Risk assessment of exposure to the Middle Eastern dust storms in Iran

The aims of this study were to i) assess the relationship between COVID-19 cases with PM10 concentration and ii) investigation premature deaths due to cardiovascular (M-CVD) and respiratory (M-RD) diseases in three classification levels (PM10<50 mu g m(-3) in normal days, 50-200 mu g m(-3) in dusty days, and >200 mu g m(-3) in MED storm), by using daily averages of PM10 concentrations. The number of M-CVD and M-RD were estimated by concentration-response model, per 10(5) people during 2017 to 2021. The results showed that 187, 183, 163, 215, and 206 days were observed with the PM10 concentrations lower than 50 mu g m(-3) during 2017 to 2021, and 178, 180, 200, 150, and 149 days were subtotal with exceeding PM10 from the WHO guideline (50 mu g m(-3)), respectively. A positive correlation (r(2)=0.33, p < 0.05) was found to be between the number of COVID-19 cases and PM10 mean concentrations (r = 0.589, p = 0.046). Our findings showed that the highest M-CVD and M-RD were among exposed people at dusty days (50 < PM10 <= 200 mu g m(-3)) in 2019. The total M-CVD and M-RD from 2017 to 2021 were 11.78 and 12.2, 18.25 and 17.4, 22.29 and 23.78, 10.33 and 7.6, 10.37 and 9.95 per 10(5) people, respectively which 31.48% of health effects were related to PM10 concentrations more than 200 mu g m(-3).

Investigating the frequency of infection with covid-19 after vaccination in medical personnel according to their epidemiological characteristics, department of service, and history of chronic diseases(A study in the west of Iran)

Background and Aim: The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 strains all over the world has caused concerns about this infection and the effectiveness of the vaccines produced to cope with the resulting pandemic. The present study aimed to investigate the frequency of infection with covid-19 after vaccination, according to their epidemiological characteristics, department of service, and history of chronic diseases. Method(s): In the present cross-sectional study, all the vaccinated healthcare workers working in Shahid Rahimi Hospital in Khorramabad city were included in the study using a census method and were examined in terms of covid-19 infection after covid-19 vaccination. In the present study, all individuals with a positive PCR test or CT scan findings consistent with covid-19 were considered as new infections after vaccination. The required data were collected through a multi-part questionnaire, including the variables of age, gender, occupation, body mass index, chronic disease records, and PCR test results. Data were analyzed using SPSS-23 statistical software. Result(s): After vaccination, the rate of re-infection with covid-19 (according to the definitive result of the PCR test) was 13% in the study subjects. According to the results of the chi-square test, the difference in the frequency of re-infection with covid-19 after vaccination in the subjects was statistically significant based on age (pv=0.019) and gender (pv=0.007), but it was not statistically significant based on body mass index (pv=0.31). Despite the highest frequency of re-infection with covid-19 after vaccination in nurses (16.1%) compared to service workers (5%) and physicians (7.7%), this difference was not statistically significant (pv=0.619) and there was no correlation between the type of occupation of the people and re-infection with Covid-19 after vaccination in the studied people. The difference in the frequency of infection with covid-19 after vaccination in the study subjects was statistically significant based on department of service (pv= 0.019) and history of chronic diseases (pv=0.029). The frequency of re-infection with covid-19 after vaccination was 24.3% in people who had a history of chronic disease and 11.4% in people who did not have a history of chronic disease. Conclusion(s): The healthcare workers providing medical services in hospitals are among the high-risk groups for infection with covid-19 owing to their type of occupation and work environment. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.

Factors Affecting the Level of Nurses' Quality of Life in Khorramabad (IRAN) Teaching Hospital during the COVID-19 Epidemic, in 2020

Background: Nursing is a profession through which a set of sometimes difficult tasks is assigned to nurses who face several physical and mental stressors in the workplace. Therefore, this study investigates the nurses' quality of life level in Khorramabad (Iran) during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 epidemic. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was carried out on 361 nurses of Khorramabad teaching hospitals in the first 3 months of the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. Participants were selected by stratified random sampling of the nursing population. Data were collected using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. The independent t-test and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. SPSS version 22 was used for data analysis, and P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was a significant association between marital status, having children, spouse employment status, hospital ward, and quality of life of nurses over the time of the COVID-19 outbreak (P <0.05). No significant association was observed between age, gender, education level, work experience, having a second job, and level of quality of life in nurses over the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusions: Most nurses had a good quality of life;however, the quality of life varied depending on marital status, number of children, spouse employment status, and place of employment in nurses. © The Author(s) 2022.