Journal of Human, Environment, and Health Promotion

50-54

Authors: Zahra Yousefi *, Mohammadreza Rezaeigolestani, Mohammad Hashemi

Background: This review tries to explain various biological properties of olive oil Methods: In present review, data were obtained via a complete search through online databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, SID and ScienceDirect to find the relevant titles and paper abstracts using keywords like ‘olive oil’, ‘biological effect’ or ‘therapeutic’ or ‘food’. The obtained articles have been reviewed to evaluate different biological and therapeutic properties of olive and its edible products. Results: Olive fruit and oil and the products obtained from olive tree (e.g., olive leaf extract) have unique medicinal properties. Studies have confirmed the positive effects of olive oil on wound healing, pain relief, cancer treatment, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases. In addition to the sensory properties of olive oil, the consumption of olive oil in the daily diet could enhance the safety and quality of food through antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds. Conclusion: Considering the unique and significant medicinal and nutritional benefits of olive oil, it is necessary to encourage people toward the consumption of olive oil and increase their awareness about the importance and advantages of this product.

64-70

Authors: Zabihollah Gharlipour, Siamak Mohebi, Gholamreza Sharifirad, Javad Yadegari *

Background: Antiretroviral treatment could reduce the mortality rate of HIV and prevent the disease progression and prolonging their life span. The present study aimed to assess the effects of education based on expanded health belief model on the treatment adherence of AIDS patients. Methods: This study was conducted on 72 AIDS patients. The subjects were divided into two groups of intervention and control. Data were collected using a questionnaire and Morisky medication adherence scale. After the pre-test, training sessions were implemented for the intervention group. Post-test was completed after three months. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22 using independent t-test, Chi-square, and univariate analysis of covariance. Results: No significant differences were observed in perceived susceptibility (P = 0.19), perceived benefits (P = 0.31), perceived barriers (P = 0.92), perceived self-efficacy (P = 0.14), and perceived social support (P = 0.15). However, significant differences were denoted in perceived severity (P = 0.01) and treatment adherence (P < 0.01) between intervention and control group in the post-test phase. Conclusion: According to the results, the expanded health belief model could be used in the training of AIDS patients to enhance their health beliefs, which in turn increases their adherence to antiretroviral treatment.

75-80

Authors: Davoud Balarak *, Mohadeseh Dashtizadeh, Hajar Abasizade, Marzieh Baniasadi

Background: Dyes are among the most hazardous chemical compounds, which are found in industrial effluents. The removal of dyes before the discharge of wastewater to the environment could reduce these environmental hazards. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified bentonite (CTAB-MB) surfactant in the adsorption of acid blue 80 (AB80) dye. Methods: This experimental study was conducted using a shaker (100 rpm) at room temperature and fixed pH of 7 using conical flasks (200 ml) containing the dye solution (100 ml) to assess the adsorption conditions. In addition, five concentrations of the reactive blue dye were prepared to evaluate the effects of the initial dye concentration on adsorption. Results: The experimental data indicated that the AB80 removal procedure was fitted with the Langmuir isotherm. The Langmuir adsorption capacities (qe) were 38.15 and 21.76 mg/g for 1 and 2 g/l of the adsorbent, respectively. Moreover, three kinetic models were selected to fit the kinetic data, including the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models and intra-particle diffusion. AB80 was fitted with the pseudo-second-order model at all the concentrations. Conclusion: According to the results, CTAB-MB was an affordable alternative to the removal of dyes from industrial wastewater.

87-93

Authors: Marzieh Bagheri *, Mohammad Nasiri, Amirreza Talaiekhozani, Iman Abedi

Background: In this pioneering work, the comparisons conducted on the elimination efficiency of formaldehyde by rice bran and the resulting ashes utilized in the adsorption process. Methods: In this study the optimal hydraulic retention time, temperature, pH value and adsorbents dosage for the elimination of formaldehyde using three adsorbents including rice bran, ashes of rice bran produced in 300°C (Carbon-300) and in 500°C (Carbon-500) were determined. The method of one factor at the time was used to optimize the above mentioned factors. Results: The best adsorption conditions for 1000 mg/L of formaldehyde and 1 g of adsorbent in acidic environment (pH = 4) is reported at 80°C (with elimination percentage of 70%w/w for rice bran, 83%w/w for carbon-300 and 90%w/w for carbon-500). Also it was revealed that the adsorption of formaldehyde by rice bran adsorbent and Carbon-300 is a function of Langmuir adsorption isotherm while the resulting carbon in 500°C is a function of Freundlich adsorption isotherm. Conclusion: In all experiments, the rice bran ashes showed much greater capacity for formaldehyde removal than one for rice bran. Rice bran is an ideal option in terms availability and the resulting waste could be eliminated through incineration.

