First report of Dibrachys lignicola (Hym.: Pteromalidae) from Iran

The species Dibrachys lignicola Graham is newly recorded from Rayen region of Kerman province, Iran. The diagnostic characters and geographical distribution of the species are briefly discussed

Prevalence of Cannabis Lifetime Use in Iranian High School and College Students: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analyses,and Meta-Regression

Cannabis is the most widely used substance in the world. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of cannabis lifetime use (CLU) in high school and college students of Iran and also to determine factors related to changes in prevalence. A systematic review of literature on cannabis use in Iran was conducted according to MOOSE guideline. Domestic scientific databases, PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar, relevant reference lists, and relevant journals were searched up to April, 2014. Prevalences were calculated using the variance stabilizing double arcsine transformation and confidence intervals (CIs) estimated using the Wilson method. Heterogeneity was assessed by Cochran's Q statistic and I-2 index and causes of heterogeneity were evaluated using meta-regression model. In electronic database search, 4,000 citations were retrieved, producing a total of 33 studies. CLU was reported with a random effects pooled prevalence of 4.0 (95 CI = 3.0 to 5.0). In subgroups of high school and college students, prevalences were 5.0 (95 CI = 3.0 to -7.0) and 2.0 (95 CI = 2.0 to -3.0), respectively. Meta-regression model indicated that prevalence is higher in college students (beta = 0.089, p < .001), male gender (beta = 0.017, p < .001), and is lower in studies with sampling versus census studies (beta = -0.096, p < .001). This study reported that prevalence of CLU in Iranian students are lower than industrialized countries. In addition, gender, level of education, and methods of sampling are highly associated with changes in the prevalence of CLU across provinces

Relative frequency of 35delG mutation in GJB2 gene in autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) patients in Kerman population

Congenital hearing loss with many genetic and environmental causes affects 1 in 1000 newborns. Mutations in the GJB2 (Gap junction beta-2) gene encoding the gap junction protein connexin 26 have been established as the main cause of autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss. The aim of this study was to study the frequency of one mutation (35delG) of GJB2 gene in Kerman non-syndromic deaf population. For this purpose, 130 chromosomes from 65 patients were studied and 35delG mutation was diagnosed in 3 (2.3%) chromosomes (1 patient was homozygote and the other one was heterozygote). This rate of frequency is significantly higher comparing to that in the whole population of Iran. Keywords: Autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL), GJB2, 35del

The Frequency of Mental Disorders among Kerman Residents above 15 Years of Age

Abstract: Background & Aims: In developed countries mental disorders are recognized by screening questionnaires and clinical interviews. Since there is a limited number of epidemiological studies about mental disorders in Iranian population, the present study was performed to find the prevalence and type of mental disorders among Kerman residents older than 15 years old. Method: At the first step, GHQ – 28 was completed door – side for 1527 residents selected through stratified cluster sampling. The cut off point of 6 was considered as disorder presence. At the second step, 490 ones who had obtained the cut off point participated in DSM – IV clinical interview. Results: In whole, 32.1% (34.5% female and 27.1% male) were diagnosed as psychiatrically ill. The frequency of mental disorders was 35.1% among those over 65 years, 35.3% among 45 – 64 years subjects, 100% in divorced, 45.8% in widows, 40.2% in illiterates, 36.9% in students, 34.7% in housewives and 34.8% in low socioeconomic class. Major depressive and panic disorders were the most frequent disorders (6.8% and 4.3% respectively). The frequency of generalized anxiety disorder was 2.8%, schizophrenia was 0.9% and Bipolar disorder was 0.3%. Conclusion: The frequencies of major depressive and generalized anxiety disorder were higher than other studies in Iran and similar to some studies from other countries. Different cultures and screening questionnaires maybe some reasons for these incompatibilities. The results of this study my help mental health providers to improve their programs. Keywords: Epidemiology, Mental disorders, Adult, Adult childre

The Prevalence Rate of Substance Abuse and Addiction and Some Relevant Factors among Junior and Senior High School Students in Kerman City (2000-2001)

Abstract: Introduction: The Aim of this research was to evaluate the prevalence of addiction and its relationship with some demographic features, knowledge, behavior and attitude among junior and senior high school students in the city of Kerman. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done by using a self-made questionnaire including issues related to taking illicit drugs and demographic features. The questionnaires were distributed among 3500 students of whom 3318 (94.8%) returned the questionnaires. Data analysis was done by SPSS-10 software and using t-test, x2 and Odds Ratio for Trend methods. Findings: Among studied students, 58.2% were male and 41.38% were female. In males, 26.6% and in females, 11.5% had taken illicit drugs at least once. In boys the prevalence of drug abuse was as follows: alcohol 16.2%, opium 11.7%, tranquilizers 9.7%, cannabis 8.3%, anabolic androgens 8.2%, Shire (extract of opium) 7.7%, LSD 5.8%, heroin 5.5%. The prevalence in girls was as follows: opium 5.1%, alcohol 4.5%, tranquilizer 4.42%, cannabis 2.8%, anabolic androgens 2.8%, Shire 2.6%, LSD 2%, heroin 2%. As it is seen in male students the prevalence of all drugs is significantly higher comparing to female students (P<0.0001). In other words, male students use drugs more frequently than female students (P<0.0001). However in regard to this fact there was no significant difference based on the year of study. The desire for giving up was significantly more in boys (40%) compared to girls (27.2%). The most preferred option for giving up was self medication. For overcoming addiction problem students had sought advice from their intimate friends, father, and mother respectively. Students believed that they had gained most of the useful information regarding addiction from school headmasters and educating (Parvareshi) teachers, while the least affecting source of information were health teachers. Results: According to the findings, addiction in teenagers should be considered as a serious issue. As well as opioid drugs and alcohol, attention to other drugs is also required. Organized education with feedback would be helpful, and more attention should be given to the roles of educating teachers. With regard to abstinence desire, there should be more facilities to encourage drug abusers to seek help from the consultation, rehabilitation and detoxification centers. Keywords: Substance abuse, Addictive drugs, High school student

