Journal of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
Volume:18 Issue: 1, 2014

Breast milk contains significant amounts of compounds that act as natural antimicrobial agents. This study was conducted to compare the effect of topical application of human milk and dry cord care on bacterial colonization in the umbilical cord of newborn infants. This clinical trial study was carried out on 174 infants in Kashan. The newborns were randomized to mother's milk group and dry cord care group from the birth. In group 1, the mother rubbed her own milk on the cord stump every 12 hours from 3 hours after birth to 2 days after the umbilical cord separation. In group 2, the mother was recommended not to use any material on the cord. Then, the cord samples were taken four times; 3hours after birth, at days 3 and 7, and 2 days after the umbilical cord separation. The findings of the culture two days after umbilical cord separation indicated that low percentage of neonates in the breast milk (23.1%) and dry cord care (28.8%) groups had bacterial colonization. Moreover, no significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of growth of pathogenic organisms and normal flora of the skin (P>0.05). Given the low prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms in the two groups, it seems using breast milk and dry cord care are equally effective methods of taking care of umbilical cord.

Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) is an anionic detergent that is abundantly produced in different countries and discharged into natural environment through wastewater collection systems. Wastewater treatment systems play an important role in the removal of this contaminant. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency of a conventional activated sludge system in removing linear alkylbenzene sulfonate from wastewater in Kermanshah.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on the wastewater in Kermanshah for 10 months. In order to determine the efficiency of the influent activated sludge process, 60 wastewater samples were taken after primary sedimentation and effluent of wastewater treatment system and LAS concentration was measured. All the sampling and testing methods were performed according to the standard method guidelines.

The results showed the means of LAS removal in the winter and warm seasons were 90.8% and 96.5%, respectively. The total mean of LAS removal in this system was 93.9 ±3.6. In addition, COD and TSS removal levels in winter were 88.3% and 72.3%; these values, however, in the summer were 86.9%, and 83.3%, respectively.

The results showed that the conventional activated sludge process plays a pivotal role in the removal of LAS concentration. Moreover, the effluent concentration of LAS is less than the environmental standards for discharge into surface water in warm seasons.

Anxiety is a fundamental phenomenon that is a common symptom in all mental disorders. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of brainwave entrainment on anxiety reduction using binaural beats.

In this experimental double-blind study, 30 employees were selected from an engineering research firm through random sampling and replacement and divided into two groups: control group and experimental group. All participants completed the Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Then, the experimental group listened to binaural beats which was recorded on a non-vocal piece of music for 4 weeks, 3 sessions each week. Each session lasted about 20 minutes. At the same time, the control group listened to the background music without any entrainment sound. At the end, both groups completed the anxiety questionnaire and the anxiety scores of both groups obtained before and after intervention were analyzed by ANCOVA.

The findings showed that the brainwave entrainment using binaural beats led to the significant reduction of state anxiety (P<0.001) and trait anxiety (P<0.018).

Brainwave entrainment using binaural beats is an effective factor in decreasing state and trait anxiety; so, it can be used to reduce anxiety in mental health centers.

Fluoride exists in various forms in nature and water resources., The rising level of fluoride in water resources due to discharge of industrial effluents can cause toxicity in aquatic organisms. To prevent toxicity, it is necessary to determine maximum fluoride toxicity as well as effluent discharge limits. The aim of this study was to determine the maximum fluoride toxicity and the factors affecting fluoride toxicity to provide a model in order to determine the effluent discharge limits.

Daphnia magna bioassay in the absence of confounding factors was used to determine the maximum level of fluoride toxicity. Then, bioassay was repeated in the presence of the confounding factors (hardness, temperature and exposure time) to determine their effects.

In the absence of intervening factors, fluoride LC50 levels determined after 24, 48 and 72 hours exposure were 4.9, 46.5 and 38.7 mg/l, respectively.. Also, the influence of confounding factors on LC50 values was reported significant by Minitab software.

