Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System
Volume:4 Issue: 1, Jan 2016

Biogas is obtained by anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes buried materials used to produce electricity, heat and biofuels. Biogas is at the second place for power generation after hydropower and in 2000 about 6% of the world power generation was allocated to biogas. Biogas is composed of 40–45 vol% CO2, 55–65 vol% CH4, and about 1% non-methaneVOCs, and non-methane volatile organic compounds. Emission rates are used to evaluate the compliance with landfill gas emission regulations by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). BTEX comounds affect the air quality and may be harmful to human health. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers that are generally called BTEX compounds are the most abundant VOCs in biogas. Sampling of VOCs in biogas vents was operated passively or with Tedlar bags. 20 samples were collected from 40 wells of old and new biogas sites of Shiraz’ landfill. Immediately after sampling, the samples were transferred to the laboratory. Analysis of the samples was performed with GC-MS. The results showed that in the collection of the old and new biogas sites, the highest concentration of VOCs was observed in toluene (0.85ppm) followed by benzene (0.81ppm), ethylbenzene (0.13ppm) and xylene (0.08ppm). The results of the study showed that in all samples, most available compounds in biogas vents were aromatic hydrocarbon compounds.These compounds’ constituents originate from household hazardous waste materials deposited in the landfill or from biological/chemical decomposition processes within the landfill.

Depression is one of the mental disorders which have become a public health problem throughout of the world. The objective of this study was to investigate depression and to determine its correlated factors among students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). 358 students of SUMS participated in this crosssectional study in 2012. The participants were selected by Proportion Partition sampling method. A two-part questionnaire was used as the data collecting tool. In the first part, demographic characteristics and in the second part the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were included. Mean score of depression in the studied population was 10.98. More than half of all the participants (54.7%) were symptomless; 41% of them were in the weak to moderate depression categories, and 4.2% in the strong and very strong categories. The data showed a significant relationship between scores of depression and marital status, academic grade, field content of study, use of psychoactive drugs, job outlook, problem with marriage and religious commitments. The depression scores in the married, religious and postgraduate participants and in those participants with course pleasure and excellent career perspective were lower than those in the other groups. Taking measures to reduce the factors leading to mental disorders is recommended. The involvement of students in socio-cultural, recreational and sport activities, reinforcement of consultation and clinical psychological services, and promotion of religious beliefs are instrumental in the enhancement of moral values and amelioration of depression among university students.

Dyes are visible materials and are considered as one of the hazardous components that make up the industrial waste. Dye compounds in natural water, even in very low concentrations, will lead to environmental problems. Azo dyes are compounds with one or more –N=N– groups and are used in textile industry. Because of its low price, solubility, and stability, azo dyes are widely used in the textile industry. Direct Red 81 (DR81) is one of the azo dyes, which is removed from bodies of water, using various methods. This study aimed to assess DR81 dye removal by Fenton oxidation and the effects of various parameters on this process. Decolorization tests by Fenton oxidation were performed at dye concentrations of 50, 500, 100 and 1000 mg/L; hydrogen peroxide concentrations of 0, 10, 30, 60 and 120 mg/L; iron (II) sulfate heptahydrate concentrations of 0, 3, 5, 20 and 50 mg/L; and pH levels of 3, 5, 7 and 10 for durations of 5, 10, 20, 30, 60 and 180 minutes. The optimal condition occurred at a dye concentration of 20 mg/L, hydrogen peroxide concentration of 120 mg/L, bivalent iron concentration of 100 mg/L, pH of 3, and duration of 30 minutes. Under such conditions, the maximum dye removal rate was 88.98%. The results showed that DR81 could be decomposed and removed by Fenton oxidation. In addition, the removal of Direct Red 81 (DR81) depends on several factors such as dye concentration, reaction time, concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and iron, and pH.

Atherosclerosis and subsequent coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in Iranian population. High serum lipid levels, especially the elevated level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), have been shown to be strongly related to the development of atherosclerosis. The relationship between dietary glycemic index (GI) and lipid profile, particularly in nonwestern populations, has not been well studied; also, the result of studies are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between dietary glycemic index (GI) and main risk factor of atherosclerosis including abnormal blood lipid levels in healthy women. This cross-sectional study was done to investigate the associations between dietary GI and lipid profile. The subjects were 87 female personnel of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences aged 25-55 y; they were recruited randomly. Dietary GI was calculated from six 24 hour recalls (including 4 usual days and 2 holidays). The mean of dietary GI was 72.1±4.07. After adjustment for potential dietary and non- dietary confounding factors, no significant relationship was found between dietary GI with HDL-C and LDL-C. There was also no statistically significant relationship between GI and total cholesterol or fasting Triacylglycerol. Findings of this study did not support the hypothesis of physiologic relevance of GI and lipid profile abnormality as a potential risk factor for atherosclerosis.

Systemic thinking can provide practice in multidisciplinary team working and improve the organizational efficacy. This study aimed to determine the association between systemic thinking and partnership working in the employees of a medical sciences university in the south of Iran. A cross-sectional study was performed in Zahedan University of Medical Sciences (ZAUMS) in 2015. The study population consisted of all employees in ZAUMS; 370 participants were selected through stratified random sampling. Two standard questionnaires were used for data gathering. The data were analyzed in SPSS (v21) using Pearson, One way ANOVA, and logistic regression. The level of significance was considered as 0.05. In this study, 225 participants (60.8%) were female and their mean age was 34.7±8.7. The score of partnership working for 362 participants was higher than the mean standard (40). Systemic thinking had a positive association with partnership working (p=0.001) and married status of the participants (p=0.04). Partnership working in male and older staff was more than others in ZAUMS (p<0.001 and p=0.01, respectively). Systematic thinking had a positive association with the employees’ working partnership. Moreover, the male staff had better systematic thinking. It is recommended that the managers should promote systematic thinking in staff, especially in females, for better partnership and efficacy in organizations.

