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Introduction:An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale on 23 December 2003 devastated the city of Bam in southeastern Iran. During the response and recovery phases, considerable shortcomings were discovered. The dire situation in the affected area, a variety of urgently required interventions, and the large number of aid organizations involved brought about difficulties in management, coordination, and communication among authorities and aid organizations. This article highlights flaws in management in the var-ious aspects of this disaster in order to assess what was done, and what should be done to overcome these shortcomings in future disasters.Methods:A retrospective review of the various aspects of management related to the Bam disaster was done via the assessment of files, multi-center studies, governmental data, and available literature from 2003–2008.Results:A review of the available data relevant to search and rescue (S&R) operations and short-term aid provision revealed flaws in different aspects of disaster management including personnel, the transfer of the injured, availability medical supplies, treatment planning, problems concerning the composition of treatment forces dispatched to the region, distribution of tasks among treatment workers, transferring of equipment, availability of facilities, and lack of coordination among the organizations responsible for the management of the disaster. Most of the aforementioned issues have been addressed.Conclusions:A comprehensive disaster management plan must not be limited only to the response phase, but rather must include: preparedness, recovery with optimal legislation and budgeting, improvement of healthcare facilities, and organized communication channels between the different governmental departments. This important issue has been addressed, and a disaster management organization under the supervision of the President has been established, developing a national S&R strategy and protocol for unified managerial organization, an alert system, an international disaster command system (under which S&R and emergency medical service teams can be deployed, increasing the efficacy and coordination of the arrival of foreign teams and the con-struction field hospitals), and developing a flowchart to coordinate international agencies and the domestic authorities in charge. Continuous education, training of the general population, conducting periodic exercise drills, and provision for prepared task force mobilization in disaster management all are important aspects of the management of disasters due to natural hazards.

Iranian soldiers were attacked with chemical bombs, rockets and artillery shells 387 times during the 8-years war by Iraq (1980–1988). More than 1,000 tons of sulfur mustard gas was used in the battlefields by the Iraqis against Iranian people. A high rate of morbidities occurred as the result of these attacks. This study aimed to evaluate the delayed toxic effects of sulfur mustard gas on Iranian victims. During a systematic search, a total of 193 (109 more relevant to the main aim) articles on sulfur mustard gas were reviewed using known international and national databases. No special evaluation was conducted on the quality of the articles and their publication in accredited journals was considered sufficient. High rate of morbidities as the result of chemical attacks by sulfur mustard among Iranian people occurred. Iranian researchers found a numerous late complications among the victims which we be listed as wide range of respiratory, ocular, dermatological, psychological, hematological, immunological, gastrointestinal and endocrine complications, all influenced the quality of life of exposed victims. The mortality rate due to this agent was 3%. Although, mortality rate induced by sulfur mustard among Iranian people was low, variety and chronicity of toxic effects and complications of this chemical agent were dramatic.

In the early morning of 26 December 2003, Bam, an old city in southeastern Iran, was devastated by an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale. Managing such situations always brings about many problems. In the case of the Bam Earthquake, two of the most serious problems were rescue operations and provision of appropriate treatment within a short period of time.By conducting an opinion survey, this study aims to assess different aspects of treatment management, including personnel, the transfer of the injured, equipment, facilities, and treatment planning. Questionnaires containing open questions regarding the management of treatment at five levels were prepared.Those engaged in treatment at different levels, including physicians, treatment workers, military personnel, and executives, were questioned. Several problems were revealed concerning the composition of the treatment forces dispatched, into the region, distribution of the tasks among treatment workers, and the transferring of equipment, and facilities. The most significant problem was a lack of coordination among the organizations responsible for the management of the disaster.A comprehensive disaster plan is required if prompt handling of masscasualty incidents and coordinating the management of such large-scale disasters are to be ensured.

