Context: Constipation as a common morbidity among people is related to many disorders. Iranian-Islamic traditional medicine (IITM) is an ancient comprehensive medicine school that has a holistic attitude toward human health and disease. Constipation is considered by scholar IITM as the origin of many human disorders. This study aimed to describe viewpoints of IITM scholars toward constipation and its management.
Evidence Acquisition:The main ancient resources in IITM were reviewed and a structural description was created about constipation and its management.
According to IITM, constipation is defined as defecation less than one time daily with firm and dry consistency. It is considered in IITM as a sign of maltempered body that if prolonged, could lead to the accumulation of harmful homors and its associated diseases like cancer. Some general recommendations of IITM help us to prevent and treat constipation; such as chewing food well, avoid of dry cold fiberless diet, regular aerobic exercise, and correction of body temperament. Moreover, diet therapy with high fiber fruits and vegetables, manipulative therapy such as abdominal massage with warm oils, and medication with herbal laxative or purgative drugs are specific therapeutic methods for constipation recommended by IITM scholars.
It seems the holistic attitude of IITM toward constipation and comprehensiveness of its recommendations could be considered in health-related interventions and could ensure community health promotion.

Zoonotic diseases are the infectious diseases that can be transferred from vertebrates to humans. Climate changes increase migration of human and animal hosts, vectors, and pathogens and also have considerable impacts on the prevalence of zoonotic diseases. Climatic changes, as well as anthropogenic and natural factors can affect the complicated nature of the human-animal interface. South Khorasan province, located in the Eastern Iran, has dry climate and experiences a very variable climate in the recent years.
The current study aimed at evaluating the relationship between climate changes, such as temperature trend and the prevalence of zoonotic diseases in South Khorasan province.
Zoonotic infections among residents of all ages in the 11 cities of the province were studied from 2005 to 2014 and were compared with the climate changes (temperature trend); the Pearson test and the geographic information system (GIS) were used to analyze data.
The results showed that during the last decade, the emergence of zoonotic diseases dramatically increased, which is of great concern regarding human and animal health. The prevalence of zoonotic diseases showed higher frequencies in the Western part of South Khorasan province, particularly in Tabas and Boshrooye. There were significant differences in the mean annual rate of zoonotic diseases comparing with the mean annual temperature of the province during the studies period (R = 0.74).
Assessment of global changes in the status of vector-borne diseases is of great importance, since the risk of zoonotic diseases increases by climate changes due to the proliferation of the hosts, reservoirs, and vectors. Correlation between the changes in zoonotic diseases, occurred in some of zoonotic pathogens in the recent decade in the studied region, and climate indicators showed that climate changes can provide the conditions for endemicity; the condition that did exist before in this region.

Currently there is much concern in the field of soil contamination with heavy metals due to rapid urbanization. Soil contamination significantly reduces environmental quality and affects human health.
This study was performed to determine the level of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the soils of Babol city in Mazandaran province and to evaluate the pollution indices of heavy metals.
Concentrations of heavy metals in 50 samples of surface soils (5 to 15 cm) in urban and rural areas of Babol city were measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). In this study, various indices including contamination factor (Cfi), degree of contamination (Cdeg), Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI) and the potential ecological risk (ERi) with heavy metals were assessed.
Mean content of As, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni, and Co in soil samples of different locations were 6.90±2.60, 31±5.70, 0.32±0.1, 82.80±15, 32.40±8.30, 34.50±7.50, and 22.6±6 mg/kg, respectively. The average content of these metals is ranked in the following descending order: Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Co > As > Cd. The order of contribution of the potential ecological risk by metals was Cd (51.91%) > As (23.75) > Pb (7.61%) > Cr (5.57%) > Co (5.24%) > Zn (3.04%) > NI (2.88%).
This study indicated that the risk assessments of the soil samples with heavy metals in the studied locations are categorized from low to moderate degree of contamination.

About 12 million people are affected by les leishmaniosis worldwide. It is an important public health problem due to the difficulty in its control and causing epidemic outbreaks. An effective anti-leishmanial vaccine remains elusive. Isolated dominant epitopes arranged as polytope DNA vaccine represent a promising approach.
Balb/c mice were vaccinated subcutaneously with pCDNA3.1/LAKJB93 DNA and challenged with Leishmania major promastigotes; then, the level of interferon (INF)-γ and interleukin (IL)-4 were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Production of immunoglobulin (Ig)-G1 and IgG2a antigen specific antibodies were measured against LAKJB93.
The enhanced production of antigen-specific INF-γ and IgG2a in serum showed the stimulation of T helper type 1 (Th1) response. This protective immune response was induced by the expression of pcDNA3.1/ LAKJB93 plasmid against leishmaniosis and therefore, pcDNA3.1/ LAKJB93 can be considered an appropriate vaccine for leishmaniosis.
Immunization with DNA vaccine may offer an effective route to prevent leishmaniosis.

