[Determination of susceptibility to heat-related disorders and prevention methods among agriculture workers]

Workers employed in outdoor occupations such as farm working, especially during rice harvest, are exposed to hot and humid environments that put them at risk for different kinds of heat-related disorders or heat stress. The aim of this study was to determine the susceptibility to heat-related disorders and prevention methods among a group of agriculture workers in one of the northern cities in Iran. This study is a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study which was done among 340 agricultures workers in a city [Sorkhrood] in Mazandaran province. The samples were collected from 42 villages using two stage cluster-randomized sampling method. The data were collected by means of tailor-made data collection sheet and analyzed using descriptive statistical indexes and Chi- square test, and p<0.05 was considered as significant. The findings indicated that the mean values of age and years of experience were 42.8 and 26 years, respectively. Almost half of the agriculture workers were overweight or obese, 34% illiterate, and 15% encountered chronic illnesses. Ninety five percent of the workers were not informed about prehydration in hot environment and none of them know about the consumption of electrolytes. According to Chi-square test result, there were no significant differences between the prevalence of headache as one of the early signs of heat -related disorders and other related factors. According to the results, agriculture workers based on their age distribution, education, body mass index, health knowledge, drug use and incidence of chronic diseases, are very vulnerable to heat-related disorders. Therefore, training on recognizing the early signs and doing control measures as essential element in heat stress prevention should be seriously considered

[ effect of strengthening exercises on metabolic factors, quality of life and mental health in women with type 2 diabetes]

Diabetes mellitus is a heterogenous group of different metabolic disorders, characterized by chronic increase of blood glucose and proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. In this semi-experimental investigation, 17 women patients with type 2 diabetes from the clinic of the Arak Petroleum Company were selected and divided into two groups: the strengthening [9 persons] and the controls [8 persons]. The strengthening group performed selected exercises for 8 weeks [3 sessions/week and 30-50 min/session]. In this investigation we assessed metabolic factors [total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, VLDL, LDL, FBS, HbA1c and Insulin Serum] and compared SF-36 and GHQ questionnaires. Data analyses was performed with SPSS.12 and we used of the paired samples T test. Confidence level was considered at 95% [P<0.05]. There were significant differences between means of pre-test and post-test measures of TC, FBS, HbA1C, insulin serum, quality of life [QOL] and mental health [MH] of the strengthening group, but no significant differences were found between means of pre-test and post-test measures of HDL, LDL, VLDL and triglycerides in the strengthening group and factors of control group [P<0.05]. It seems that strengthening exercises are an effective treatment for metabolic factors, QOL and MH in type 2 diabetic patients, and lead to improvement in the patient's status

[Emerging and pandemic of influenza A[H1N1]]

Influenza is one of the known viral infectious diseases, which has killed millions of peoples during pandemics, epidemics and sporadic forms. One of the most remarkable features of influenza virus is the frequency of changes in antigenicity. Alteration of the antigen structure of the virus leads to infection with variants to which little or no resistance is present in the population at risk. Pandemics of influenza type A, result from the emergence of a new virus which the population contains no or limited immunity to it. The interval between pandemics is 10-30 years. But Influenza virus has been causing epidemics of febrile respiratory disease every 1 to 3 years. Pandemic [H1N1] 2009 is a new virus that has not circulated among human population before. This virus is different from previous or current human seasonal influenza viruses. Influenza type A[H1N1] virus is transmitted by inhaling infected droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing or by touching contaminated hands or surfaces as the same as the normal seasonal flu. The symptoms and signs of A[H1N1] influenza are as similar as seasonal influenza and include fever, coughing, runny nose and sore throat. Some people have also reported, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. People with existing cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer are at higher risk of serious complications. Asthma and other respiratory disease are other underlying conditions associated with severe disease. Pregnant women are at higher risk for more severe disease and obesity may be another risk factor for severe disease. To prevent spread, people should cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, stay at home when they are unwell, clean their hands regularly, and avoid crowded areas if possible. The pandemic virus is currently susceptible to neuraminidase inhibitors; Oseltamivir and Zanamivir but resistant to Amantadine and Rimantadine. Ministry of health and medical education, Center for Infectious Diseases Management in Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for control and management of novel influenza A[H1N1]

[Correlation between women's psychopathological condition and marital satisfaction]

One of the contributing factors in marital satisfaction is psychological issues. The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between females mental health and marital satisfaction. Current comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 245 female subjects with psychopathology attending to a psychiatric clinic in Tehran during two years of 2005-2006. They had a former interview and afterwards fullfilled two questionnaires of ENRICH [for marital satisfaction] and SCL-90-R [assessing mental health]. There was no significant correlation between ENRICH score and that obtained from SCL-90-R. However, factors of depression, anxiety, and obsession-compulsion was negatively correlated with marital satisfaction [P < 0.05]; whereas, phobia was not related to it [P > 0.05]. According to obtained results of correlation between mental health and marital satisfaction, it is recommended to consider marital distress of women with major psychiatric symptoms, especially amongst young couples and therefore, develop some scheduled combination treatment of pharmacotherapy and marital therapy strategies to enhance their marital satisfaction and improve the quality of life, particularly through out the management of anxiety, depression and OCD