Changes in hormones, Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL), and p16INK4a expression in SM-exposed individuals in favor of the cellular senescence.

Sulfur mustard (SM) is a chemical warfare agent with well-known severe toxic effects and may cause long-term debilitating injuries. We aimed to evaluate aging and longevity in Iranian SM-exposed survivors using some endocrine and molecular biomarkers for the first time. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), prolactin (PRL), cortisol, testosterone, and luteinizing hormone (LH) were measured in 289 male SM-veterans and 66 age-matched males using the ELISA method. Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL) measurement and p16INK4a expression were measured in the peripheral blood leukocytes of 55 males who were exposed to SM. We found a significantly lower serum DHEAS level and higher serum PRL level in SM-exposed groups (without any related to the severity of lung injuries) compared to healthy controls, but no significant difference in serum levels of cortisol, testosterone, and LH. The molar ratio of DHEAS/cortisol was significantly higher in controls compared to the SM-exposed individuals especially those with severe lung damage. Some biological parameters of allostatic load score such as DHEAS and DHEAS/cortisol ratio significantly decreased long-term after the SM exposure. Additionally, we found that LTL was shorter in SM-exposed veterans rather than unexposed controls while p16INK4a gene expression significantly increased in these groups. It seems that DHEAS, DHEAS/cortisol ratio, LTL, and p16INK4a gene expression have changed significantly in favor of cellular senescence in SM-exposed patients. Therefore, it seems that SM exposure increases biological age compared to chronological age in SM-exposed survivors.

Physical Inactivity and Food Insecurity Are Associated with Social Capital: A Large-Scale Population-Based Study in Tehran.

Background: There are limited studies on food security, physical activity, and social capital in the Iranian population. This study aimed to evaluate the social capital's associations with physical inactivity and food insecurity in a large-scale study in Iran, Urban HEART-2. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 22 districts of Tehran, the capital of Iran. Residents of Tehran who were 15 years or older were selected by a multi-stage, stratified, and random sampling method. Food insecurity and physical activity were evaluated using Household Food Security Scale and Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, respectively, and their associations with social capital were evaluated. Results: A total of 5030 individuals were included in this study, with 3139 (62.4%) males. The mean age of participants was 44.08 years (SD = 16.33, range = 15-90). Participation in social events (OR = 0.893, 95% CI = 0.819-0.974, P = 0.011), social network (OR = 0.849, 95% CI = 0.786, P < 0.001), and voluntary activities (OR = 0.865, 95% CI = 0.812-0.921, P < 0.001) were all negatively associated with food insecurity. Also, voluntary activities (OR = 0.823, 95% CI = 0.776-0.872, P < 0.001) and participation in the associations activities (OR = 0.665, 95% CI = 0.582-0.759, P < 0.001) were negatively associated with physical inactivity. Conclusion: The prevalence of food insecurity and physical inactivity is relatively high among Tehran residents. As a factor affecting the physical activity and food security, social capital can be targeted in interventions to improve physical activity and food security among Iranians.

Socio-economic risk factors of household food insecurity and their population attributable risk: A population-based study.

Background: Food insecurity as a major public health problem has associations with a wide range of adverse consequences on health and quality of life. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of food insecurity among Iranian households, its key socioeconomic risk factors and population attributable risk via a large-scale cross-sectional study in the capital of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among 30,809 households with complete questionnaires of food security, during 2011. The univariate test was used to investigate the association between economic status and covariates with household food insecurity. Multiple logistic regression model was used to assess the independent effect of economic status on household food insecurity. Results: Totally, 37.8% (95% CI: 37.25, 38.34%) of the households were food insecure. There were significant associations between economic status and household food insecurity after adjustment for other variables (p-value<0.001). The extent of household food insecurity that could be attributed to the economic status in the 1st and 2nd quintiles (poorest and poor households), compared with the 5th quintile (richest households), was estimated to be 48.43% and 60.12%, respectively. Conclusion: Food insecurity is relatively prevalent among households in Tehran. Economic status was identified as the most significant determinant of household food security, as 62.7% of poorest households were food insecure. Therefore, there is a crucial need to address food insecurity as a priority in food policies.

Application of the short form of quality of life instrument version 2 in a large population of Tehran.

Background: Quality of life (QoL) is now considered as a key indicator in health studies. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate QoL in the general population of Tehran (capital of Iran) using SF-12v2 questionnaire and determine some factors associated with it. Methods: This was part of a large population-based cross sectional study conducted in Tehran, Iran, in 2011. Participants were selected from all districts of Tehran using multistage cluster random sampling method. Data were collected using the Iranian version of the SF12v2 questionnaire. Linear regression model was used to assess the independent effect of surveyed variables of the study population on their QoL. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Overall, 30 809 individuals over the age of 20 from 22 urban districts were included in this study and evaluated by SF-12v2 questionnaire. The mean age of the study population was 44.5±15.9, and most of them were female (19 967 (64.8%)). The total mean score of SF-12v2 was 60.4 and the lowest and highest mean scores were observed in GH (46.9±26.5) and MH subscales (64.1±24.7), respectively. It was also observed that District 3 of Tehran had the highest mean score (65.2±18.7) in the total QoL and District 12 had the lowest mean score (56.6±18.7), respectively. The results of multiple linear regression model showed that sex, age, education, household size, presence of chronic disease in family, having insurance, smoking, and marital status were significantly related to most subscales and two summary components of QoL. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the surveyed population of Tehran had a relatively moderate QoL, but it changed from district to district. It was also observed that age and education of the study population were important variables in relation to QoL.