Journal of School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research

IN VITRO AND IN VIVO EVALUATION OF THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF VINCA MAJOR ALKALOIDS ON LEISHMANIA MAJOR

M Assmar

Leishmaniasis affects 1.5-2 million people annually and has been recognized as a major public health problem by the World Organization.
In Iran the incidence rate of the disease among school children in Ardestan province was 3.2 per thousand. As no effective vaccine has been found yet, control of the disease depends on effective drug therapy. The pentavalent anitmonials (pentostam and glucantime) are the current drugs of choice, but their use has been associated with side effects and a certain degree of toxicity. Furthermore, resistance towards these medications is not uncommon. For these reasons we studied the effectiveness of Vinca major alkaloids in treating Leishmania major infections both in vitro and invivo. Vinca has been used for centuries as a traditional remedy in the treatment of various diseases. The effectiveness of different concentrations of Vinca on Leishmania major promastigotes was evaluated and the results showed a significant decrease in the number of promastigotes with higher concentrations and increasing exposure times (PO.005). Results of in vivo trials showed that intralesional injections of purified extracts in chlorofromic phase induced a significant decrease in the mean lesion diameter in Balb/c mice compared to the untreated group.

TREND OF HEALTH RESEARCH BUDGET ALLOCATION IN IRAN AS COMPARED TO THAT IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

Z Sheikhan

In this descriptive study, we compared the amount of public spending on health researchandtheprocessforallocationofresearchfundsbetweenIranandseveraldeveloped countries.
The study made it clear that the State&aposs total per capita spending on research and the percentage of the total government budget and the Gross Domestic Product spent on research were considerably lower than in most developed nations. The administrative process for obtaining funds was long and tedious, and private sector spending on health research was negligible (in contrast to Western countries, where the most research is funded by the private sector). The results of this study could have important implications for health care planning and research administration in Iran.

AN ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDWATER NITRATE AND NITRITE LEVELS IN THE INDUSTRIAL SITES IN THE WEST OF TEHRAN

A.A Farshad

Nitrate compounds as the last part of oxidation of nitrogen compounds, which may causemethaemoglobinaemia in infants.Nitrosamines are derivatives of both nitrites and nitrates and are often used as indicatorsof water pollution, largely because of concerns about their carcinogenic potential.With regard to the role of industrial waste (containing nitrates and nitrites) in the pollutionof ground water, in winter 1998 one hundred sites were selected for sampling andmeasurements of Nitrite & Nitrate content among 300 large industrial - complexeslocated in the outskirts of Tehran (Tehran-Karaj Urban Zone). The findings showed thatthe mean Nitrate concentration in the aquifers studied was 51.96 mg/1, with maximumvalues of 85.49 mg/1 and a minimum of 5.9 mg/1.The mean nitrite level was 16.18 mg/1, ranging from 0.29 mg/1 to 314,22 mg/1.According to these findings, both Nitrite & Nitrate levels were above WHO-specifiedlimits and the safety standards established by national guidelines. Statistical analysis showed a negative correlation between Nitrite concentrations anddepth of the aquifer (P-value = 0.034, R = 0.44), ie, with increasing depth there werelower nitrate levels.There was no relationship between nitrate concentrations and the distance of water wellsfrom the sites of wastewater discharge.

PRODUCTION AND BIOLOGICAL AND ORGANOLEPTIC EVALUATION OF A SNACK CAKE FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

G Fadavi

The educational authorities are concerned with preparation of a suitable snack for the students (6-11 yrs).Considering the potential effects of the snack on cognitive and learning functions, this project was designed for the production and evaluation of a nutritionally suitable cake for students.
The cake&aposs ingredients were egg(87%), skimmed milk powder (26%), sugar (1 12%), oil (26%), baking powder(5.2%),defatted soya(22%) and wheat flour (100%) NaFeEDTA (was added as an iron fortificant). Moisture, ash, protein, Ca and iron contents were determined by AOAC methods.Five panelists were selected and trained as recommended by ISO. They evaluated student cake (x), enriched student cake(Y) and the control (z) for taste,texture (scoring), crumb and crust color (ranking). Eighty-five students evaluated the cakes as target group (hedonic).True protein digestibility (TPD) was determined using three diets (non protein,casein,students&apos cake) and three groups of 21 days rats. The results were analyzed using the SPSS program. A students cake with 11.6% protein, 8.7% fat, 21% moisture and 2,5% ash had an energy content of 300 Kcal plus 10 gr protein while the control preparation had 5,7gr (6.6%) protein, 15.6% fat, 19.1% moisture and 1.8% ash and an energy content of 339 Kcal energy and 5.7 gr per unit weight.The taste and texture of x and y were similar but different from the controls (p

COMBINED EFFECTS OF NOISE AND TOLUENE ON HEARING OF WORKERS IN SHOE-MAKING INDUSTRY IN TEHRAN, 1999

P Nassiri

This study has been carried out in two shoe-making factories in Tehran with the aim ofevaluating the cobined effects of noise and toluene on the workers' hearing. Sixty four workers were assigned to three groups according to their exposure to noise andtoluene. 33 were exposed to noise (group 0), 5 to toluene (group 1) and 26 to noise andtoluene (group 2).The concentration were measured in the workers' breathing zone as well as A-weightedsound Pressure level, LPA and equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure levelover 30 minuets , leq (30") A in head position of workers. Then noise level was calculatedand hearing thresholds measured in 500 - 400 Hz frequencey range.The amounts of air and bone hearing los were caluculated. Results indicate that therelationship between hearing loss caused by noise (group 0) and noise and toluene (group2) was statistically significant, P<0.05. Hearing loss due to toluene in mid frequency washigher than in higher frequencies.