Journal of School of Public Health and

  Background and Aim: Food insecurity is a major public health problem in developing and developed countries , underlying developmental and psychological problems , nutrient deficiencies and chronic diseases . The aim of this study was to determine food security status and factors associated with food insecurity in households with children 4-5 years old under coverage of urban health centers and health houses in Mehriz, Iran.

  Materials and Methods : This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013 on 500 households with children 4-5 years old under coverage of urban health centers and health houses in Mehriz, Iran. The subjects were selected by cluster sampling. To determine household food security, the USDA 18-item food security questionnaire was used. Economic and socio-cultural status were assessed using a general-information questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using the Chi-square and independent t-tests and multiple logistic regression.

  Results: The prevalence of household food insecurity was 39.6% (food insecurity without hunger 23.2%, and moderate and severe food insecurity with hunger 15% and 1.4%, respectively). Food insecurity was negatively correlated with parental education, parental occupational, monthly household income and maternal height ( p <0.008) and positively correlated with maternal age and family size ( p <0.004) . Based on the results of multivariate logistic regression , father's occupation and education level were predictors of food insecurity .

  Conclusion: The prevalence of food insecurity in the population studied is high. Based on the results of this study, promotion of parental education, family job security and improved economic status, and control of family size are essential measures that should taken to improve household food security.

  Background an Aim: Community-based health promotion program encompasses actions aiming at enabling individuals, organizations and communities for enhancing behaviors and creating a healthier environment. Considerable experiences regarding community health promotion and community-based health promotion exists in Iran, but they have not been documented adequately.

  Materials and Methods: This paper reports some of the findings of a situation assessment project of community-based health promotion programs in Iran, including typology of community-based health promotion programs and critical analysis of challenges and threats, discussing potential opportunities to improve community-based health interventions. All the available reports, official documents, information and published papers related to community-based health promotion programs implemented in Iran were examined.

  Results: The majority of health-related interventions excluding three national programs, namely, the volunteers, community health workers (Behvarzes) and polio eradication programs, were categorized in three large groups ─ community-based initiatives, community-based participatory research, and community-based addiction prevention. Many of these programs were not community-based in the true sense of the word.

  Conclusion: The findings indicate that in Iran, unlike many other countries, the majority of the interventions are initiated and implemented at the national level with good organizational support. Although implementation of such programs is generally considered feasible in Iran, it seems that the available opportunities have not been adequately exploited for their implementation.

  Background and Aim: Candida albicans, the most common human fungal commensal pathogen, is a normal member of the human microbiota which can colonize the oral cavity, vagina and gastrointestinal tract. This opportunistic pathogen can cause diseases ranging from mucosal infections to systemic mycoses, depending on the vulnerability and weakness of the immune system of the host. In addition, it is the most common cause of septicemia with 50-100% mortality. Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation is an electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength of 100-400 nm. It reduces the synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids, retards growth, and causes mutation in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Previous investigators have reported on the different effects of UV irradiation on Candida albicans including cidal effect, inhibitory growth, as well as phenotype switching. In the present study we investigated the effect of UV-B irradiation on C. albicans’s growth in a solid medium, production of chlamydoconidia, carbohydrate assimilation and pathogenesis in mice.

  Material and Methods: C. albicans was grown in a SC medium, followed by incubation at 30° C for 24 hours and irradiating the cells with UV-B for 5,10,15,20 min at 302 nm wavelength by transilluminator. A sample of non-irradiated yeast cells served as control.

  Results: After 24, 48 and 72 hours of irradiation growth rate was reduced, the maximum reduction occurring after 20 minute. There was no difference between irradiated and non-irradiated C. albicans samples as regards sugars assimilation. Irradiation could inhibit production of chlamidoconidia by the fungus, the magnitude of inhibition increasing with increasing length of exposure to irradiation, such that after 20 minutes no chlamidoconidia could be seen in the medium. Further analysis of the data showed that pathogenicities of the fungus in irradiated and control samples were not statistically different. Neither was there any difference between them as regards size or number of bands of DNA molecules on 1% agarose gel.

