Exposure to occupational air pollution and vascular endothelial dysfunction in workers of the steel industry in Iran.

Air pollution is recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases; however, the precise underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the impact of occupational air pollution exposure on endothelial function in workers within the steel industry. Specifically, we examined male employees in the coke-making division of the Isfahan Steel Company in Iran, as well as those in administrative roles with no known history of cardiovascular risk. Data on age, body mass index, duration of employment, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, and lipid profile were collected. To assess endothelial function, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was measured. The baseline brachial artery diameter was greater (mean difference [95% CI] = 0.068 mm [0.008 to 0.128]), while the FMD was lower (mean difference [95% CI] = -0.908 % [-1.740 to -0.075]) in the coke-making group than in the control group. After controlling for potential confounding variables, it was observed that working in the coke-making sector of the industry was associated with lower FMD (F = 3.954, p = .049). These findings indicated that occupational air pollution exposure among workers in the steel industry is linked to impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation.

Outpatient Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Registry in Iran: The First Rehabilitation Registry Experience at EMR.

INTRODUCTION: The collected information includes demographic profile, medical history, physical examination, patient risk factors, anthropometric evaluation, medications, echocardiographic results, and exercise testing of all patients who participated in the outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program in Cardiac Rehabilitation Department since 1996 until now. Each patient was assigned an electronic code by which the patient's information could be identified. Subsequently, standard questionnaires were used, such as International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) to assess physical activity, MAC NEW to assess the quality of life, Spielberg to measure anxiety, Beck to assess depression, and nutritional questionnaires. RESULTS: The findings were recorded, and the data were analyzed by the web and SPSS software. For all patients, the forms were filled based on a number of variables including backgrounds, registration components, type of referral, diagnosis of underlying heart disease, methods of data collection and entry, details of the educational program, return to work, psychiatric condition, drug regimen, clinical condition, echocardiography findings, functional capacity and exercise test response, smoking status, nutritional habits, and finally their 5-year follow-up for events and re-hospitalization. CONCLUSION: It is necessary for the authors to establish a cardiac rehabilitation registration that can properly display care quality indicators and collect and report standard data from different nations to improve the quality of cardiac rehabilitation services and identify weaknesses.