h. jafarzadeh

Pseudomonas are among psychrophilic bacteria and have been reported in various studies as the predominant spoilage bacterial in slaughter carcass. The aim of this study was to track Pseudomonas spp. from different stages of the slaughter line, slaughterhouse environment and equipment and drop in the packaging. Characteristics such as pigment production, movement pattern and biofilm formation capability of the isolates were also determined. For this purpose, 108 samples were sampled from three industrial poultry slaughterhouses in Tabriz. According to the results, the highest contamination was detected in the samples of the floors, abdominal cavity of carcass and drip samples, respectively. The lowest contamination was observed in the samples related to drinking water, live chicken breast swab and scalder, respectively. The average movement of the Swimming type was significantly (p ≤ 0.001) higher than the two types of Swarming and Twitching movements. And in terms of pigment production, the dominant color was green. Moreover, most of the isolates were able to form biofilms and about 30% of the isolates had moderate and strong ability to produce biofilms. In conclusion, most of the Pseudomonas spp. contamination occurs through different parts of the slaughter line and also the equipment and environment of the slaughterhouse. Due to the biofilm production capacity of Pseudomonas isolates, the issue of proper and more effective washing and disinfection of the slaughter line and equipment is of particular importance.

Anxiety is a common emotional response in women during labor that may cause a prolonged labor and fatigue for the mother. Many steps have recently been taken to reduce the anxiety during labor which tend to utilize herbal medicine, therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of saffron oral capsules on anxiety and Fatigue during the first stage of labor.

This triple blind clinical trial was accomplished on 60 women who were candidate for normal vaginal delivery in 17 sharivar hospital in Mashhad in 2014. The study participants were selected via convenience sampling and then divided into two groups of intervention (250 mg saffron capsules) and control (placebo). Fatigue and anxiety were measured at the beginning of the study and then every two hours until the end of the active phase of labor via a visual analog scale. The study data were analyzed by chi-square test, independent T-test, Mann-Whitney and multivariate via SPSS software version 11/5(p value of less than 0/05 was considered significant).

Mean anxiety score of saffron group was 26/4±16/9, whereas it was 46/5±18/8 in the placebo group and thus, a significant difference was observed between the two groups (P= 0.001). The mean fatigue score in the Saffron group (57/7±20/9) was significantly lower (P=0.004) than that of the placebo group (73/8 ± 21/4).

The study findings revealed that saffron can be prescribed in order to reduce maternal anxiety and fatigue.