxiety in Patient Candidates for Coronary Angiography

Background: Coronary angiography is a stressful procedure for most patients. The physiological responses caused by anxiety during coronary angiography increase the likelihood of dysrhythmia, coronary artery spasm, and rupture. Objectives: This study compared the effects of peer education and an orientation tour on anxiety in patients who were candidates for coronary artery angiography. Patients and Methods: This single blind quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2014. A total of 177 patients who were candidates for coronary artery angiography were divided into three groups: a peer education group, an orientation tour group, and a control group. The patients in the peer education group were trained by a peer educator, and the patients in in the orientation tour group were trained by the researcher, who worked in the angiography unit. The DASS-21 questionnaire was used to measure the patients’ anxiety levels before the intervention and two hours before undergoing the coronary angiography. The data were analyzed using a Chi-square test, analysis of variance, the Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney U tests, and an interquartile range. Results: The three groups did not significantly differ regarding the mean anxiety scores before the intervention. However, a significant difference was observed between the mean anxiety scores of the three groups after the intervention (P = 0.0001). In the peer education group, the mean anxiety score was 5.34 ± 2.52 and decreased to 3.69 ± 2.87 after the intervention (P = 0.0001). In the orientation tour group, the mean anxiety was 5.53 ± 3.49, which and changed to 3.10 ± 2.22 (P = 0.0001). However, the mean anxiety score significantly increased in the control group (5.66 ± 2.94 vs. 6.53 ± 3.43, P = 0.017). Conclusions: Both methods of peer education and orientation tour decreased the anxiety levels in patients undergoing coronary artery angiography. Therefore, these approaches should be carried out according to the hospital condition and facilities

Antioxidant and Antihaemolytic Activities of the Leaves of Kefe cumin (Laser trilobum L) Umbelliferae

Purpose: To investigate the antioxidant and antihaemolytic properties of the leaves of Laser trilubum grown in Gaduk, Iran. Methods: The antioxidant and antihaemolytic activities of the hydroalcohol extract of L. trilobum L. leaf were investigated by haemoglobin-induced linoleic acid peroxidation, scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical, nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide, as well as by assessment of reducing power and Fe2+ chelating activity, using standard methods. Phenol and flavonoid contents were determined as gallic acid and quercetin equivalents, respectively. Results: The extract showed antioxidant activity in some models, with 50 % inhibitory concentration (IC50) for DPPH radical-scavenging activity being 147.1 ± 7.5 μg ml-1. The extract showed good nitric oxide-scavenging activity of between 0.1 and 1.6 mg ml-1 (IC50 = 517.7 ± 23.1 vs. 20 ± 0.01 μg ml-1 for quercetin), weak Fe2+ chelating ability (IC50, 906.9 ± 37.8 μg ml-1), and low antioxidant activity in haemoglobin-induced linoleic acid system. However, it was capable of scavenging hydrogen peroxide in a concentration-dependent manner while also exhibiting potent antihaemolytic activity against H2O2 - induced haemolysis (IC50, 169.6 ± 6.9 μg ml-1). Total phenolic content was 75 ± 3 mg gallic acid equivalent/g and total flavonoid content 59.2 ± 2.1 mg quercetin equivalent/g. The amounts of gallic acid, quercetin and rutin were 0.99 ± 0.04, 0.63 ± 0.01 and < 0.10 μg/mg, respectively. Conclusion: L. trilobum exhibited good but varying levels of antioxidant and antihaemolytic activities in nearly all the models studied, when compared with controls.Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Laser trilobum, Antihaemolytic, Flavonoids, Kefe cumi

A survey of attitudes, practices, and knowledge regarding drug-drug interactions among medical residents in Iran

Background When prescribing medications, physicians should recognize clinically relevant potential drug–drug interactions (DDIs). To improve medication safety, it is important to understand prescribers’ knowledge and opinions pertaining to DDIs. Objective To determine the current DDI information sources used by medical residents, their knowledge of DDIs, their opinions about performance feedback on co-prescription of interacting drugs. Setting Academic hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS) in Iran. Methods A questionnaire containing questions regarding demographic and practice characteristics, DDI information sources, ability to recognize DDIs, and opinions about performance feedback was distributed to medical residents of 22 specialties in eight academic hospitals in Iran. We analyzed their perception pertaining to DDIs, their performance on classifying drug pairs, and we used a linear regression model to assess the association of potential determinants on their DDI knowledge. Main Outcome Measure prescribers’ knowledge and opinions pertaining to DDIs. Results The overall response rate and completion rate for 315 distributed questionnaires were 90% (n = 295) and 86% (n = 281), respectively. Among DDI information sources, books, software on mobile phone or tablet, and Internet were the most commonly-used references. Residents could correctly classify only 41% (5.7/14) of the drug pairs. The regression model showed no significant association between residents’ characteristics and their DDI knowledge. An overwhelming majority of the respondents (n = 268, 95.4%) wished to receive performance feedback on co-prescription of interacting drugs in their prescriptions. They mostly selected information technology-based tools (i.e. short text message and email) as their preferred method of receiving feedback. Conclusion Our findings indicate that prescribers may have poor ability to prevent clinically relevant potential DDI occurrence, and they perceive the need for performance feedback. These findings underline the importance of well-designed computerized alerting systems and delivering performance feedback to improve patient safety

