Background Accumulating evidence indicates that vitamin D deficiency has been increased globally over the last two decades. However, the majority of these studies are concerned with cities and there is scant information regarding the prevalence of vitamin D in rural areas. The main aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its associated risk factors among the rural population in Bushehr province which shares the longest border with the Persian Gulf. Methods The rural inhabitants of more than 25 years old from three mountainous, plain, and seashore areas of Bushehr province were selected through a stratified multi-cluster random sampling method. After obtaining the participants’ demographic and anthropometric data and their past medical history, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured using ELISA. Results A total of 1806 (means ±SD, 46± 14years old) rural subjects (35 % males and 65 % females) participated in this study. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency were 28 %, 50 %, and 22 %, respectively. The deficiency of vitamin D in women was higher than in men (OR=1.27, 95 % CI: 1.05 to 1.54, P=0.04). There was a positive significant correlation between age and serum vitamin D levels. Men with vitamin D deficiency had higher BMI (P=0.008); this association was not observed among women (P=0.7). There was no significant difference between the food item’s consumption frequencies, and vitamin D status (P>0.05). The mountainous, and plain areas had the highest and lowest vitamin D levels, respectively. Conclusions Although, Bushehr province is located in a sunny part of Iran, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was high among its rural population. The shift of their lifestyle patterns and rapid industrialization in these rural areas may be responsible. Therefore, the enrichment of dietary sources with vitamin D and the use of vitamin D supplements are recommended to tackle the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the rural population of the northern part of the Persian Gulf.
Gas and petrochemical industries in Assaluyeh produce various types of pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, O3, NOx, SOx, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfide hydrogen (H2S), heavy metals and hazardous air pollutants (HAP) including nickel, chromium, cadmium and selenium, benzene, hexane, toluene, xylene, propylene and naphthalene, which have irreparable effects on ecosystem, environment and human health. Several studies have reported the presence of hazardous pollutants such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in coastal sediments in the South Pars region. Studies on marine aquatic organisms such as bivalves showed high and toxic concentrations of heavy metals (cadmium, lead, arsenic, sternium, tin, silver, antimony, and molybdenum). Moreover, several studies have shown extremely high concentrations of heavy metals in the trees of Assaluyeh region compared to non-polluted areas. Some studies have reported that pollen allergenicity has increased dramatically due to changes in protein profiles and the biological structure of tree pollens caused by pollutants in the gas and petrochemical industries in Assaluyeh. In addition, studies conducted in residents of Assaluyeh showed that urinary levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, vanadium, manganese and nickel are significantly higher than those in the controls. The prevalence of asthma, nasal allergy and eczema is also higher in Assaluyeh region than that in other cities of Iran.
Background: Psychological hardiness is a protective personality characteristic against life stresses that plays a major role in improving one's ability to cope with environmental pressures. Objectives: Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the mental health status, psychological hardiness, and the correlation between the two in workers of the Pars special economic energy zone in 2010 with a special emphasis on demographic factors, such as age, sex, marital status, job status, field of action, and job experience. Materials and Methods:This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted amongst 743 workers of the Pars special economic energy zone. Stratified sampling was carried out. Data were collected using a general health questionnaire, a psychological hardiness scale, and a demographic characteristics questionnaire. Frequency distribution, means and standard deviations (SD) were calculated; Spearman's ρ test, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U-test for evaluating the correlation between the variables were also used. The cut-off value for statistical significance was set at 0.05 or lower. Results: Findings showed that the mental health score had significant but reverse correlation with psychological hardiness (P = 0.002, r = -0.50). In 44% of the workers, the general health questionnaire score was higher than the cut-off point; the psychological hardiness score in this group of workers was also significantly lower than those with a mental health score below the cut-off point. This study also demonstrated that female gender, a younger age, being single or widowed, being a non-rotational shift worker, and working in the operational units were associated with poorer mental health and a lower psychological hardiness score. Conclusions: Findings of this study showed the importance of psychological hardiness in maintaining mental health. Special attention should be paid to maintaining and improving the mental health of workers in the Pars special economic energy zone. One of the main principles involved in the sustainable and integrated development of a company is healthy human resources in all aspects, including physical, mental, and social health. Therefore, the current situation necessitates designing evidence-based interventions focusing on vulnerable subgroups.
Background: Accumulating evidence indicates that vitamin D deficiency has been increased globally since the last two decades. However, the majority of these studies concerned on cities and there is scant information regarding the prevalence of vitamin D in rural areas. The main aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its associated risk factors among rural population in Bushehr province which has the longest border with the Persian Gulf.Methods: The rural inhabitants with ≥25 years old from three mountainous, plain, and seashore areas of Bushehr province were selected through a stratified multi-cluster random sampling method. After obtaining the participants’ demographic and anthropometric data and their past medical history, serum 25- hydroxy vitamin D was measured using ELISA.Results: A total of 1806 (means±SD, 46.30± 14.22 years old) rural subjects (34.84% males and 64.88%) participated in this study. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, insufficiency and sufficiency were 27.87%, 50.39% and 21.74%, respectively. The deficiency of vitamin D in women was higher than men (OR=1.27, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.54, P=0.040). There was a positive significant correlation between age and serum vitamin D levels. Men with vitamin D deficiency had higher BMI (P=0.008); this association was not observed among women (P=0.74). There was no significant difference between the food items consumption frequencies, and vitamin D status (P>0.05). The mountainous, and plain areas had the highest and lowest vitamin D levels, respectively.Conclusion: Although, Bushehr province is located in a sunny part of Iran, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was high among its rural population. The shift of their life styles patterns and rapid industrialization in these rural areas may be responsible. Therefore, the enrichment of dietary sources with vitamin D and the use of vitamin D supplements are recommended to tackle the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the rural population of the northern part of the Persian Gulf.
Background and Objectives: Cholixin (cholix toxin) is a novel exotoxin in Vibrio cholerae identified as an elongation factor II specific ADP-ribosyltransferase which inhibits protein synthesis in the eukaryotic cell. Previous researches have suggested that cholixin probably is an important virulence factor in non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae (NAG) serotypes that could be related to extra-intestinal rather than intestinal infections. This study was aimed to investigate the frequency and genetic diversity of colixin gene (chxA) in clinical V. cholerae NAG isolates. Materials and Methods: The presence of chxA gene in 44 clinical V. cholerae NAG isolates were screened using PCR through specific primers designed for the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of chxA gene. The five PCR products of chxA gene were sequenced. Results: This study showed that chxA gene presented in 19 V. cholerae NAG isolates. The sequences analysis of 5 out of 19 the partial chxA genes amplicon showed that 4 of them belonged to chxA I and the other one belonged to chxA II subtypes. Two distinct clusters were revealed for these isolates by phylogenic analysis, too. Conclusion: The chxA gene contained high frequency among V. cholerae NAG isolates in Bushehr, Iran. The polymorphism study on RBD of cholixin gene is suggested as an appropriate method for phylogenic characterization of the various chxA gene subtypes.
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