مصطفی قانعی

Emerging biotechnologies contribute significantly to societal well-being by influencing social, economic, and health fields. Attitudes toward biotechnologies differ, in various situations and over time, based on new understanding and evidence. One issue always emphasized in the ethical evaluation of emerging technologies is their dangerous and problematic aspects for human life and well-being. Simultaneously, ethical assumptions can influence ethical decision-making toward employing these technologies, including liberty, technological optimism, determinism, the lifecycle, power, the form of life, technology neutrality, ambiguity, uncertainty, dual-use transformative potential, and the challenges that will be raised by them. For the ethical assessment of emerging technology, six principal methodologies are employed. The "principles-based approach" focuses on obtaining the intended goals rather than determining specific requirements, laws, standards, and obligations and avoids checklist design. The ethical principles raised by the principles-based approach are presented in this article, including risk-cost-benefit, adherence to individual rights, sustainability, naturalness, precautionary, trajectory, responsible stewardship, public beneficence, justice and fairness, democratic deliberation, and intellectual freedom.Finally, by presenting a conceptual model in applying the principles above in forming biotechnologies, eighteen operational recommendations are presented to facilitate the ethical evaluation and monitoring of emerging biotechnologies in the policy-making process in Iran.

With advancement of artificial intelligence technologies in health, its positive impact on improving health and treatment indicators have increased. This research examines the role of artificial intelligence, especially based on machine learning, in optimizing care processes and trends.

This study is designed as a narrative review. for this purpose, an extensive search has been conducted in reliable scientific databases such as Pubmed, Web of Science, and Scopus. The search was conducted using keywords such as ' Internet of Medical Things', integration of artificial intelligence with 'biomolecules', 'diabetes', 'cancer', and 'robotic surgery'. The articles found were about 92 articles, of which 40 articles related to the research were selected.

This study shows that the use of artificial intelligence in the field of health, including disease diagnosis, clinical predictions, hospital administration healthcare resource optimization, is increasing, this trend leads to an increase in the efficiency and quality of health services, however there are also challenges.

Artificial intelligence technologies are known as technological milestones in the field of health, which not only help to modify and improve treatment processes, but are also effective in fields such as monitoring vital signs and surgery. Despite challenges such as heterogeneity and data management, the ability of these technologies to predict diseases has changed the healthcare landscape. Success in this field requires multidisciplinary, forward-looking approaches and wise strategies.

 Biopharmaceutical products, characterized by strategic importance and substantial added value, have garnered significant attention from global governments and investors. In Iran's scientific roadmap, the ambitious goal of attaining a three percent share in the global market by the year 2025 has been established, necessitating the formulation and implementation of targeted strategies.

 This research employs a comprehensive mixed-methods approach, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative components. Quantitatively, official annual statistics from the Food and Drug Administration are analyzed to evaluate the growth trend of domestic biopharmaceutical production and imports. The qualitative phase involves in-depth semi-structured interviews with 25 industry experts.

 Analysis reveals a gradual progression towards the targeted horizon, with a noteworthy 68.3% growth compared to the global market, representing 0.5% of the 3% target for the year 2025.

 Despite this, challenges persist, impeding the realization of the established objective. Overcoming these obstacles and implementing the proposed solutions are imperative for expediting progress. The study anticipates Iran surmounting these barriers and securing a 3% share in the global biopharmaceutical market in the foreseeable future.

Despite the fact that over three years have passed since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, it still remains a significant public health concern in Iran and around the world. It is important to acknowledge that the current situation does not signify an end to the epidemic, and measures must be taken across various levels of prevention, treatment, and policy to effectively manage this crisis. This paper analyzes Iran's response to the epidemic, evaluating the country's performance in areas such as surveillance and healthcare systems, diagnostic testing, long-term Covid-19 complications, vaccinations, treatment, and monitoring of variants. Recommendations are also provided for decision-makers in the field of health and Covid-19.

Internet of Medical Things is a revolution in health care that can be used in various medical fields, including patient monitoring, remote patient care system, emergency warning system, fitness programs, chronic diseases, and elderly care. Taking advantage of this technology brings many challenges along with opportunities. Hence, the development of the Internet of Things in the country is a strategic issue, and therefore the purpose of this research is to provide a strategic plan for the secure development of the Internet of Things in the health sector.