Background:In December 2003, the residents of Bam, Iran experienced an earthquake that measured 6.6 on the Richter scale and destroyed >90% of the city. After the assessment and initial treatment of injuries at national and international field hospitals, a considerable number of victims (approximately 12,000) were transferred to tertiary referral hospitals around the country. Objective: This report evaluated the injuries of 854 victims transferred to 12 referral hospitals in Tehran.Methods:The demographic data, injury patterns, injury severity score (ISS), diagnosis, treatment, and outcome data of 854 Bam earthquake victims were assessed.Results:There were 467 (54.7%) males and 387 (45.3%) females. The mean age of the patients was 29.0 years. Transportation by aircraft was the most common method used for evacuation, which was used to evacuate 555 patients (65%). Fifty-four percent of the victims required initial medical aid at field hospitals before transportation to Tehran. There were 1,322 patients with injuries, of which, fractures of the lower extremities were the most common (331; 25%). Limb fixation was the most commonly performed primary procedure in emergency wards (389 cases, 39.9%). The mean value ±SD for ISS was 6.7 ±5.2. Orthopedic operations were the most frequent surgical procedures performed (195/260 operations, 75%) and the overall mortality rate was 1.6% (n = 14).Conclusions:Along with the crucial importance of aid provided by national and international field hospitals in disasters, suitable triage of casualties and preparedness of tertiary referral centers in unaffected regions also play an important role in providing medical care to disaster victims. During these situations, the number of victims cannot be predicted accurately, and sufficient medical care, particularly for orthopedic problems, can be provided by referral centers.

Background:Electrolyte disturbances are frequently observed during the acute and subacute period after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and may potentially worsen therapeutic outcome. This study was conducted to determine the pattern of electrolyte disturbance in the acute and subacute phase after SAH and their effect on the long-term outcome of the patients.Materials and Methods:Fifty-three patients were prospectively enrolled. The standards of care for all patients were uniformly performed. The serum levels of electrolytes (sodium, potassium and magnesium) were determined with measurements obtained on admission, 3–5 and 7–10 days after SAH. Radiographic intensity of hemorrhage (Fisher's scale), and the clinical grading (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies grade) were documented in the first visit. The outcomes were evaluated using Glasgow outcome scale at 3 months after discharge.Results:Hyponatremia was the most common electrolyte imbalance among the patients but did not worsen the outcome. Although less common, hypernatremia in the subacute phase was significantly associated with poor outcome. Both hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia were predictive of poor outcomes.Conclusions:Because electrolyte abnormalities can adversely affect the outcome, the serum levels of electrolytes should be closely monitored with serial measurements and treated properly in patients with aneurysmal SAH.

triphosphates (dNTPs) to generate double-stranded products [ Figure 1]. By raising and lowering the temperature of the reaction mixture, the two strands of the DNA product are separated and can serve as templates for the next round of annealing and extension, and the process is repeated. [2] Although PCR has been widely used by researchers, it requires thermocycling to separate the two DNA strands. This characteristic has limited its application in the field. On the other hand, several isothermal target amplification methods have been developed in the two past decades without using a thermocycler machine. These non-PCR-based techniques have been developed according to new findings in molecular biology of DNA/RNA synthesis and some accessory proteins and their mimicking in vitro for nucleic acid amplification. We describe here the best-known isothermal amplification methods (such as transcriptionmediated amplification [TMA] or self-sustained sequence replication [3SR], nucleic acid sequence-based amplification [NASBA], signal-mediated amplification of RNA Polymerase chain reaction is the most widely used method for DNA amplification for the detection and identification of infectious diseases, genetic disorders and for other research purposes. However, it requires a thermocycling machine to separate the two DNA strands and then amplify the required fragment. Novel developments in molecular biology of DNA synthesis in vivo demonstrate the possibility of amplifying DNA in isothermal temperature without the need of a thermocycling apparatus. DNA polymerase replicates DNA with various accessory proteins. Therefore, with identification of these proteins, we are able to develop new in vitro isothermal DNA amplification methods by mimicking these in vivo mechanisms. There are several isothermal nucleic acid amplifications, such as transcription-mediated amplification or self-sustained sequence replication, nucleic acid sequence-based amplification, signal-mediated amplification of RNA technology, strand displacement amplification, rolling circle amplification, loop-mediated isothermal amplification of DNA, isothermal multiple displacement amplification, helicase-dependent amplification, single-primer isothermal amplification and circular helicase-dependent amplification. In this paper, we reviewed the nucleic acid amplification methods and their applications in molecular biology. We reviewed the best-known isothermal techniques for DNA/RNA amplification. The above information can be used for the application of valuable molecular diagnostic techniques for the detection of infectious agents in small-scale hospital laboratories in the field. With regards to the properties of isothermal DNA/RNA amplification techniques, the design and development of novel rapid molecular tests for application in field may be possible.

Penetrating abdominal injuries were common in Iranian victims of war often causing multiple organ injuries. The colon and small intestine were the more commonly injured organs and carried the most postoperative complications. Mortality at 1st line hospitals was more than double that of 2nd line hospitals; the complication rate was also greater as was the number of missed injuries. Adherence to the standard surgical protocols, prompt evaluation, proper triage and management are factors which may lower patient morbidity and complications.