Journal of Health Scope
Volume:1 Issue: 3, Autumn 2012

Health care is a dominant economic and political issue in many economically developing and even developed nations. Most of these nations have experienced rapid increases in their healthcare spending over recent years. This challenge creates a continuing quest for reaching better health system efficiency, equity as well as quality and safety.. Economic analytic methods have been created to inform decision-makers where the appropriate allocation of scarce resources is significantly more needed. However, through a non-systematic (narrative) review it was found that Iranian decision- or policy-makers may not be well informed and equipped to make complex policy decisions about funding and delivery of health care in order to meet financing needs. It is likely that, to date, little attention has been paid to developing a better conceptual understanding of economic evaluations in decision-making environments at the local level or across the whole healthcare system. This study aims to shed light on different methods of economic evaluations in order to provoke healthcare professionals and researchers to think about different ways in which economic evaluations might be of value to their practices..

Workers are often simultaneously exposed to formaldehyde and noise in workplaces, and noise can reinforce the harmful effects of some chemical pollutants.. This study aimed to investigate the effects of simultaneous formaldehyde and noise exposure on reproductive parameters in male mice.. Forty eight National Medical Research Institute adult male mice were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups which were exposed to formaldehyde (10 ppm) (F), noise (100 dB) (N), and simultaneous formaldehyde with noise (NF), respectively for 10 days (8 hours a day). Animals were killed 24 hours following exposure (short-term effects) and the remainder was killed 35 days after the end of exposure (long-term effects). Sperm was analyzed by a computer aided sperm analysis system and histological changes in the testis were determined. Plasma concentrations of testosterone, LH, FSH were measured. The results of the short-term analysis showed that serum testosterone in all exposure groups decreased significantly compared to the controls (P < 0.001). In the long-term analysis, the percentages of progressive motile sperm groups N, F, and NF were 33.73 ± 3.4, 26.65 ± 1.61, and 14.78 ± 4.65, respectively, which indicated a significant decrease (P < 0. 05) compared to the control group (44.47 ± 2.88). The progressive motile sperm in the simultaneous exposure group was less than the N and F groups (P < 0.001). Histological study of testes specimens in the experimental groups (F and NF) revealed displacement of germinal cells and degeneration of Leydig cells and seminiferous tubules. Exposure to formaldehyde vapor can destroy testicular structure and decrease percentages of sperm count and progressive motility. The present study indicated that a reduction in the percentage of progressive motile sperm may be potentiated by noise (700-5700 HZ) in the simultaneous exposure to formaldehyde and noise group. Thus, it can be anticipated that simultaneous exposure to formaldehyde and noise in workplaces can increase the possibility of damage to testicular structures and reproductive functions in humans, if the same effects transpire..

Malaria affects the health and wealth of individuals, as well as nations. In Ethiopia, malaria is identified as both a disease of poverty and a cause of poverty. A retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate the changes in malaria indices at the Serbo Health Center, Ethiopia.. Based on existing blood smear examination data. The original case records were carefully reviewed, analyzed and interpreted. Among the total of 51610 blood smear examinations, 26602 were found to be positive and contributed to 51.5% of the diagnostic yield. All of the 51610 cases were treated at the Serbo Health Center. Males constituted a total of 56.1% participants in this study (14934/26602 cases) and they were found to be more prone to having a positive malaria smear. Chi-square analysis showed a statistically significant association between male patients and the incidence of malaria (P = 0.0001; χ2 = 212.5; df = 4). Plasmodium falciparum contributes to about 62.4% of malaria cases followed by P vivax (37.3%).. There is an urgent need for active health education campaigns and the administration of front-line vector control interventions such as the consistent deployment of insecticide-treated bed-nets and indoor residual spraying to interrupt disease transmission and an eventual reduction in the number of malaria cases.

Hospital wastes are potentially hazardous and infectious to humans and the environment; therefore, hospitals must manage and dispose of their waste properly. The aim of this study was to determine the composition and management of waste in the north of Iran.. This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted on the status and composition of hospital wastes generated in three hospitals in Amol City (located in the north of Iran). During the study a total of three samples (a sample per month) were selected and analyzed for waste ingredients in each hospital. Some of the data was gathered by hospital personnel who completed questionnaire. Based on this study’s findings the average rate of hospital waste generation was 3.1 kg/bed per day, of this 48.5% was non-hazardous and 51.5% was hazardous waste. In our study, the minimum and maximum component percentage of hospital wastes was for metal (1.07%) and paper (17.9%), respectively. Based on the findings obtained, the rate of total waste generation in the Amol Hospital is similar in range to that of other Iranian hospitals, however, the hazardous fraction of this waste was high in comparison to other previous studies, and this is probably due to improper separation and management of the waste materials.

Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) occur when occupational loads on anatomical structures are higher than the natural anatomical strength of the body structures. Therefore, assessment of the risk factors involved in manual tasks of electric factories can be useful to prevent WMSDs.. This study was conducted on Tehran Pars-electric factory to assess and prevent manual tasks risk factors causing WMSDs.Patients and 673 workers, which 355 (52.7%) were males (mean age: 38.9 ± 7.3 years) and 318 (47.3%) were females (mean age: 25.6 ± 9.8 years) performing different manual tasks were recruited. Manual Tasks Risk Assessment (ManTRA) was set up to assess risks of anybody region disorder comprising wrist-hand, shoulder-arm, neck, back, and lower limb on subjects performing various manual tasks in Pars electric factory located in Tehran. Also Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was used to find prevalence of five mentioned body region disorders, to assay the accuracy of the results obtained by ManTRA. Total prevalence‟s of subjects with wrist-hand, shoulder-arm, neck back and lower limb disorders were obtained 556 (82.6%), 352 (52.3%), 238 (35.4%), 454 (67.5%), and 149 (22.1%) respectively (P = 0.028). The highest cumulative risk was corresponded to wrist-hand, and after that were cumulative risks of back, shoulder-arm, neck, and lower limb respectively. The results of NMQ and ManTRA were completely conforming. ManTRA is also a useful and an applicable tool to assess manual tasks risk in electric factories

Radioiodine 125I is an environmental contaminant that humans may consume in edible plants. The characteristics of 125I in plants are poorly understood.. This study examined 125I concentrations in the edible parts of five types of plants from different locations on farms with a similar climate. Near Zahedan, Iran. The experiments used a mini-column approach in which more realistic conditions than those of the batch-sorption technique were maintained. Twenty sub-samples from the leaves and stems of five different plants (sugar beet, turnip, alfalfa, oat and bamboo) were obtained, and 445 Bq of 125I was added to the plants. Immediately, and after one month, 500 g of each wet plant sub-sample was placed in a test tube, and the 125I contents of the stem and leaves were measured for 20 s by a gamma ray counting machine. The 125I concentration either increased or was reduced in the edible parts of the plants. More radioactive adsorption occurred in the leaves than in the stems in all cases. Radioiodine concentrations depended upon the type of plant. Such knowledge of the physicochemical characteristics of radioiodine adsorption in plants is essential for estimating the behavior of the iodide group, especially the transfer of 129Ito other systems..

Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NS-CL/P) is one of the most common congenital anomalies and has a multifactorial etiology that involves both genetic and environmental factors.. The present study was aimed to evaluate the possible association between BHMT rs3797546 gene polymorphisms and NS-CL/P in a sample of Iranian population.. This case-control study was performed on 100 NS-CL/P cases and 100 healthy controls. Tetra amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS-PCR) was used to detect the polymorphism. Analysis of data was done using χ2 test for categorical data, the associations between genotypes and NS-CL/P were estimated by computing the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) from logistic regression analyses.. No significant difference was found between the groups regarding BMHT rs3797546 gene polymorphism. The C allele was not associated with NS-CL/P (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 0.85-2.79, P = 0.690).. Our data suggested that BMHT rs3797546 gene polymorphism was not associated with risk/ protection for NS-CL/P in a sample of Iranian population. Larger studies are required to validate our findings..

The Non-Revenue water refers to a difference between the volume of water entering the system and billed authorized consumption.. The main purpose of this study is to determine the volume of Non-Revenue water in order to recognize the factors influencing water losses so that the information gathered can used in Non-Revenue water reduction management.. Kazerun had been selected as a functional sample in this study. This research was undertaken for one year in 2010 as a cross-sectional study. The methodology has been abstracted from International Water Association (IWA).. Around 12,995,619 m3 water was produced in Kazerun annually. The rate of Non-Revenue water was estimated around 5,011,084 m3, representing 38.56% of the total volume of water produced. The highest proportion of Non-Revenue water in Kazerun was related to real losses (22.88%). The leakage rate was about 10.46% in distribution systems and 11.20% in subscribers’ networks that by themselves account for the highest percentage rate of real losses. The rate of apparent losses was about 14.4% and unbilled authorized consumption was about 1.3%.. The Non-Revenue water showed a significant rate while compared with similar studies. The high rate of real losses in Kazerun was mainly due to old-fashioned pipeline network in distribution systems, invisible leakage, ground breakage and the water pressure on the system. The high percentage of apparent losses can be modified by improving polices as well as financial investment..