مجله تحقیقات سلامت در جامعه
سال ششم شماره 2 (تابستان 1399)

Exposure to high temperatures which is common among workers in hot environments can cause numerous adverse physiological effects. The present study aimed to determine thermal stress indices among the employees of Bojnord Cement Factory and compare it with the existing standards.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted based on a cross-sectional method to evaluate thermal stress among the employees of Bojnord cement factory. To this end, the Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index, the Predicted Four Hour Sweat Rate (P4SR) index, and HSI Index were used in accordance with the ISO7243 standard number. Methods based on descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data by SPSS 20 software.

The results indicated that the mean scores of dry-bulb temperature, wet-bulb temperature, and WBGT were obtained at 32.06, 21.66, and 38.95, respectively. The mean WBGT, P4SR, and HIS indices were 27.24°C, 5.4 liters, and 80.27%, respectively.

The results of this study showed, the WBGT index in four stations, P4SR index in five stations, and HSI index in two stations were higher than the standard threshold.

It has been proven that coping strategies and cognitive-behavioral techniques exert a positive impact on the improvement of negative emotions and the promotion of physical and mental health of patients with chronic headaches. The present study aimed to determine the effect of pain coping skills training interventions on knowledge, pain-specific self-efficacy, and the indices related to migraine headaches.

This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 60 patients with migraine headaches referring to specialized clinics in Anzali. They were assigned to experimental and control groups using randomized sampling. Data were collected using a demographic and personal questionnaire, Coping Strategies Questionnaire, Pain specific Self-efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), and Knowledge Scale before and two months after the intervention. The educational intervention for the experimental group consisted of five 60-minute sessions, which was conducted in groups of 8-10 people. Chi-square test, independent and paired t-test, as well as one way ANOVA, were used for data analysis.

The obtained results were indicative of a significant increase in the mean score of knowledge and self-efficacy in the experimental group after the intervention (P<0.001). Moreover, the mean of frequency, severity, and duration of migraine headaches in the experimental group significantly decreased after the intervention (P<0.05). In addition, except for positive re-evaluation strategy, the mean frequency of using coping strategies significantly increased in the experimental group after the training (P<0.05).

It is recommended that specialized physicians and therapists provide intervention based on chronic pain strategies along with treatment protocols to control chronic headaches and improve the quality of life of patients with migraine headaches.

Cefixime (CFX) is one of the most extensively used antibiotics across the world. Nonetheless, the entrance of this pharmaceutical compound into water resources has posed a serious problem to the environment. With this background in mind, the present study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of CFX removal from aqueous solutions by potato starch.

The current study assessed the effect of four main effective parameters, namely pH (3-9), potato starch dose (0-300mg/L), CFX initial concentration (0-16mg/L), and retention time (20-120min), on CFX removal using Response Surface Methodology (RSM).

Under the optimum conditions, the maximum CFX removal efficiency was reported as 65.57%, with the optimum values of pH=4.5, potato starch dose=225mg/L, CFX initial concentration=7.9, and retention time=95min. As demonstrated by the results of RSM, the current study follows the quadratic model (R2=0.987).

Considering the appropriate results of CFX removal by potato starch, it is recommended to be used as a successful method to remove this contaminant from water sources.

Low mobility and muscle weakness are increasing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in many individuals. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of 8-week resistance exercises on reducing the prevalence of the symptoms of MSD in the neck, shoulders, wrists, and back among the teachers of Bardaskan, Iran.

Firstly, a total of 384 subjects were randomly selected from the school teachers of Bardaskan, and demographic and Nordic questionnaires were completed for all of them. Then, the prevalence of the aforementioned symptoms in each of the studied organs was evaluated. Accordingly, 80 eligible individuals were identified for this study according to the inclusion criteria and allocated to two intervention (n=40) and control (n=40) groups. In addition, forms of A (i.e., intervention) and B (i.e., control) were used for the random assignment of the groups. The Nordic questionnaire was completed for both groups 24 h before the intervention. After the termination of the 2-month intervention period and 24 h after the last exercise session, the Nordic questionnaire was again completed for both groups. For the result comparison, the GEE statistycal test was used.  

The results of the examined hypotheses showed that that resistance exercises had no significant effects on reducing the prevalence of the symptoms of MSD in the neck, shoulders, wrists, hands, buttocks, and back of school teachers, compared to that reported for the last year and 2 months (P>0.05); however, these exercises significantly decreased the severity of the pain in the intervention group over the last 7 days (P<0.05).

