Workplace Risk Factors Assessment in North-Azadegan Oil Field Based on Harmful Agents Risk Priority Index (HARPI).

Background: Considering the necessity of health risk management, the present study conducted to provide a comprehensive model for identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing occupational health risks in an oilfield. Methods: We conducted this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study in 2022 at the North-Azadegan oil field in Iran. The occupational health risk was assessed using the "Harmful Agents Risk Priority Index" (HARPI) method. Results: Among the employees for the office section in all job groups, ergonomic risks due to people's posture while working has the highest risk score and is the most critical risk for implementing corrective actions. In the operational section, for the HSE group, benzene, the production group, Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), and other groups, undesirable lighting has the highest risk score, and exposure to Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes (TEX) has the lowest risk score. In this oil field, controlling exposure to benzene, correcting ergonomic conditions, and controlling noise exposure, with scores of 81.3,74.85 and 71.36, have the highest priority, respectively. Sequentially, Toluene, Xylene, and ethylbenzene, with scores of 10.25,11.61, and 11.61, have the lowest control priority. Conclusion: The proposed model can prioritize the workplaces' harmful agents based on the HARPI score due to exposure to chemicals, physical factors, and analysis posture.

The effects of personal protective equipment on heart rate, oxygen consumption and body temperature of firefighters: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Fire extinguishing operations are carried out by firefighters equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE) in dangerous environments. Although PPE protects firefighters, it can affect many physiological parameters. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of PPE on firefighters' heart rate (HR), oxygen consumption (OC) and body temperature (BT). METHODS: This systematic review thoroughly reviewed relevant articles in the reliable databases "Web of Science", "Embase", "IranDoc", "IranMedex", "SID", "Magiran", "Google Scholar", "PubMed" and "Scopus" from 2010 to 2021. Some of the used search terms were "firefighters", "personal protective equipment", "heart rate" and "oxygen consumption". RESULTS: Out of the 405 studies identified through the systematic search, 18 articles were eligible according to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist, among which 11 studies were conducted in North America, three in Asia, two in Europe, and two studies in Oceania. According to the review of studies, PPE increased HR, BT, and OC. The type of PPE components, the weight of the equipment, the kind of activity of firefighters, and weather conditions were among the influencing parameters on the extent of PPE's influence on these physiological parameters. CONCLUSION: The results of the studies show that PPE separately and collectively affects the physiological parameters of HR, BT and OC. To reduce these effects, it is necessary to pay attention to several items, including the weight of PPE, the type of PPE ingredients in different weather conditions, and the type of activities of firefighters in PPE design.

Health-promoting behaviors in staff and students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences.

BACKGROUND: The staff of health and dentistry schools can play an important role in encouraging students and their clients to adopt health and preventive behaviors. The aim of this study was to compare health-promoting behaviors in staff and students of health and dental schools in Ardabil University of Medical Sciences (ARUMS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2021. The research population was staff and students of health and dental schools. Staff sampling was by census and students were sampled by simple random sampling. The data collection tool was a questionnaire whose validity and reliability had been confirmed in previous studies. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical statistics tests using SPSS version 20 software. Linear regression was performed using stepwise method. RESULTS: The results showed that the mean score of the individuals was 99.2 ± 20.24. In the leveling, the behaviors of 33 people (17.55%) were appropriate, desirable and good, and the health-promoting behaviors, 154 people (82.45%), were moderate and low. The correlation between age, gender, marital status, and workplace of the individuals with health-promoting behaviors was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The output of stepwise regression analysis showed that the variables were significant and could predict the scores of health-promoting behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Health-promoting behaviors in <20% of students and staff are desirable, and in more than 80% of them are moderate and poor. Therefore, educational administrators should use these results in curriculum planning to increase health-promoting behaviors of students and staff. The score of health-promoting behaviors is related to the above-mentioned areas, but the relationship may not be linear.

Effectiveness of training program in manual material handling: A health promotion approach.