  Conclusion: The findings throw some light on how UVB irradiation can affect the phenotype of C. albicans isolates. Certainly more studies, e.g., on gene regulation, are required to find the effects of UVB at the molecular level in this fungus.

  Background and Aim: Social loafing is the phenomenon of people deliberately exerting less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group as compared to when they work alone. People who feel they are being treated unfair in an organization would be more likely to show this phenomenon. This study investigated the social loafing among nurses and its relationship with organizational justice in Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj, Iran.

  Materials and Methods: This was a correlational descriptive-analytical study conducted in 2012. The study population was all nurses working in Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj, Iran. Data were collected using a valid questionnaire. For data analysis SPSS-20 software was used, the descriptive statistics being frequency distribution, mean, standard deviation, and the Spearman, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests .

  Results : The highest organizational justice component was found to be organizational justice (0.086 ± 3.39), and the mean of social loafing was higher in comparison with organizational justice. According to the Spearman test, all organizational justice components had inverse relations with social loafing. Only distributive organizational justice was significantly related to social loafing (p<0.05).

  Conclusion: It can be concluded that the personnel are highly sensitive to distributive justice and managers need to create the feeling that the organization has a fair distribution of resources. Hospitals should try to minimize the negative effects associated with loafing by creating an environment that discourages social loafing. One way to achieve this goal is to try to impress the personnel by telling them that their functions are important , such that they feel their job is important and that the role of nurses in connection with the patients is of value and significant.

  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 Aim: A ssociations between air pollution and morbidity have been reported in several studies. Due to limited publications in the literature for Iran, this study aimed to determine the association between air pollution and hospital admissions of respiratory disease patients in Tabriz, Iran.

  Materials and Methods: The methodology used in this study was case -crossover and the artificial neural network model. The variables of the model included air quality, hospital admission and air pollutants. Daily hospital admission data were collected from five hospitals in Tabriz, Iran based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) , air quality data including NO₂, SO₂, CO, PM₁₀ and O₃ from the six fixed online air quality monitoring stations, and the daily mean temperature and relative humidity data for the same period from the East Azerbaijan Meteorological Bureau.

  Results : P articulate matter with a median aerometric diameter <10 μm (PM₁₀) was found to be the most important pollutant affecting respiratory hospital admissions. The ANNs data showed that the most important causes of hospital admissions were for COPD NO₂, NO and CO, for respiratory infections PM_10, and for asthma PM₁₀, O₃ and CO. The highest associations were observed between hospital admissions due to COPD and asthma in females and those due to respiratory infections in males. The elderly (individuals over 65 years old) were at the highest risk.

  Conclusion: The results show a significant relation between air pollutants and respiratory hospital admissions in Tabriz, Iran. The importance and necessity of enforcement of existing regulations and enacting laws to prevent and control the adverse health effects of air pollution are confirmed.

  Background an d Aim : Overweight and obesity are one of the most serious health and social problems in the world today. The fact that obesity is highly prevalent among adolescents is particularly alarming, considering that the disease has many undesirable physical and mental consequences. This study examined the relationship between overweight and obesity and the quality of life.

  Materials and Methods : A total of 400 high school girl-students, selected by the two-stage cluster sampling, completed the demographic and sf-36 quality of life questionnaires. Their weights and heights were measured using the Seca scale (precision 100 g) and non-elastic tape (precision 0.5 cm) by the researcher, respectively.

  Results : The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the sample was 21.8%. The mean scores of general health, physical health, physical limitations, and social functioning were significantly lower among overweight and obese, as compared to normal, subjects. Dissatisfaction with physical fitness, not living with both parents, poor economic conditions and skipping breakfast were factors associated with a lower quality of life.

  Conclusion : Considering the high prevalence of overweight and obesity among high school girls and their significant correlations with the physical dimensions of quality of life, attention to obesity as a major health and social problem on the part of health planners and policy-makers is of utmost importance.