Workers exposed to extreme heat in the workplace may be at risk of various heat related-illnesses. There are different ways to control heat stress in the workplace. Adaptation to heat is a process by which the body can cope with the heat stress and remove the excess heat. Some criteria affect the adaptability parameter. The present study aimed at determining some important criteria for adaptability to heat.
The most important criteria were extracted according to experts’ opinions and by Delphi model, their weights were specified by fuzzy analytic hierarchy Process (FAHP), and a model was introduced for adaptability. The weights of criteria determined by FAHP were used for prioritization.
The maximum percentage of responses (100%) with the relative weight of 0.063 was allocated to the criterion of administrative control. Engineering controls (86.6%), providing shaded area and special places for rest (70%), and having access to healthy drinking water (60%) were considered as other effective criteria for adaptability. Having a second job, personal protective plans, training programs and suitable working clothes can also affect adaptation to heat.
In conclusion, adaptability will enable the workers to work in hotter environments for longer periods. According to obtained percentages and weights, the introduced model can be used to prioritize the suitable measures for improving the adaptability of workers and controlling the heat stress. Developing a heat stress control program and implementing this policy requires the cooperation of all members, especially employees.

Distal upper extremities musculoskeletal disorders (DUEMSDs) is considered as the main cause of working lost time, increased labor costs, and human injuries. This study was conducted to assess the risk factors of DUEMSDs in carpet weavers.
This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 143 carpet weavers located in Qom city. For quantifying the prevalence of signs or symptoms of DUEMSDs, the customized nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire (NMQ) was used. Next, carpet weaving jobs were analyzed by hierarchical task analysis (HTA). All risk factors that caused DUEMSDs were determined and risk assessment of DUEMSDs was done by the Job Strain Index (JSI).
Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire results (NMQ) showed that the most prevalent of disorders was related to the upper back (62.2%), lower back (60.1%), wrist (55.9%), and shoulders (37.2%), respectively, during the last year. Also, JSI results showed that sub-tasks of knot tying and cutting, milling, shoulder milling headband, and the sub-tasks paid in the area were placed in the hazardous category. Among the parameters of the strain index, duration of exertion, effort in minutes, and hand/wrist posture had the most important effect in the creation of the risky level knot (W4), cutting the knots (W5), and combing (T6) sub-tasks. Also, duration of exertion and hand/wrist posture had the most important effect in the creation of the risky level in head band milling (R1) and combing (R7) sub-tasks.
Knot and cutting sub-tasks in the task of weaving, as part of carpet weaving jobs, were the most hazardous sub-tasks. Implementation of ergonomic interventions focused on reducing the duration of exertion, efforts in minute, and correction of hand/wrist postures may improve workstations and reduce distal upper extremities musculoskeletal disorders risk factors in carpet weaving workers.

The analysis of causes and consequences of past accidents in gas refinery plants has indicated that the consequences of accidents in these plants may be catastrophic and irreversible, influencing human health, environment, and the economy. This study aimed at assessing risks using layer of protection analysis (LOPA) in gas sweetening units of 2 different gas refinery plants and determining the probability of initiating events with application of protection layers, using the event tree analysis (ETA) method.
Hazard and operability (HAZOP) analysis was used in hazard identification. Data obtained from HAZOP analysis was applied to assess risks using the LOPA technique. The most likely scenarios were selected and the probability and consequences of initial events were determined using the ETA method.
Results of the HAZOP method led to identification of 52 risks and their levels in processes of both gas sweetening units, considering the control equipment. The results of LOPA showed that the levels of risk with different scenarios of both gas sweetening towers were similar. The probability of the total near misses in plant 1 and 2 were 0.00214753 and 0.00214149, respectively. The probabilities of incidents according to the top events in refinery 1 and 2 were 0.0000011 and 0.000005, respectively.
The LOPA is a useful tool for the assessment of effectiveness of independent protection layers in reducing risk in both studied refinery plants. The results indicated that event tree analysis is an effective tool for quantitative analysis of consequences and probabilities of accidents in the studied gas refinery units.

Cosmetics use is universal and Iran is the 3rd biggest user of cosmetic products among the Middle East countries. Using cosmetics can be associated with multiple adverse reactions from less severe local reactions to systemic reactions and serious complications.
The aim of the study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women in the city of Yazd about adverse effects of cosmetics.
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 women in the city of Yazd in 2011. Data were collected through a researcher-designed questionnaire for assessing participant’s knowledge, attitude, and practice. Data were tabulated and analyzed by SPSS, using descriptive analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results with a P value of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
The mean score of participants’ knowledge about using cosmetics was 5.95 ± 2.47 (ranging 0 to 14). The mean score of attitude and practice about using cosmetics were 31.80 ± 3.96 (ranging 21 to 40) and 12.92 ± 2.83 (ranging 4 to 18), respectively. There wasn’t a significant correlation between participants’ knowledge and practice, however, there was a positive significant correlation (P = 0.01, r = 0.248) between their knowledge and attitude. Results showed a positive statistically significant correlation between attitude and practice with age (r = 0.168 and 0.139, respectively).
Women had low level of knowledge about adverse effects of cosmetics. Practice of women was also unfavorable. Therefore, there is a need to educate women about the possible risks of cosmetics through formal channels.