The knowledge and the use of psychological skills of anger management skills at the bedside by the physicians and nurses of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences in 2013

Although all individuals could be exposed to the outburst of anger, a group of them are more at risk than others because of the nature of their work and responsibilities, that the physicians and nurses are placed in this group. In the field of psychology, different skills such as social protection systems, problem-solving skills, self-relaxation system, use of humor skills and communication and negotiation skills have been proposed to control anger. Given the importance of anger management in the prevention of job violence in the health environment and its impact on psychological health of psychiatrists and nurses and also the lack of information and research on the topic, this study aimed to study the knowledge and the use of psychological skills of anger management at the bedside by the physicians and nurses of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences.Methodology: This study is a cross-sectional and descriptive research, its studied sample included 259 general practitioners, specialists and nurses working in two general hospitals affiliated to Jahrom University of Medical Sciences. They were included in the study by the census method. The data was collected by the self-report method and two researcher-made questionnaires: a questionnaire of the knowledge of the psychological skills of anger management and a questionnaire of the use of anger management skills at the bedside and their validity (face and content) and reliability were examined before performing the research. Data analysis was performed with descriptive statistics (mean, frequency, percentage) using SPSS software.Results: The mean of the knowledge of the physicians and nurses of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences from the psychological skills of anger management was 30.2 (standard deviation is equal to 1.53) that based on the classification of the scores of related questionnaire, it was at a good level. Also, the results showed that the mean of the use of psychological skills of anger management at the bedside by the physicians and nurses working in Jahrom University of Medical Sciences was 39.54 (standard deviation is equal to 1.28) that based on the classification of the scores of related questionnaire, it was at a good level.Conclusion: According to the results, the knowledge and the use of psychological skills of anger management skills at the bedside by the physicians and nurses of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences were at the desired level, however, it is proposed to use other evaluation and assessment methods which have no limitations of self-report method in future studies.Keywords: anger management skill, nurses, physician

Estimation of production potential in lake behind the Halilrud dam in Jiroft city

In order to the physical and chemical factors, planktons identification, determination of Chlorophylla and primary production in lake on study wad conducted, behind the Halilrud dam in Jiroft city. For this purpose 5 station selected and sampling was performed seasonally. Compersion of physical, chemical factors and planktons were done by duncan multiple test range. Studied factors had the suitable value for fish culture. In classes of Chrysophyceae, Bacillariophyceae and, Chlorophyceae had the most frequency respectively. Totally 49 phytoplanktons genus were identified which 18, 14,8,5 and 3 genus were related to Chlorophy ceae, Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Dinophyceae and Chrysophyceae, genus respectively. Nitzchia and Navicula in Bacillariophyceae, Chlorococcum, Pediastrum, Staurastrum and Tetradron in Chlorophyceae, Spirulina, Chroococcus, Phormidium in Cyanophyceae and Dinobryon in Chrysophyceae had the most frequency. From Various group of zooplankton, Copepoda, Naplius, Cladocera, Rotifera (Brachinus, Keretella), Trichuridae were identified in winter season and Rotifera was the most of all. Chlorophylla had not significant difference in 9 seasons but it had significan difference in 5 depthes. Increasing in depth causes to decrease chlirophyla. The most chlorophylla was in 0.5m depth (4.7 mg/m3 ) and the least chlorophyllla was in 20m depth(0.82mg/m^3) primary production in lake was calculated by chlorophylla equal to 154 kg/ha/year

Physiology and coronary artery disease: emerging insights from computed tomography imaging based computational modeling

Improvements in spatial and temporal resolution now permit robust high quality characterization of presence, morphology and composition of coronary atherosclerosis in computed tomography (CT). These characteristics include high risk features such as large plaque volume, low CT attenuation, napkin-ring sign, spotty calcification and positive remodeling. Because of the high image quality, principles of patient-specific computational fluid dynamics modeling of blood flow through the coronary arteries can now be applied to CT and allow the calculation of local lesion-specific hemodynamics such as endothelial shear stress, fractional flow reserve and axial plaque stress. This review examines recent advances in coronary CT image-based computational modeling and discusses the opportunity to identify lesions at risk for rupture much earlier than today through the combination of anatomic and hemodynamic information

Investigation of biofilm formation among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from children

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate biofilm formation among Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from children referring to a pediatric hospital in Tehran. Methods: In total, 98 MRSA isolates were collected from children referring to a pediatric hospital during 2014 - 2015. All the isolates were confirmed to be MRSA using PCR amplification of the mecA gene. The antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the isolates were determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion and E-test methods. In order to assess the ability of biofilm formation among the isolates, Congo red agar (CRA) and Microtiter Plate (Mtp) methods were used. Results: All the isolates were found to be susceptible to linezolid and vancomycin and, likewise, the majority was susceptible to minocycline and rifampicin. CRA and Mtp methods showed that 81.6 and 63.3 of the MRSA isolates, respectively, were biofilm producers. Conclusions: The early identification of S. aureus and detection of biofilm formation by the Mtp method are essential steps towards the prevention of the most serious nosocomial infections. © 2017, Archives of Pediatric Infectious Diseases