  Background and Aim: Motor vehicles are an absolute necessity used extensively in all countries of the world. They are a major cause of air pollution with highly undesirable consequences. Thus, exposure to traffic pollution is a growing public health concern. Several studies indicate that people in the cabin of a vehicle inhale air with high concentrations of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides(NOx), particulate matter (PM), volatile compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide (CO).

  Materials and Methods: Eexposure of drivers inside motor vehicles to CO was assessed during one year in Tehran, Iran. For this purpose, the concentration of CO was measured in the breathing zone of 72 male taxi drivers using a portable real-time instrument equipped with electrochemical sensors. In addition, records of fixed air pollution monitoring stations in Tehran were examined and the CO concentration in those records were compared with those measured in the taxis.

  Results: The mean in-vehicle CO concentration was 19.91 ± 4.37ppm, while records of fixed air pollution monitoring stations showed the concentration of this pollutant in the air to be 3.69 ± 1.03ppm.

  Conclusion: It can be concluded that factors such as traffic density, weather conditions and vehicles lifespan affect the extent of exposure of taxi drivers to carbon monoxide.

  Background and Aim : Equitable improvement of the national health situation in Iran requires a sufficient and logical balance between preventive and curative needs. Considering the profound changes that have occurred in disease patterns and the population over the last three decades, it is essential to review the ongoing preventive services with due consideration of the current and future needs of the population in an attempt to provide more effective and appropriate services. The provincial health deputies (PHDs, vice-chancellors of the universities of medical sciences), who are responsible for establishing and adjusting new preventive health services, are confronted with many challenges in this matter. A thorough knowledge of these challenges will help greatly in developing strategies aiming at improving the national preventive health services.

  Materials and Methods : The participants in this study were the PHDs throughout the country. Data were collected through interviews and focus-group discussions. The main question was "What are the challenges and procedures in the area of preventive health services in the Iranian universities of medical sciences in the stewardship/supervision, resources and services domains?".

  Results : Results of the study reveal that PHDs have various challenges that have increased over time because of their persistency and the additional burden of the family physician program and referral system, and the effects are quite apparent in both the staff domain and in the universities where the family physician program is being executed. Although the challenges in all the three domains of stewardship, resources and service provision are not equally distributed, service and resource provision domains suffer most. However, solutions to the problem proposed by the participants emphasize on improvement of stewardship in the domain of public health. The universities consider the Ministry of Health and Medical Education to be the main culprit for these problems.

  Conclusion : The existing challenges will prevent establishment of legal articles of the 5^th ational Development Plan in the health sector. In order to promote the health situation in Iran on an equitable basis (achievement of better health indices), at least ten actions to be taken in the universities of medical sciences at the national level are required: activation of the High Council of Health and Food Security and encouraging social accountability of all the governmental, private, and nongovernmental sectors developing a ten-year plan for preventive health and intersectoral collaboration specifying general and specific annual expectations from preventive health departments of medical universities in the form of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and creating health oriented competition among provinces and cities adopting a model for provision of health services in cities and suburban areas in coordination with the family health program and the referral system evaluating and integrating the existing preventive health programs elimination of overlapping units in the organizational chart at the central level increasing funds for the national preventive health services programs and not letting use of these funds for other programs measuring general satisfaction of the preventive health managers and employees and maintaining and promoting human resources of the health sector expansion of preventive health services coverage down to the district level and, finally, better management of the facilities, equipment and standards of health centers.

  Background an d Aim : Most people have behaviors appropriate for their biological sex . However, there are also people who have behaviors of the opposite sex . The latter group is known as transsexual, which means that they have a sense of intense conflict between gender and sex. As a result of social changes in Iran in recent decades, the presence and appearance of these people in public life and the media environment has increased. The emphasis in this paper is on the fact that identification of a person/group as a deviant may pave the way for gravitation of that person/group to deviant behaviors.

  Materials and Methods : This was a qualitative study. The sampling method was cumulative and the d ata were collected by interviewing, participatory observation, and in-depth interviews and analyzed thematically .

