Iranian Journal of Public Health
Volume:30 Issue: 3, Autumn and Winter 2001

Studies represent that bacterial infection of the semen can have a direct role in spermatozoid parameters change and may result in men''s infertility. In the present study 160 semens were examines for bacterial infection. 55(34.4%) were infected by different species of bacteria, but those infected only by 4 species were undertaken for further study.These bacteria were Streptococci pyogen, Entrococci, E.coli and Staphylococci. The percentage mean results of morphology for the above bacteria were 25.75, 51.04, 47.86, and 41.50 respectively, while for the sterile samples were 52.84; higher for all but significant for Strep. Pyogen when tested with 95% confidence. The mean grades A, B, C and D from semen infected by the above bacteroi were 28.65, 23.59, 14.86 and 42 percent whereas for the sterile sampleswere 28.51, 30.56, 20.30 and 20.57, respectively. It may be concluded that the bacteria causing genitaltract infection can defect the morphology and the motility of men''s spermatozoa.

The activated sludge process simply involves bringing together wastewater and a mixed culture of microorganisms under aerobic conditions. The system usually includes a secondary treatment given to the settled sewage, and requires an environment in which active microorganisms are maintained in intimate contact with wastewater in the presence of sufficient oxygen. In this study, the treatment of industrial effluents, by using laboratory activated sludge unit was investigated. The reduction of the pollution laws was determined, using the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) methods. The results indicated that the pollution laws was reduced by up to 98% in the activated sludge unit.

Activated sludge or extended aeration treatment involves a continous system where aerobic biological growths are mixed with waste water and then separated in a gravity clarifier. Therefore, waste treatment system such as the activated sludge system depend on the activities of communities of living organism. In this study, an attempt was made on the indentification of the bacterial population involved in the laboratory activated sludge unit. The results showed that gram-negative bacilli with a yellow pigment was considered as a major group of the population.

112 specimens of Capoeta capoeta gracilis from the Shrioud river were examined. The prevalence and abundance of parasites were significantly higher in the area between the mouth to behind the opercle. Susceptibility of infection was not significantly different between male and female fish. The prevalence of infection was the lowest in the largest length group. Histopathological study revealed blood feeding metacercaria cause myositis.

Pulmonary nocardiosis is an acute or suppurative chronic disease, caused by aerobic actinomycetes which usually originates from soil and compost. Since Nocardia species have been isolated from the soil of different regions of Iran, as well as different cases of nocardiosis, this study was undertaken to evaluate the role and frequency of Nocardia in pulmonary infections.The present investigation was planned to isolate Nocardia bacteria from immunocompromised patients who had been referred to Maseeh-e-Daneshvari University Hospital (Tehran). 142 patients with advanced symptomatic pulmonary disease were studied during a period of seven months. Of all the patients surveyed, 102 were tested both for their BAL (bronchoalveolar lavage) and sputum. For the rest of the patient’s sputum samples were not accessible. From each sample, three thin smears were prepared for microscopic observations. The samples were cultured in Sabouraud dextrose agar and paraffin agar. Medical history of patients were also recorded in the certain questionnaire for further data analysis. Nocardia asteroides was isolated from only a patient suffering from Cushing’s syndrome with bronchogenic carcinoma [Ectopic adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) syndrome]. Further in-vitro investigation for differentiation of the isolate was performed and confirmed that the organism that grew on primary media was Nocardia asteroides complex. Our results revealed that the normal concentration of NaOH (4%), which is routinely being used for identification of Mycobacteria species, could inhibit the growth of Nocardia. Therefore, decontamination procedure of the samples collected for isolation of Nocardia was preformed using 1% NaOH in this study.

Deep-seated fungal infection present with non specific symptoms and involove a large number of different organisms. DNA-based technology offers for eariler detection of fungal pathogens and then earlier initiation of antifungal therapy. In this study universal primers common to almost all fungi were used to amplification of internal transcribe spacer 1 and 2 region. Subsequent restriction enzyme analysis of PCR products, using HpaII allows us to identify the most medically opportunistic important fungi: Candida albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. kruzei, C. guilliermondi, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium solani, according to sizely different bands in polyacrilamid gel electrophoresis. It seems that this panel of PCR-RFLP could be a rapid and useful molecular approach in diagnostic studies of invasive opportunistic fungal infections.