The reduction of suicidal attempts as one of the most important goals is improvement of societies’ health status. The present study aimed to assess the epidemiologic aspects of suicide cases in Fars province in 2010-2011. A total of 9714 suicide cases in Fars province, south of Iran, in 2010-2011 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study through census. The study data were collected using suicide registry forms in the health centers affiliated to Fars province department of health services and analyzed using SPSS, version 17. The rate of suicide attempts was 116.5 per 100,000 population in Fars province (93per 100,000 among men and 141.5 per 100,000 among women). The results showed significant differences between the suicide rates based on sex, age group, place of living, and season of the year (P<0.001). Most of these cases were female (59.4%), single (52.9%), 15-24 years old (56.4%), had high school education (25.8%), lived in urban areas (69.6%) and were female homemakers (30.3%). Based on the data, however, the largest number of suicide deaths resulted from self-immolation (56.7%). The present study findings revealed different rates of suicidal attempts based on sex and age group. Also, the importance of education and mental support, especially among women and singles, and also preventive measures in the context of uncontrolled immigration from the countryside to the large cities seems to essential more than ever. Yet, defects in some findings, particularly information about etiology, suggest that more researches should be conducted and suicide data registry and reporting systems should be improved.

Dietary pattern is an effective way of studying the effect of diet on diseases. We investigated the association between dietary patterns and blood pressure (BP) in adults aged 20-50 years. In a cross-sectional design, 418 individuals were selected through stratified multistage random sampling from households living in different regions of Shiraz. Information on demographic characteristics, anthropometric features, dietary intakes, and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure was gathered. Dietary patterns were determined using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Three dietary patterns were specified: vegetable (high in vegetables and legumes), Western-like (high in meat, sugarsweetened beverages, salty and sweet snacks, refined grains, high-fat dairy), and Mediterranean-like (rich in low-fat dairy, fruit, vegetables, nuts, olive, fish, and low in hydrogenated fats). After adjustment for confounders, Mediterranean-like dietary pattern had an inverse association with SBP (β=-0.24; 95% CI: -5.25, -1.27) and DBP (β=-0.17; 95% CI: -3.65, -0.20) in males but not females. Vegetable and Western-like dietary patterns were not associated with BP in either sex after adjusting for confounders. Positive relationships were observed between BP and body mass index (r=0.28 and 0.33 for SBP and DBP, P<0.001), waist circumference (r=0.51 and 0.45 for SBP and DBP, P<0.001), and waist-to-hip ratio (r=0.54 and 0.44 for SBP and DBP, P<0.001). Dietary energy and carbohydrates were positively and fats inversely associated with BP. Among micronutrients, vitamin E had a significant inverse association with BP. Mediterranean-like dietary pattern may lower the risk of hypertension in Shiraz males.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to atherosclerosis is the foremost cause of premature mortality and of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in developed and developing countries (1). The associated mortality is preventable through treatment of dyslipidemia (2). Over half of the first CHD events and 3/4 of CHD deaths are preventable by controlling the risk factors, including diet, exercise, weight and blood pressure control; prescription of aspirin and tobacco cessation; and lowering lipids (3). Dyslipidemia covers the broad spectrum of lipid abnormalities (4). However, elevations of the total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) have received the most attention (4). Epidemiologic data revealed that about 70 mil­lion Americans had elevated levels of LDL cholesterol between 2005 and 2008 (5). Abnormalities in lipid components are prevalent in Iran and they are more common among men in urban areas. Urbanization, unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle are the underlying reasons for the high prevalence of dyslipidemia in Iran (4). Dyslipidemias may be related to other diseases (secondary dyslipidemias); therefore, secondary causes of abnormal lipid levels should be considered first and treated when appropriate (6).The primary target in treating dyslipidemia has been and will probably continue to be LDL cholesterol because it is the most atherogenic lipoprotein which correlates more closely than other lipids with CHD (7). Statin therapy is likely to continue to be emphasized because they are the most effective lipid-lowering agents for reducing LDL cholesterol concentrations, and their efficacy for lowering the risk for cardiovascular events has been proven (8). Every 1.0 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) reduction in LDL-C is associated with a corresponding 22% reduction in CVD mortality and morbidity (9). Patients with an elevated LDL-cholesterol level should begin the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes program as well as an individualized program of regular exercise. Lifestyle modifications include diet, aerobic exercise, weight control, smoking cessation, evaluation of alcohol consumption; and a nutritional supplement containing sitostanol ester, a saturated derivative of plants’ seed oil (6). Diet and exercise are the cornerstones of treatment for asymptomatic patients with dyslipidemia (6). Smoking cessation reduces coronary event rate by about 50% within one to two years of stopping. Among the benefits of smoking cessation is a 5-10% increase in HDL-C (3). Clinicians should initiate statin therapy regardless of LDL, in patients with established ASCVD. Statins are the drugs of choice for lowering LDL-cholesterol, and aggressive treatment with statins should be pursued (6). Large scale clinical event trials include lovastatin, pravastatin, simvastatin atorvastatin, and rosuvastatin (3). Statin Dose Intensity is shown in Table 1 (3).