The current research is of an applied type and its method is descriptive-analytical with a mixed approach (quantitative and qualitative) and the qualitative data of this research has been collected from the study of scientific research sources and studies. The strategies were compiled using the ITU method and a panel of experts. The statistical population of this research includes 25 experts in the field of health familiar with the Internet of Things technology, who were selected using the purposeful sampling method and the snowball technique until reaching theoretical saturation.

In this research, 5 goals, 12 macro policies and 8 basic strategies were compiled to achieve the vision and goals.

The result of this research was reaching a strategic plan for the secure development of the Internet of Things in the health Sector, including principles and values, goals, macro policies and basic strategies with the perspective of "better health, more care, lower cost with the Internet of Medical Things".

Sulfur mustard (Mustard gas) is the most famed chemical warfare agent that caused chronic lung damage. Oxidative stress is known as a major cause of mustard lung pathogenesis. This study aimed to introduce antioxidant tablets of Iranian N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) as an effective treatment for chronic lung damage caused by mustard gas.

This study was performed as a double-blind randomized clinical trial. In the current study, 85 patients with chronic sulfur mustard lung injury from chemical warfare veterans of Qazvin province for 4 months from 2016 to 2017, randomly took one of the Iranian NAC (Oslyt®) or foreign NAC (Fluimucil®) tablets a dose of 1200 mg per day. The symptoms via breathlessness-cough and sputum scale (BCSS), modified medical research council (MMRC), COPD assessment test (CAT), rhinitis control assessment test (RCAT), and reflux symptom index (RSI) questionnaires and spirometric indices and side effects drugs were compared in groups.

According to the results and comparing the P-value obtained for clinical symptoms obtained through the mentioned questionnaires, it seems that in both groups of Oslyt (with 41 patients) and Fluimucil (with 44 patients), remarkably improved BCSS, MMRC, CAT, and RSI (except for RCAT) overall scores. There was no significant difference between Oslyt and Fluimucil in terms of the frequency of side effects.

Both Iranian and foreign antioxidant drugs NAC improve the majority of clinical signs of the mustard lung. This is the first time that anti-reflux effects have been observed for antioxidants such as NAC. The Oslyt dose of 1200 mg per day is adequate for effectiveness and antioxidant effects.

The Covid-19 pandemichas caused widespread worldwidehuman catastrophe over the past two years. Thus, the global management of Corona disease is of great importance due to its high prevalence and mortality rate as well as the numerous challenges caused by this illness. For this reason, it is of high importance to study the various aspects of this epidemic in order to provide practical solutions and suggestions for better management of similar biological events.

This article has been performedby reviewing international sources and guidelines and summarizing the materials presented in expert meetings.

The study addresses challenges related to reopening of school and universities, empowering people, Covid-19 monitoring process and benefit from support groups, social components of global health, intelligent quarantines and rapid screening and management defects of healthcare system during COVID-19 (Corona Disease) Pandemic Strategies related to challenges in each area are also provided.

The time interval between the possible future waves of Covid-19 provides a good opportunity for health systems at the national (our dear country, Iran) and global levels to make necessary preparations, strengthening, and reforming structure. According to the findings of this study, it is recommended that while continuously evaluating the risk of biological events, the surveillance system and early warning network must be intensified and a comprehensive plan must be compiled in order to respond to biological events. Also, by training healthcare staffs and practicing the above-mentioned program, the essential steps must be taken continuously.

Since the end of the twentieth century, the concept of emerging technologies and their science network and governance have been considered by academia, media and policy makers. The emerging technologies are “radically novel or disruptive and relatively fast-developing, but still nascent, scientific-technological developments that may have prominent economic, environment or social impacts”.

In focus group discussions with the presence of experts in science and technology (expert panel), their opinions about the emerging technologies were recorded. Subsequently, a list of these technologies that were determined by brain storming in the expert panel, was categorized in subsectors of the Roco and Bainbridge convergence foundational science and technology system (Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno-AI, in brief NBICA).

There is considerable opportunity in the emerging science and technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, telemedicine and digital health, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, synthetic biology, gene editing, neurotechnology, biosensors, 3D printing and robotics) for achieving scientific authority, promotion of justice and creation of social security. The majority of these emerging technologies were revealed to be converging technologies in nature. Therefore, they produce significant challenges in the biosafety and biosecurity domains.

There is a strategic opportunity in the convergence foundational science and technology system (NBICA). Wonderful advancements can be achieved in health sector, therapeutic and drug development, social security and justice with the help of these emerging technologies. Hence, a particular attention should be paid to approaches for achieving scientific authority in converging technologies.

