Journal of School of Public Health and

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Nowadays the Quality of Life (QOL) among different groups of people, especially in disabled people, is recognized as a very important topic. In order to assess quality of life in people with spinal cord injuries, 86 members of Tehran spinal cord injury(SCI) society were selected randomly. Data were gathered through a questionnaire that consisted of two parts. The first part contained questions about sex, age, plus the cause, type and duration of injury. The second part contained questions that measured quality of life in an objective manner. The test was adapted from Lancashire and Wisconsin tests and modified to suit the cultural background of Iranian people. Results showed that %73.3 of people with SCI perceived their QOL as good or fair. In assessing different areas of quality of life, the highest scores were given to social relations (3.67 out of 5). In the married group the mean score for satisfaction in family relations was 3.95 out of 5 score. Sub-scores for work/education, finances, physical health and psychological health status were lower than the other ones. Results of study indicated that there was a significant difference in the mean QOL score between the two sexes: the score for women was higher (mean score was 3.3 for women and 2.9 for men). But Quality of Life was not significantly related to age, cause of SCI, type of SCI, or duration of SCI.

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Background and Aim: Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar), the most dangerous form of leishmaniasis, is endemic in some parts of Iran, e.g. Ardabil, Fars, East Azerbaijan, Bushehr and Qom provinces. In recent years, the incidence of VL has increased in the Nourabad-Mamassani district in Fars Province. This study was carried out to detect VL vectors and infection rates in this region over the 2003-2004 period.
Material and Methods: Sand flies were captured in the selected villages by means of sticky traps, aspirators and CDC miniature light traps. Heads and distal abdominal segments were used for species identification and other body parts were used for DNA extraction. We employed a semi-nested PCR technique to detect Leishmania, with specific kDNA primers (LIN R4 - LIN 17 – LIN19). Some specimens were dissected for leptomonad infection.
Results: A total of 12688 sand flies were collected. Phlebotomus (Paraphlebotomus) alexandri was the second most prevalent species (17.34%). The anthropophilic index of this species was 32.5%. Five cases (4.17%) of L. infantum infection were detected among the 120 P. alexandri examined by PCR method. We also observed two cases of leptomonad infection among the 112 dissected specimens.
Conclusion: High prevalence rates and anthropophilic index of P. alexandri plus its natural infection with L. infantum provide enough evidence to implicate this species as the main vector species of VL in the region and the second proven kala-azar vector in Iran. Besides, the Mahoor-Milaty district of Noorabad-Mamassani was identified as a new endemic focus.

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Background and Aim: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous disorder resulting from a combination of genetic and environmental factors which contribute to pathogenesis by influencing beta cell function and tissue insulin sensitivity. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B)" efficiently dephosphorylates the insulin receptor and attenuates insulin signaling. Recently, a 1484insG variant of the PTP1B gene was linked to increased risk of the metabolic syndrome in an Italian population, but this was not confirmed in subsequent studies. The purpose of this research was to investigate the association of 1484insG polymorphism of the PTP1B with obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and other cardiovascular-related traits in an Iranian population.

Materials and Methods: The genotypes of 1484insG variant were determined by the PCR-RFLP method in 242 unrelated subjects, including 171 individuals with normal glucose tolerance and normal fasting glucose levels, and 71 type 2 diabetics. Insulin resistance was assessed using the homeostasis assessment model.

Results: The allelic frequency of the 1484insG polymorphism among type 2 diabetic patients and non-diabetic individuals was 6.3% and 3.8%, respectively (p=0.205). None of the subjects were homozygous for the 1484insG allele. Concerning quantitative traits in non-diabetic subjects, carriers of 1484insG allele had significantly higher body mass index (p=0.01), diastolic blood pressure (p=0.012), and HOMA-IR (p= 0.041) levels compared to those carrying the wild-type genotype. In type 2 diabetics, carriers of 1484insG allele had only significantly higher HOMA-B (P= 0/04) level compared to the individuals with the wild-type genotype.