1-6

Authors: Alaba Olanrewaju Clement *

Background: The enormous numbers of people involved in artisanal gold mining (AGM) together with primitive methods being used in processing gold have resulted in health and environmental challenges. Based on this, both the local and international stakeholders in mining and health sectors engaged in therapeutic practice to mitigate the challenges. Methods: Physical observation and soil samples were assessed in order to identify the occupational health hazards associated with AGM while questionnaire was used to evaluate the effectiveness of adopted occupational therapy practices across the study area. Soil sample was randomly collected between the depths of 0-20 cm. Soil digestion was carried out in triplicate and lead concentration was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Results: The result of a cumulative carcinogenic risk lifetime for ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation exposure pathways were given as 1.86E-01± 0.00, 8.83E-04 ± 0.00 and 5.45E-06 ± 0.00 respectively. The major occupational health hazards associated with AGM were body weakness, brain damage, gastrointestinal tract, neuropsychiatric, injuries and death of miners while the removed occupational therapy practices adopted were awareness campaign, remediation/chelating treatment, sensitization and use of modern equipment training. Conclusion: The study established that most of the adopted occupational therapy practices were efficient and effective to ensure safe practices of AGM across the study area.

13-19

Authors: Mohsen Moradi *, Malihe Hadadnechad, Amir Letafatkar

Background: The shoulder joint internal rotation deficit is inter alia the most important risk factors for throwing athletes. Thus, the present study aims at investigating the effect of eight weeks of rotator cuff muscles’ specific exercises on the range of motion, proprioception and the activation time of the selective shoulder muscles in male volleyball players with shoulder joint internal rotation deficit. Methods: Thirty male athletes with shoulder joint internal rotation deficit took part in the present study and after preliminary screening and identification of the qualified athletes, the testes were assigned to two groups: experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15). Results: The results of the statistical tests indicated that rotator cuff muscles’ specific exercises have had a significant effect on the range of motion, proprioception and electrical activation of the anterior deltoid muscle, medial deltoid muscle, posterior deltoid muscle, infraspinatus and supraspinatus. Conclusion: According to the positive influence of the rotator cuff muscles’ specific exercises, it is recommended that these rotator cuff muscles’ specific exercises should be added to the rehabilitation-therapy programs for male volleyball players with shoulder joint internal rotation deficit so that the limitations resulting from such a deficit in the range of motion could be eased.

26-32

Authors: Mahsa Mehri, Maryam Khazaee-Pool, Shirazeh Arghami *

Background: Economic pressures are important factors contributing to accidents. Despite the importance of economic factors in the safety of taxi drivers, a few literatures have referred to these factor. Methods: This research was a phenomenology study. The purposive sampling was used, so, 18 taxi drivers with the average 43.05 ± 10.22 years old participated in the study of whom, 12 took part in individual in-depth interviews (IDIs) and 6 participated in a focus group discussion (FGD). The Bengtson’s method (2016) was adopted to analyze qualitative data using content analysis. Results: Two themes interlacing the impact of taxi drivers’ Economic pressure on their safety were identified. The themes referred to taxi drivers’ occupational expenses and livelihood concerns. Each of the themes were consisted of two categories, namely competition for passenger, taxi-keeping expenses and stability, adequacy of income, and undesirable household economic conditions, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed the significant impact of economic pressure on the safety of taxi drivers as participants repeatedly reported unsafe driving behaviors in order to increase income. They also stated that issues such as unemployment and inflation caused many people to enter this occupation which led to dangerous competition over passengers and subsequent aberrant driving behaviors.

40-44

Authors: Mohtasham Ghaffari, Sakineh Rakhshandehroo, Yadollah Mehrabi, Samaneh Besharati Far*

Background: The present study was conducted to investigate the beliefs of girl students in Pakdasht city about obese people and the factors related to it. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 350 grade-seven students in Pakdasht city. The data collection tool was a BAOP questionnaire, including demographic information and eight five-choice questions on the beliefs about obesity and obese people. To analyze the data, the SPSS 16 software as well as Chi-Square test and one-way ANOVA were used. Results: The result reported, 141 (40.3%) students disagreed with the sentence "Obesity often occurs as a result of an illness." and 74 ones (21.1%) totally disagreed. Or, asking a question about the eating habits of obese people ("The majority of obese people have bad eating habits that lead to their obesity.") indicated that 73 students (20.9%) totally agreed and 128 ones (36.6%) agreed with the idea. In addition, 15 students (4.2%) totally agreed with the sentence “Obesity rarely occurs due to the person's lack of will.” Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that high school female students had little knowledge about the causes of obesity.

