A Survey on Mental Health Status of Adult Population Aged 15 and above in the Province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran.

INTRODUCTION: This research aims to determine the mental health status of population aged 15 and over in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari in 2015. METHODS: The statistical population of this cross-sectional field survey consisted of residents of urban and rural areas of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari in Iran. An estimated sample size of 1200 people was chosen using systematic random cluster sampling. The access was provided by the contribution of Geographical Post Office of Shahre Kord, Farsan and Farrokhshar cities. The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used as the screening tool for mental disorders. The analysis of data in the current study was carried out using the SPSS-18 software. RESULTS: Using GHQ traditional scoring method, the results showed that 24.9% of the subjects were at risk of mental disorders (26.8% of females and 23% of males). Urban areas (27.1%) were more at risk of mental disorders compared with rural residents (19.1%). Anxiety and somatization symptoms were more frequent than depression and social dysfunction among respondents. The obtained data revealed that the prevalence of mental disorders increased with age. The results also indicated that mental disorders were more common in certain subgroups, in particular females, people aged 65 years and above, the divorced and widowed, illiterate and unemployed adults. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that one fourth of the participants are at risk of developing mental disorders. Although the prevalence of these disorders has decreased from 39.1% to 24.9% between 1999 and 2015, it is still of great importance to further promote mental health policies and advocate psychological welfare of those suffering from mental disorders along with their re-empowerment.

Surface gravity-wave lensing.

Here we show that a nonlinear resonance between oceanic surface waves caused by small seabed features (the so-called Bragg resonance) can be utilized to create the equivalent of lenses and curved mirrors for surface gravity waves. Such gravity wave lenses, which are merely small changes to the seafloor topography and therefore are surface noninvasive, can focus or defocus the energy of incident waves toward or away from any desired focal point. We further show that for a broadband incident wave spectrum (i.e., a wave group composed of a multitude of different-frequency waves), a polychromatic topography (occupying no more than the area required for a monochromatic lens) can achieve a broadband lensing effect. Gravity wave lenses can be utilized to create localized high-energy wave zones (e.g., for wave energy harvesting or creating artificial surf zones) as well as to disperse waves in order to create protected areas (e.g., harbors or areas near important offshore facilities). In reverse, lensing of oceanic waves may be caused by natural seabed features and may explain the frequent appearance of very high amplitude waves in certain bodies of water.

In vitro validation of flow measurement with phase contrast MRI at 3 tesla using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry-based computational fluid dynamics.

PURPOSE: To validate conventional phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI) measurements of steady and pulsatile flows through stenotic phantoms with various degrees of narrowing at Reynolds numbers mimicking flows in the human iliac artery using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) as gold standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series of detailed experiments are reported for validation of MR measurements of steady and pulsatile flows with SPIV and CFD on three different stenotic models with 50%, 74%, and 87% area occlusions at three sites: two diameters proximal to the stenosis, at the throat, and two diameters distal to the stenosis. RESULTS: Agreement between conventional spin-warp PC-MRI with Cartesian read-out and SPIV was demonstrated for both steady and pulsatile flows with mean Reynolds numbers of 130, 160, and 190 at the inlet by evaluating the linear regression between the two methods. The analysis revealed a correlation coefficient of > 0.99 and > 0.96 for steady and pulsatile flows, respectively. Additionally, it was found that the most accurate measures of flow by the sequence were at the throat of the stenosis (error < 5% for both steady and pulsatile mean flows). The flow rate error distal to the stenosis was primarily found to be a function of narrowing severity including dependence on proper Venc selection. CONCLUSION: SPIV and CFD provide excellent approaches to in vitro validation of new or existing PC-MRI flow measurement techniques.

Endothelial cell culture model for replication of physiological profiles of pressure, flow, stretch, and shear stress in vitro.

The phenotype and function of vascular cells in vivo are influenced by complex mechanical signals generated by pulsatile hemodynamic loading. Physiologically relevant in vitro studies of vascular cells therefore require realistic environments where in vivo mechanical loading conditions can be accurately reproduced. To accomplish a realistic in vivo-like loading environment, we designed and fabricated an Endothelial Cell Culture Model (ECCM) to generate physiological pressure, stretch, and shear stress profiles associated with normal and pathological cardiac flow states. Cells within this system were cultured on a stretchable, thin (∼500 µm) planar membrane within a rectangular flow channel and subject to constant fluid flow. Under pressure, the thin planar membrane assumed a concave shape, representing a segment of the blood vessel wall. Pulsatility was introduced using a programmable pneumatically controlled collapsible chamber. Human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) were cultured within this system under normal conditions and compared to HAECs cultured under static and "flow only" (13 dyn/cm(2)) control conditions using microscopy. Cells cultured within the ECCM were larger than both controls and assumed an ellipsoidal shape. In contrast to static control control cells, ECCM-cultured cells exhibited alignment of cytoskeletal actin filaments and high and continuous expression levels of ß-catenin indicating an in vivo-like phenotype. In conclusion, design, fabrication, testing, and validation of the ECCM for culture of ECs under realistic pressure, flow, strain, and shear loading seen in normal and pathological conditions was accomplished. The ECCM therefore is an enabling technology that allows for study of ECs under physiologically relevant biomechanical loading conditions in vitro.

Using PIV to determine relative pressures in a stenotic phantom under steady flow based on the pressure-poisson equation.

Pressure gradient across a Gaussian-shaped 87% area stenosis phantom was estimated by solving the pressure Poisson equation (PPE) for a steady flow mimicking the blood flow through the human iliac artery. The velocity field needed to solve the pressure equation was obtained using particle image velocimetry (PIV). A steady flow rate of 46.9 ml/s was used, which corresponds to a Reynolds number of 188 and 595 at the inlet and stenosis throat, respectively (in the range of mean Reynolds number encountered in-vivo). In addition, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the same flow was performed. Pressure drops across the stenosis predicted by PPE/PIV and CFD were compared with those measured by a pressure catheter transducer. RMS errors relative to the measurements were 17% and 10% for PPE/PIV and CFD, respectively.