Self-rated health (SRH), as a single-item self-assessment of health, has been widely used in research on health inequalities in both developed and developing countries. However, limited studies have been conducted on SRH in Iran. The present study aimed to evaluate SRH and its related factors among Iranian women.
In this population-based, cross-sectional study, 1200 women > 18 years old who lived in different districts of Sanandaj, western Iran, in 2012 were randomly selected through stratified cluster sampling. SRH, as the main outcome variable, was categorized as poor or good. The results of evaluation of the associated factors with SRH were presented as odds ratios (OR), and bootstrap method was used to obtain 95% confidence interval (95% CI).
The overall prevalence of poor SRH among women was 37.68% (95% CI: 34.74, 40.61). Even after adjustment for other factors, the most important determinants of poor SRH were old age (OR = 3.92, 95% CI: 2.59, 5.94), being married (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.83), quality of health services (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.88), and household’s income level (OR = 0.22, CI: 0.14, 0.35).
The proportion of poor SRH varied depending on socioeconomic and socio-demographic determinants. As SRH is an important predictor of death, individuals with the related factors, such as advanced age, being married, household’s low-income level, and low quality of health services, should be considered as the priority target population.

Social support is considered as a key factor in adherence to a low fat diet among patients with cardiovascular disease. The main objective of this study is to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the family support questionnaire for adherence to low fat diet in patients with cardiovascular disease.
The participants were 212 patients with cardiovascular disease who were discharged from 2 medical centers (Khatam Al-Anbiya and Ali Ibn Abi Talib) in the city of Zahedan. They were enrolled by the convenience sampling method. Internal consistency and Cronbach’s alpha were used to test the scale’s reliability and following, the exploratory factor analysis method (principal components analysis by using Varimax rotation) was used for the investigation factor structure.
The principal components analysis (PCA) provided support for two-factor structure (emotional and instrumental support) of the family support questionnaire for adherence to low fat diet in patients with cardiovascular disease. Two-factor structure explained 83.29% of the variance. In this analysis, the first factor (emotional support) and second factor (instrumental support), respectively, explained 63.03% and 20.25% of variance. The questionnaire had acceptable internal consistency. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.89 and for both instrumental and emotional support was equal to 0.71 and 0.99, respectively.
The present questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument to measure family support for adherence to low fat diet in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Most health professions, including nursing, create a lot of stress. To alleviate and cope with stresses and strains of the job, awareness of the causes is essential. Burnout and quality of work life are among factors affecting employees’ performance degradation.
This study aimed at investigating the relationship between quality of work life and burnout among nurses.
This study had a cross-sectional and was carried out at Imam Hossein hospital of Shahroud, during year 2014. Data was collected using Walton’s quality of work life questionnaire and Maslach burnout inventory. The study applied convenience sampling and the sample size was 134. Data was analyzed using Pearson’s correlation, t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and structural equation modeling (SEM).
The majority of nursing staff (n = 118) under study were females (88.1%) and their mean age was 30.48. Results showed that the mean score for quality of work life in the majority of subjects was moderate (90.3%). In terms of frequency and intensity of burnout, the majority of participants showed high scores in personal accomplishment (100%) and depersonalization dimensions (99.3%). In addition, a negative and significant relationship was found between quality of work life and burnout.
The results of this study indicate that there was a correlation between the quality of work life and burnout among nurses. Accordingly, interventions to improve the quality of work life, reduce burnout, increase the level of personal accomplishment, and ultimately provide patients with better services are advised.

Sedentary behavior, time spent sitting, is particularly worrisome because several studies indicated the health threatening outcomes of long time sitting, while few interventions aimed at reducing the sitting time.
The current study aimed at reducing the sitting time and promoting physical activity (PA) among females with sedentary behaviors through providing social support.
The study was a randomized, controlled trial conducted from September to December 2014 in Jolfa, East-Azerbaijan, Iran. The study was designed to assess the effect of social support on the reduction of sitting time. A total of 230 female teachers (115 per arm) from 16 primary and secondary schools were invited to participate in the current study. The outcomes were the changing the sitting time pattern and increased PA. A self-reported questionnaire consist of 3 parts was used at baseline and 8 weeks after the intervention.
The mean age (standard deviation (SD) of the participants were 42 (5.4) years. Participants in both intervention and control groups reported a significant increase in their PA at work that was in favor of the intervention group (at baseline: 112 versus 153 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-minute/week; after intervention: 399 versus 154 MET-minute/week) (P The findings indicated that providing a social support in schools for female teachers may improve several domains of PA and aggravate mental and physical workplace-related problems.