Growth chart is the best measure for weight monitoring of children. Most factors that affect child heath show their effect on child weight. This cross sectional and descriptive analytical study was achieved to estimate malnutrition prevalence and effective factors in children under 5 years old in rural area of Khoramabad province. 555 girls and 570 boys were chosen from health houses by cluster sampling. Data were gathered through questionnaires. verbal interviews and child weighing. Nutritional status was estimated via weight/age index and the data were analysed by chi-square test. The results show 7.7% malnutrition among the children in this area. Factors that influence the nutritional status were: Frequency of diarrhea and acute respiratory infection, birth weight, duration of breast feeding and milk formula.

Hypokalemic disease is a disorder in which the amount of serum’ s potassium declines and the patient faces limbs weakness. In this disease, eye muscle and respiratory muscles rarely become involved and death may follow due to respiratory paralysis and heart conducting disturbances. Since this disease is treatable and progressive weakness can be prevented, therefore in the study conducted we attempted to compare between the causes and epidemiological characteristics and start of clinical manifestation and the characteristics of this diseases with what had been presented in classical text and foreign sources in order to take effective measure for timely diagnosis. This was a descriptive prospective study. The records of hypocalemically paralyzed patients hospitalized in shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan during 1990 to 2000 were used to collect the data such as general condition of the patient, systematic and neurologic examination, serum potasium level, ABG, and paramedical measures like ECG were extracted and used for analysis. 27 patients were identified as Hypokalemic afflicted to paralysis and all were sporadic cases. The starting age for weakness attack was mostly in the second to fourth decade of life. The mean age for attack was 29 years. 96.3 percent were male and the rest were female. The level of potasium in serum of these patients during the weakness attack was mostly within 1 to 3.5 meq/L and the most changes in ECG was related to decrease in height at T and appearance of U- waves. 11 patients have more than 3 attacks (40.7 percent), 10 patients faced all-attacks (37.3 percent) and 6 patients experienced 2 times attack (22 percent).Considering that hypokalemic paralysis disorder is a treatable disease and immediate diagnosis and treatment reduces cardiac and muscular problems, it is necessary for the physican who treat patients referring with flaccid paralysis to keep in mind four limbs of this disease and use diagnostic measures.

In order to study the residues of phosphorous insecticides in Mazandaran district of Iran, Ethion, Azinphosmethyl, Diazinon and Malathion four most used pesticides were chosen and river water samples were collected in April to Sept. 2000, throughout the Mazandaran state. Thin layer chromatography was used, since it was the best applicable method in area with reasonably high level of sensitivity up to 0-01 ppm and acceptable recovery of 80%. Four hundred eighty samples were collected and tested for. The tests indicated maximum amount of residues found in river water was 2.7 ppm for Ethion, and sill detectable up to 0.2 ppm after 4 months at station No.2 of Torkrood. The highest level belonged to the day after application. Three ppm of Azinphosmethyl were observed after first day of application and 0.2 ppm station 2 of Tajan after 5 months 3.1 ppm Malathion and 0.2 ppm in station. No.2 of Tajan river and 3.8 ppm of Diazinon at first day and 0.1 ppm up to five months only in the station No.2 of Tajan river. The duration of showing positive test were 4, 4, 5 and 3 months for Ethion, Azinphosmethyl, Diazinon and Malathion respectively. Matching test results with the environmental condition, proved strong effect of environmental factors, such as temperature, pH of water, amount of rain, physical and chemical characteristics of pesticide, and the time and method of application.

Urine specimens from 6656 children clinically suspected of urinary tract infection were evaluated bacteriologically. Bacterial colony count of over (103) colony forning units CFU/ ml were found in 480 (7.2%) of total cases, with 342 (71.25%) girls and 138 (28.75%) boys. Bacterial etiology of positive culture were determind. Escherichia coli was the most frequent etiologic agent (75.62%) followed by klebsiella species (7.32%). The antimicrobial resistance behaviour of Escherichia coli to routinely used antibiotics were tested. Most strains of Escherichia coli were resistant to cotrimoxazole (82%) and ampicillin (82%), but none of them were resistant to ceftizoxime. Correlation between positive urine culture and pyuria for the diagnosis of UTI was compared. It was noted that approximately 38% of paitents with positive urine culture did not have pyuria.