Conclusion: Our results from a sample of Iranian type 2 diabetes cases and controls provide evidence that the 1484insG genotype of the PTP1B gene may be associated with obesity and insulin resistance.

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Background and Aim: Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus (Type I) is the cause of two major diseases : Adult T cell Leukemia-Lymphoma and Tropical Spastic Paraparasia and Myelopathy associated with HTLV-I. Disease transmission is possible during unsafe sexual contact, blood transfusion and vertical transmission method. Blood safety and minimizing the risk of transfusion transmitted infections are the main goals of blood transfusion organization. Mashhad is located in an endemic area and it is essential to investigate about the virus epidemiology. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study from 1388 to 1389. all the blood donation volunteers, who were eligible for blood donation but had HTLV serum positive results in both screening and confirmatory tests with Elisa and Western Blot method, respectively, were considered as HTLV infected individuals. The infected group was compared with a group of healthy blood donors as a witness group. The data were analyzed by SPSS-17 software. Results: Out of all 432 infected donors, 353(% 81.7) were male and 79 (% 18.3) were female. The prevalence rate in two years of study was %0.26 and %0.25 Respectively . There was a significant relation between age, sex, marital status, education levels and history of blood donation with HTLV-1 seropositivity. Conclusions: Because of the improvements in donor screening and laboratory methods , the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection among blood donors has currently decreased. According to the low rate of infection among younger blood donors, regular blood donors and donors with higher educational levels ,it should be considered to select donors from these groups.

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Background and Aim: Considering the importance of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran, this study was conducted to present the epidemiological characteristics of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis, the time trend and the mapping of the disease in the cities under the supervision of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

Materials and Methods: Data was collected from the Heath deputy of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and Health Centers of cities from 2005 to 2014; and was analyzed using Excel and SPSS19 software. Chi square test and Poisson regression were used for analysis.

Results: The incidence of the disease increased from 109 cases per 100,000 in 2005 to 218 in 2008 and decreased to 110 in 2014. The 0-9 age group was the most vulnerable and housewives were the most involved occupational group. Most people had a wet wound. The hands were the most affected. The highest incidence of disease was in the autumn. Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) was the dominant type. Cutaneous leishmaniasis was more in northern than southern regions of the province in the recent years.

Conclusion: In the last years of the study, unlike in the early years, the incidence of disease in the northern region of the province was more than the southern regions. This finding could be a warning signal that the disease could be relocating and spreading in areas where the disease was not endemic before.

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Background and Aim: Air pollution is currently one of the most important environmental issues. The most common effect of air pollution on plants is the gradual decomposition of chlorophyll and leaf yellowing, which may result in the reduction of photosynthetic capacity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of air pollution on the chlorophyll content and zonation of leaf chlorophyll content of two tree species in Malayer city, Iran.
Materials and Methods: Samples were collected from two tree species, namely, Platanus orientalis and Robinia pseudoacacia in different parts of Malayer city, Iran (clean and polluted areas), each with three replications. The concentration of pigments in the leaves was measured by the Lichtenthaler (1987) method, which is the modified Arnon method (1949), at 663 and 645 nm wavelengths, absorbance being measured using a spectrophotometer.
Results: Data analysis showed that the a, b and total chlorophyll contents in the acacia tree species in the southern parts (southwest) of the study area reached their maximums, while their contents were lowest in the eastern and north-western parts and low to medium in the central parts of the study area. On the other hand, as regards the sycamore species, in the eastern and north-western parts of the study area the a, b, and total chlorophyll contents were the highest and reached their minimums in the south-western parts. However, as in the case of the acacia species, in the central parts of the study area the contents of the tree chlorophylls were low to medium.
Conclusion: The results of this study show that the a, b and total leaf chlorophyll contents of the two acacia and plantain species were higher in the polluted areas as compared to those in clean areas. On this basis, it can be said that a higher physiological index, such as an increased chlorophyll content, indicates the plant's response for resistance to air pollutants.