Pulmonary artery hypertension is a severely debilitating and fatal disease. Unfortunately, despite recent advances in treatment options for this disease, physicians and patients still face many difficulties in using treatment methods and dealing with the problems. During the preparation of this guideline, experienced experts in this field carefully examined the evidences from the reliable sources and an attempt was made to set the recommendations on evidence. Unfortunately, in many cases, there is no accurate evidence to answer the questions that arise in the face of these patients, which is mainly due to the small and heterogeneous number of patients in the studies. Therefore, in cases where there was strong and sufficient evidence based on controlled clinical trials, recommendations were made based on this evidence, and in cases where there was insufficient evidence, the recommendations were based on the collective wisdom of experienced experts in this field and case studies. This guideline is a guide for the treatment of patients with pulmonary artery hypertension (group I) and emphasizes that before starting treatment, the exact diagnosis of the disease and its cause must be determined by experienced specialists in this field.

Globally, COPD was reported as the fourth leading cause of death (5.1%) in 2004 and is projected to occupy the third position (8.6%) in 2030. From a global perspective, exposure to indoor and outdoor biomass fumes and air pollution are important risk factors chronic respiratory diseases. Sub-committee of Iranian Non-Communicable Diseases Committee (INCDC) is particularly concerned that there should be a coordinated National strategy to address the burden caused by chronic respiratory diseases.

In 2011, Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME) has decided to give promotion to the establishment of research networks and use them as the mile stones for research management particularly for the national health priorities. General assembly of the national was held in April 2011. We are to present a decade’s experience of chronic respiratory diseases sub-committee of INCDC.

Chronic Respiratory Diseases National Service Framework (NSF) is one of the main outcomes of chronic respiratory diseases sub-committee of INCDC. We consider NSF as long-term strategies for improving specific areas of lung care. we set measurable goals within time frames. These documents from INCDC will evolve with greater clinical experience and publication of new information in national and sub-national levels.

Drawing upon our experience, we should develop all the infrastructure and resource available among the centers to support respiratory health at national, sub-national, and regional levels.

In medicine, the primary meaning for "death" in a human or living being is the cessation of natural or physiological activity forever. The term apoptosis can be found for "death" in the basic medical sciences.

This study was conducted by reviewing some documents andinterpretation of evidence.

The command of death is institutionalized in all creatures at the time of their creation, and these two creatures, namely death and life, started their work together from the beginning, but the commands of death are more active at the end of the creature's work, and the commands of life are more active at the beginning.We will faceAjalMusamma, if everything goes normally, and if the factors accelerate death, we will face AjalMu'allaq.Scientific development can give man the power to minimize the accelerating factors of death and only lead to AjalMusamma.In fact, what accelerates our death is in our own hands and due to our ignorance. Problems with the imbalance in life and death, such as increased cell proliferation, decreased cell apoptosis, can be capable of disrupting cell death.At different stages of embryo formation, death and life are involved in development of program of forming a healthy bodyin a managed balance.Therefore, the death plan of some cells must be pre-written in parallel with the survival of other cells.Therefore, death must be designed before life so that it can act before the formation of living cells.

What has been said is an interpretation of death and life at the level of naturee. The shift from chemicals to biomaterials is happening because there is a degradability in bioproducts without any complication. Therefore, the design of death at the time of production of a product has arisen from wisdom. When we believe that God is the absolute wise, we can see the highest manifestations of this design in God's creation.

Products regulation based on emerging technologies such as biotechnology has seized attention in the recent years. Thus the functional and structural analysis of Iran’s biotechnology regulatory system in the field of biological food and drug is presented in this study. So in the first step, Institutional mapping of biological drug and food sector is drawn, then based on Investigation of other countries biotechnology regulatory system and Conducting fourteen in-depth interviews and nine group interviews with experts, The existing weaknesses and challenges in this field identified and the appropriate solutions and strategies to deal with them are also presented in this article. The findings of this study shows that the structural requirements are: to strengthening the national coordinator institutions and reforming the arrangement of regulator institutions, and functional requirements are: to presenting some strategies and solution for the functions such as regulation, monitoring, awareness and law enforcement.

Culture plays an important role in improving health. Cultural determinants are effective in health service providers. Therefore, the presentation of a health system model via a cultural approach using the conceptual framework of cultural determinants affecting this system is important.

