Cadmium Level Status in Iranian Breast Milk: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Due to the lack of a systematic review on cadmium status in breast milk of Iranian mothers, this study was designed to evaluate the published articles on factors affecting the exposure and the levels of cadmium in breast milk. Methods: In this study, English and Farsi electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Magiran, Iran Medex and SID were comprehensively searched for papers published from July 2009 until May 2021. The PRISMA guidelines for reporting systematic reviews were followed for screening and reviewing the processes involved in this study. Results: From 102 articles found in the initial search, 9 studies were included in systematic review. The highest mean cadmium concentration was related to milk samples collected from Kerman City. Among study factors, the exposure to cigarette smoke, living near industrial centers and maternal nutrition had a significant effect on increasing the concentration of cadmium in breast milk. Conclusion: Further studies are demanded to obtain more comprehensive and reliable results on the status of cadmium in breast milk of Iranian mothers.

Prevalence of Dissociative Experiences and Dissociative Disorders in Methamphetamine Users in Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kerman

Background: Dissociative symptoms have been reported to result from issues such as substance use. However, there is limited knowledge on the relationship between methamphetamine use and dissociative symptoms, and only a few studies have been conducted on this issue. Objectives: Given little knowledge on the relationship between methamphetamine use and dissociative symptoms, in particular dissociative disorders, the present study was done to investigate the prevalence of dissociative experiences and dissociative disorders in methamphetamine users in Shahid Beheshti hospital of Kerman City, Kerman Province, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, two groups of subjects, including methamphetamine users (N = 50) and controls (N = 51), were randomly selected from the individuals referring to Shahid-Beheshti Hospital, Kerman City, from September 2016 to March 2018. After validating the diagnosis of methamphetamine use via methamphetamine positive-urine test, the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and dissociative disorders interview schedule-DSM5 (DDIS) were employed to assess dissociative experiences and disorders, respectively. Next, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was utilized for the determination of positive and negative symptoms of psychosis in the case group. Finally, the chi-square test and t test were applied for comparing the study groups using SPSS version 20 software. Results: Our findings revealed that the mean score of dissociative symptoms was 15.3 in methamphetamine users. The mean score of depersonalization/derealization subscale of DES, as a dissociative experience, was higher in the case group (P < 0.01). The experience of possession, as a dissociative experience, was recorded in 17 methamphetamine users, while 18 (36%) methamphetamine users were diagnosed with dissociative disorder. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the DES score and positive symptoms in methamphetamine users (P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that methamphetamine induces dissociative psychosis in methamphetamine users.

Identity Evolutions, Models of Using Internet and Bonding Social Capital in Iran (A Step in the Direction of Presenting a Structural Model (Path Model) with Case Study of Kerman City)

In this research, we are attempting to review the relationship between users' models of using internet and bonding social capitals in Iran. The theoretical framework of the research are based on theoretical approaches of Dearnly and Feder, Velleman, Katz in the field of internet and models of using it and views of Putnam, Woolcock regarding social capital. The method used in this research is a qualitative &ndash; quantitative mixed method and the sampling method which has been used in the qualitative method is the purposive sampling method (theoretical sampling) and in the quantitative method, a combination of clustering, systematic and stratified sampling method in proportion with age and gender has been used. The statistical population of all persons who are 15 years old and more in Kerman city has been estimated to be 515114 persons in 2019 and the research sample has been estimated to be about 400 persons. Research results indicate that the rate of citizens' usage of internet in Kerman city is very low (less than 5 hours per week). Other results of the research indicate that regarding the model based on information associated with news, mostly filtered and unpermitted news sites such as VOA, BBC and other networks have been used. Research data regarding social identity is indicative of formation of identity evolutions in the contemporary society of Iran. The results of the path model test of the research indicate that news and economic information based models have about (0.11) direct and positive impact and ethnic identity has a direct and positive impact (0.189) and group identity has about (-0.131) impact and entertainment based model has about (0.130) impact on social capital. The results of variables' indirect impacts have also been expressed in the research

