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Background and Aim: Symptoms of the "Darkroom Disease" amongst X-ray personnel are well reported. In this study, radiographers have been compared to physiotherapists to see if there is any link between the occurrences of symptoms with processing chemicals. The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of these symptoms amongst radiographers.

Materials and methods: Sixty nine radiographers from 13 hospitals of Tehran Medical School University were compared with 72 physiotherapists from those hospitals. Respondents were asked to identify, by means of questionnaire, any of the symptoms like dermatitis, sore throat, allergy, shortness of breath etc., described as "Darkroom Disease" from which they suffer.

Results: Data provided by this work demonstrated that radiographers suffered more from shortness of breath (P=0.013 & for men P=0.045), nausea (men P=0.049), and physiotherapists suffered more from catarrh (P= 0.044 & for men P=0.046), as well as joint pain (men P=0.04).

Conclusion: The results from this preliminary work suggests that there is a link between using the processing chemicals and incidence of these symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea among radiographers (P< 0.05), and it seems that the incidence of dermatitis and the history of this disease are linked.

Background & Aim : Symptoms associated with acute discomfort, e.g., headache eye, nose, or throat irritation dry and itchy skin, which are known as Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) are well reported amongst people who work in hospital environment especially in the X- ray department. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the symptoms and to identify work related factors in hospital environment.

Materials and Methods : A questionnaire survey has been done from 219 hospital personnel who worked in the university hospitals (medical X-ray technologists, physiotherapists and office staff) as the exposed group and 219 personnel of the same occupations from private health care units and offices as the control group about if they experienced any of the mentioned symptoms in the last eight weeks. A total of 215 and 216 the questionnaire were accepted from each group respectively and included in analyses.

Results: From data provided by this work, 6 symptoms (headache, sorethroat, sinusitis, dermatitis,nasalaids and sore eyes)  have significant relationship between exposed and control groups. One symptom (catarrh) had significant difference among physiotherapists (P< 0.05), but with no significant difference between hospital and non-hospital environment. In addition, there was a relationship between incidence of dermatitis and history of skin allergy (P< 0.05).

Conclusion: The results from this preliminary work are similar with the studies, which have been done by others. These results also suggest that there is a link between incidence of SBS and hospital based chemical agents.

Background and Aim: Stroke is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery. There are various mechanisms that can cause prioperative strokes in patients undergoing CABG other than Carotid Artery disease. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether the presence of stenosis internal carotid artery (ICA) influences prioperative stroke and mortality rates in patients subjected to Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. 

Materials and Methods: After institutional ethical committee review and approval, a retrospective review was undertaken of 1978 bypass procedures with saphenous vein graft performed over a period of four years is conducted. All those who had valve replacement or non-CABG procedure were excluded from this study. Carotid duplex ultrasonography scans were performed as part of preoperative evaluation of these patients. Ultrasound imaging measurement and velocity criteria were taken in to consideration in the estimation of degree of the carotid arteries. The stenosis of ICA was classified as non significant stenosis when there was<60% narrowing of the arterial lumen, and significant stenosis when there was 60%-99% narrowing of the arterial lumen.

Results: prioperative stroke rates were 0.8 %, 46.8% and 90%for groups A, B, and C, respectively. Group A results varied significantly from group's B (P=0.0001) and C (P=0.0001). Statistically significant difference was noted between groups B and C (p=0.0001    ). Prioperative mortality rates for groups A, B, and C, were 1.0 %, 16.7 % and 70 % respectively. The mortality rate for group A was lower than for groups B (P=0.0001) and C (P=0.0001).

Conclusion: The presence of an ICA occlusion increases the morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing CABG.

Background and Aim: Discontinuing aspirin use in patients before coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has focused on bleeding risks. The aim of this study was to determind the effect of aspirin use on overall mortality with this procedure.

Materials and Methods: In a retrospective review was under taken of 2,252 consecutive isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures performed between July 1995 and May 3003 in Tehran, Shriati hospital. Patients who had isolated CABG operations and received aspirin were analyzed and compared to nonusers undergoing similar bypass procedures during the same period. Aspirin use was defined by identification of ingestion within 7 days before the operation.

