Spirometric Parameters in Waterpipe Smokers, Cigarette Smokers, and Non-smokers of Shahedieh Cohort Study

Background: Different kinds of smoking tobacco may affect pulmonary function and reduce some spirometric parameters. This study aimed to assess the relationship between smoking cigarettes and waterpipe and spirometric parameters. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on 1543 middle-aged individuals, as a sub-study of the Shahedieh cohort study in Yazd. The participants were randomly selected from the Shahedieh cohort population and were divided into 6 groups according to their smoking habits: non-smokers (n=455), cigarette smokers (n=139), waterpipe smokers (n=287), ex-cigarette smokers (n=131), concurrent waterpipe and cigarette smokers (n=121), and cigarette or waterpipe passive smokers (n=410). Spirometry was performed on all participants and spirometric parameters were compared between different groups. The data were analyzed by SPSS (version 20) using Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U tests. Findings: FEV1%, FEV1/FVC, and PEF25-75% were significantly lower in cigarette smokers, compared to waterpipe smokers and non-smokers. The measures were not significantly lower in waterpipe smokers in comparison to non-smokers. The frequency of obstructive pattern and small airway diseases was significantly higher in cigarette smokers compared to waterpipe smokers and non-smokers. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that in the middle-aged population, spirometric parameters related to airway obstruction (FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and FEF25-75%) were significantly lower in cigarette smokers than in non-smokers and waterpipe smokers, but these parameters were not significantly different between waterpipe smokers and non-smokers

Hearing Thresholds Changes after MRI 1.5T of Head and Neck

INTRODUCTION: Exposure to high intensity noise produced by MRI is a cause for concern. This study was conducted to determine the temporary and permanent effects of exposure to noise created by performing MRI on the hearing threshold of the subjects using conventional and extended high frequency audiometry. METHODS: This semiexperimental study was performed on 35 patients referred to Shahid Rahnemoun Hospital for head and neck MRI due to different clinical conditions. The hearing threshold of patients was measured before, immediately after, and 24 hours after performing 1.5 Tesla MRI using conventional and extended high frequency audiometry. SPSS version 18 was used to compare the mean hearing thresholds before and after MRI using paired T test and repeated measures analysis. RESULTS: Comparison of auditory thresholds in conventional and extended high frequencies before and immediately after MRI showed a significant shift at 4 KHz (P = 0.008 and P = 0.08 for right and left ears), 6 KHz (P = 0.03 and P = 0.01 for right and left ears), and 14 KHz (P =0.03 and P = 0.31 for right and left ears). However, there was no significant difference between audiometric thresholds before and 24 hours after MRI. CONCLUSION: Noise due to 1.5 Tesla MRI can only cause transient threshold shift

Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension based on ACC/AHA versus JNC7 guidelines in the PERSIAN cohort study

In this cross-sectional population-based study, we used the baseline data of the Prospective Epidemiologic Research Studies in IrAN cohort study collected in Iran from 2014 to 2020. The main outcomes were the prevalence of hypertension and proportion of awareness, treatment, and control based on the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline compared to the seventh report of the Joint National Committee (JNC7). Of the total of 163,770 participants, aged 35–70 years, 55.2% were female. The sex-age standardized prevalence of hypertension was 22.3% (95% CI 20.6, 24.1) based on the JNC7 guideline and 36.5% (31.1, 41.8) based on the ACC/AHA guideline. A total of 24,312 participants [14.1% (10.1, 18.1)] were newly diagnosed based on the ACC/AHA guideline. Compared to adults diagnosed with hypertension based on the JNC7 guideline, the newly diagnosed participants were mainly young literate males who had low levels of risk factors and were free from conventional comorbidities of hypertension. About 30.7% (25.9, 35.4) of them (4.3% of the entire population) were eligible for pharmacologic intervention based on the ACC/AHA guideline. Implementation of the new guideline may impose additional burden on health systems. However, early detection and management of elevated blood pressure may reduce the ultimate burden of hypertension in Iran

Evolution Face of Occupational Health

The world is changing and the landscape of factories, workshops, and industries also changed. Many of new businesses and job titles did not exist in even ten years ago. In other words, our lifestyles, prosperities, and resources have changed since the last decade. However, on the other side, human beings are encountered with new challenges and hazards. The speed of change in the world is much higher than the change speed in identification, assessment, and regulation of the exposure to new hazardous situations or materials. So, harder work is required on the identification and assessment of these emerging situations to investigate possible unwanted health effects of new technologies and work relationships. On the other side of the coin, the occupational health problems in under-developed and less developed countries are caused by production methods and instruments that in some cases have several centuries of age. Since Asian and Middle East countries are somewhat different from European and North American countries, most of applied studies and health system researches conducted in the former region are not considered valid by the later countries. Regarding the above mentioned points, Archives of Occupational Health (AOH), is aimed to publish applied studies on all relevant fields about occupational health. The most important issue in this journal is the quality and applicability of the findings. Archives of Occupational Health targets at publishing the high-quality applied researches in the fields of occupational and environmental health and safety, inhalation exposure assessment, method development, ergonomics, and epidemiology. The accepted manuscripts will be published on the journal’s website as well as printed version of the journal in English (However, we are working hard to add Arabic abstract, because one of the most important missions of our journal is to disseminate the results to the less developed countries, mainly Middle East countries). Our success in this mission largely depends on the kind support of all researchers and practitioners of the relevant fields. We are looking forward to see your valuable manuscripts in AOH.   &nbsp

