Journal of School of Public Health and

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Background and Aim: Acrylonitrile (ACN) is widely used as a main raw material in the Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) resin-manufacturing units and other industrial and commercial processes. ACN, due to its toxicity, is not easily decomposed by microorganisms. The discharge of improperly treated ACN-containing wastewater into a natural water body may cause serious environmental problems and severe adverse impact on the aquatic ecology. This study attempts to isolate and identify bacteria which utilize ACN as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen from the activated sludge of petrochemical wastewater treatment system. The performance of the isolated strains in treating different initial ACN concentrations was also investigated under aerobic conditions. In addition, the performance of biodegradation and the metabolic intermediates and end-products in the process were determined.

Materials and Methods: Experiments were conducted with three batch reactors, the volume of each one being 250 mL. The activated sludge samples as a microbial seeding were taken from the return sludge line of the aeration tank of the wastewater treatment facility in Tabriz Petrochemical Complex. Phosphate-buffered medium (PBM) was used to make available minerals and trace elements, and ACN was used as the sole carbon and nitrogen source for microbial growth. R2A medium was used to obtain pure colonies, and to identify the isolated strain, Gram staining and microscopic examination followed by biochemical and physiologic analyses using selective media such as O-F glucose, MacConkey agar, TSI agar, EMB and SS agar, nitrate reduction, gelatin liquefaction, lactose fermentation, oxidase, catalase and SIM were used. In the final stage, the performance of biological systems in degrading different initial concentrations of ACN and its intermediate and end-products were investigated.

Results: The findings indicated that when the ACN concentration was 500 mg/L, the average removal efficiency after 46 and 70 h reached 46% and 98%, respectively. But at an initial concentration of 700 mg/L, the removal efficiency of the ACN in the biological system was 50% after 46 h and 98.6% after 94 h . However, when the ACN concentration was increased to 1000 mg/L, the removal efficiency after 46 and 94 h was only 30% and 40%, respectively, and after 118 h of reaction, the remaining concentration of ACN was about 580 mg/L. Furthermore, the results of isolation and identification experiments revealed that at the optimum operation of the biological system the strain belonging to the gamma group of Proteobacteria as Pseudomonas putida had the best ability to degrade ACN.

Conclusion: Biological processes can degrade ACN and the abilities of different bacterial strains in this degradation vary. The rod-shaped Gram-negative P. putida could easily adapt to ACN concentrations up to 700 mg/L and utiliz ACN and its intermediate- and end-products as a carbon and nitrogen source for growth in the process. Thus, this strain is expected to play an important role in aeration tanks for treating ABS resin-manufacturing wastewater.

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Background and Aim: Domestic violence against women is a serious public health problem and women adopt different solutions to fight against it. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence and views of women
on adopting ways to fight against it in Arak city, Iran, year 2008.

Methods and Materials: In a cross-sectional study in Arak city in 2008, a total of 1037 women were interviewed. The data collected were analysed statistically.

Results: Findings showed that the common types of abuse were emotional (64.6%), verbal (57.1%), financial (32.3%), and physical (26.8%). The women mentioned that the most efficient ways they chose to counteract the abuses were as follows: resuming talking after the settlement of quarrels (93%), keeping silent on the part of one of the partners (81%), and seeking advice from the older members of the family (81%). The considered going into a temporary sulk (51%) and reciprocation (46%) ineffective methods. Correlations were found between violence on the one hand and education, job, addiction of the spouse, income of the spouse, mental disorder of the partner, and number of children on the other hand (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Results of this study show that a large number of women are subjected to different types of violence. It seems that increasing awareness of married women and girls concerning effective counteractive methods can be an effective step in solving this social problem.

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Background and Aim: The most important principles in an organization are continuous development and survival. Nowadays, creativity and innovation are vital for survival in a competitive world. The thinking style of a manager in an organization is an important factor in his/her creativity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between thinking style and organizational innovation in 84 senior and junior managers of Shiraz educational hospitals in 2008.

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study 84 top and mid-level managers of Shiraz teaching hospitals were selected by the census method. Data were collected using two standard questionnaires, one for thinking style and one for innovation, the content validity and reliability of which had been confirmed. A preliminary test showed the Cronbach's alpha for the thinking style and organizational questionnaires to be 0.83 and 0.72, respectively. Data analysis was performed using Spearman correlation test.

Results: The Spearman correlation analysis showed a statistically significant, although weak, relationship between thinking style of senior and junior managers of Shiraz teaching hospitals and their organizational innovation. A pragmatic thinking style had the strongest association with organizational innovation.

Conclusion: The thinking style of a teaching hospital manager plays a vital role in his/her creativity. No thinking style is particularly preferred any thinking style may give desirable results as regards creativity of a manger, depending on the circumstances and conditions.

