Original Article
Arezoo Chouhdari; Fariba Farnaghi; Hossein Hassanian‐Moghaddam; Nasim Zamani; Shahram Sabeti; Hadi Shahrabi Farahani
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Summer 2020, Pages 159-166
Abstract
Background: Lead poisoning is now more common due to accidental or intentional exposure to opiumimpregnated with lead. We aimed to determine the relationship between the blood lead levels (BLLs) andbasic characteristics in opium-poisoned children.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 32 children younger ...
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Background: Lead poisoning is now more common due to accidental or intentional exposure to opiumimpregnated with lead. We aimed to determine the relationship between the blood lead levels (BLLs) andbasic characteristics in opium-poisoned children.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 32 children younger than 13 years old who had been admitted toLoghman Hakim Poison Center, Tehran, Iran, due to opium poisoning, were evaluated for BLLs. Patients’demographics, symptoms, signs, and lab tests were evaluated as well as the BLLs.Findings: The median and range of age in children with opium poisoning were 14 and 141 months withminimum and maximum age of 3 and 144 months, respectively, and 62.5% were boys. Their mean BLL was9.78 ± 3.44 μg/dl and in 70% of opium-poisoned children, BLL was ≥ 5 μg/dl. There was a significantdifference between mean BLLs in girls and boys (17.07 ± 6.57 μg/dl in girls and 6.61 ± 3.22 μg/dl in boys,P = 0.02). We found a significant correlation between BLL and hemoglobin (Hb) level. In very low Hb level(< 8 g/dl), the BLL was higher but with increasing Hb level, BLL increased as well; in Hb levels > 14 g/dl,BLL decreased again (P = 0.01).Conclusion: Although none of the children needed chelation therapy, strategies should be developed toprevent children from being exposed to opium and other materials impregnated with lead regarding itseffects on all organs of children.
Original Article
Raha Habibagahi; Nader Navabi; Maryam Alsadat Hashemipour; Atefeh Hashemzehi
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Summer 2020, Pages 167-174
Abstract
Background: Smoking tobacco is a significant health problem for humankind. Cigarettes could affect people’slife from socioeconomic and psychosomatic aspects. The oral cavity is the first orifice through which cigarettesmoke enters the body. Thus, it is directly exposed to cigarettes and their harmful ...
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Background: Smoking tobacco is a significant health problem for humankind. Cigarettes could affect people’slife from socioeconomic and psychosomatic aspects. The oral cavity is the first orifice through which cigarettesmoke enters the body. Thus, it is directly exposed to cigarettes and their harmful ingredients. This studyaimed to determine the effects of smoking cessation on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).Methods: The subjects in the present observational study consisted of individuals visiting a specializedsmoking cessation clinic in Tehran, Iran, to give up their smoking habit. After documentation of the subjects’demographic data, the questionnaire [Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14)] was completed twice in threemonths (before giving up smoking and three months after initiating the program to quit smoking). Dataanalysis was performed using Sig. (2-tailed), paired t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at aconfidence interval (CI) of 95%.Findings: Thirty-one subjects (29 men, 2 women) participated in this study. The mean age of the subjects was37.03 ± 11.30 years. Although OHRQoL scores were increasing as to some parameters, including food tastes,anxiety, and a feeling of shame in the subjects after giving up smoking, it was not statistically significant(P > 0.050). On the other hand, the relationship between the quality of life (QoL) (before and after stoppingsmoking) and age was significant (P = 0.001 before quitting and P = 0.050 after quitting).Conclusion: For a better understanding of the relationship between quitting smoking and an improvement inOHRQoL, it is necessary to perform more extensive studies in this field. The present study was a pilot study,which shed some light on the relationships between these parameters.
Original Article
Razzagh Rahimpoor; Fatemeh Gohari-Ensaf; Jalal Poorolajal; Mohammad Javad Assari
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Summer 2020, Pages 175-185
Abstract
Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of filter on the eventual carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks caused by the main toxic constituents of popular cigarette brands in Iran.Methods: At this laboratory study, the concentration of benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic, and cadmium in ...