Energy and Exergy Analysis of a Greenhouse Heating System Equipped with a Parabolic Trough Concentrator and a Flat -Plate Solar Collector

Introduction Greenhouse cultivation has been increased in response to population growth, reduction in available supplies and arable lands and raising the standards of living. The quality and quantity of the products are profoundly affected by the greenhouse temperature. Therefore, providing an appropriate heating system is an elementary requirement for greenhouse cultivation. A number of factors such as glazing material, greenhouse configuration, product type, and climate conditions should be considered to design a greenhouse heating system. Due to the environmental concerns associated with the fossil fuels, renewable energy-powered heating systems such as geothermal, solar and biomass- are increasingly considered as the alternative or supplementary to the traditional fossil fuel heating equipment in greenhouses. In this way, a number of researchers have developed different greenhouse heating systems to reduce fossil fuel consumption. In Iran, because of appropriate available solar irradiance, the solar heating systems can be efficiently employed for greenhouse cultivation. A compound solar greenhouse heating system was experimentally and analytically investigated in the present study. To verify the obtained heat transfer equations, a set of experiments were carried out at Biosystems Engineering Campus of the Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman.  Material and Methods The designed system was comprised of a Parabolic Trough solar Collector (PTC), a dual-purpose modified Flat Plate solar Collector (FPC) and a heat storage tank. The modified FPC was located inside the greenhouse to act as a heat exchanger to transfer the stored heat to the greenhouse atmosphere during the night. The FPC also collects the solar radiations during the sunshine hours to enhance the thermal energy generation. Heat transfer equations of the PTC and the FPC were written and the useful energy gain of the heating system was determined at the quasi-static condition during the day. Experimental verification of the analytical models was conducted using regression coefficient (r) and root mean square percent deviation (e) criteria as follows: where Xi and Yi are respectively the ith analytical and experimental data and n shows the number of observations.  Exergy analysis of the PTC and the FPC were carried out and the effect of the different fluid flow rates through the PTC on the exergy efficiency of the different components was investigated using the experimental data. Results and Discussion Increasing the fluid flow rate increased outlet temperature of the PTC due to the increase in heat removal factor and inlet temperature; whereas, caused a reduction in outlet temperature of the FPC. Since the thermal efficiency of the PTC improved with the fluid flow rate, the PTC fraction enhanced when the flow rate increased from 0.5 to 1.5 kg min-1. However, the PTC fraction values were less than 50% and sometimes have dropped below zero. The exergy efficiency of the PTC improved with increasing the flow rate. The reason was that the difference between the inlet and outlet temperatures of the PTC increased with the flow rate at the similar conditions of solar irradiance and ambient temperature. The highest exergy efficiency of the FPC was observed at the flow rate of 0.5 kg min-1. Conclusions The results of the study revealed that: There was a suitable agreement between the obtained analytical expressions and the experimental data based on root mean square percent deviation and regression coefficient criteria. The highest stored energy in the tank was around 40.02 MJ at the flow rate of 0.5 kg min-1. Increasing the flow rate improved the PTC exergy efficiency

Effectiveness of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Persistent Methamphetamine Psychosis: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: Persistent methamphetamine (METH) psychosis is a psychotic state beyond 1-month after abstinence, for which there is no effective treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in persistent METH psychosis patients hospitalized at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kerman, Iran, from 6 September 2012 until 6 September 2013, who were not remitted after treatment with olanzapine. METHODS: This research was a pilot study on hospitalized patients. After 4 weeks of treatment with olanzapine, 10 out of 71 studied patients did not show complete remission of psychotic symptoms despite their response to the treatment. The mentioned 10 patients were divided into 2 groups by random digit numbers. 5 patients had continued olanzapine and other 5 received 6 sessions of bilateral ECT every other day in addition to olanzapine. FINDINGS: Remission rate of patients in the initial 4 weeks was 78.7%. Reduction in total brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) scale at the end of 1-week compared with the next week demonstrated improvement in the symptoms until the end of the study. There was no significant difference in BPRS scores between weeks 4 and 6 in the two groups. CONCLUSION: This research demonstrated that few sessions of ECT in persistent METH psychosis will not lead to remission in all patients