ABSTRACT
Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] is a public health challenge facing both developing and developed nations. Although injecting drug use is even the main route of HIV transmission in Iran, sexual route is rising gradually. Vulnerable women have been considered as important bridging population for driving HIV epidemics. To increase the access to vulnerable women, in 2007, 5 pilot centers were established in risky areas to deliver comprehensive services to women who themselves or their spouses are engaged in drug use, risky sexual behavior or have history of imprisonment. Management of Sexually Transmitted Infection, psychological counseling and harm reduction are provided by female staff. The aim of this study was to report the activities conducting in 2008. Registered information was used to assess the demographic characteristic, HIV/ AIDS related risk factors and services delivered to clients. Till March 2008, 442 clients have been admitted. Most of them [36.2%] had 25-34 years old. 14.3% were illiterate and 31% were totally jobless. The most prevalent risk factors were risky sexual behavior [27.1%] and non-injecting drug use [23.2%]. Injecting drug use was detected in 11.3% of attendees. Dividing clients according to marital status, risky sexual behavior was the main risk factor in unmarried [40.2%] and divorced [26.9%] but in married and widow ones, non-injecting drug use was the most [25.8% and 36.5% respectively]. Harm reduction [40.5%] and counseling [36.6%] were the most delivered services. Since vulnerable women play a critical role to spread HIV-epidemic to general population, increasing centers provide more access to this population
ABSTRACT
We estimated the prevalence of HIV, sexually transmitted infections [STIs], and risky behaviors among female sex workers [FSW] in Kerman City, Iran. Women, 18 years or older, who reported selling sex for at least 6 months during their lifetime and had at least one sexual contact with a client in the recent 12 months were sampled using Responding Driven Sampling [RDS]. Participants were interviewed about their sexual behaviors and provided whole blood for HIV, syphilis, and Herpes simplex type 2 [HSV2] testing. Data were analyzed using RDSAT Version 6.0 software. Among samples of 177 FSW, we did not find any HIV positive cases. The weighted prevalence of syphilis and HSV2 were 7.2% and 18.0%, respectively. The reported STI syndromes for the proceeding year of the survey were 36%. Unprotected sexual contact was about 17-22% and link to injecting drug users through injection was about 18%. While this survey found no HIV, there were findings of risky sexual behaviors and STI, markers for potential infection for HIV. The prevalence of STI and sexual risk behaviors for HIV is considerably high in this subpopulation that alarming for an urgent public health preventive measures and national control-plan to be developed and implemented
ABSTRACT
Wound healing is the process of repairing following injury to the skin and other soft tissues. Following injury, inflammatory response occurs and the cells below the dermis begin to increase collagen production, later on, the epithelial tissue is regenerated. Royal jelly [RJ] is a bee product. There are many reports on pharmacological activity of RJ on experimented animals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of RJ on the induction of wound healing of sterile incision in Balb/C mice. In this experimental study which was conducted at Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in 60 female Balb/C mice [8 weeks old] were selected. The mice were anesthetized with ether. The dorsal fur of the animals was shaved and sterilized with alcohol, and then a longitudinal para vertebral full thickness incision of 10mm long was made. The animals were then divided into six equal groups. In group one [negative control], nothing was applied to the wound. Group 2 [positive control] was treated with nitrofurazon ointment, group 3 was treated with RJ 200 mg/kg daily, group 4 was treated with RJ 200 mg/kg every two days, group 5 was treated with RJ 300 mg/kg daily, group 6 treated with RJ 300 mg/kg every two days. Royal jelly was topically used on the wounds. The wound length was measured with vernier capilar every two days until the complete healing was occurred. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 11.5 using Kruscal Walis tests. There was a significant difference between groups 1, 2 with the other groups [p< 0.015]. RJ promoted wound healing activity significantly in group 3, 5 compared to negative and positive control groups. There was no significant difference between the dosage of 200mg/kg with 300 mg/kg of RJ [p>0.015]. The results of this study indicated that daily application of RJ possesses betters wound healing effects than nitrofurazon
Subject(s)
Female , Animals, Laboratory , Fatty Acids , Nitrofurazone , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Models, AnimalABSTRACT
Iodine deficiency was a public health problem in Iran before iodine supplementation. In order to evaluate the iodine status of school aged children in Zanjan, this survey was conducted in the frame work of national monitoring survey in 2001 to find the prevalence of goiter and urinary iodine level. 1200 schoolchildren, aged 7-10 years, were selected randomly from all regions of Zanjan, and the grade of goiter, in 600 boys and 600 girls, was determined according to WHO classification. Urinary iodine content was measured using the digestion method in one tenth of the school children. Total goiter rate was 19.7%, 225% in girls and 16.8% in boys. Median urinary iodine was 18.1 microg/dl. Urinary iodine was above 10 microg/dl in 85.1% and less than 5 microg/dl in 1.6%, no one had urinary iodine below 2microg/dl. There was no difference in goiter prevalence and urinary iodine between gender and rural or urban school children. It is concluded that urinary iodine levels in school children of Zanjan province are indicative of adequate iodine intake. There is considerable decrease; in goiter rate as compared to survey of 1986. Zanjan province therefore can be considered an "iodine deficiency free" zone