Recent research highlights the importance of GSTs in the establishment of chronic helminth infections. GSTs have the potential to protect the parasite against the host immune response. In this present study, GST enzyme assay has been investigated on whole extract of F. hepatica and sheep liver tissue. To the 1-ml plastic cuvette, added 200 mM potassium phosphate buffer. Then added 50 Mm GSH reduced. Was placed the required volume of F. hepatica or sheep liver extract into the cuvette and mixed well. Added water and equilibrated at room temperature for 5 minutes. Meanwhile was set up the UV spectrophotometer at 340 nm for the GST assay. Finally was placed the cuvette into the barrel of the UV spectrophotometer and added 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitorbenzene (CDNB) and stirred well. For testing an inhibitor of GSTs such as hexachlorophene, mixed the appropriate volume of compound with GSH,reduced buffer, water and protein before equilibrating at room temperature. For calculation of IC50% value a computer package was used. The inhibitor concentration for 50% remaining activity of GSTs calculated graphically and wasobtained 10µl for F. hepatica and 20 µl for liver tissue.

Every year the entrance of factory wastes such as Shiraz Petrochemical Complex, Marvdasht sugar cube factory, and Charmineh factory, and other industrial units into the Kor and Sivand rivers and also the entrance of the Marvdasht and Zarghan city sewer system wastes into the Kor river and the use of their water in the cultivation of the rice has caused a significant increase in the lead and cadmium content of the grains of rice. To study the effect of the Kor river''s pollution on the lead and cadmium content of the Korbal rice samples. The results of the study show that the lead and cadmium content of the grains of rice, 57 samples of 6 different types of rice were prepared in 19 different stations in Korbal region and also 18 samples of 6 different types of rice, cultivated with unpolluted water, were prepared in the National Institute of Rice Research (Gilan). A comparison of the pollution level of the Korbal and Gilan rice samples shows a significant difference and indicates the significant effect of the pollution of the river on the lead and cadmium content of the Korbal rice samples. The results of the study show that the lead and cadmium content of the hybrid, prolific, and late rice sample types were greater than that of unprolific and early types, such that the amount of these two elements were highest in the Hassani type (the lead content was 0.9625 ppm and the cadmium content was 0.0793 ppm), whereas the Gasroddashti type which blooms earlier and is long seeded has the lowest amount of these two elements.

Workers of operating rooms in hospitals are chronically in exposure to rather higher dose of chemicals, e.g. halothane and nitrous oxide, than general population. Concern that exposure to waste anesthetic gases may cause mutagenic, carcinogenic, or teratogenic changes has provided the impetus for many recent studies. The goal of present work was to determine incidence of the fetal deaths and sex ratio among progenies of workers in operating rooms in hospitals. Results of pregnancies of spouses of all male workers and also pregnancies of female workers of operating rooms in hospitals in Hamadan, Iran, were studied. Total of pregnancies were 200 cases. In a cross-sectional descriptive investigation, the results of all pregnancies of two subject groups were studied for frequencies of fetal deaths (abortions + stillbirths) and sex ratios of progenies and then statistically compared with each other and with general population. The basic primary data were collected by face-to-face interviews and by employing suitable questionnaires. Total of pregnancies of our subject groups were 200 cases (101 cases belong to wives of male workers, and 99 cases belong to the female workers). Frequencies of the fetal deaths in those two groups were 4.96% and 13.13% respectively. Sex ratios of live births were 88.46% and 97.83%. Frequency of fetal deaths in spouse of the male workers were about the same value in general population in Hamadan, but frequency of the fetal deaths in female workers were statistically different from the same value in the general population of Hamadan. Sex ratio of the progenies in both groups (men and women workers) were lower than the same value in the general population in Hamadan. The results of present study showed that it seems probably, work in operating rooms of hospitals would lead to some genetic consequences.