Air Pollution and Mortality in the Elderly in Kerman, Iran

Background: Today, air pollution is a major issue in the world, particularly in metropolitan areas. Objectives: Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between air pollution and mortality in the elderly in Kerman City. Methods: This ecological study was conducted using 2006 - 2013 mortality data inquired from the Deputy of Health of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. The data on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, as well as death due to trauma, diabetes, and other diseases that happened in men and women aged 60 and higher were extracted. Air pollution data (CO, SO2, O3, NO, NO2, NOx, and PM10) for the same time frame were inquired from the Environmental Protection Agency of Kerman Province. Negative binomial regression was used to evaluate the relationship between air pollutants and mortality using STATA13 software. Results: During the study period, a total of 14,793 deaths occurred in elderly men and women in Kerman City. Cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of death. The results of multivariate analysis of air pollutants indicated that NO was directly and significantly related to a total number of deaths in the elderly, and an increase in sulfur dioxide and ozone; moreover, NO was significantly related to increased mortality among elderly women. Carbon monoxide was significantly related to cardiovascular death of the elderly. But air pollutants did not show any significant effect on respiratory-, trauma-, and diabetes-related deaths. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between air pollution and mortality in the elderly. Accordingly, a warning system is suggested to reduce the elderly’s commuting on highly air polluted days.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Pancreatic Cancer, A Study in Kerman, Iran

PurposePancreatic cancer (PC) has the worst prognosis among cancers and is the only cancer whose annual incidence is higher than its prevalence. Considering that many PC cases are annually diagnosed in the world, and the fact that the disease has the worst prognosis among cancers, and the prevalence of its risk factors such as diabetes, high-fat diets, smoking, population aging, etc. has been on the rise, the incidence of PC is expected to increase in the future. So, our aim was to assess the demographic features of PC patients in an Iranian population.MethodsThe present study was a descriptive cross-sectional research conducted in 2018 in the teaching hospitals affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences (i.e., Afzalipour and Bahonar hospitals). The statistical population of this study was all the patients with PC, referring to these hospitals. The files of all the patients diagnosed with PC (confirmed clinically and pathologically) from the beginning of 2009 to the end of 2019 were assessed. Treatments (i.e., surgical tumor resection or other alternative treatments) were recorded into a data collection sheet. Finally, the data was entered into SPSS version 20 for performing statistical analyses. ResultsIn this study, 380 patients with PC were studied, of whom 60.5% were male, and 39.5% female. Most of the patients were in the age range of 61-70 years (26.1%), and most of them were residents of Kerman city (62.9%), followed by Jiroft (5.5%) and Bam and Iranshahr (each 4.7%). A history of alcohol consumption was noted in 9.3%, and 33.7% were exposed to cigarette smoke. The most common symptoms of the patients were jaundice (65.3%), abdominal pain (54.7%), and anorexia (50.7%). The most common tumor location was the head of the pancreas (62.4%), and the most common type of the tumors was adenocarcinoma (71%). Overall, 23.7% and 76.3% of the patients underwent chemotherapy and surgery, respectively. Of those who had surgeries, 63.8% underwent palliative surgery. Of all 380 patients, 30 (7.8%) individuals were still alive, and 350 (91.4%) had died.ConclusionThe results of this study showed that most of the PC patients were male, had an age between 61 and 70 years, and lived in Kerman and Jiroft cities. The most common tumor site was the pancreatic head, and the most common type of the tumors among both sexes was adenocarcinoma. Surgery, mostly palliative surgery, was the most frequent treatment of choice among all patients.

Anthropometric Dimensions and Classroom Furniture Measurements Among Pre-school Students in Kerman, South East of Iran

Introduction: With the alternation of the educational system from a three-stage into a two-stage system in Iranian schools since several years ago, five-year-old children entered from kindergartens to primary schools. This study was conducted to investigate the harmonization of classroom furniture with anthropometric dimensions in preschool students. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 366 male and female preschool students were selected by cluster sampling method in Kerman, Iran. Some of the anthropometric dimensions such as shoulder, elbow, and popliteal height, popliteal buttock length, and buttock breadth were measured. mean, maximum, minimum, standard division, and 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles were calculated for both the sexes and were compared with five dimensions of the existing seats. Next, the dimensions of the standard seats were determined according to the anthropometric dimension’s students. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 . Results: Independent-Samples T-test between girl and boy pre- school students in Kerman city showed just popliteal height had a siginificnt diference (p ≤0.05). Match of antropometric musurmants with seat dimentions indicated that there is no consistency between the seats and anthropometric dimensions in. Armrest height, seat height, backrest height, seat depth and seat breadth were matched with (0, 0.5, 10, 6.7, 0) and (0.7, 28.7, 6, 2.5, 0) percent of anthropometric musurments of girl and boy students respectively Conclusions: Due to adding a new grade to primary school, it seems that no work has been done for improving the furniture. Therefore, in this article, we presented the dimensions of an appropriate seat. This may help not only save production costs in the industry but also increase the matching between students' anthropometric and seat dimensions.