2-7

Authors: Mojtaba Jafarvand, Bahare Keshmiri, Sakineh Varmazyar*

Background: Although the expansion of innovation in the industry has led to an increase in the fast of works, production and productivity, it has also imposed an increase in the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders. So, the aim of this study was determination the risk level of work posture by REBA and RULA method among workers of assembly line of a cosmetic manufacturing factory. Methods: This study descriptive was carried out among the assembly line workers of a cosmetic manufacturing factory in 2016. Six tasks (including 28 work postures) were selected due to the most risk of inappropriate work posture factor. 18 postures were evaluated by REBA method and 10 postures by RULA method. Results: The results showed that the highest REBA score (score10) in the hair color manufacturing section and the highest RULA score (score 7) related to the oxidant and powder parts. The minimum score obtained by the REBA and RULA method was 5 and 4 (minimum 2 corrective action level), respectively. Conclusion: To prevent musculoskeletal disorders and reduce the staff posture score in pouring materials into the mixer or reservoir of manufacturing hair color, oxidant and powder sections, corrective actions such as the use of a pump system for transferring materials to the reservoir and the use of an footrest to avoid lifting the load to a height above the shoulder are recommended.

13-20

Authors: Younes Khosravi*, Abbas Ali Zamani, Abdol Hossein Parizanganeh, Mir Ali Asghar Mokhtari, Akbar Nadi

Background: This research aims to measure and study spatial changes, and the reason behind the increasing nitrate content in water wells in the Central District of Khodabandeh County in the Zanjan Province. Methods: The nitrate and nitrite content, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, total hardness and pH were measured at 40 sampling stations in the study area. The obtained features were categorized into four classes by principal component analysis. The kriging and cokriging methods along with electrical conductivity and total hardness covariates were used to study the spatial changes. By using the cross-validation method, the linear model for cokriging method with electrical conductivity covariate was selected as the best model for nitrate zoning in ArcGIS 10.2 software. Results: The principal component analysis indicated that nitrate feature was in the same classification as that of electrical conductivity and total hardness. The comparison of surface digital elevation model, geology and land use maps with nitrate zoning indicated that nitrate pollution in the south and south-west regions was due to geological content, agricultural activities, and the discharge of human sewage into absorbing wells. Conclusion: The findings of the present research revealed that lowlands with agricultural use had more nitrate content than other uses, and the most important reason could be attributed to the excessive use of nitrate containing chemical fertilizers.

28-37

Authors: Zahra Shamsi, Mohammad Reza Yaftian, Abdol Hossein Parizanganeh, Abbas Ali Zamani*

Background: Water pollution is an important environmental problem, undoubtedly, the presence of toxic heavy metals forms the main source of water contamination. Sorption characteristics of polyurethane foams modified with bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (DEHPA) for the removal of zinc, lead and cadmium ions from contaminated solutions were investigated. Methods: Operating variables, such as initial pH of the aqueous solution (1-6), ion concentrations (5-100 mg/l), sorbent dosage (1-8 g) and contact time (0-60 min), were studied. Results: A value of 98 ± 3% of initial amount of studied ions (20 mg/l) was eliminated using 5 g of polyurethane sorbent modified with DEHPA (0.01 M in methanol) at pH 5. The selectivity order for metal ions toward the sorbent is Zn> Pb> Cd. Analysis of the equilibrium sorption data using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models revealed that the Langmuir model was well suited to describe the zinc, lead and cadmium ions sorption. Power function, simple Elovich, pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order kinetics were applied for kinetic study in batch sorption and it was found that experimental data can be suitably described by pseudo second-order model. Conclusion: Removal of studied metal ions from real samples shows that the modified polyurethane foam is useful for the treatment of polluted waters.

