Archives of Hygiene Sciences
Volume:12 Issue: 2, Spring 2023

Dust is one of the phenomena affecting the environment’s quality. The change in the vital indices of plant species is one of its important effects. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of dust on the rate of photosynthesis and air pollution tolerance index (APTI) of the leaves of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Willd. in the city of Ahvaz in 2020.

A number of 10 Z. spina-christi (L.) Willd. trees were selected in each municipal district of Ahvaz metropolis. From each tree, one leaf sample was selected in the 4 main geographical directions, i.e., 4 samples from each tree species; overall, 40 leaf samples were collected in the whole region and sent to the laboratory to investigate the level of dust particles deposited in the four seasons of the year. Photosynthesis was measured based on the amount of chlorophyll by a spectrophotometer, and the APTI was calculated using Agbaire et al.’s method.

The results of measuring the weight of dust deposited on the leaves of Z. spina-christi (L.) Willd. trees in the city of Ahvaz showed that the greatest amount of dust was deposited on the leaves in the geographical north direction. The highest rate of photosynthesis was in the fall (53.76), and the lowest was in the spring (35.97). The mean APTI score of Z. spina-christi (L.) Willd. species in Ahvaz was 4.77.

These results indicate that this species has a favorable APTI against environmental pollutants, including dust. In general, the results of the present study confirm the significant association of the dust deposited on the leaves of Z. spina-christi (L.) Willd. with the rate of photosynthesis and the APTI.

Nurses as the powerful force of the healthcare system, play a significant role in the development and progress of care, improvement, and promotion of health. Therefore, it is very important to check their mental and occupational health status. Therefore, this research was conducted to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness programs with schema therapy on cognitive fusion and job burnout in female nurses.

The research was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included all female nurses working in Imam Khomeini hospital (RA) in Tehran in 2021, which was 60 available, taking into account the entry criteria and research tools including the cognitive fusion questionnaire and questionnaire Job burnout were selected and replaced in three groups of 20 people. The intervention program was implemented for each of the experimental groups during 8 weekly sessions (1 hour). But the control group did not receive these programs. Hypotheses were analyzed with repeated measures analysis of variance.

The findings showed that the groups had no significant difference in terms of education, shift and work experience, and type of employment (P < 0.05). Also, both mindfulness and schema therapy have significantly improved cognitive fusion and job burnout compared to the control group. The comparison of intervention programs shows the different effects of these programs on cognitive fusion and job burnout.

Based on the results, therapists and health professionals can use two methods of mindfulness and schema therapy to improve the occupational and psychological condition of personnel.

Lead (Pb) may cause cognitive impairments in both recent acute and chronic exposures. In this study, the effect of Pb exposure on the relationship between neurobehavioral characteristics and productivity was evaluated among battery manufacturing workers.

In general, 179 production workers and 179 office workers participated in this cross-sectional study. Venous blood sampling was used to measure the level of Pb in the blood. Psychomotor performance and intellectual functioning were measured using the digit symbol substitution test and the Wechsler adult intelligence scale-revised, respectively. Finally, productivity was assessed using a health and work performance questionnaire.

Exposed workers had a significantly higher level of Pb, while a lower level of intellectual functioning and psychomotor performance than non-exposed workers. The results of linear regression indicated that the increase in the blood level of Pb was accompanied by a significant decrease in the positive effects of intellectual functioning on productivity. However, exposure to Pb had no effect on the relationship between psychomotor performance and productivity.

Occupational exposure to Pb affected the relationship between psycho-diagnostic performance and productivity and could induce neurobehavioral dysfunction in the exposed workers. For the early detection of cognitive impairment, the neurobehavioral assessment is recommended to be implemented in work assessments.

people’s responsibility for protection behaviors against COVID-19 has a vital role in stopping chaining of transmission and, Adherence to preventive measures can be affected by psychosocial factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the survey of corona protection behaviors based on the precaution adoption process model (PAPM) in women referred to Marivan health centers in 2021, Iran.

This descriptive (cross-sectional) study, were carried out between 380 women referring to health centers in Marivan in 2021. The samples were selected by the random cluster sampling method. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of two parts of demographic information and the construct of PAPM.

Results showed that people in the fifth and sixth stages of the model obtained higher scores in the model construct and the second and fourth stages of the model received the lowest scores.

Uniform education for the general public may not have the expected results for protective behaviors and prevention of diseases, so education should be based on step-by-step models of health education and variables affecting individual decisions.

