Journal of Health Scope
Volume:4 Issue: 2, May 2015

Wastewater effluent in hospitals has been increasing during the recent decades due to developments in medical services and products.. This study aimed to investigate the qualitative parameters of effluent wastewater in hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences (BUMS).. Four hospitals were included and their wastewater effluent was studied. Ninety-six composited samples were collected and sent to the laboratory for determining pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total phosphorous (TP), heavy metals, total coliforms (TC) and total heterotrophic bacteria counts (THBC) based on standard methods.. Mean ± SD pH of the wastewater was 7.6 ± 0.4. Mean ± SD BOD5, COD, TSS, TKN and TP were 372 ± 173 mg/L, 687 ± 231 mg/L, 289 ± 132 mg/L and 15 ± 5.5 mg/L, respectively. Mean concentration of Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni, Co, Hg, Fe and Cu were 26.5 (g/L), 2 (g/L), 429 (g/L), 34 (g/L), 30 (g/L), 3.7 (g/L), 7.5 (g/L), 2.1 mg/L and 49 (g/L), respectively. The total coliforms and heterotrophic bacteria were 5.4 × 108 MPN/100 mL and 2.6 × 1010 CFU/mL, respectively. Total wastewater quantity and its organic loading rate were 169 263 m3 and 62 966 kg in a year, respectively.. Most of the qualitative indices evaluated in wastewater effluent of hospitals of BUMS were higher than effluent discharge standards of Iran Environment Protection Agency (IEPA). These wastewaters are usually purified improperly by wastewater treatment plants of these hospitals and polluted effluents which empty to the Babol Rood River and Caspian Sea can potentially endanger public health, natural resources and wildlife..

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic burning sensation of the oral cavity, which affects the oral mucocutaneous membranes. It is not usually accompanied by clinical symptoms and signs, and laboratory findings; its etiology is unknown and there are several problems associated with the condition.. The present study was designed to compare the quality of sleep in patients with burning mouth syndrome and healthy individuals.. In the present case-control study, 32 subjects with BMS and 31 healthy subjects were enrolled. The subjects filled out the Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 18. The t-test was used to compare mean sleep quality scores between the two groups. Chi-square test was used to evaluate the presence or absence of sleep disorder in the two groups. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between the variables. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.. The mean age of the subjects in the BMS and control groups were 49.9 ± 11 and 48.5 ± 8.3 years, respectively. The prevalence rates of sleep disorders in the BMS and control groups were 78% and 38.7%, respectively, and the difference between the two groups was significant (P = 0.04). The overall sleep quality scores in the BMS and control groups were 7.4 ± 4.08 and 4.6 ± 3.2, respectively, with statistically significant differences (P = 0.009).. Based on the results of the present study, patients with BMS had sleep disorders, which should be considered in the clinical evaluation and treatment planning of these patients..

Safety Climate is an issue that has received much attention in recent years. Evaluation of safety climate in a workplace gives us good information about the safety organization situation. Safety climate is a leading indicator in preventing accidents.. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety climate and investigate of association between safety climate and demographic factors in an oil industry in summer of 2014.. This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical research was conducted in an oil industry during summer of 2014. Sample size was 97 and used the Loughborough University Safety Climate Assessment Toolkit, which assesses safety climate in nine areas. Scoring in each area was done in Likert scale. Data analyzing was done after data collection.. Final scoring was done on a scale of one through ten. The highest scores were achieved in personal values (mean score, 8.7 ± 1.36) and lowest scores were achieved on the personal perception of risk (mean score, 5.4 ± 1.26). The mean safety climate score were 6.8. Significant associations were found between safety climate and age (P = 0.01), between age and management''s commitment to safety (P = 0.02), and between marital status and regulations and guidelines (P = 0.04). The association of other domains with the age, education, and marital status were not significant (P > 0.05).. Based on of this study, management has an important role in creating a positive safety climate. Individual characteristics can influence thee safety climate. Management commitment to safety is an important factor in the success of safety programs..

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a fatal disease that is caused by Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV). Information about the mental health status of patients with HIV/AIDS and its correlates is critical and provide proper palliative care and other supportive services.. Considering the high prevalence of mental and psychological disorders among people living with HIV/AIDS, the present study aimed to investigate the mental health status of people with HIV/AIDS in the south of Iran..Patients and This descriptive-cross sectional study was conducted on 95 HIV-positive patients referred to Bandar Abbas Behavioral Diseases Counseling Center in 2012. Data were collected using a General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). The HIV/AIDS subjects with total scores of ≤ 23 were classified as nonpsychiatric. Data were analyzed using SPSS-16 by applying descriptive statistics and the chi-square test.. Results of this study showed that 85.3% of the participants scored above the screening threshold for mental health disorders. There was no significant relationship between mental health disorders and age, gender, marital status, employment status, level of education, drug abuse history, area of living and clinical stages of HIV/AIDS cases. Moreover, 95.1% of participants had anxiety symptoms, 85.2% had depression, 87.7% had social dysfunction, and 80.2% had somatic symptoms.. The prevalence of mental disorders among the HIV-positive patients in Bandar Abbas City, Iran, was high. The findings of this study demonstrate the need for more attention to improve mental health status of individuals with HIV/AIDS and further research on the mental health status of HIV-positive patients..

