Journal of School of Public Health and

Background and Aim: The prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH), one of the main causes of preventable mental handicap in neonates, is much higher in Iran than the global average.
The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) by using the screening program in Fars Province, Iran, during the period 2003-2006.

Methods and Materials: A case-control study was carried out, the samples being 126 cases and 401 controls. The neonates were those born between 2003 and 2006, under coverage of the National Congenital Hypothyroidism Program. The data were analyzed using the univariate and multivariate analysis tests.

Results: An increased risk for CH was detected in infants with consanguine parents, by a multivariate analysis test (odds ratio (OR) = 2.9, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.8-4.8). The test also confirmed previously reported statistically significant associations with additional birth defects OR = 2.2 (1-4.6), birth defects in first-degree relatives OR = 4.7 (1.6-4.8), female gender OR = 1.9 (1.1-3), and twin births. Although not significant, an increased risk for CH was observed among infants with gestational age<30 weeks (preterm delivery) (OR = 1.7(0.9-1.3)).

Conclusion: This study identified risk factors contributing to the etiology of CH. In particular, our results suggest a multifactorial origin of CH, in which both genetic and environmental factors play a role.

  Background and Aim: Exposure to heavy metals always causes serious health problems in people working in the industry. Heavy metals may interfere with enzyme functioning or accumulate in specific body organs, leading to various health problems. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal widely used in various industries and, therefore, workers in metal industries are at risk of exposure to it.

  Materials and Methods: A solid-phase sorbent was synthesized and factors influencing its sorption and elution steps were optimized (R>95%). The validated sorbent (chemically, physically and as regards reproducibility) was used to determine the cadmium content of the worker`s urines.

  Results: Optimized conditions for sorption and elution step were found to be as follows: pH= 7 sorption and elution time (both)= 5 min elution volume= 6 mL, and elution concentration= 2 mol L^-1. The great selectivity and the nano-particle size of the sorbent resulted in its highly precise performance (0.6ppb) and high validity and accuracy (CV<3%).

  Conclusion: Using the nano-magnetic sorbent technique and some such laboratory methods as flame atomic absorption spectroscopy, one can easily measure trace amounts of heavy metals in urine. This technique is relatively less expensive and rapid since, when using it, one can omit the filtration and centrifugation steps.

Background and Aims: Cutaneous leishmaniosis (CL) is a neglected tropical vector-borne disease. As other vector-transmitted diseases, its transmission is sensitive to the physical environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and annual incidence of CL in Iran.

Materials and Methods: The data of ENSO were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center for the period 1977-2011(34 years), and the annual data on CL incidence in Iran from WHO. To determine the association between the ENSO annual fluctuations and annual CL incidence we used crosstab analysis and tow-tailed independent t-test to find any possible differences among the annual CL incidence according to different phases of the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI: El Niño, warming phase; La Niña, cooling phase; neutral phase).

Results: Analysis of the data showed that, as compared with the years when El Niño and La Niña were dominant, the annual incidence of CL in Iran was lower in the years when neutral phases of SOI were dominant. The highest incidence was found to have occurred during the years with an intermediate La Niña dominance. During the years when La Nina was dominant the incidence of CL was, on the average, 15-20% higher than that in the years with a neutral phase, while the difference between the annual CL incidence in neutral years and El Niño years was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: The findings reveal that in general the mean incidence of cutaneous leishmaniosis during the years with a neutral ENSO index is lower than that during the years with dominant El Nino or La Nina, although there is no difference between incidence in the neutral years and the El Nino-dominant years.