Students' attitude and sleep pattern during school closure following COVID-19 pandemic quarantine: a web-based survey in south of Iran

BACKGROUND@#School closure is one of the main policies of global health care strategies performed worldwide. Despite all benefits, there might be some threats for younger groups spending their time in quarantine. This study aims to determine the impacts of lockdown and school closure on children's major lifestyle aspects, especially their leisure and sleep pattern during the COVID-19 pandemic.@*METHODS@#For the purpose of this study, an online questionnaire was distributed from 14th to 31st of March 2020 among the schools and students from the first grade to the 12th grade (before university) in Fars province, southern Iran. The questionnaire consisted of five sections which included data regarding the students' general information, activity priorities, adherence to quarantine, attitude toward school closure, and sleep patterns.@*RESULTS@#In our study, 20,697 filled questionnaires were received from the participants with an average age of 13.76 years; 29.7% of them were male, 80.6% were from urban areas, and 83.3% were from public schools. The overall first preference of students during school closure was mobile and computer games (30.1%), followed by studying (26.6%) and watching television (13.8%). Our results demonstrated that the majority of students adhered to social distancing and there was also a significant correlation among education levels and desire for schools to be closed till the end of the semester (P = 0.015). Also, regarding sleep patterns, the majority (53.5%) had above 12 h of sleep throughout the day.@*CONCLUSION@#It seems that lockdown following COVID-19 pandemic has changed various aspects of the students' lifestyle remarkably, especially by increasing screen time and even sleep duration and pattern. We believe that certain strategies should be implemented by the Health and Educational Ministry to control not only the visible side effects of the quarantine period, but also the collateral consequences on their psychological and mental health.

The Prevalence and Risk Factors for Diabetic Retinopathy in Shiraz, Southern Iran

Globally, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of blindness, that diminishes quality of life. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of DR, and its associated risk factors. This cross-sectional study was carried out among 478 diabetic patients in a referral center in Fars province, Iran. The mean±standard deviation age of the participants was 56.64±12.45 years old and DR prevalence was 32.8%. In multivariable analysis, lower education levels (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24 to 0.76), being overweight (aOR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.83) or obese (aOR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.09 to 3.26), diabetes duration of 10 to 20 years (aOR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.48 to 3.73) and over 20 years (aOR, 5.63; 95% CI, 2.97 to 10.68), receiving insulin (aOR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.27 to 3.10), and having chronic diseases (aOR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.85) were significantly associated with DR. In conclusion, longer diabetes duration and obesity or having chronic diseases are strongly associated with DR suggesting that control of these risk factors may reduce both the prevalence and impact of retinopathy in Iran.

Evaluation of Respiratory Protection Program in Petrochemical Industries: Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process

BACKGROUND: Respiratory protection equipment (RPE) is the last resort to control exposure to workplace air pollutants. A comprehensive respiratory protection program (RPP) ensures that RPE is selected, used, and cared properly. Therefore, RPP must be well integrated into the occupational health and safety requirements. In this study, we evaluated the implementation of RPP in Iranian petrochemical industries to identify the required solutions to improve the current status of respiratory protection. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 24 petrochemical industries in Iran. The survey instrument was a checklist extracted from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration respiratory protection standard. An index, Respiratory Protection Program Index (RPPI), was developed and weighted by analytic hierarchy process to determine the compliance rate (CR) of provided respiratory protection measures with the RPP standard. Data analysis was performed using Excel 2010. RESULTS: The most important element of RPP, according to experts, was respiratory hazard evaluation. The average value of RPPI in the petrochemical plants was 49 ± 15%. The highest and lowest of CR among RPP elements were RPE selection and medical evaluation, respectively. CONCLUSION: None of studied petrochemical industries implemented RPP completely. This can lead to employees' overexposure to hazardous workplace air contaminants. Increasing awareness of employees and employers through training is suggested by this study to improve such conditions.

