ABSTRACT
Background: According to the growth of photocopier usage in workplaces, the potential risk of occupational exposure to the airborne chemicals has been raised up. Hence, monitoring the photocopy worker's respiratory functions seems to be necessary. We aimed to evaluate the respiratory health on photocopy and printing workers so that a reliable description can be made about their occupational hygiene
Methods: This study was performed in Shiraz, southwest Iran in 2014 and a group of 150 photocopy and printing workers were surveyed as exposed group in addition to a group of 114 office staff as unexposed group. The respiratory standard questionnaire was used to evaluate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among the selected staff. Pulmonary function indexes including VC, FVC, FEV1 and the FEV1/FVC ratio were calculated. Finally, Mest, Chi Square and multiple logistic regressions were conducted
Results: VC, FVC and FEV1 in photocopy and printing workers were lower than the unexposed group of which these differences for FVC and FEV1 were statistically significant [P<0.05]. Moreover, the prevalence of all respiratory symptoms, except the shortness of breath, in exposed group was more than the unexposed group and the prevalence of coughing and wheezing was statistically significant [P<0.05]
There was a significant difference in respiratory symptoms [cough and wheezing] between two groups after controlling for confounding variables, OR: 2.61 [95% Cl: 1.21, 5.62] and 2.92 [95% Cl: 1.25, 6.84], respectively
Conclusions: The prevalence of excess respiratory symptoms along with pattern of pulmonary restrictive sings in photocopy and printing workers revealed that the workplace conditions can result in occupational respiratory diseases
ABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Inherited thrombophilia is known to be an important risk factor for developing venous thromboembolism. Whether such abnormalities may impact the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) differently is not well defined. This preliminary study was undertaken to compare thrombophilic polymorphism in patients with DVT and PE. Methods: A total of 35 DVT, 23 DVT/PE, and 37 PE patients admitted to the Hajar Hospital, Shahrekord, Iran, between October 2009 and February 2011 were included in the study and 306 healthy volunteers matched by age and sex from the same geographical area with no history of venous or arterial diseases were included as control group. Factor V Leiden (FV 1691G/A, rs6025), prothrombin (FII 20210G/A), methylene tetrahydrofulate reductase (MTHFR 677C/T, rs1801133), and PLA2 polymorphisms of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GpIIIa 1565T/C, rs5918) were investigated by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: The number of patients with the investigated polymorphisms and homozygous carriers was significantly different among the groups (P<0.05). No significant difference was observed in the presence of FV 1691G/A and FII 20210G/A between any of the patients groups and the control group. GpIIIa 1565T/C and homozygous MTHFR 677C/T polymorphisms were higher in DVT patients compared with the control group (OR=6.65, 95% CI=3.09-14.30 and OR=4.08, 95% CI=1.35-12.38, respectively). Interpretation & conclusions: As none of the investigated polymorphisms were associated with PE, other thrombophilia polymorphisms may have a role in the pathogenesis of PE in these patients and should be investigated. Because of different prognostic risk factors among different types of patients, the treatment approach could be different.
ABSTRACT
Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus strains are the most important agents of nosocomial infections. The conventional antibiotic susceptibility methods such as disk diffusion are not suitable for detection of these strains due to their heteroresistancy. Therefore, in this study, agar screen and duplex-PCR were compared in determination of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA] strains isolated from nose of personnel in Hajar hospital of Shahre-kord, 2007. In this experimental study a total of 204 nasal swabs from personnel of Hajar hospital over a period of 6 months were collected. The specimens were cultured on mannitol salt agar for primary isolation and identification of Staphylococcus aureus strains and their susceptibility pattern to oxacillin was assessed using agar screen method. Finally, using duplex PCR, the isolates were tested for the presence of mecA gene. Results were compared and sensitivity and specificity of the method was determined. In this study, 23 of the 52 [44%] Staphylococcus aureus isolates were resistant to oxacillin using agar screen method. However, mecA gene was detected in 27 of the 52 strains [52%]. Our results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of agar screen method in determination of MRSA strains were 81.5% and 96%, respectively comparing with PCR. Oxacillin agar screen, comparing PCR, is an inexpensive, applied and phenotypical method with low false positive and suitable for screening of MRSA. However, due to its relatively high false negative results is not appropriate for screening of MRSA strains isolated from hospital-employed nasal carriers