This study was conducted in a methodological manner inspired by "cultural determinants of the health system". A qualitative study  based on applied results, was carried out in two stages using a qualitative content analysis approach. In the first stage, the required data was obtained by qualitative analysis of documents and texts and semi-structured interviews. In the second stage, designing the cultural model of the health system based on cultural determinants, was done; the factors required to identify and encode in the form of models using the conceptual model was  arranged.

Improvement of cultural determinants through attention and development to underlying, structural and cultural factors from the macro level of health policy to health providers and, health care recipients can promote health and reduce health inequalities.

The results of this research can provide insight for planning and implementation of optimal interventions to create a culture of health in accord with demand in health care recipients.

In the past decades, health has been a significant concern in all countries. Health criteria varies in different countries; disagreements on health ratings are common. The Islamic Republic of Iran, with its strong support for Islam is able to define the criteria of health according to all aspects of human existence. In this study, the criteria of health were extracted based on the 23rd prayer written in the Sahifah Sajjadiyah book of Imam Sajad (PBUH).

This study was performed based on the  Sahifa Sajjadiyyah, the Holy Quran, the hadith of the Imams and a variety of library studies.

Imam Sajjadchr('39')s (PBUH) request from God for the highest level of health is not only an accepted criterion for the basis of the health system in our country but also allows for postulation  in this regard Imam Ali ibn al-Hussein (PBUH) said: The maximum health a person can ask for is that where  all physical aspects and organs be in the best possible health and function. If injury occurs, they will have a speedy recovery back to normal.

Health starts with the physical aspect and culminates in spiritual aspects. According to this theory, theories about worldly life and the phenomenon of death should both be considered.

During the eight years of the imposed war against Iran, various chemical weapons were used by Iraq's Baathist army, including blister (mustard) and nerve gas (Tabun and Sarin).

This study is a review and uses reliable domestic and international sources available through computer databases.

Mustard was the most widely used gas, and more than 30 years after the end of the war, chemical warfare victims still suffer from its harmful effects. Mustard gas is a powerful alkylating agent. The detrimental effects of this gas on different tissues have been reported and its greatest effects on the lungs, eyes and skin have been studied. In this paper, the most important acute and chronic diseases caused by mustard gas in the respiratory system, eyes and skin have been studied. Also, a brief reference was made to nerve gases. Finally, another gas probably used on the battles of the axis of resistance (chlorine gas) was mentioned.

Several types of late lung, eyes, skin, and other complications occurred due to compounds used in deadly chemical weapons, over the years since the end of the Holy Defense and continue to offend the injured. The exact mechanism is unknown.

In 2014, the Supreme Leader of Iran issued the general health policies.document (GHPD). Despite the announcement of the GHPD and the emphasis on building strengthening and fortifying the infrastructure needed to produce pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and biotechnical products ,necessary for medical supplies and equipment  the nation still faces many challenges in the development of the areas mentioned in this document. The current paper aims to clarify the barriers hindering the implementation of the fourth article of the general health policy. This   applied and descriptive paper reviews related literature to identify barriers hindering the implementation of the fourth article of the general health policies and then the list was revised and corrected through  interviewing a group of knowledgeable experts. The results of the interviews indicated that the identified barriers can be broadly categorized into several main categories: barriers related to policy makers, barriers related to policy enforcers, weaknesses in supervision and assessing the implementation of general policies, weaknesses in funding and budget, barriers of community awareness, and barriers related to the nature of the issue. Strides must be taken to overcome the aforementioned barriers,

ARDS is a lung disorder that causes death in human and livestock and new therapeutic approaches such as stem cell therapy are essential because of lack of specific drug therapies for it.
Evaluation of the therapeutic effects of intrapulmonary transplantation of BM-MSCs to improvement of clinical signs in experimental model of ARDS created by lipopolysaccharide(LPS)E.Coli strains-O55:B5 in sheep is the aim of this study.
In this study, 10 male sheep 3-4 months old Shall were used after random placement into two groups, treatment and control. Of sheep in the treatment group after anesthesia with ketamine and xylazine collected bone marrow samples and in the clean room BM-MSCs isolated, amplified and were identified with the evaluation of surface markers. Then experimental model of ARDS was induced by endotracheal injection of LPS to dose 400μg/kg. Clinical signs and radiograph images performed before and 24 hours after injection of LPS. After confirming inflammation, the sheep were anesthetized and on sternal position 50×106 cells of BM-MSCs third passage were transferred in treatment group as autograft by the catheter lavage in the bifurcation of the trachea and PBS in control group. Then clinical signs were recorded at hours of 3,6and 12 and on days 1,2,3 and 7 in both groups and finally, were analyzed based on the scored system.
The data showed transplantation of BM-MSCs caused significant improvement in clinical signs including heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, respiratory sounds, cough, mucosal status, nasal secretions, appetite and physical condition compared with control group. A significant decrease in respiratory rate and body temperature from 12 hours and in heart rate from 24 hours to next be began. Also, changes in breath sounds on the first day after transplantation, physical condition, mucous membranes and appetite on the third day, the occurrence of cough and abnormal discharge from the nose on the seventh day had returned to pre-inflammation (-24 time) and the median of score was zero for them.
This study showed that transplantation of BM-MSCs can cause improves and the reduction in the severity of the clinical signs of ARDS, significantly.