Forecasting the number of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis cases in south of Fars province, Iran using seasonal ARIMA time series method

OBJECTIVE@#To predict the trend of cutaneous leishmaniasis and assess the relationship between the disease trend and weather variables in south of Fars province using Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model.@*METHODS@#The trend of cutaneous leishmaniasis was predicted using Mini tab software and SARIMA model. Besides, information about the disease and weather conditions was collected monthly based on time series design during January 2010 to March 2016. Moreover, various SARIMA models were assessed and the best one was selected. Then, the model's fitness was evaluated based on normality of the residuals' distribution, correspondence between the fitted and real amounts, and calculation of Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC).@*RESULTS@#The study results indicated that SARIMA model (4,1,4)(0,1,0) in general and SARIMA model (4,1,4)(0,1,1) in below and above 15 years age groups could appropriately predict the disease trend in the study area. Moreover, temperature with a three-month delay (lag3) increased the disease trend, rainfall with a four-month delay (lag4) decreased the disease trend, and rainfall with a nine-month delay (lag9) increased the disease trend.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Based on the results, leishmaniasis follows a descending trend in the study area in case drought condition continues, SARIMA models can suitably measure the disease trend, and the disease follows a seasonal trend.

Forecasting the number of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis cases in south of Fars province, Iran using seasonal ARIMA time series method

Objective To predict the trend of cutaneous leishmaniasis and assess the relationship between the disease trend and weather variables in south of Fars province using Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model. Methods The trend of cutaneous leishmaniasis was predicted using Mini tab software and SARIMA model. Besides, information about the disease and weather conditions was collected monthly based on time series design during January 2010 to March 2016. Moreover, various SARIMA models were assessed and the best one was selected. Then, the model's fitness was evaluated based on normality of the residuals’ distribution, correspondence between the fitted and real amounts, and calculation of Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC). Results The study results indicated that SARIMA model (4,1,4)(0,1,0)

Epidemiology and outcome determinants of pedestrian injuries in a level I trauma center in southern Iran; a cross-sectional study

Objective: to epidemiologically assess the accidents and incidents in the injured pedestrians referred to Shahid Rajaee Hospital, Shiraz in order to provide basic preventive strategies and reduce injuries and fatalities caused by traffic accidents in pedestrians

Methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted on 5840 injured pedestrians referred to Shahid Rajaee Hospital, Shiraz from 2009 to 2014. The baseline characteristic including the demographic and clinical information, the mechanism of injury, injury severity score [ISS] and outcome determinants. We also recorded the outcome measures and the mortality. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors related to mortality rate and Length of Stay [LOS] in hospital

Results: in our study, the history of 5840 injured pedestrians was analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 41.3219.21+/- years. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that mortality increased with age. Moreover, the odds of mortality was more in patients with Injury Severity Score [ISS] between 16 and 24 [OR: 12.94, 95% CI [3.78-32.66], p=0.001] and injuries in the head and neck [OR: 7.92, 95% CI [4.18-14.99], p=0.020]. LOS in hospital was also higher in patients with ISS>25 [OR: 16.65, 95%CI [10.68-25.96], p=0.001]

Conclusion: pedestrians have always been one of the most vulnerable road users. Our study indicated that the adverse consequences and mortalities in pedestrians increased with age. Hence, approaches are required to improve primary prevention programs and reduce deaths and injuries due to this major public health problem

Quality of life and associated factors among elderly diabetic patients in Shiraz, 2014

Background: Today, the quality of life [QoL] studies have an important role in public health care, especially among the old adults suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes. Diabetes and its complications can widely affect various aspects of QoL. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess diabetic patients' QoL and identify the factors that affect it

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 593 randomly selected diabetic patients aged 60 years and above who were admitted in 13 diabetes clinics in Shiraz, Iran, in 2014. Diabetes Quality of Life-Brief Clinical Inventory [DQOL-BCI] questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life in these patients. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed, using Stata software, version 12, to identify the predictors of DQoL

Results: The participants' mean DQoL score was 41.8+/-6.2 with a mean age of 66.2+/-6.0 years. Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that FBS level [115-180 mg/dL: P=0.05; above 180 mg/dL: P=0.02] and duration of diabetes [4-9 years: P=0.06; above 9 years: P=0.002] were two important clinical predictors of DQoL

Conclusion: This study demonstrated a relationship between clinical and socio-demographic factors and diabetic patients' QoL. Considering these related variables could lead to effective control of diabetes complications and improvement of the patients' QoL