Most of the water treatment plants in Iran discharge their sludge to the environment whithout consideration of possible side effects. Since this kind of sludge is generally considered pollutant, the sludge treatment of water industry seems to be an essential task. Obviously theweight and volume of solids produced during the coagulation process are much more than other wastes of water treatment operations, and their treatment is much more difficult as well. Besides, this sludge contains metal hydroxide so disposing of it would waste considerable amounts of valuable metal salts. To face the mentioned problems, reclamation of coagulatns from waste sludges for reuse has been investigated in this research. Among different chemicals used in the experiments of recovery, sulfuric-acid showed better results from both practical and cost viewpoints. Three important phenomena were observed by sludge acidificantion: dissolution of metal hydroxide, reduction of sludge volume and finally faster settleability and dryness of remainder sludge. The salt recovered by sulfuric acid from the sludges of Tehran Water-Treatment Plant was ferric sulfate which showed good results in the treatment of two different types of wastewaters from textile industry.

The effluent quality of a sewage treatment plant using activated sludge process and finally secondary treatment depends on the flocculation efficiency and settling of the flocs. The survey of various treatment processes in water and wastewater treatment shows that temperature and pH are the important factors affecting efficiency of flocculation and settling properties. This study was performed to determine the effects of pH and temperature on settling of the flocs in activated sludge process. It was carried out for three months in two phases, using mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), obtained from aeration tank from one of wastewater treatment plants in Tehran. In the primary phase, the temperature of samples was increased from 15C to 35C. As a result, the sludge volume index (SVI) and effluent suspended solids increased and consequently, COD removal percent decreased. In the second phase, the pH was increased from 5.7 to 9. As a result, SVI and effluent suspended solids decreased and COD removal percent increased.

This study was carried out in Arsanjan county Fars province, a new focus of ZCL, during 1999-2000. Totally fifty nine Meriones libycus captured by live traps and four out of them (6.8%) were naturally infected with parasites. Parasites were cultured in monophasic medium RPMI 1640 and isolated promastigotes were identified using RAPD-PCR test in Medical Parasitology Unit of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The results showed that parasites were L. major, so, Meriones libycus was known the principal reservoir of ZCL in the rural region of Arsanjan. Rhombomys opimus and Tatera indica were absent in the study areas.

Little is known about sand fly fever with manifestations such as severe fever, headache and photophobia at the frontiers before the imposed war Iraq against Iran (1980-1988). In this article the seroepidemiological study of sand fly fever in different western provinces of Iran were investigated during imposed war Iraq against Iran from March 1987 to March 1988. Seroepidemiological studies were carried out on affected soldiers by using Complement fixation (CF) and Hemmglutination inhibition (HI) tests. Two serums were taken, first in the acute period and the second one in convalescence period of the disease. Obtained results showed that in mehran (Ilam) province 60% of combatants had antiserum against Sicilian and 46% had the Naples virus. In Gilaneghrab (Kermanshah province) all three sera obtained from three combatants were positive for Sicilian virus and one at them was positive for the Naples virus as well. The findings showed that, non-immure people travelling to the western boarders of Iran, are taken as susceptible to the disease. Consequently, should be protected appropriately protection including usage health measures in particular using bed-net and repellents

Idiopathic or spontaneous segmental infarction of omentum is a rare disease producing acute abdominal emergency. This rare entity is in a small group of abdominal emergencies with circulatory compromise. Infarction could be caused by omental torsion which could be due to adhesion of a previouse surgery or it could be spontaneous. Less than 150 cases of idiopathic segmental infarction of omentum has been reported since it was first reported about hundred years ago. The importance of this abdominal emergency lies ion differential diagnosis of acute appendecitis because its defenitive diagnosis is made only after laparotomy. In these cases the appendix is normal and besides an amount of serosanguinous fluid in the peritoneal cavity, a segment of omentum is infarcted. A case of idiopathic segmental infarction is reported in a 37-year-old heavy weigh male. The suggested procedure is appendectomy and segmental resection of the necrotic piece of omentum. In this case no adhesion or torsion of omentum was present.