43-46

Authors: Hassan Hassanzadazar*, Mahrokh Forghani, Ahdieh Salim, Majid Aminzare

Background: Butter is one of the oldest dairy products known in the world and plays an important role in human nutrition. The aim of this study was evaluating of the microbial quality of traditional and industrial butter marketed in Zanjan. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 29 samples of butter were investigated in 2 groups which 24 samples were of traditionally producedl butter and 5 industrially produced butter samples, randomly collected from the market in Zanjan, Iran. All samples were evaluated for total bacterial count, Staphylococci, coliform, fungi and mold. Results: Fourteen samples of traditional butter had higher coliform load than allowed in standards. Eighteen samples were contaminated with Staphylococcus, and mold was found in 8 samples. Also, fifteen samples were contaminated with Escherichia coli. Among the industrial samples, one was contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus but no contamination by coliform, Escherichia coli and mold and mold was observed. Conclusion: 58.33%, 75%, 33.33% and 62.5% of the traditional butter samples had higher coliform, Staphylococcus, mold and E. coli contamination, respectively than standard limit. One of the industrial samples was contaminated with Staphylococcus. It is recommended that higher supervision on the production and distribution of these products is applied.

201-211

Authors: Alaba Olanreaju Clement*, Adesida Adeniyi Patrick

Background: The release of lead dust during the processing of lead-gold ore has become an environmental threat. Therefore the protection of miners’ health and their environment required remediation which can be achieved by ranking the risk posed by lead in order to prioritize the allocation of resources during remediation. Methods: Soil and water samples were collected at BRC, BRG, BVC, BPA and BFA; BWE, BBH and BPO using stratified random and grab sampling methods. Lead concentrations in the samples were determined using AAS while health risk index (HRI) via ingestion was estimated using USEPA equations. The ranking of HRI was done using Detailed Quantitative Risk Assessment while the difference between the HRI and USEPA standard were determined using one sample t test. Results: The result showed that BRC/10, BRG/03, BVC/11, BPA/02 and BFA/08 were ranked highest in soil samples, while BWE/02, BBH/09 and BPO/04 were ranked highest in water samples as they posed elevated health risk effects to miners. One sample t test established that the BRC, BPA, BFA and BPO were significantly different from United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) standard. Conclusion: The study discovered that the users of both the lead contaminated soil and water were seriously exposed to potential health risk. It therefore suggested that decision makers should give priority in allocating resources to those sites with elevated lead concentrations during the remediation.

220-225

Authors: Saber Barkhori-Mehni, Saeed Khanzadi, Mohammad Hashemi*, Mohammad Azizzadeh

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate antimicrobial effect of Zataria multiflora Boiss essential oil (EO) against six fish spoilage bacteria for evaluation of its potential utilization in the preservation of minimally processed fish products. Methods: Firstly, GC-MS analysis of the EO was performed to determine its chemical composition. Then, antibacterial effect of the EO in a range of 0.031 to 4 mg/ml was tested against different fish spoilage bacteria such as Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Shewanella putrefaciens, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis by broth microdilution method to determine minimum inhibitory (MIC) and minimum bactericidal (MBC) concentrations. Results: GC-MS results showed that phenolic components such as carvacrol (51.55%) and thymol (25.49%) were predominant constituents of the EO. Zataria multiflora Boiss EO exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria. Shewanella Putrefaciens was the most sensitive bacteria with MBC value of 0. 5 mg/ml. Conclusion: According to the results, this EO could be used as an important natural alternative to prevent bacterial growth in food specially seafood products to preserve them against bacterial spoilage.

234-244

Authors: Shahrokh Izadi*

Background: To determine the most usual resources that adolescents and teenagers are using to learn about sexual issues. A cross-sectional exploratory study implemented in June 2015 in Zahedan, the capital city of Sistan-va-Baluchestan Province, located in the southeast of Iran. Methods: Using convenient sampling method, from among student of two large universities in Zahedan, 134 students 18 to 22 years old, accepted invitation for filling a self-administered anonymized questionnaire containing, 8 semi-closed questions about sexual issues. Results: 44.9% of women and 41.6% of men mentioned one of their friends as their tutors. While 42.0% of women mentioned their mothers as one of their tutors, only 18.8% of them believed that more than 50% of their sexual knowledge came from their mothers. 23.1% of male participants and 36.2% of female ones alleged to know personally people of their own ages who had been subjected to sexual abuse or harassment earlier in their life. Conclusion: In Iran, educating sexual issues to adolescents is badly in need of organization and management. While the rule of a committed extra-family tutor (e.g. an officially appointed school teacher) might not be considered a solution, parents have to be prompted for filling the gap.