Decreased nerve conduction velocity in football players

Lower limbs nerves are exposed to mechanical injuries in the football players and the purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of football on the lower leg nerves. Nerve conduction studies were done on 35 male college students [20 football players, 15 non active] during 2006 to 2007 in the Shiraz rehabilitation faculty. Standard nerve conduction techniques using to evaluate dominant and non dominant lower limb nerves. The motor latency of deep peroneal and tibial nerves of dominant leg of football players and sensory latency of superficial peroneal, tibial and compound nerve action potential of tibial nerve of both leg in football players were significantly prolonged [p<0.05]. Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity of tibial and common peroneal in football players were significant delayed [p<0.05]. It is concluded that football is sport with high contact and it causes sub-clinical neuropathies due to nerve entrapment

Validity and reliability of the Persian epilepsy quality of life questionnaire

To translate and test the reliability and validity of the 31-item epilepsy quality of life questionnaire [QOLIE-31] in Iranian epileptic patients. In order to standardize the questionnaire, using a standard "forward-backward" translation, cognitive debriefing, and cultural adaptation procedure, the English version of the QOLIE-31 was translated to Persian [the Iranian official language]. The subjects were Epileptic patients, over 18 years old, referred to the Motaharri Clinic, Shiraz, Southern Iran from March 2007 to March 2008. The reliability and internal consistency of the questionnaire were assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Validity was assessed using convergent and disconvergent validity through Spearman's correlation. Two hundred and eleven epileptic patients [88 females [41.7%], 123 males [58.3%]], with a mean +/- SD age of 28.7 +/- 11.6 years were enrolled in the study. Reliability analysis showed a satisfactory result [Cronbach's alpha =0.890]. Internal consistency was satisfactory for both demographic and patients' clinical characteristics [alpha >/= 0.70]. The scaling success rates were 100% for convergent validity of each scale. Disconvergent validity for all 7 scales was good. The Persian version of the QOLIE-31 questionnaire has good structural characteristics, is a reliable and valid instrument, and can be used for measuring the effect of epilepsy on the quality of life

Surgical excision and immediate postoperative radiotherapy versus cryotherapy and intralesional steroids in the management of keloids: a prospective clinical trial

To compare the efficacy and tolerability of surgical excision and radiotherapy with those of cryotherapy and intralesional steroid treatment of keloids. Twenty-six patients with a total of 76 keloids were enrolled in this study. Nineteen patients with 44 keloids underwent surgical excision combined with immediate 12-Gy irradiation [group A] while the remaining 9 patients with 32 keloids received multiple sessions of intralesional steroid treatment after cryotherapy which continued until flattening of lesion[s] occurred [group B]. Two patients were included in both treatment groups. All patients were followed up at regular intervals for at least 1 year. In both treatment groups, keloids responded well without any major side effect. While patients of group A were all satisfied, those of group B [with a mean number of treatment sessions of 5.84 +/- 2.51] experienced more side effects, a more prolonged course, a higher recurrence rate and less satisfaction. This study showed that surgery plus immediate postoperative irradiation was an effective and relatively safe choice for treatment of keloids. Although cryotherapy combined with intralesional steroids was associated with more side effects and higher relapse rates, it could be a good choice for small and newly formed keloids

Knowledge and attitudes of Iranian patients with regard to lumbar puncture

To investigate the knowledge and attitudes of patients towards lumbar puncture [LP], its complications, and indications. In a questionnaire survey; patients who were referred to the general neurology outpatient clinic at Nemazee Hospital in Shiraz, Iran, from January 2007 to January 2008 were invited to complete a questionnaire consisting of items of demographic and socioeconomic variables, experiences with LP and complications, and knowledge of and attitudes regarding LP. A total of 410 patients were recruited [58%] women, mean age 33.2 +/- 2.7 years]. Poor knowledge of LP was highly prevalent [92.6%], and negative attitudes toward LP were also common [63%] among our patients. Skepticism regarding LP was directly related to lack of information [p=0.00007]. Lower socioeconomic status, lower educational level, and residence in rural areas were associated with being less well informed about LP, but interestingly those who had experience with LP before were better informed and had more positive attitudes. It is possible to overcome reluctance to undergo LP through education of its indications, contraindications, and complications