BACKGROUND: Even in an era of automation and digitalization, Manual Material Handling (MMH) can be called the most common industrial task. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) induced by manual handling tasks on the workers of a printing factory in Tehran in 2017 and then to evaluate the effectiveness of a training intervention based on health promotion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study had quasi experimental design and was conducted on 40 men. First, demographic data were collected and the Nordic questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence of MSDs in workers. Then, MMH tasks were assessed using Manual Handling Assessment Chart (MAC). A short training course was designed to promote health. Finally, the same MMH tasks were re-evaluated 3 months after the training intervention. RESULTS: Among the various tasks, the highest prevalence of work-related MSDs (WMSDs) was observed in the lower back (77.5%) and shoulder (62.5%). Based on the final scores of the MAC method, the jobs that received the highest scores were cutting (individual lifting), with 22 scores and action level "immediately necessary," cutting (individual load carrying), with 15 scores with action level "urgently needed." Arranging the forms (individual lifting) received a similar score. After the training intervention, the estimated risk level reduced by 12, 9, and 6 points, respectively, reaching a safe action level, i.e., "necessary in the future." CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that educational interventions might be equally effective in low-technology work environments. More in general, the MAC method can be used to make informed planning of educational interventions against WMSDs risk in MSDs. This health promotion approach is critical for care of human recourse.

Burnout level in Iranian teachers and its related factors: A health promotion approach.

BACKGROUND: Promoting the well-being of students and teachers should be the goal of school mental health programs. A large body of evidence has highlighted that there is an emerging concern regarding the increasing stresses that teachers are dealing with. Burnout is a psychophysical state that is characterized by emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and low sense of personal accomplishment (PA). We aimed to assess burnout level in teachers' population and its correlation with demographic characteristics because it not only can be affected teachers' health promotion but also student well-being promotion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present cross-sectional study, 322 high-schoolteachers from the second district of Tehran were randomly selected and were asked to complete the standard Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire to evaluate the three areas of burnout. In addition, participants were interviewed for their demographic status (IR.TUMS.MEDICINE.REC.1397.473). RESULTS: The results of this study showed that male teachers exhibit significantly lower score compared with female ones in all three indicators of burnout including EE, DP, and PA (P < 0.05). The number of children teachers and income level in men also influenced all three indices (P < 0.05). Regarding the impact of spouse's job status on burnout in men and women, PA was the only unaffected area (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, none of the demographic characteristics effected burnout domains in female teacher population. CONCLUSION: Considering the results of this study that shows the higher burnout level in male teachers and its association with several demographic characteristics such as income level and number of children, special attention should be paid to this gender to reduce possible stress and mental illness.

Ergonomic intervention to reduce musculoskeletal disorders among flour factory workers.

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are the most common occupational health hazards. In the flour production industry, the fast pace of work, high frequency of repetitive movements, manual handling of loads, and awkward postures put a lot of pressure on the worker's body. OBJECTIVE: Given the high exposure of the workers of the flour production industry to ergonomic risk factors, this study aimed to reduce the rate of musculoskeletal disorders among a group of flour factory workers through ergonomic interventions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This interventional study was performed using the census method on the eligible workers of a flour factory. An ergonomic intervention program was planned and implemented with the goal of reducing musculoskeletal disorders. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated by measuring the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders before and six months after the interventions. RESULTS: Before the intervention, musculoskeletal disorders were most prevalent in the lower back, arms, shoulders, legs, thighs, knees, neck and wrists, respectively. Evaluation of the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders after the intervention showed the positive effect of the ergonomic intervention program on musculoskeletal disorders in the neck, shoulders, lower back, thighs, knees, and legs (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Engineering and management interventions implemented in this study led to a significant reduction in the level of ergonomic risk factors and a reduced rate of musculoskeletal disorders among workers of different units in the flour factory.

The simultaneous effects of thermal stress and air pollution on body temperature of Tehran traffic officers.