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Background and Aim: Availability of  preliminary data on fauna and distribution of forensically important insects in a region is very important. Considering absence of such data in the north of Iran, this was study was undertaken with  the aim of finding the fauna of insects on rabbit carcasses as an animal model in Babol, a city in the north of Iran.

Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in three areas, that is, urban, semi-urban and rural, in summer and autumn in 2014. Using Schoenly traps, samples were collected once daily until the decomposition of the rabbit carcasses was complete.

Results: A total of 1978 adult flies from 17 species were identified. The main fly families included Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Muscidae and Fanniidae. On the whole, the families with the highest and lowest numbers were Muscidae and Phoridae, respectively. Some families of minor medical importance, such as Anthomyiidae, Sepsidae, Phoridae and Stratiomyidae, were collected in small numbers. The Sarcophaga melanura was introduced in  Iran for the first time.

Conclusion: The main finding of this study is identification of some of the most important flies and other anthropoda, which can be very helpful and useful in forensic investigations – finding time and place of death. Classification of the data on species based on their ecosystems is another important finding emphasized in this study, something of practical importance in scene of crime investigations.

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Background and Aim: Obesity is now recognized as the most prevalent metabolic disease worldwide.A decrease in resting energy expenditure (REE) may increase risk of obesity. This study was carried out to compare dietary, biochemical, anthropometric and body composition parameters and physical activity in obese women with a normal and those with a low REE.

Materials and Methods: A total of 49 subjects (women, 30-50 years old), were divided into three groups: group one (obese, n = 16) with a body mass index (BMI) of 28-39.9 and a normal REE, group 2 (obese, n = 17) with a BMI of 28-39.9 and a low REE, and group 3 (n = 16) with a normal BMI and a normal REE as the control group. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, REE and fasting blood lipid profile were determined in the 3 groups. In addition, dietary intakes and physical activity were assessed using valid questionnaires.

Results: There was no significant difference in body composition between the two obese groups. However, REE was significantly lower in the obese group with a lowREE than in the other 2 groups.Energy and macronutrient intakes and physical activity were not statistically different among the 3 groups. Neither was there any significant difference between the 2 obese groups (one with a normal and one with a low REE) as regards lipid profile.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that in some obese people the resting energy expenditure is much lower as compared to that in other obese people, although their body composition, age, sex, dietary intake, lipid profile and physical activity are not different.

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Background and Aim: Families with diabetic children face various problems and challenges such as child psychological problems, behavioral problems and a low quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of promoting the quality of life of parents of diabetic children on clinical symptoms in their children.

Materials and Methods: This was a pre-test and post-test semi-experimental research with a control group. The statistical sample included 32 diabetic children and their parents, selected in 2 stages using the convenience random sampling method from among Tehran Diabetes Association members, randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group received education about quality of life promotion in ten 2-hour sessions. Data were collected using the child clinical symptoms questionnaire (CSI-4-Child Symptom Inventory) and analyzed by multi-variate analysis of covariance using SPSS 20.

Results: The average post-test scores of emotional-behavioral symptoms in the experimental and control groups were significantly different (F=19.20, F=24.53, F=21.01, P<0.01). Furthermore, the experimental group mean scores were significantly lower than the control values, indicating a positive effect of the comprehensive quality of life promotion program on the children's emotional-behavioral symptoms.

Conclusion: Education about promoting the quality of life imparted to parents of diabetic children can significantly affect clinical symptoms in the diabetic children, decreasing the symptoms. Therefore, such education is recommended in order to promote the quality of life and reduce psychological distress in families of children with diabetes.

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Background and Aim: Distracted driving, specifically cell phone use while driving, has been found to be responsible for traffic accidents and road casualties throughout the world annually. The aim of this observational study was to determine the frequency of drivers' engagement in hazardous secondary activities on Mashhad urban roads, particularly cell phone use.
Materials and Methods: This was a 3-month cross-sectional study. Data on drivers’ secondary task management on 17 randomly selected sites and 42 arterial and collector roads were obtained from Mashhad Traffic and Transportation Organization records and analyzed using the Pearson's chi-squared test.
Results: The rate of cell phone use was 5.27%, the most widely observed related task being handheld conversation (3.15%) followed by texting (1.83%) and hands-free use (0.28%). In addition, 1.75% of the drivers were engaged in other risky tasks such as eating, drinking beverages and smoking. Distracted female drivers and drivers aged 26-35 years were significantly more likely to be engaging in cell phone use, while drivers under 26 years old were the dominant group as regards texting. Further analysis of the data showed significant differences between male and female drivers as regards as behaviors while driving.
Conclusion: Based on the findings it is concluded that there are serious problems related to drivers’ secondary activities while driving. Raising public awareness, educational interventions, law enforcement and tougher legislation will certainly minimize deaths due to car accidents, as well as financial and social damage, due to drivers’ distraction, in line with achieving a safe social environment.