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Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of filter on the eventual carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks caused by the main toxic constituents of popular cigarette brands in Iran.Methods: At this laboratory study, the concentration of benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic, and cadmium in themainstream smoke of 11 popular cigarette brands in Iran, on the without and with-filter modes wasdetermined based on an established method. The hazard quotient (HQ), incremental lifetime cancer risk(ILCR), and mixture quantitative risk assessments (QRAs) were performed based on the QRA methodrecommended by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).Findings: The mean of HQ due to benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic, and cadmium in without-filter cigarettesmoke was from 3.96 to 3505. The findings indicated that the HQs related to benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic,and cadmium in cigarette smoke were decreased with filter by 48.3%, 25.3%, 37.6%, and 49.1%, respectively.The filter of cigarette decreased ILCR of benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic, and cadmium in cigarette smoke by53.02%, 25.31%, 37.70%, and 61.01%, respectively. The mixture of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenicestimated risks due to inhalation of studied cigarettes smoke was very high and unacceptable.Conclusion: The cigarette filter plays an essential role in reducing inhalation exposure to hazardouscompounds in mainstream cigarette smoke; nevertheless, the average of overall mixture HQs and ILCRsestimated caused by studied compounds was higher than the acceptable value. It is recommended that futureempirical studies investigate the impact of the type of fiber used in cigarette filter on reducing carcinogenicand non-carcinogenic risks caused by cigarette smoke.
Original Article
Anas Ibn Auf; Mohamed A. Alnor
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Summer 2020, Pages 186-195
Abstract
Background: Psychoactive substance use is a significant problem and the perception of physicians andmedical students for this problem is important since it may affect their behavior regarding managing patientswho suffer from substance-related problems. The objective of this study was to examine the perception ...
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Background: Psychoactive substance use is a significant problem and the perception of physicians andmedical students for this problem is important since it may affect their behavior regarding managing patientswho suffer from substance-related problems. The objective of this study was to examine the perception ofSudanese medical students regarding psychoactive substance use and its possible associations withsociodemographic factors.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at a private Sudanese medical school in Khartoum,Sudan. A self-reporting questionnaire was distributed to all consenting students and data were analyzedusing SPSS software. Chi-square test was used to analyze the associations between different factors.Findings: Three hundred and seventeen students participated in the study, with response rate = 75.5%.Among them, 113 (35.9%) were men. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of age was 21.5 ± 4.2 years. Allstudents knew alcohol and 261 students (88.5%) reported having knowledge about cannabis. Knowledgeabout cannabis, cocaine, and heroin was more prevalent among female students. Most of the studentsdisagreed with the behavior of substance use, e.g., 94.2% in the case of alcohol. Most students reported that itwould be difficult - or even impossible - for them to use psychoactive substances.Conclusion: Most of the students perceived use of psychoactive substances to be associated with moderate tosevere risk. Female gender and studying secondary school in Sudan were associated with perceiving morerisk. Sudanese students' perception of psychoactive substance use seems to be favorable but still increasingawareness is recommended
Original Article
Mohammadreza Naghavi; Farshid Khosropour
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Summer 2020, Pages 196-204
Abstract
Background: Explaining the risk and protective factors of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) is the mostimportant principle in designing preventive interventions. This study examined the relationship betweenself-reported childhood abuse and WTS among health science students in Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional ...
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Background: Explaining the risk and protective factors of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) is the mostimportant principle in designing preventive interventions. This study examined the relationship betweenself-reported childhood abuse and WTS among health science students in Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 776 health science students in Kerman City,located in southeast of Iran, who were selected by quota sampling approach. The study was performed usingtwo valid short instruments for measuring WTS and child abuse including physical, emotional, and sexualabuse using a self-report method.Findings: The prevalence of ever use and current use (last 30 days) of WTS among participants was 49.6%and 33.4%, respectively. The initiation age of WTS in 60% of students was < 18 years. Child sexual abuse(CSA) was [odds ratio (OR) = 3.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.06-4.52, P < 0.001] the main predictorfor WTS among students.Conclusion: Protecting children during childhood to prevent them from becoming victims may be anessential primordial preventive strategy for WTS.
Original Article
Mandana Amiri; Behnaz Dowran
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Summer 2020, Pages 205-215
Abstract
Background: Smartphone usage has increasing during recent years. Since its excessive use can have negativeconsequences, it is important to know how users use it and become dependent on it. This study was aimed atexploring how university students use their phones, how they depend on them, and the possibleconsequences ...