Crisis refers to events or situations that suddenly occur due to natural and human accidents and functions and impose difficulties and problems on a human collection. Crisis management enables an organization to eliminate some of the crises, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), manage some others efficiently, and acquire the required tools for rapid and thorough learning from the occurred crises. The present study aimed to evaluate the conditions of crisis management of industries and problems of health, safety, and environment (HSE) staff in confronting COVID-19 in Qom province.

The present research is a qualitative study based on content analysis. The participants included 23 staff working at the HSE center of industries that entered the study through a random convenient method from various industries and organizations. Questions on evaluating the preparedness and response to crisis sections were designed and completed. The data were analyzed using MAXQDA V10 software.

The analysis of the data regarding investigated companies indicated that 21 companies (91.3%) were privately owned, and two companies (8.7%) were semi-private. Regarding the field of activity, the companies were also active in 9 groups. The mean number of staff in the investigated companies and the mean number of HSE staff were 154.48 and 1.48 people, respectively. The content analysis clarified that only in 11 investigated collections (47.83%) had the managers noticed it before identifying COVID-19. Providing disinfectants and personal protective equipment was the most critical problem in confronting COVID-19. Simplification of the disease and non-compliance with the instructions by staff were also placed in the next rank.

According to the results of the present study, the conditions of preparedness and response to the COVID-19 crisis were not of the desired status in the investigated collections. Increasing the number of staff in the HSE center and applying the general principles of crisis management, especially planning and taking a lesson from past crises, can help increase the level of preparedness of organizations and industries for probable future crises.

COVID-19 pandemic affects the physical and mental health of nursing and midwifery students as a group who are potentially in contact with patients during a pandemic. Considering that receiving social support is very necessary for crisis situations and also good general health makes the person adapt to the surrounding environment; therefore the present study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine the relationship between perceived social support and general health among nursing and midwifery students of Iran University of Medical Sciences.

This descriptive correlational study was conducted from April to July 2019 with 186 students of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of Iran University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tool was an electronic questionnaire including demographic information, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.

The most social support perceived by the students was reported by the family. With the reduction of perceived social support by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, the general health score increased, which means that students’ general health is weaker. Having an underlying disease is the only variable that had a significant relationship with perceived social support (P = 0.018) and general health (P = 0.005). The way of living had a statistically significant relationship with the general health of students during the pandemic of COVID-19 (P < 0.001). Those who live alone had less general health.

Social support from family and friends was associated with improving the general health of students during the Corona era. Therefore, it is suggested to take a step towards increasing the level of their general health by increasing social support for students who live alone or have an underlying disease.

Today, food-borne diseases are known as one of the most important public health concerns in many countries. Campylobacter is one of the most prevalent food-borne pathogens. Raw chicken meat has been reported as the main source of human campylobacteriosis. The present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Campylobacter species among broiler carcasses at industrial slaughterhouses in Hamedan province, west of Iran.

Totally, 100 samples were collected using sterile swabs from chicken skin at the post-scalding stage. The samples were enriched in Brucella broth containing Campylobacter selective supplement and incubated at 42ºC for 48-72 hours under microaerophilic conditions. The molecular detection and identification of Campylobacter species were performed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using cadF and Hip primers for detecting Campylobacter species and Campylobacter jejuni, respectively.

The results of this study revealed that 81% and 31% of broiler carcasses were positive for the presence of Campylobacter species and C. jejuni, respectively.

Due to the high contamination rate of chicken meat with this pathogen, precise hygienic control of poultry meat and an increase in consumer awareness seem necessary to decrease human campylobacteriosis.

Dust storms, which are considered natural occurrences, have harmed the global population’s health as a result of the broad increase in climate change. The most serious consequences of these alterations are cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cerebrovascular diseases. This review study focused on the effect of dust storms and climatic factors on mortality and morbidity in worldwide and assessed the prediction of these diseases based on changes in each of the meteorological factors and dust storms.

For data collection, English literature was searched using keywords “dust storm” and “respiratory disorders” or “cardiovascular disease” or “cerebrovascular disease” in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus as databases, along with Google Scholar as engine search. The first step was to use statistics on the number of instances of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory diseases. The association between the occurrence of these diseases and variations in climatic factors underwent assessment.

Adverse repercussions could be noticed when dust storms were paired with changes in metrological parameters. More local information about the link of these diseases with dust storms and changes in metrological variables in the nation, as well as their capacity to anticipate them, is needed to prevent and reduce the health risk of these diseases.

In areas prone to dust storms, the population will be prone to its effects and consequences. Thus, preventive measures are beneficial at the community level.