PURPOSE: Global warming and air pollution are among the most important problems all over the world. Considering the key role of traffic officers who saliently deal with traffic management and are in full, constant and direct exposure to thermal stress and air pollution index, this study aims to investigate the simultaneous effects of these factors on the body temperature of traffic officers in the main squares of Tehran. METHODS: This study was conducted among 119 traffic officers who were working in 29 squares of Tehran, located near the active pollutant's stations during 2017. Samples were selected by the census method. Environmental parameters such as air temperature (dry and wet), radiation temperature, the level of air pollution in the main squares and characteristics of officers such as body temperature and the Wet-Bulb-Globe-Temperature (WBGT) index were evaluated. Data were analyzed through independent samples t-test and factorial ANOVA with a p value of p ≤ 0.05 in SPSS software. RESULTS: There was no significant relationship between air pollution and ear temperature, but there was a statistically significant difference between the wet-bulb temperature and the ear temperature (t = 26.4, P < 0.001). The interaction effect of air pollution and wet-bulb temperature on the ear temperature was also significant (F = 3.98, P = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Exposure to heat and air pollution affects body temperature, with its greatest impact on the temperature of the ear. More studies are recommended to be conducted in these field and other factors such as demographic and environmental factors at different times of the year should be investigated. Accordingly, some interventions should be implemented to reduce the vulnerability of officers based on the findings of the research.

Data for the prevalence of nurses׳ burnout in Iran (a meta-analysis dataset).

The present dataset was carried out using meta-analysis method towards investigation of the prevalence of nurses׳ burnout in Iran. To this end, the keywords were searched in the Iranian databases such as Medlib, SID, Iranmedex, Magiran or even some international databases such as Cochrane, Science-Direct, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The data were analysed using the STATA Software Version 12. In ten articles with a sample size of 1758 subjects, an average age of 30.73 (54%) and the confidence interval of 43-64, the prevalence of burnout was reported. The obtained data indicated that Fars and Zanjan Provinces had the highest and lowest rates of burnout (72% and 26%, respectively). According to the acquired data, the total prevalence of burnout among men and women measured 46% and 65%, respectively. Given the high prevalence of burnout among the Iranian nurses in this dataset and the importance of nursing in public health which requires highly motivated and committed nurses with high job satisfaction, it is recommended that the intensity of burnout be reduced through supervising the nurses׳ professional performance, supporting, paying attention to their problems, following up and providing the necessary strategies to improve their environmental, economic, and personal conditions.

Using Image Processing in the Proposed Drowsiness Detection System Design.

BACKGROUND: Drowsiness is one of the underlying causes of driving accidents, which contribute, to many road fatalities annually. Although numerous methods have been developed to detect the level of drowsiness, techniques based on image processing are quicker and more accurate in comparison with the other methods. The aim of this study was to use image-processing techniques to detect the levels of drowsiness in a driving simulator. METHODS: This study was conducted on five suburban drivers using a driving simulator based on virtual reality laboratory of Khaje-Nasir Toosi University of Technology in 2015 Tehran, Iran. The facial expressions, as well as location of the eyes, were detected by Violla-Jones algorithm. Criteria for detecting drivers' levels of drowsiness by eyes tracking included eye blink duration blink frequency and PERCLOS that was used to confirm the results. RESULTS: Eye closure duration and blink frequency have a direct ratio of drivers' levels of drowsiness. The mean of squares of errors for data trained by the network and data into the network for testing, were 0.0623 and 0.0700, respectively. Meanwhile, the percentage of accuracy of detecting system was 93. CONCLUSION: The results showed several dynamic changes of the eyes during the periods of drowsiness. The present study proposes a fast and accurate method for detecting the levels of drivers' drowsiness by considering the dynamic changes of the eyes.

Diet and cancer prevention: Dietary compounds, dietary MicroRNAs, and dietary exosomes.

Cancer is one of main health public problems worldwide. Several factors are involved in beginning and development of cancer. Genetic and internal/external environmental factors can be as important agents that effect on emerging and development of several cancers. Diet and nutrition may be as one of important factors in prevention or treatment of various cancers. A large number studies indicated that suitable dietary patterns may help to cancer prevention or could inhibit development of tumor in cancer patients. Moreover, a large numbers studies indicated that a variety of dietary compounds such as curcumin, green tea, folat, selenium, and soy isoflavones show a wide range anti-cancer properties. It has been showed that these compounds via targeting a sequence of cellular and molecular pathways could be used as suitable options for cancer chemoprevention and cancer therapy. Recently, dietary microRNAs and exosomes have been emerged as attractive players in cancer prevention and cancer therapy. These molecules could change behavior of cancer cells via targeting various cellular and molecular pathways involved in cancer pathogenesis. Hence, the utilization of dietary compounds which are associated with powerful molecules such as microRNAs and exosomes and put them in dietary patterns could contribute to prevention or treatment of various cancers. Here, we summarized various studies that assessed effect of dietary patterns on cancer prevention shortly. Moreover, we highlighted the utilization of dietary compounds, dietary microRNAs, and dietary exosomes and their cellular and molecular pathways in cancer chemoprevention.