The control of parenchymal hemorrhage especially in liver parenchyma, despite surgical science progresses is still one of the challenges surgeons face saving the patients’ lives and there is a research challenge between the researchers in this field to introduce a more effective method. This study aimed to determine the hemostatic effect of calcium sulfate on controlling the bleeding from liver parenchymal tissue. In this animal model study 60 male Wistar rats were used. A length of two cm and a depth of half a cm incision were made on each mouse’s liver and the hemostasis time was measured using calcium sulfate different concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, and 50%) and the control method (i.e. control of bleeding by suturing). Finally, the obtained data were entered into SPSS software and analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney, Kolmogorov-Smirnov. The hemostasis time of calcium sulfate concentration groups was significantly less than that of the control group (p<0.01). Calcium sulfate is an effective hemostatic agent in controlling liver parenchymal tissue hemorrhage in an animal model.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the most common effect of getting poisoned by Mustard Gas. It is challenging for physicians to make a differential diagnosis between COPD and Asthma. Therefore, some criteria are prepared in different guidelines to facilitate differentiation between COPD and other similar diseases. To improve the guidelines’ acceptance among the potential users, decision support systems are applied in different areas. One of the modeling methods used in such systems are the qualitative multi-attribute models. The ultimate objective of this research was to design a qualitative multi-attribute model that provides differential diagnosis for COPD. Firstly, effective attributes were extracted from the guidelines and were approved by specialists. Secondly, the qualitative multi-attribute model was implemented. The system was evaluated using useful information from 50 patients who had registered in the Baqiyatallah hospital. Evaluations have been done using sensitivity and specificity. The system’s output was compared with the physician diagnosis and the obtained results showed that the sensitivity and specificity were 92.3% and 96% respectively. It clearly showed that the system had accepted functionality to diagnose COPD. The suggested methodology was a useful solution for data analysis and modeling in medical decision making fields. It also had an appropriate performance and could be effective and helpful for physicians.

Teaching-Research Nexus (TRN) is one of the most fundamental issues in higher education management. This issue faces greater challenges in Iranian universities of medical sciences due to their more complex structure and obligations in contrast to universities under the supervision of Ministry of Science. Therefore, this study tried to design an appropriate model of teaching-research nexus for Iranian universities of medical sciences by identifying the determining components involved in the interaction and nexus between teaching and research in the world’s top universities. Using a review study, documents available in the university websites of the world’s top 10 countries (according to Shanghai Ranking of 1 to 5 top universities in each country), as well as Times Higher Education Ranking (medical sciences), and the literature on components affecting research-teaching nexus were reviewed and analyzed. The obtained components were classified through the three-dimensional conceptual model into structural, environmental, and behavioral factors. The results of the review of the world’s top 32 universities and relevant research literature led to the identification of 17 major and 42 minor components which were designed and presented in the three-dimensional conceptual model based on their homogeneity. According to the model, the extracted major and minor components were classified into structural, environmental, and behavioral factors and their interactive relationship was identified. The components presented in the proposed conceptual model can be employed as the main part of formulating “organizational strategies” in order to align teaching and research and to be able to benefit from such interaction in universities and institutes of higher education.

The whole of medicine depends on the transparent reporting of clinical trials. Trials with inadequate methods are associated with bias, especially exaggerated treatment effects. Better reporting of clinical trials is essential. Fortunately, consort statement is a very helpful instrument in this field. Consort check List contains a list of information items that must be included in randomized trial reporting. This check list is discussed under six sections, including: title and abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and other information. Considering to the widely utilization of the consort statement by valid journals, it is essential that authors, reviewers and readers of internal journals get familiar with the provisions of this declaration, and understand how to correctly use this standardized reporting checklist for the clinical trials. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the consort statement and have some discussion about it.