  Results : The findings show that transsexuals suffer a mental adversity when hide their true identity and are exposed to stigma when reveal their desired identity. The stigmatization is in such a way that a transsexual gradually accepts stigma and gravitates to deviant position and roles.

  Conclusion : The main impacts of a successful stigma would be the continuation and expansion of deviant behaviors among transsexuals. Promoting public awareness can help in decreasing and preventing individual and social harms resulting from an unreasonable attitude towards this phenomenon by the people.

  Background an d Aim : Several factors can affect the sexual function of women. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between exercise and sexual function in post-menopausal women.

  Materials and Methods : This was a community-based, descriptive-analytical study including 405 post-menopausal women 40-65 years old selected by multi-stage stratified random sampling . The data were obtained through interviews using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical tests such as multiple linear regression and logistic regression models .

  Results : On the whole, 61% of the subjects had sexual dysfunction. The most common type of exercise was “walking” (79.8%). For the women who exercised, the mean score in the domain of pain was significantly lower (worse) (p=0.013). The total FSFI, lubrication and pain domains scores were significantly lower in the women who did exercises other than walking as compared to those who did not exercise or practiced only walking. The weekly exercise frequency had positive correlations with lubrication (r=0.18, p=0.014) and orgasm (r=0.146, p=0.045) domain scores. However, multiple regression analysis to determine predictors of total score of FSFI and the domains scores did not give any statistically significant results. Finally, the logistic regression test showed that one additional exercise session per week would result in reduction of chances of sexual dysfunction by 80.2%.

  Conclusion : Based on the findings, it may be concluded that exercise can be a w ay to compensate for sexual problems and dissatisfactions caused by reduced sex and sexuality in post-menopausal women. Exercising more frequently during the week could have positive effects on the sexual function of post-menopausal women.

  Background and Aim: Considering the uncertainties about associations between orexin-A and obesity, the present study was conducted to determine the effects of 8 weeks of endurance training and high intensity interval training ( HIIT) on plasma levels of orexin-A and some anthropometric parameters in obese adolescent boys.

  Materials and methods: In this semi-experimental project 35 healthy, inactive and obese boys (mean age 15.5±0.69 years, mean body mass index (BMI) = 28.72±2.20, equal to or higher than the 95^th percentile) were randomly divided into three groups of equal numbers, namely, control, endurance training, and HIIT. The endurance training and the HIIT group participated in eight weeks of endurance training (25-40 minutes running per day, with an intensity 65-85% Heart Rate Reserve) and eight weeks of HIIT (30 seconds running with an intensity 90-95% Heart Rate reserve, 4-7 repetitions a day and two minutes of a rest interval with 50-55% Heart Rate reserve), three days per week, respectively. Plasma levels of orexin A, anthropometric measurements (waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage and body mass index) and VO2 max were determined before and 48 hours after the last session of the training. Data were analyzed and are reported as mean ± SD using repeated measure ANOVA (p < 0.05).

  Results : Despite a decreasing trend in the plasma orexin-A level in the control and HIIT groups and its rising trend in the endurance training group, no statistically significant differences were observed between the control and experimental groups (P>0.05). However, HIIT and endurance training caused significant reductions in the anthropometric parameters such as body fat percentage (8.7%, 9.7%), body mass index (1.6%, 1.9%) and waist to hip ratio (2.7%, 2.9%), accompanied by a significant increase in the VO2 max (6.7%, 10.9%) (p<0.05).

  Conclusion: Endurance training is more effective than HIIT as regards improvement in body composition of obese adolescent boys, although the changes may not be in line with changes occurring in plasma orexin-A levels. It is recommended that more studies be conducted in this area, controlling sleep, nutrition and changes due to puberty, and with longer durations of exercise.

  Background and Aim : Empowering women means enabling them to decide independently on the basic issues of life. The great challenge of fertility and reproductive health of women is indicative of their inability to make decisions . The third objective of the Millennium Development Goals is empowerment of women and the effect of social determinants of health in this regard has been recognized. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between structural social determinants of health and women's empowerment in reproductive health.

  Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive-correlation study including 400 women consulting the Shahid-Beheshti University of Medical Sciences health centers in Tehran, Iran. In the first stage, the health centers were selected by the simple random method, followed by quota sampling the f inal sampling was done by the convenience sampling method. The tools for data collection were demographic and socio-economic questionnaires, as well as a questionnaire to obtain data on women's empowerment in reproductive health . Data were analyzed using SPSS-17.

  Results: That data showed that the women’s empowerment in reproductive health was at an intermediate level. Structural social determinants of health were correlated with women’s empowerment in reproductive health the highest correlation was found to be with women’s education level (r= 0.44, P< 0.001).

  Conclusions: Women's general empowerment, as well as their empowerment and in family planning needs special attention. Structural social determinants of health are correlated with women's empowerment in reproductive health . Thus, policies should be adopted and plans executed aiming at strengthening the role of women in the family and the society .

  Background and Aim: Although self-care is known to affect favorably the control and treatment of osteoporosis, the effective factors from the patients’ viewpoint have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to explore factors affecting self-care from the viewpoint of women suffering from osteoporosis.

  Materials and methods: This was a qualitative study conducted with a content analysis approach in 2014, including 15 women consulting the bone mass densitometry centers in Sanandaj, Iran, selected by purposeful sampling. The inclusion criteria were women aged &ge 50 years suffering from osteoporosis diagnosed definitively at least 6 months before, a T-score index > -2.5 (lower back or hip bone), taking drugs upon a physician^’s advice, ability to speak, and willingness to participate in the study. Data were collected through face-to-face and group semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using the content analysis method. The accuracy and rigor of the data were confirmed based on such criteria as credibility, confirmability and transferability.

  Results: Five main categories were extracted including “ background factors of the disease ”, “hope and weakness in confrontation with the disease”, “role of the physician”, “role of the family”, and “administrative centers and organizations”. Based on further analysis of the data, 11 subcategories were emerged including “cultural issues”, “lack of knowledge”, “non-priority of health”, “weakness and fear”,

  “hope for the future” , “positive role of the physician”, “negative role of the physician”, “ active role of the family”, “ passive role of the family”, “ role of the media”, and “information centers”.

  Conclusion: The finding of the study show that the responsibility of women suffering from osteoporosis towards their health is not a single-factor, but rather a multifactorial, phenomenon. Pre-requisites for empowering women to adopt self-care behaviors include increasing their hope to live longer, physician’s attention to the patient’s needs, increasing health promotion programs in the media, and strengthening role of the family (particularly role of men).

  Background and Aim : The National Malaria Control Program was developed, in 2011, into the National Malaria Surveillance Program. It is one of the most comprehensive surveillance systems in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of malaria elimination program on data quality and accuracy in the national malaria surveillance system.

  Materials and Methods : This was a cross-sectional study conducted in four malaria-prone provinces in Iran to determine and assess the completeness and accuracy of the information collected in the malaria surveillance system. The purpose was to compare data reporting forms 3 and 4 (reporting positive cases from selected district health centers) between two time points, namely, 2009-2010 (before starting the program) and 2010-2012 (after starting the program).

  Results: The total number of reporting forms included in the study was 1927, nearly 54% from the initial time point and the rest from the final time point. The highest and lowest proportions were 94.78% and 17.30% from Iranshahr and Hormozgan University health centers, respectively. On the whole, the degree of completeness of the forms was 84% (83.7% and 85% before and after starting the program, respectively). Based on the Chi-square test, the differences were not statistically significant.

  Conclusion: Only a minor change occurred in the degree of completeness of the forms between the two time points: a 4% increase in form 4 and a 3% decrease in form 3. It can be concluded, then, that the elimination program h ad no significant effect on the completeness and accuracy of the reporting forms.

