Helicopter Emergency Medical Services in East Azerbaijan province: Assessment of patients' outcome.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients transported by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services in East Azerbaijan Province. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on patients transported by the HEMS centre of Tabriz from August 2014 to March 2017. Records of the centre were used to collect data. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software version 20; the statistical significance level was considered below 0.05. RESULTS: In this study, 268 patients were transferred to Tabriz hospitals by 167 missions performed. The mean age of patients was 34.26±19.43, and 173 (65%) patients were male. The most common reason for call-out was the need for professional care (91.4%). The target of the majority of missions was on countryside routes. The mean distance of destinations was about 99.13±35.9 Kms, with a mean transference time of 54.68±14.17 minutes, while the mean estimated ground route time was 86.38±26.26 minutes. The most prevalent diagnosis was trauma; The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and vital signs of the majority of patients were above 13 and stable, respectively. About 98 percent of patients received fluid therapy, and 71 percent were immobilized, and only 6 percent needed intubation. Also, 28 percent of patients needed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 56 percent of whom passed away later. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Tabriz HEMS missions have reduced the patient transport time and also made the mortality rate closer to international standards.

Phototoxicity of environmental radiations in human lens: revisiting the pathogenesis of UV-induced cataract.

The magnitude of cataract pathology is indeed significant as it is the principal cause of blindness worldwide. Also, the prominence of this concept escalates with the current aging population. The burden of the disease is more tangible in developing countries than developed ones. Regarding this concern, there is a gap in classifying the pathogenesis of the ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced cataracts and explaining the possible cellular and subcellular pathways. In this review, we aim to revisit the effect of UV radiation on cataracts categorizing the cellular pathways involved. This may help for better pharmaceutical treatment alternatives and their wide-reaching availability. Also, in the last section, we provide an overview of the protecting agents utilized as UV shields. Further studies are required to enlighten new treatment modalities for UV radiation-induced pathologies in human lens.