In recent years، Iran''s scientific production growth pattern indicates a constant increase. Currently، Iran possesses the fastest growing trends in all fields of science including medical sciences in the world. This study aimed to present main achievements of Iran in the field of medical sciences، and based upon information obtained، compare the situation with high-ranked countries in the Middle Eastern and global patterns; and determine appropriate strategies to promote it. This study was conducted in three phases: data collection، data analysis based on selected indicators، and presentation of appropriate strategies to promote science and technology production in the field of medical sciences. To collect necessary information، we used science and technology databases including Scopus، the World Bank annual report and World Health Organization (WHO). To calculate evaluation indexes of science and technology، we used the standard formulas provided by other sources. In order to provide practical solutions to improve the science and technology production in the country، we devoted special attention to strategic document''s goals and plans. At the beginning of 2013، medicine allocated the largest share of the total science production of Iran with 7015 articles (nearly 23. 6%). It was approximately 22. 66 percent of Middle East and 1. 06 percent of world''s articles published in medicine field. Studies showed that Iran''s international rank at the beginning of 2012 compared to the previous year، had growth in more than 81 percent of medicine-related sub-majors and nearly 22. 15% of country''s science production related directly to major health problems and burden of disease in the community. Based on the foresight studies، we can predict that in case of maintaining current growth rate، Iran will achieve first place of medical sciences and health publications in the Middle East. Iran''s remarkable growth in scientific productions، particularly in the applicable areas such as medicine، has created an appropriate ground in order to improve the quality of scientific productions and convert them to technology. Increasing research and educational budget and facilities، organizing research projects in line with the priorities and improving scientific productions indexing resources، are the most notable strategies for doing so.

Background and Psychiatric disorders as a chronic illness lead to the exacerbation of physical symptoms and controlling them is very difficult. Respiratory chemical damaged veterans have many different psychiatric problems and low health-related quality of life. In this study, we evaluated the relations of spirometry parameters and health- related quality of life with mental health. This was a descriptive- co relational study done on 41 respiratory chemical veterans (Iran-Iraq war) selected with randomized available sampling in Tehran City. We used Spirometry test, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) & General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) for assessing the patients and Pearson's correlation matrix for analyzing the data. There were significant negative correlations between the total score of GHQ and depression subscale with FVC & FEV1. There were significant positive correlations between the total score of GHQ and depression & anxiety subscales with total score of SGRQ. There were significant positive correlations between the total score of GHQ and depression & anxiety subscales with "symptoms" score of SGRQ. There were significant positive correlations between the total score of GHQ and depression & anxiety subscales with "impacts" score of SGRQ. Poor mental health condition with increased level of depression & anxiety leads to the decrease in FVC & FEV1 in spirometry and health-related quality of life, and increase in respiratory symptoms such as cough, breathless and sneezing. Totally, there were significant correlations between spirometry and health-related quality of life with mental health. It seems that in rehabilitation programs for mustard gas exposed veterans with chronic respiratory diseases, the psychological and psychiatric interventions should be considered.

NK Cell is a part of innate immunity and their quantity is important to diagnosis process and defense against many diseases. Correlation between psychosocial and immunological factors is studied in psychoneuroimmunology. This article aims to study relation between NK Cells’ quantity and mental health of mustard gas respiratory injured veterans. This is a descriptive-correlational study on 41 mustard gas respiratory injured veterans who were selected by randomized available sampling. We used Flow Cytometry for NK cell counting and to assess patients’ mental health General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28) was utilized. Data got analyzed by Pearson''s correlation and one-sample T-test. Mean percent of the Nk cells in peripheral blood was 4. 93 which is significantly less than Iranian healthy men (15. 93%) reported in previous studies (t=-20. 03،p<0. 01). Pearson''s correlation coefficient showed significant negative correlation between NK Cells’ quantity with total score of GHQ، physical sub-score and anxiety sub-score (-=α 0. 33 and p<0. 05). Mean percent of Nk cells’ quantity in peripheral blood of mustard gas respiratory injured veterans is significantly less than Iranian healthy men. Furthermore، there is significant negative correlation between NK Cells’ count and total score of GHQ، physical and anxiety sub-score. This means when mental health status and physical symptoms and anxiety get worse، the percentage of NK cells in peripheral blood declines.