Increasing the water hardness reduced fluoride toxicity, and increasing the water temperature and exposure time increased fluoride toxicity in aquatic environments. Therefore, while determining the wastewater discharge limit in terms of fluoride concentration, it is essential to take the effect of confounding factors on fluoride toxicity into account in order to prevent toxicity in the open water resources.

Changes in values ​​and attitudes of the Iranian society during the past few decades have greatly influenced the reproductive decisions and actions of individuals and families, especially women. The aim of this study was to analyze the determinants of childbearing desires of married women attending Health Centers in Hamedan. Data were collected through a survey which was conducted during November and December, 2012. This cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 273 eligible women who were selected randomly. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Results showed that 70.7 percent of women did not want to have another child in addition to the children they had at the time of survey. Among these women, 55 percent and 84.3 percent had one and two children, respectively. Further, 78.4 percent of respondents stated that two children were the ideal number of children for the households. The most important reasons for the two-children pattern were economic problems and families’ problems in rearing and training the children, respectively. Results of multivariate analysis showed that the likelihood of stopping childbearing was higher among working women,women with more children, women at the end of reproduction age, women evaluating children’s benefits lower than their expenditures, and women with little tendency to prefer sons to daughters. Population policies to prevent further decline in fertility should be focused on employment, family, and quality of life, especially among women without children, women with one child and newly married couples.

Choosing appropriate edible oils and right consumption amounts play an important role in the promotion of public health and prevention of chronic diseases. This study was aimed to evaluate the consumption level of various edible oils and factors affecting their selection among families in Kermanshah.

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 500 families selected from six different areas using multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected through face to face interview using a demographic questionnaire and a questionnaire about consumption of different edible oils. Descriptive statistics and regression and chi-square tests were applied to analyze the data.

The mean of edible oil consumption was 69.75±3.8 g/day per capita, more than half of which (34.7± 2.2 g/day) was supplied by hydrogenated fat. 31.4% of total daily energy intake was supplied by lipids from which 15.6% was supplied by hydrogenated fat, that is higher than the recommended level, maximum 10% (p<0.05). There was a positive relationship between socioeconomic status and rising consumption of oils instead of fats (r=0.2, p<0.001).

This study showed that the daily consumption of hydrogenated fat was higher than half of the lipids consumed by families. Given the complications resulting from saturated fat consumption, decreasing the production of hydrogenated fat and increasing the nutritional knowledge of families through public media and educational programs are highly recommended.

Assessment of hospital performance plays an important role in improving the quantity and quality of services. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the teaching hospitals of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences using Pabon Lasso model during 2006-2011.

This descriptive-analytical study was carried out to assess the performance of six teaching hospitals of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences during 2006-2011 using Pabon Lasso Model. This model uses three indexes of bed occupancy rate, bed turnover rate and the average length of stay, simultaneously. The data were collected using a standardized checklist, and Excel software was used for analyzing the data and charting Pabon Lasso.

The results showed that one of the studied hospitals had high bed occupancy rate and low turnover rate, two hospitals had high turnover rate and low bed occupancy rate, one hospital had high bed occupancy rate and high bed turnover rate, and two hospitals had low bed turnover rate and high bed occupancy rate.

According to this study, about 85 percent of hospitals had low performance in indexes of bed occupancy rate, bed turnover rate or both. So, the reasons for the low performance must be evaluated and analyzed. Also, based on the characteristics of the hospitals, proper strategies can be applied to improve the performance of hospitals and increase the efficiency of resources.

According to the study conducted on phenylketonuria (PKU) patients in Kermanshah province, there were at least 10 PKU patients in Firuzabad district. The prevalence of the disease and frequency of carriers among the population of Mast-e Ali village, a village in Firuzabad district, were calculated to be 1 in 80 and 1 in 5, respectively. This is one of the highest frequencies reported for the prevalence of PKU to date. These findings introduce Mast-e Ali village as a small region in the high risk of birth defects with PKU. It seems that consanguinity has had a major impact on these findings.