Seroepidemiology of hepatitis C in Kermanshah (West of Iran, 2006)

Background and Aims: Chronic and serious outcomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection impose remarkable economic burden to the health system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HCV infection in the general population of Kermanshah in the year 2006. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1721 residents from Kermanshah were chosen by systematic and cluster sampling in the year 2006. After interview, serum samples were taken and evaluated for HCV-Ab using ELISA method (3rd generation). Positive samples were confirmed by Western Blot (WB) and PCR if necessary. Results: The prevalence of HCV was 0.87 (male: 1.4 vs. female: 0.3). There was 88.2 coordination between ELISA and WB results. Statistical relationship was observed between HCV infection and male sex (P<0.018), history of addiction (P<0.0001), shared needle (P<0.0001), unsafe sexual contact (P<0.008), history of blood and blood products transfusion (P<0.0001), tattooing (P<0.0001), history of incarceration (P<0.0001), and hemophilia (P<0.0001). On the other hand, stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that hemophilia, shared needle, IV addiction, transfusion and addiction were the most important risk factors for HCV infection in a descending order. The rate of HCV infection increased in cases with multiple risk factors. Conclusions: We estimate that among 967196 people, who live in Kermanshah, nearty 8400 individuals may have HCV infection and this will be a major problem in the near future. Addicts especially IV drug users and cases with the history of blood and blood products transfusion are high risk groups who need special attention regarding HCV infection

The Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anemia among High School Students in Iran: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Iron is one of the most important elements forming the body and an essential metal for many biological processes in mammals. According to studies, anemia can cause numerous side effects in the body. Because of the effectiveness of iron in myelinated nerves, this illness can cause hearing loss and vision problems as well, and in students, it can even cause academic failure and learning problems and intensify behavioral disorders. Therefore, to collect the statistics of the prevalence of the disorder in order to inform parents, the present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in high school students in Iran using meta-analysis method.Method: This study was continued in review form using the key words anemia, iron deficiency anemia, and anemia prevalence with a review of the articles in Pubmed, Iranmedex databases and Scientific Information Database of SID in related topics with 89 articles. Time domain for searching articles and related books and was mainly from 1991 onwards.Results: Studies on the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in high school students show different results. Recent statistics based on published articles at home and abroad show the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia equal to 10.6%, (with a 95% confidence interval: 9.7 to 11.5) until 2014.Conclusion: The disease can cause hearing and vision disorders in adolescents. Moreover, it can cause academic failure and learning problems and intensify behavioral disorders in students.  Given that children's health is an indicator of health planning of family for them, attention to the factors preventing iron deficiency anemia and its treatment is essential for students. Following this study, it is suggested that by correcting diet as the first step of prevention of catching this diseases, we take a step towards preventing it

Neuromatch Academy: a 3-week, online summer school in computational neuroscience

Neuromatch Academy (https://academy.neuromatch.io; (van Viegen et al., 2021)) was designed as an online summer school to cover the basics of computational neuroscience in three weeks. The materials cover dominant and emerging computational neuroscience tools, how they complement one another, and specifically focus on how they can help us to better understand how the brain functions. An original component of the materials is its focus on modeling choices, i.e. how do we choose the right approach, how do we build models, and how can we evaluate models to determine if they provide real (meaningful) insight. This meta-modeling component of the instructional materials asks what questions can be answered by different techniques, and how to apply them meaningfully to get insight about brain function

Signals in the Soil: An Introduction to Wireless Underground Communications

In this chapter, wireless underground (UG) communications are introduced. A detailed overview of WUC is given. A comprehensive review of research challenges in WUC is presented. The evolution of underground wireless is also discussed. Moreover, different component of UG communications is wireless. The WUC system architecture is explained with a detailed discussion of the anatomy of an underground mote. The examples of UG wireless communication systems are explored. Furthermore, the differences of UG wireless and over-the-air wireless are debated. Different types of wireless underground channel (e.g., In-Soil, Soil-to-Air, and Air-to-Soil) are reported as well

Global burden of chronic respiratory diseases and risk factors, 1990–2019: an update from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Updated data on chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are vital in their prevention, control, and treatment in the path to achieving the third UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 2030. We provided global, regional, and national estimates of the burden of CRDs and their attributable risks from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we estimated mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), prevalence, and incidence of CRDs, i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumoconiosis, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis, and other CRDs, from 1990 to 2019 by sex, age, region, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) in 204 countries and territories. Deaths and DALYs from CRDs attributable to each risk factor were estimated according to relative risks, risk exposure, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level input. Findings: In 2019, CRDs were the third leading cause of death responsible for 4.0 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval 3.6–4.3) with a prevalence of 454.6 million cases (417.4–499.1) globally. While the total deaths and prevalence of CRDs have increased by 28.5% and 39.8%, the age-standardised rates have dropped by 41.7% and 16.9% from 1990 to 2019, respectively. COPD, with 212.3 million (200.4–225.1) prevalent cases, was the primary cause of deaths from CRDs, accounting for 3.3 million (2.9–3.6) deaths. With 262.4 million (224.1–309.5) prevalent cases, asthma had the highest prevalence among CRDs. The age-standardised rates of all burden measures of COPD, asthma, and pneumoconiosis have reduced globally from 1990 to 2019. Nevertheless, the age-standardised rates of incidence and prevalence of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis have increased throughout this period. Low- and low-middle SDI countries had the highest age-standardised death and DALYs rates while the high SDI quintile had the highest prevalence rate of CRDs. The highest deaths and DALYs from CRDs were attributed to smoking globally, followed by air pollution and occupational risks. Non-optimal temperature and high body-mass index were additional risk factors for COPD and asthma, respectively. Interpretation: Albeit the age-standardised prevalence, death, and DALYs rates of CRDs have decreased, they still cause a substantial burden and deaths worldwide. The high death and DALYs rates in low and low-middle SDI countries highlights the urgent need for improved preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic measures. Global strategies for tobacco control, enhancing air quality, reducing occupational hazards, and fostering clean cooking fuels are crucial steps in reducing the burden of CRDs, especially in low- and lower-middle income countries

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe