Journal of School of Public Health and

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Heavy metal contamination of food products, especially seafood is a major concern because of the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of metal contaminants. Their detection in fish is an indicator of marine pollution. In this study heavy metal concentrations were measured in a sample of commercially obtained canned tuna after digestion and preparation of 21 such samples, levels of mercury and arsenic were determined by the hydride generation technique, while those of lead and cadmium were measured by the graphite furnace system. Tin levels were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometery. The mean contents of heavy metals expressed in ug/g of wet weight were O.U3±0.027 (range 0.082-0.16) for mercury, 0.129±0.082 (0.037-0.262) for arsenic, 0.029±0.019 (0.006-0.088) for cadmium, and 0.33±0.12 (0.016-0.049) for lead. No tin was detected any of the samples. The concentrations of toxic metals in this study were below the WHO/FAO-recommended levels, but further studies are needed to assess the risk associated other types of food.

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Background and Aim: There is evidence showing that increased inflammatory mediators and reduced serum levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids may be present in patients with neurodevelopment and psychiatric disorders, e.g.  attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder. (ADHD). The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on hyperactivity, attention deficit, and serum inflammatory mediators in children with ADHD

Materials and Methods: This was an 8-week randomized double-blind clinical trial. The participants were 103 6 to12-year old children with ADHD receiving effective maintenance therapy, who were assigned randomly to receive either a daily omega-3 supplement (635 mg eicosapentaenoic acid and 195 mg docosahexaenoic acid (intervention group) or a placebo visually similar to the omega-3 capsules (placebo group). The serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined at baseline and at the end of the period. In addition, the abbreviated 10-item Conners parent rating scale (CPRS) was completed for each child before and after the intervention. 

Results: The intervention brought about statistically significant reductions in the levels of CRP and IL-6 and a significant improvement in the CPRS score in the omega-3 group.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation can have desirable effects on hyperactivity, attention deficit and inflammatory mediators in children with ADHD.

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Background and Aim: A person is more likely to become a violence victim in his/her family than outside the family. The purpose of this study was to investigate domestic violence, especially violence against women, in families in Herat Province, Afghanistan.         

Materials and Methods: A total of 130 female victims referring to support centers in Herat, Afganistan were selected using the accessible sampling method. A researcher-developed questionnaire was used to collect data.

Results: No woman older than 40 years referred to the centers, and the age of 65.4% of those referring was below 30 years.  The proportions of the women suffering from psychological, physical-plus-sexual and economic violence were 42%, 29% and 26%, respectively.  In addition, 65.4% of them had been married for at most 5 years and only 10% had been married for over 10 years. Further analysis of the data showed that about 60% of the clients were illiterate and only 13.8% had a bachelor's degree; 72.3% of the victims were housewives and only about 21% had freelance or office jobs; more than 70.2% of the victims were at the lowest income level, and about 76.6% had married with their own accord. As regards the victims' spouses, 88.5% were under 40 years of age, 57.7% were illiterate and 29.2% were high school graduates.  In terms of occupation, they were typically non-employed and had private jobs (13.8% workers, 22.3% farmers and 40.8% freelance). Furthermore, 95.4% had been married for the first time and 97.7% had one spouse. Finally, 83% of them (83.8%) were not addicts.

Conclusion: The most frequent complaints were related to psychological violence. Clients were typically under 40 years of age with a marriage history of less than 5 years. A typical victim in this study was a young illiterate woman who was financially weak; had a young, self-employed, low-educated spouse who had been married for the first time; had no other spouse; and was not a drug addict.