Mental Health and Ergonomic in the Workplaces, They Need more Elaboration

O ccupational environments are full of wide spectrum of hazardous agents and situations. In its classic view, chemical hazards, safety issues and accidents are highlighted. However, from world war II till now, the paradigm shifted toward the other side of workplace hazards, ergonomics and psychological agents. Ergonomic hazards are rarely directly killer or cause death. They place a huge burden of problems during years on personnel health and safety. Musculoskeletal disorders are among the most prevalent ergonomic related discomfort in the workplaces. Increase in human errors, is another consequence of bad ergonomic conditions. Recently mental workloads and behavioral climate of the workplace are also considered as the important issues in occupational health. Problems like bullying in the workplace, workplace violence and lack of social support in the workplace are rising. Management of these issues are very important in reducing the unwanted health outcomes and hence increasing the wellbeing, productivity and efficiency of workers. In this issue of the Archives of Occupational Health we have several papers about workability index, ergonomic evaluation of the work postures, and mental disturbance due to the occupational noise exposure. Each of these topics are susceptible to put substantial ergonomic and mental burden on the workers. Therefore, assessment and management of these sort of exposure can enhance the wellbeing and finally the productivity. I as the editor of the Archives of Occupational Health hope to these papers shed the light on the less elaborated part of occupational exposures and hazards and give us better insight toward assessment and management of them in the work environment

Greenspace and health, wellbeing, physical activity, and development in children and adolescents: an overview of the systematic reviews

The evidence on the beneficial association of greenspace exposure and mental and physical health and wellbeing of children and adolescents is accumulating. We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses on health, developmental, and behavioral outcomes in children and adolescents related to greenspace exposure, published until August 2022. Most of the available reviews are on mental health and behavioral outcomes. The evidence is mainly cross-sectional and conducted in high-income countries. Exposure assessment has been reported as the main methodological challenge in pooling the studies together. Outcome assessment and population characteristics are also among the reported sources of heterogeneity. Overall, reviews are suggestive of a beneficial association of greenspace with a range of outcomes (e.g., birth, neurodevelopmental, cognitive, behavioral, weight-related, mental health and wellbeing, school performance, and physical and outdoor activities), except for allergic and respiratory outcomes for which the evidence is not conclusive.We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023” Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program to ISGlobal

The Effect of Exposure to Respirable Dust on Blood Parameters of Workers in a Tile and Ceramic Industryin, Yazd

Introduction: The relationship between elevated level of gas and particulate pollutants with increased mortality resulting from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases has been presented in epidemiological studies. Although the principal mechanisms of diseases are still unknown, inflammatory and homeostatic processes have been known to be related to this issue. Accordingly, this study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the relationship between exposure to respirable particulates and blood parameters of workers in a tile and ceramic industry in Yazd Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 80 healthy workers who were exposed to mineral particulates participated. To determine the concentration of respirable particulates, sampling was performed on the respiratory area based on NIOSH_0600 method, and the blood parameters were measured using standard method. Results: The mean concentration of respirable dust was 2.55 mg/m3, which is lower than standard limit (3 mg/m3). To determine the relationship between the concentration of respirable dust and blood parameters, robust regression test was used and this concentration was significantly and positively correlated with WBC. There was also a significant and negative relationship between MCH and respirable dust in the crude model. Conclusion: Exposure of individuals to respirable dust within a level of 0.05-82.84 mg/m3 has been followed by elevated WBC. As a significant number of people work in tile and ceramic industry and are exposed to high levels of pollutants and are also susceptible to different diseases, change to improve the work and preventive measures are essential

A Comparison on Function of Kriging and Inverse Distance Weighting Models in PM10 Zoning in Urban Area

Introduction: The present study aimed to compare the performance of two widely-used models for spatial assessment of particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) in ambient air of Yazd city. Finally, effective factors on concentrations of pollutants and corresponding standards were investigated. Materials and Methods: A number of 13 sampling stations were employed in different areas of Yazd to sample PM10 within two seasons of winter and spring of 2012 and 2013. PM10 was measured by HAZ-DUST EPAM-5000 particulate air monitor. In order to assess the efficiency of Kriging and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) models for PM10 zoning, the statistical Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and %RMSE methods were used in the Arc GIS software version 10.1. Results: The highest (297 µg/m3) and lowest concentrations (35.8 µg/m3) of  PM10 in spring were found in high-traffic historical regions and low-traffic suburban areas, respectively. High-traffic and historical regions had higher levels of PM10 compared to other regions. Given the values of RMSE and %RMSE indicators, Kriging interpolation method was better for zoning of the pollutant PM10 in both winter and spring. Conclusion: According to higher concentration of PM10 compared to WHO standard values particularly in spring, necessary actions and solutions should be taken for the pollution reduction. This study indicated that Kriging model has a better efficiency for spatial analysis of suspended particles, compared to IDW method