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Background: Smartphone usage has increasing during recent years. Since its excessive use can have negativeconsequences, it is important to know how users use it and become dependent on it. This study was aimed atexploring how university students use their phones, how they depend on them, and the possibleconsequences of overusing them.Methods: This study was conducted using a qualitative design and with a thematic analysis method. Datawere collected using 3 focus group discussions regarding experiences of using smartphones among 22smartphone owners who reported smartphone overuse. They were chosen through snowball sampling at aUniversity of Medical Sciences in Tehran (Iran).Findings: Based on the analysis, the 3 categories of process usage (sub-categories: doing daily routines,information seeking, to take a picture or video, entertainment, academic work, making money, to escapereal-life, and passing the time), social usage (sub-categories: relationship with family, relationship withfriends, interact with the opposite gender, to be seen and heard, approval seeking, and free expression), anddisadvantages (sub-categories: interference with other essential activities, decreased face-to-facecommunications, overdependence, automatic use, loss of sense of time, stress, fatigue, sleep disturbances,physical inactivity, eye problems, high bills, and distraction) were developed.Conclusion: In this research, participants mentioned various uses of their smartphones that enable them tomeet their personal needs and, in spite of the negative consequences of its overuse, cause them to continue touse it. Some uses seem to be affected by environmental and cultural conditions.
Original Article
Fatemeh Neshat; Masoomeh Shirzaiy; Sepideh Shademan
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Summer 2020, Pages 216-224
Abstract
Background: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is one of the most toxic environmental exposures andpassive smoking is an important general health problem. Children are the most vulnerable group to ETSexposure. This study aimed to compare the salivary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidationlevels ...
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Background: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is one of the most toxic environmental exposures andpassive smoking is an important general health problem. Children are the most vulnerable group to ETSexposure. This study aimed to compare the salivary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidationlevels in passive smoking and nonsmoking adolescents aged 12-15 years.Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 80 adolescents aged 12-15 years. The case group < br />included passive smokers and the control group comprised nonsmokers. These groups were age- andsex-matched ones. Unstimulated saliva of both groups was collected using the spitting method. Then, thesalivary total antioxidant and lipid peroxidation levels were measured using the ferric-reducing antioxidantpower (FRAP) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assays, respectively. The independentsamples t-test was used for data comparison.Findings: There was a significant difference in salivary total antioxidant levels between the case group < br />(51.98 ± 88.97 µM) and the control group (174.35 ± 148.15 µM) (P = 0.003). There was no significantdifference between the case group (0.97 ± 1.96) and the control group (0.81 ± 0.97) in lipid peroxidationlevels (P = 0.542).Conclusion: It seems that passive smoking can reduce the salivary TAC of adolescents, thereby threateningoral cavity health
Review Article(s)
Mahnaz Solhi; Esmaeil Fattahi; Hadis Barati; Masoud Mohammadi; Parisa Kasmaei; Sedighe Rastaghi
Volume 12, Issue 3 , Summer 2020, Pages 225-234
Abstract
Background: Smokeless tobacco (ST) use is one of the most important public health problems in SoutheastAsia. The use of these substances increases the incidence of some cancers and other diseases. The purpose ofthis review study was to investigate on ST use in Iran.Methods: A literature search was conducted ...
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Background: Smokeless tobacco (ST) use is one of the most important public health problems in SoutheastAsia. The use of these substances increases the incidence of some cancers and other diseases. The purpose ofthis review study was to investigate on ST use in Iran.Methods: A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Google Scholar, and three national databases[Scientific Information Database (SID), IranMedex, and IranDoc] based on the standard search strategy.Findings: Most consumer people lived in Sistan and Baluchestan Province (Zahedan and Chabahar Cities)and Golestan Province, Iran. ST use rates ranged from 11.0% to 45.7% among college students in Sistan andBaluchestan (Zahedan and Chabahar) and Golestan. There are various types of ST consumed in Iran thathave been mentioned in various articles, including Pan, Gutka, Nass, Naswar, Biti, and Supari.Conclusion: Most studies on ST have been conducted in Sistan and Baluchestan and Golestan Provinces andwe need more research for other provinces. Consumption by women is a warning and a threat to women'shealth in the future. Further studies will be needed to find out more precisely the prevalence of consumptionin Iran.