Risk Factors of Anthroponotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Among Residents in Endemic Communities in Southeast of Iran in 2019

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to identify the risk factors associated with the incidence of A.C.L in three endemic areas of Kerman City. Moreover, the residents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards A.C.L were assessed. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 195 residents of three endemic areas in Kerman City involved by A.C.L disease from January to March 2019. The risk factors for A.C.L were recorded using a checklist. Structured questionnaire was administered for data collection. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, correlation analysis, and linear regression via SPSS version 22. Results: The main risk factors for A.C.L identified in the study areas included construction waste, presence of old and dilapidated houses, poor sanitary conditions, refugee and immigration, as well as the presence of domestic animals in close physical proximity to humans. The response rate of this questionnaire was 100 %. Among the respondents, 41.5 % were males and 58.5 % were females. Majority of the respondents (61%) claimed that they had heard about A.C.L and were familiar with this infectious disease. Only 25%, 66.7%, and 32% of the respondents had good knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards A.C.L, respectively. No significant association was found between the participants’ gender and their levels of knowledge (P = 0.827), attitudes (P = 0.446), and practices (P = 0.603). Conclusions: The residents of endemic areas had a weak level of knowledge towards A.C.L. So, educational programs should be implemented in order to improve the residents’ knowledge in Kerman City.

A long-lasting emerging epidemic of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in southeastern Iran: population movement and peri-urban settlements as a major risk factor

Background Epidemics of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) are occurring more frequently and spreading faster and farther than before in many areas of the world. The present study aimed to assess a long-lasting emerging epidemic (2005–2019) of 5532 cases with anthroponotic CL (ACL) in peri-urban areas of Kerman city in southeastern Iran. Methods This descriptive-analytical study was carried out for 15 years in Kerman province, southeastern Iran. The data were passively obtained through the health surveillance system and the Kerman Leishmaniasis Research Center. Every subject was diagnosed using direct smear microscopy. The representative causative agent was further examined by ITS1-PCR, PCR-RFLP, 7SL RNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. For each subject, a case report form designating demographic and clinical data was recorded. Results A different pattern of ACL incidence was found in peri-urban areas compared to that in the city of Kerman. The incidence rate of ACL cases has significantly increased (P < 0.001) from 2005 to 2016 in new settlements with a gradual decline after that. The overall average risk of contracting the disease was 7.6 times higher in peri-urban areas compared to Kerman city, an old endemic focus. All isolates consisting of six variants were confirmed to be Leishmania tropica. The overall pattern of the ACL infection indicates that the etiological agent of ACL is propagated and transmitted by the bite of female Phlebotomus sergenti sandflies from person to person from dissimilar clones as reflected by the complexity of the migrants’ backgrounds in the province. Conclusions The movement of populations and establishment of new settlements in peri-urban areas close to endemic areas are major risk factors for and are directly linked to CL. The underlying factors of this emerging ACL epidemic caused by L. tropica were disasters and droughts, among others. A robust commitment to a multilateral approach is crucial to make improvements in this area. This will require decisive coordinated actions through all governmental factions and non-governmental organizations. Furthermore, active and passive case detection strategies, early diagnosis, and effective treatment could help control the disease.

Status of Food Security in Kerman, Iran During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Aim: Food security at individual, family, national, regional and global levels can be achieved when all people at all times have physical and economic access to adequate and healthy food to meet their nutritional needs and priorities for a healthy and active life. This study aims to investigate the status of food security and its related socioeconomic factors in households during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-9) pandemic in Kerman, Iran. Methods & Materials: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 500 households selected randomly from five comprehensive health centers in five districts of Kerman city in Iran. A demographic/socioeconomic questionnaires and the Persian version of the 18-item USDA Household Food Security Survey (HFSS) were used for collecting data. Ethical Considerations: All ethical principles are considered in this article. The participants were informed about the purpose of the research and its implementation stages. They were also assured about the confidentiality of their information and were free to leave the study whenever they wished, and if desired, the research results would be available to them. Results: There was a significant relationship between the socioeconomic factors (household size, house size, and number of amenities) and the food security. There correlation between the household size and food security was positive (R= 0.142, P<0.001), while the correlation of house size (R= -0.093, P<0.005) and number of amenities (R= -0.73, P<0.001) with food security was negative. Conclusion: By increasing the awareness of people and improving their economic situation, it is possible to improve the food security situation of households in Kerman city.