253-260

Authors: Zahra Abedi, Mohammad Reza Mehrasbi*, Ali Assadi

Background: Natural organic matters (NOMs) have the main role in formation of trihalomethanes. These compounds are in natural water sources due to biological activities. In the presented study, adsorption and separation of humic acid as an index of natural organic matters using multi-walled carbon nanotubes is evaluated. Methods: The experiments were carried out in bath adsorption reactors with different concentrations of humic acid. The effects of pH, adsorbent dose, national concentrations of humic acid and contact time as study variables were tested in separated experiments, as well as, kinetic and isotherm models of the adsorption process were determined. Results: The results showed that the adsorption follows Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo second-order kinetic equation. The removal percent of humic acid reached to higher than 90% with dosage of 1g/l of nanotube. Conclusion: Adsorption of humic acid from water by multi-walled carbon nanotubes is an efficient alternative pretreatment method in water treatment plants.

138-146

Authors: Akbar Eslami, Mohtasham Ghafari, Valiallah Sohbatloo*, Farzane Fanaei

Background: The best way to assure the quality of drinking water is implementing a comprehensive and integrated management system with cooperation of all the related organizations Therefore, the purpose of this study is the assessment of safety in drinking water supply system of Zanjan. Methods: This investigation was performed by WSP-QA Tool software and WHO and IWA manual of water safety plan on water supply of Zanjan city in 2016. For this purpose, software checklist (containing 85 questions) were provided and completed according to the history of Zanjan Water and Wastewater Company and interviewing the experts of this company. Results: Data indicated that from all phases investigated, 52.95% was adjusted with WSP. System Description with the highest score, showed highest percentage of adjustment with the water safety plan (100%) and the phase related to verification and control with the lowest score, showed lowest percentage of adjustment with the water safety plan. Conclusion: Meanwhile, water distribution system is provided with a relatively average safety level and there is the potential of various pollutions caused by identified risks in water distribution system, therefore changing the present approach is suggested.

154-160

Authors: Nahid Nabavi, Mazyar Peyda*, Golam Reza Sadeghi

Background: In the present study, the photocatalytic (TiO2/UV) batch process has been used for the methyl orange (MO) degradation. Methods: In the catalyst range from 0.25 to 1.5 g/L, the optimum concentration of TiO2 was found to be 0.5 g/L. The kinetic behavior of MO degradation has been evaluated using the non-linear form of pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order models. Results: The goodness of the fit was evaluated using the correlation coefficient R2 value and the mean square error (MSE) function. Conclusion: The kinetic studies revealed that the pseudo-first order model (k1 = -0.0593 min-1) is more suitable to fit the experimental data (R2 = 0.957, MSE = 0.00271) of MO degradation.

168-176

Authors: Ali Pezeshki, Elnaz Kadkhodamohammadi, Abbas Mahmoodzadeh, Ali Haniloo*

Background: The genus of Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic protozoan parasite with a worldwide distribution where it is able to cause fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) and amoebic keratitis (AK). This organism inhabits in the wide range of natural and man-made aquatic environments. The present study was carried out to evaluate the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. in the various water resources of Zanjan province, northwest Iran, using both morphological and molecular methods. Methods: The Water samples were randomly collected from 30 water sources in different parts of Zanjan, Iran, between April 2015 and May 2016. Then, the samples were cultured on non-nutrient agar and the Acanthamoeba genus identified by morphological characters. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the 18S rRNA gene as a molecular marker. Results: The obtained data showed that, out of the 60 water samples collected, 30 (50%) were positive for Acanthamoeba spp. According to morphological and molecular approaches. Conclusion: The present investigation is the first report of the distribution of Acanthamoeba spp. in the various water sources of Zanjan province, gives baseline knowledge regarding water contamination with Acanthamoeba spp. in these areas and emphasizes the necessity of more attention to water sources in order to prevent infections associated with Acanthamoeba spp.

186-192

Authors: Tayebeh Rakhshani, Seyyed Mansour Kashfi, Mohammad Reza Ebrahimi, Samira Taravatmanesh*, Mostafa Rasheki

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of knowledge, attitude and practice of the households on the prevention and control Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, analytical. The population consisted of the residents in the south of Shiraz. The sample size was 300 and they were selected randomly. For analyzed using the descriptive indices as well as in-depended T-test, chi-square test and ANOVA. The SPSS software 16 was used for analysis. Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.1±13.6. The mean and standard deviation scores of knowledge, attitude and practice were 16.85 ±3.5, 34.38 ±6.43 and 5.6 ±1.9, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficient showed that the mean awareness (r = 0.13, P-value = 0.02) was more correlated with the mean practice compared to the mean attitude (r = 0.17, P-value = 0.00). However, both variables of knowledge and attitude had a significant relationship with practice (p-value = 0.00). Conclusion: Generally, the results of our study showed that the scores of knowledge and practice were lower than the mean score, and the attitude score was better than the two other scores.