Due to the low impact of resistance training, it is recommended to carry out further studies on redesigning the exercise plan, changing the type and the duration of exercises, or increasing the sample size in order to relieve the pain in the studied regions.

Chronic and debilitating diseases have many psychiatric consequences. Renal diseases followed by dialysis and kidney transplantation have a profound effect on the physical and mental health of individuals. This study aimed to determine the relationship of dialysis adequacy with depression and anxiety among hemodialysis patients in educational hospitals affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran, in 2016.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 185 patients with chronic renal failure under hemodialysis. The data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of three sections seeking information about demographic characteristics, disease variables, as well as anxiety and depression hospital scale.  

Out of 185 patients, the majority of the cases were male (n=101, 54.6%) with a mean age of 55±1 years and the females (n=84, 45.4%) were with a mean age of 59.8±0.85 years. About 49.5% of the subjects had urea reduction ratio ≥0.65 and KT/V≥1.2. Dialysis adequacy showed a significant relationship with feeling good, anxiety, and depression (P<0.001).

Knowledge of factors related to dialysis adequacy and its promotion can increase the satisfaction of hemodialysis patients with the quality of dialysis and subsequently improve their quality of life.

Due to the increasing consumption of fried foods, it is important to check the quality of the oil used for frying to maintain the health of consumers. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the amount of peroxide, acidity, and thermal stability of the oils used in Falafel stores in Arak, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 25 traditional units and 2 industrial units producing Falafel in Arak, Iran, during 2018. In total, 50 and 3 samples were obtained from traditional (two samples from each unit) and industrial units, respectively, to determine the peroxide and acidity based on the standardized methods No. 4178 and 4179. Moreover, thermal stability was measured using the Rancimat device. The data were analyzed using SPSS  software (version 22) through with Wilcoxon tests and correlated t-test.

The results showed that the peroxide and acidity of the used oils were higher than the allowable limit, and the thermal stability was lower than the allowable limit. According to the obtained data, the samples were rejected in terms of peroxide content of 72%, acidity of 68%, and thermal stability of 98%.

These findings show the inefficiency of the oils used in Falafel stores in Arak, Iran. In addition, the shelf-life of half-cooked Falafel should be reduced.

One of the most important effects of climate change is drought, a condition that is caused by a long period without rainfall; however, the determination of the time and place of its beginning is difficult. Many researchers have attempted to develop the necessary techniques to analyze and monitor drought indicators and their impact on the climate. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate the drought indices for 10 years in a descriptive cross-sectional design in Golestan, Mazandaran, and Guilan provinces.

In the present descriptive cross-sectional study, different drought indices were determined, such as standard precipitation index (SPI), decile index (DI), number index (ZCI), Chinese z index (CZI), and modified Chinese z index (MCZI). Finally, DIP software was used for data analysis(version: 2.0), and The obtained indicators were compared with the standards.

Based on the results, the studied indicators had a similar upward trend in all stations of Mazandaran and Golestan provinces for 10 years. However, there was the possibility of drought in Guilan province in summer according to CZI and MCZI indices, compared to the other two provinces since the average monthly rainfall was lower than that of the other two provinces. According to the MCZI index, Guilan and Mazandaran provinces had their driest months in March (-1) and April (-0.8), respectively, which could be due to the effects of climate change.

Results of this study can be useful for the determination and prediction of the future conditions of these areas and the provision of early warnings of drought, especially in areas with water scarcity.

free radicals cause more than 60 diseases; however, antioxidants can stop the harmful processes induced by free radicals in the body. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of strenuous endurance training (ET) and high-intensity interval training (HT) on thioredoxin reductase-1 (TRX1) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in hippocampal tissue in male Wistar rats.

In this experimental study, 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of control, ET, and HT. The training protocols consisted of ET and HT on a treadmill for 8 weeks (5 days a week) and the hippocampal tissue samples were collected 48 h after the last session of training. Tissue concentration of TRX1 was measured by ELISA method and MDA concentration was measured by Thiobarbituric acid. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance.

Based on the results, after 8 weeks, there were no significant differences in the TRX1 level in hippocampal tissue in ET and HT groups compared to the control group (P=0.62). Moreover, after 8 weeks, there were no significant differences in the TRX1 level in hippocampal tissue in ET and HT groups in comparison to the control group (P=0.83).

In conclusion, 8 weeks of ET and HT did not affect the TRX1 and TRX1 level in hippocampal tissue in male Wistar rats.