جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « سلاح های شیمیایی » در نشریات گروه « پزشکی »

Novichoks are considered as the fourth generation of chemical weapons and nerve agents (NA) category. NAs were produced and developed during the Cold War in the (former) Soviet :union:. Due to the confidentiality of the manufacturing process of these agents, there is little information about the properties of these compounds. Like other NA, novichoks are organophosphorus compounds that have non-competitive and irreversible inhibitory effects on the Acetylcholinesterase. Preliminary data described a high potency as 5-8 times more than VX for these agents. Although these compounds have not yet been used as chemical weapons on battlefields, the use of these agents in chemical terrorist attacks in recent years has made it necessary for medical professionals to become more familiar with the dangers and toxicological aspects of these agents. In this article, in addition to reviewing the history of development and production, chemical structure, mechanism of action, toxicokinetics, and toxicology of these agents, the latest information on of diagnosis and treatment of poisoning with these agents will be reviewed.

Contrary to the initial data, it seems that the poisoning caused by Novichok is like other organophosphate agents and can be managed successfully by performing the rapid and appropriate treatment measures. Due to the global threat of terrorist incidents with these agents, the medical team is familiar with these poisons for optimal diagnosis and treatment of victims.

The presence of international organizations and agencies such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) investigating calamities are trusted by the scientific communities of numerous countries; by collaborating with them the reliability of these organizations and the quality and validity of their reports will increase. Scientists from our country at the Academy of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran scrutinized a number of ambiguities connected to the claimed Douma incident on April 7, 2018. A summary of the debates relevant to clinical signs and biological samples were sent to OPCW. Former reports concerning the chemical tragedy in Syria (in 2013 and 2017) also had a number of shortcomings which are addressed in this paper. Additionally the persistence of western news media insisting upon the fact that nerve gas was used in Syria and the relation between skripal poisoning and the Douma incident is also explained. In this paper the dangers of destroying chemical weapons via rocket attacks are discussed as well.

Protections of individual and collective is the first step defense against contamination by chemical agents. This study was designed to compare the effect of conventional and simulation training on nursing students’ knowledge in Personal protection in chemical attacks. In this training trial study, 78 nursing students from AJA University of Medical Sciences were selected and allocated randomly to two groups of simulation and conventional education. Data collection included a researcher-made questionnaire which was completed by nursing students before and two weeks after education. Its validity was determined by content validity method and its reliability by test/retest. Data was analyzed using descriptive and interpretive statistical methods by SPSS software. Knowledge scores means in the two methods of simulation and conventional education increased from 22.67 and 21.95 (P=0.204) before education to 26.22 and 26.31 (P=0.846) after education. Mean scores of knowledge in the two methods significantly increased after education (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two methods concerning knowledge scores means. The present study showed that education is necessary for increasing knowledge, but there was no significant difference between the two methods concerning knowledge scores means in personal protection in chemical attacks.

The Iraqi government performed numerous chemical attacks against north-west of Iran and Iraq non-military civilians during 1980-88. The aim of this survey was to investigate the long term respiratory complications among chemical injury victims of Iraqi Kurdistan region. This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed in year 2008 on Iraqi Kurdish chemical injury victims who were invited by public invitation and 479 eligible patients entered the study by census sampling method. Then, physical examination, spirometry and thoracic high-resolution computed tomography were carried out on patients. Blistering after chemical weapon exposure was used to identify the significant exposure to sulfur mustard and patients were divided into two groups of having blisters and without blisters. Results of the two groups were compared by SPSS 16 software using Kolmogorov -Smirnov test, independent t-test, exact Fissure test, Chi square test and multivariate regression. Among 479 participants, 45.7% were male and 54.3% were female. The mean age was 43.1 ± 13.7. Spirometry was abnormal in 15.2% of patients and air trapping was present on CT scan in 46.6% cases and there was no significant difference between patients with blisters (n=278) and without a history of blistering. However, Blistering after chemical weapon exposure associated with more respiratory symptoms and worse lung function especially among Halabja inhabitants. Iraqi Kurdish chemical injury victims suffer from severe respiratory complications which may reflect the absence of essential preventive training for reduction of contact with chemicals and early treatment after incidents.

Different effects of nitrogen mustard-containing chemical weopons on respiratory, hematologic and gastrointestinal systems, skin, eyes, and also their mutagenic and teratogenic effects have been reported, but effects on endocrine system had not been recognized until 15 years ago. Although it was known that similar substances used as chemotherpeutic agents can stop spermatogenesis and cause ovarian failure, these effects are seen in the course of continuous use and cannot be extended to chemical weoponry. During Iran-Iraq war, Endocrine Research Center, for the first time in the world, conducted extensive research to identify effects of chemical weapons. During the first week after contact with these substances, serum levels of thyroid hormones decrease and reverse T3 increases. T4 and FT4I increase 3 weeks after the exposure, but T3 and FT3I levels are still depressed in the fifth week. TSH level is not importantly affected. These changes are not present in soldiers exposed to nerve gases. Changes in thyroid hormones resemble severe burns and are due to pituitary-thyroid axis hypofunction and decreased periphereal conversion of T4 to T3. Serum cortisol and ACTH tend to increase one week after the injury ACTH continues to rise until the fifth week, but cortisol decreases gradually, dropping remarkably in the 5th week. Thus, at the beginning the strong stress brings about a rise in plasma cortisol and ACTH, but 3-5 weeks following the exposure, nitrogen mustard exerts direct effects on the adrenal gland. During the first weeks, total and free testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone fall dramatically. Serum levels of LH and FSH are normal, but they respond inadequately to GnRH. In the third week LH, and in the fifth FSH and prolactin rise and reach normal levels after 12 weeks. Sperm count shows remarkable decrease in most victims of nitrogen mustard in the years following injury. Testicular biopsies showed complete or relative cessation of spermatogenesis. On the whole, effects of nitrogen mustard-containing weaponry during the first weeks are due to stress and resemble burns. On the other hand, these substances have direct effects on DNA replication in cells, with negative effects on spermatogenesis, which can last for many years. It is recommended that hormone activities of chemical weaponry victims, especially testicular function and spermatogenesis, should be monitored for some years after exposure.