Work-related musculoskeletal disorder in upper-limbs (WRMSDs-UL) is one of the major complaints among the female machinists in gas supply parts manufactories, in some of which the noise reaches 85 dB and beyond.. The most important aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of noise and postural stress on strain index (SI) among these workers.. The sample size was set at 50 subjects, comprising of two study groups; group 1 were exposed to noise ≥ 85 dB, group 2 were exposed to noise < 85 dB, while the official workers were selected as the control group. A Nordic-style questionnaire was used to collect information. Postures were assessed by observing each task, and then SI and quick exposure check (QEC) checklists were completed. The variability of effort intensity was measured by recording the subject’s heart rate during her work and also, a sport tester machine was used for this aim. The Borg scale and then SI were calculated. Noise was measured by sound level meter and noise dosimeter, according to noise type. Data analysis was performed by using the Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, one-way ANOVA, Spearman and Pearson correlation in SPSS (ver. 16) software.. There was no significant difference between work experience, age, dominant hand and marital status in the target groups (P > 0.05). Results showed a significant statistical relation between work experience and neck pain, shoulders pain and wrist/hand pain. They showed that there existed a different strain index between two groups, although not statistically significant. The Mann-Whitney test showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups from QEC posture score. Spearman correlation coefficient proved that QEC rating is directly related to the value of the SI.. Postural stress among female machinists can increase the level of SI to fairly risky and dangerous. Also, changes in rating hand/wrist QEC scores with hand/wrist SI score were proportional in the studied samples. The SI can increase under the influence of noise above 85 dB, although it is not statistically significant..

Sulfur and nitrogen dioxide can have harmful effects on human health. This pollutant can penetrate into sensitive parts of the respiratory system and cause or worsen Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema, bronchitis, and other respiratory diseases leading to increased hospital admissions and premature death.. The purpose this study was to evaluate the effects of sulfur and nitrogen dioxide exposures on the incidence of health endpoints in Ahvaz City during 2012.. We collected data from Ahvaz Department of Environment (ADoE). Sampling was done in 4 stations of Naderi, Behdasht’Ghadim, Havashenasi, and Mohitzist for 24 hours. Method of sampling and analysis were according to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guideline. Raw data processing was done by Excel software and meteorological parameters were converted as input file into the Air Quality model (AQM). Finally, the rate of respiratory induced mortality and COPD attributed to sulfur and nitrogen dioxide in Ahvaz were calculated utilizing relative risk (RR) and baseline incidence (BI) related to health endpoints of sulfur and nitrogen dioxide in 2012. Descriptive statistics i.e. average and standard deviation was used for data analysis.. Results showed that Naderi and Havashenasi stations had the highest and the lowest sulfur and nitrogen dioxide concentrations, respectively during 2012. Maximum annual concentrations of sulfur and nitrogen dioxide were 173 and 58 μg/m3, respectively, which observed during winter 2012. Approximately 5.6% of the respiratory mortality and COPD cases happened when the sulfur and nitrogen dioxide concentrations were more than 20 μg/m3.. Air pollution resulting from motor vehicles and industrial emissions has drastically increased in Ahvaz. The lower level of RR value might be achieved if some control strategies for reducing sulfur and nitrogen dioxide emission were implemented..

Many studies show that periodontitis is a risk factor for serum lipid levels increase. On the other hand, the increase of serum lipids is clearly a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.. The current study aimed to assess the amount of triglycerides and total cholesterol in patients with severe chronic periodontitis. It also evaluated the relationship between the extent of periodontal disease, triglycerides and total cholesterol levels..Patients and This case-control study included 61 patients with severe chronic periodontitis and 60 healthy subjects aged 20 - 50 years. The study samples were selected from individuals who referred to periodontics department of dentistry faculty, zahedan university of medical scoences, Iran, from November 2012 to October 2013. The subjects in both groups were matched in terms of age and gender. The extent of periodontal disease, total cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels of the subjects were evaluated. Data were analyzed using Pearson Correlation Coefficient and independent sample T-Test.. Triglyceride level in patients with severe chronic periodontitis (121.67 ± 67) and healthy controls (121.78 ± 64) was almost the same and the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.99). Although total cholesterol level was higher in patients with severe chronic periodontitis (170 ± 40) than the normal subjects (164. 38 ± 30), the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.41). There was a positive and significant correlation between the extent of periodontal disease and TG level (P = 0.03); while the relationship between the extent of periodontal disease with cholesterol was not statistically significant (P= 0.4).. It seems that cohort studies with larger sample sizes on the relationship between periodontitis and cholesterol level (Total, HDL, LDL) are necessary..

Industrial dyestuffs are the main sources of the discharge of dye pollutants into the environment, which are hardly degradable in the conventional biological treatment plants. Therefore, finding an effective method of treatment is urgent for color removal from dye-contaminated effluents.. In the present study, the photocatalytic degradation of C.I. Sulphur Red 14 was studied by using UV/ZnO process.. In this work, ZnO catalyst and mercury lamp (UV-C, 254 nm) have been applied for removal of the C.I. Sulphur Red 14 dye from aqueous environments. The influence of various parameters such as the amount of ZnO, initial dye concentration, pH level, and H2O2 presence were also examined.. The results showed that the optimum catalyst dose was found to be 50 mg/L. The maximum rate of decolorization was obtained in acidic condition at pH 5 and the initial dye concentration of 10 mg/L. Photodegradation of C.I. Sulphur Red 14 increased by addition of proper dose of hydrogen peroxide. Mineralization of the dye was also investigated as Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) measurements showed increase in the COD removal with increase in decolorization rate.. The UV/ZnO system has been found an effective process with 90.2% COD removal and 95.6% dye removal after 50 minutes treatment..