  Background and Aim : Milk and dairy products provide more than 50% of the calcium requirement in the daily diet of Iranians. In order to promote adolescents’ health and prevent the devastating effects of osteoporosis in adulthood, appropriate action should be taken to increase milk consumption among adolescents. The objective of this study was to increase milk and dairy products consumption among eighth-grade girl-pupils in Kamyaran City, Iran through designing and implementing an educational program based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

  Materials and Methods : This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in 2014, including a total of 168 eighth-grade girl-pupils from two (out of six) schools, one as the intervention and the other as the control group, selected randomly by cluster sampling. The intervention group received education in 4 sessions, the educational tools being a pamphlet and a poster. Data were collected on the TPB constructs, food intake (by 24-hour dietary recall), and frequency of milk and dairy product intakes during the previous 3 days. All the participants completed the questionnaires at the beginning and 3 months after the intervention. The data were analyzed using the SPSS-18 software, the statistical tests being chi-square, independent-t and paired t-tests.

  Results : The intervention brought about statistically significant increases in the mean scores of behavior intention, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (p<0/001). In addition, an increase was observed in the frequency of milk and dairy product intake, which was 0.36 units per day initially (p<0/001).

  Conclusion : Considering the effectiveness and low cost of this intervention, expanding this program can potentially lead to a rise in milk and dairy products consumption among the pupils.

  Background and Aim: Nutritional knowledge acquired by young girls as would-be mothers will play an important role in children’s and family health protection and promotion in the future. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an educational program based on the BASNEF model on the nutritional behavior among guidance school first-grade female-students.

  Materials and Method: This was an interventional study carried out in the form of a clinical trial including 160 female-pupils divided into two groups ─ a case and a control group ─ randomly selected by two-stage sampling, namely, classification and cluster sampling. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire. Education about healthy nutrition was imparted to the case group in 4 60-minute sessions in the form of lectures, group discussions, and question-answer in addition, pamphlets were distributed among the subjects. Data were collected and analyzed using the SPSS-18 software, the statistical tests being Chi-square, fisher , independent and paired t-tests.

  Results: The data showed that the mean scores of knowledge and BASNEF model components as regards nutritional behavior increased after the intervention in the case, they being higher significantly in the case group as compared to the controls. The most important subjective norms after the intervention were the pupils’ parents .

  Conclusions : The findings indicate that a 3-month educational intervention based on the BASNEF model can bring about desirable changes in some of the undesirable nutritional behaviors in guidance school pupils, and that designing and implementing interventions of this kind, with the support of health and school authorities, is quite feasible.

  Background and Aim: Xylanases are widely used in various food industries, including livestock and poultry feed industries, the pulp and paper industry, as well as the pharmaceutical industry. Several strains of microorganisms are capable of producing this enzyme by different mechanisms, Bacilliaceae being one of its important sources at the commercial scale. The culture medium for xylan is expensive and, therefore, it is not economical to use in producing xylanase by Bacillus subtilis S7e. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of using industrial-agricultural wastes as a source of carbon and nitrogen in submerged fermentation, for producing xylanase in amounts higher than that which can be produced by xylan culture (10048 U/).

  Materials and methods: The indigenous strain of Bacillus subtilis S7e was cultured in the xylan medium, followed by incubation at 30°, 37° and 40° C. Then the nitrogen sources (rapeseed meal, soybean meal, tomato seeds, tea seeds, peptone, Vinas alcohol, casein, and ammonium sulfate) and carbon sources (molasses, wheat bran, rice bran, rice industry waste, gluten waste, malt waste, whey powder, and bagasse) were substituted for the meat and yeast extracts and the xylan culture medium, respectively.

  Results : The maximum enzyme activity was observed at 30° C after 48 hours of incubation (6183U/l). Rapeseed meal with an enzyme activity of 10048U/l and molasses with an enzyme activity of 3759U/l were found to be the best nitrogen and carbon sources for Bacillus subtilis S7e , respectively.

  Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, f rom an economic point of view, agricultural-industrial wastes (rapeseed meal and molasses) are an excellent substitute for the more expensive culture media currently in use for producing the enzyme xylanase.