[Characterisation and correlation of biotic and non biotic parameters of Nahr El Bared waters]

Nahr el Bared is one of the main Lebanese coastal rivers. It crosses down a rather deep valley and passes by several urban agglomerations and industrial zones, which use its water as a discharge system of their waste. This study shows the impact of the anthropic activities on the water quality of this river. The application of the diversity and the similarity index, and the biological normalized index IBGN, as well as the statistical analyses of correlation permit to characterize a sector close to the source free of pollution whereas most of the course downstream is subjected to strong anthropic disturbances which degrade the quality of water to more or less high intensities according to the inputs and the self-purification. A positive correlation of the chemical, biological and bacteriological pollution indicators is highlighted

effect of aging on resting- state brain function: an fMRI study

Healthy aging may be accompanied by some types of cognitive impairment; moreover, normal aging may cause natural atrophy in the healthy human brain. The hypothesis of the healthy aging brain is the structural changes together with the functional impairment happening. The brain struggles to over-compensate for those functional age-related impairments to continue as a healthy brain in its functions. Our goal in this study was to evaluate the effects of aging on the resting-state activation network of the brain using the multi-session probabilistic independent component analysis algorithm [PICA]. We compared the resting-state brain activities between two groups of healthy aged and young subjects, so we examined 30 right-handed subjects and finally 12 healthy aging and 11 controls were enrolled in the study. Our results showed that during the resting-state, older brains benefit from larger areas of activation. While in young competent brains, higher activation occurs in terms of greater intensity. These results were obtained in prefrontal areas as regions with regard to memory function as well as the posterior cingulated cortex [PCC] as parts of the default mode network. Meanwhile, we reached the same results after normalization of activation size with total brain volume. The difference in activation patterns between the two groups shows the brain's endeavor to compensate the functional impairement

[Epidemiological aspects of low back pain in nurses]

Among all occupation, the highest rate of musculoskeletal injuries especially back pain is seen in nurses. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of back injuries in nursing personnel and to study how individual and occupational characteristics affect it. Following ethical approval, 1226 nurses were randomly selected from 13 hospitals in Mazandaran province in the north of Iran. Data were gathered by questionnaires included individual and occupational characteristics, prevalence of back pain, probable causes and its effects on nursing activities. Point, one month, 6 month, one year and lifetime prevalence of LBP [Low back pain] in nurses reported 51.5%, 56.3%, 58.9%, 59.6% and 62%, respectively. Lifting heavy things was the most common cause of back injury [30.4%]. Prolonged standing and rest were found to be the significant aggravating and relieving factors, respectively [57.6% and 59.2%]. Absence from work because of LBP during the last month was reported 33.7% of the sample. There was a significant correlation between the type of ward and LBP [P<0.001], the highest prevalence of LBP was in emergency ward and the lowest one was in NICU and urology ward. There was also a reverse correlation between job satisfaction and prevalence of LBP in nurses [P<0.001]. The results demonstrate that the magnitude of LBP amongst nursing personnel appears to be high and associated with some occupational and individual characteristics. Therefore, more resources should be allocated to prevent such an injury in nursing profession

[Prevalence and risk factors of low back pain in school children age 11-14 years]

Low back pain [LBP] is common in youth, although `associated with chronic pain in adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of LBP in school children age 11-14. A cross sectional study was carried out on school children aged 11-14 in north of Iran. Using random multistage sampling 5000 children were selected. Demographic, mechanical and lifestyle data as well as the prevalence and LBP characteristics were collected by a questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS [version11] software. Of the original sample, 4813 [96.2%] children returned the questionnaire. Point, last month, last 6 months and annual prevalence were 15%, 14.4%, 15.6%, and 17.4%, respectively. LBP was significantly correlated with age [p<0.05], lifting [p<0.05], position and duration of watching TV, doing homework and duration of exercise [p<0.05]. The results indicated that the prevalence of LBP in school children is relatively high. Further studies evaluating the effect of different preventive strategies to reduce the prevalence of LBP in school children is strongly recommended