Results: CABG patients using preoperative aspirin were less likely to experience in hospital hemorrhage compared to nonusers (P=0.0001). Significant difference was seen for transfusion of blood products, and need for reexploration for hemorrhage between patients who did and did not receive aspirin (P=0.0001).
Mortality in multivariate (odds ratio [OR] =0.12, 95%confidence interval [0.05, 0.28] analysis was less to patients using aspirin compared to nonusers (p=0.0001).

Conclusions : Preoperative aspirin use appears to be associated with a decreased risk of mortality in CABG patients with significant increase in hemorrhage, blood product requirements, or related morbidities.

Background and Aim: Females were reported to have significantly lower hematocrit (Hct), which might be the cause of increased need for blood transfusion. The goal of this study is to determine risk factors affecting blood transfusion in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft procedure related to gender

Materials and Methods: A cross sectional review of 500 (306 males and 194 females) ASA physical status I or Il patients undergoing bypass procedures with saphenous vein graft performed over a one year period were included in this study. The conducting of anesthesia was standardized. For each patient, we recorded the gender, age, body weight, height, body surface area (BSA), and duration of surgery. Hematocrit levels prior to surgery and the end of surgery were recorded. Packed red blood cell (PRBC) administration and use of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and platelets were noted. Differences between the data for female and male patients were evaluated using Student's t-test, Chi-square test and using regression analysis.

Results: Approximately 57.2 % (111) female and only 39.9% (121) male patients received PRBCs. On average, females received 1. 6 units of PRBCs intraoperatively and 2. 6 units of PRBCs during the entire hospital stay, while the males received 1.1 units and 1.8 units for similar periods (P=0.0001). When females and males were compared within the same subgroups for age, body surface area (BSA), duration of surgery, and preoperative Hct, etc. ...had a significant correlation with age, postoperative Hct and BSA in females but had a significant correlation with preoperative Hct, preoperative PRBC and duration of surgery in males (P<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the probability of a patient receiving or not receiving PRBC transfusion is significantly influenced by preoperative Hct, postoperative Hct, duration of surgery, preoperative PRBC mass, and gender.

Discussion and Conclusion: Gender is an independent essential determinant of blood transfusion in CABG patients, and may interact with BSA, preoperative Hct, duration of surgery and other factors in determining the probability of transfusion.

Background and Aim: Excessive Bleeding continues to play a key role and an important cause of morbidity and mortality after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The goal of this study was to determine the differences in bleeding and transfusion between OPCAB and on -pump CABG patients.

Materials and Methods: In a randomized, double blinded prospective study 300 patient's undergoing coronary revascularization surgery were enrolled, 150 CABG patients were compared with 150 OPCAB patients. The patients were assessed during the first 72 hours to determine the postoperative side effects. The 2 groups were compared using the chi-square test or fisher's exact test and the rank sum test.

Results: CABG patients received more intraoperative red blood cells (P<0.0001), more albumin and more fresh- frozen plasma (P<0.0001). Postoperatively, CABG patients were more likely to receive more platelets (29.3% ν 70.7 %, P<0.007). During the operative and the initial 4-hour postoperative period OPCAB patients exhibited greater blood loss (P<0.0001) however, at 12,24and 72 hours postoperatively, CABG patients exhibited greater blood loss. There were4 death in CABG patients (P<0.05)

Conclusion: Despite not reversing the heparin at the end of the OPCAB surgery, OPCAB surgery was associated with an overall reduction in platelets, fresh- frozen plasma, Albumin and transfusion requirements.

Background and Aim: Heterogeneous insertion of Organizational affiliations can cause loss of ranking points in the national and international levels. So, we decided to investigate the different affiliations of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in scientific publications that indexed in Web of Science and their effect on the result of research activities evaluation in the year 2012.
Materials and Methods: Methodology of this study is bibliometric approach with descriptive survey. The study included 1139 scientific production of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences that indexed in Web of Science in the first one in April 2011 to April 2012. 
Results: 1139 articles indexed in the Web of Science, 94/38% in the evaluation of the research activities of the ministry of health have been scored and 5/61% failed. Among the unsuccessful papers 1/01%, had been inserted affiliation incorrectly. One-sample t-test showed that the mean score of 1/01% has no significant statistical impact on the total average rating of products indexed in Web of Science.
Conclusion: Investigation showed that standard insertion of affiliation has impact on enterprise University Ranked and University status at the international level.