Biosensors for the Detection of Environmental and Urban Pollutions.

Release of harmful pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals to the environment is a global concern. Rapid and reproducible detection of these pollutants is thus necessary. Biosensors are the sensitive and high specific tools for detection of environmental pollutants. Broad range various types of biosensors have been fabricated for this purpose. This review focuses on the feature and application of biosensors developed for environmental and urban pollutants detection. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 207-212, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The prevalence of occupational musculoskeletal disorders in Iran: A meta-analysis study.

BACKGROUND: Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs) is crucial as they jeopardize the well-being of the workforce in workplaces and are prevalent in developed and developing countries. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of WRMSDs among Iranian workers. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of WRMSDs in Iran was performed by searching relevant keywords in authentic databases and search engines such as SID, Google Scholar, Medlib and PubMed. Twenty-seven published articles in the field of WRMSDs from 2001 to 2010 were searched. Meta-analysis and random effects approach were used to analyze data. Heterogeneity investigation of articles was done using I2 index. RESULTS: The total sample size was 6,090 workers with a mean of 225 samples per study. The upper and lower back had the highest prevalence rate of self-reported WRMSDs with 38.1% (95% CI: 29.9-46.4), and 50% (95% CI: 42.5-57.5), respectively. Also, knee had the highest prevalence among lower extremity disorders with 42.1% prevalence rate (95% CI:35.1-49.1). CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of WRMSDs in upper and lower limbs was reported in Iran. Trainings with regard to occupational ergonomics and industrial hygiene programs were recommended for minimizing the work-related risks of musculoskeletal disorders.

Study on attitudes of students of Islamic Azad University Tehran Medical Branch toward food safety, 2016.

BACKGROUND: Given the importance of high-quality healthy food for humans, contamination control is the most important concern for healthy staff. AIM: To determine the attitudes of students at Islamic Azad University (Tehran Medical Branch) toward food safety. METHODS: This cross-sectional and analytic-descriptive study was conducted on 326 students of Azad University of Medical Sciences in 2016. A self-made questionnaire consisting of 40 questions was used. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed using internal consistency method (Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.80). After collecting data, we use descriptive statistical indexes (mean and standard deviation) among demographic variables and the level of knowledge to describe and analyze the data. The participants' attitudes and operation are measured by Spearman tests, and the analytical results are given using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: According to the findings, 55.3, 30 and 14.7 percent of students had high, moderate and low attitude scores toward food safety, respectively. In addition, male and female students had equal attitudes toward food safety, and no significant relationship between sex and attitude was observed a significant difference (p>0.05), but between educational levels (p=0.008) and ages (p=0.001) of students significance was a positive correlation. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the low attitudes score of about half of the students of Islamic Azad University Tehran Medical Branch toward food safety, it can be claimed, food safety training in this community is required.

Determination the Levels of Subjective and Observer Rating of Drowsiness and Their Associations with Facial Dynamic Changes.

BACKGROUND: We determined the levels of subjective and observer drowsiness and facial dynamics changes. METHODS: This experimental study was done in the virtual reality laboratory of Khaje-Nasir Toosi University of Technology in 2015. Facial dynamics changes like changes in eyes, mouth and eyebrows were surveyed on twenty-five drivers in 2015byKSS (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale) and ORD (Observer Rating of Drowsiness). ANOVA Repeated Measure and MANOVA Repeated Measure tests were used for data analysis. Also, neural network and Viola-Jones were used to detect facial characteristics. PERCLOS (Percentage of Eye Closure), blink frequency and blink duration were inspected for eyes parameters. The size of open mouth during drowsiness was inspected for mouth parameter. During the inspection of eyebrow, the number 50 denoted eyebrow in normal position. For eyebrows above the normal position, a range of 50 to 55 was specified; in addition, 45-50 was found as the specified range for eyebrows under normal position. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics of the dynamic changes in mouth and eyes illustrated that during the driving process, the level of sleepiness increased as well as changes of eyes and mouth. However, statistical findings during car driving revealed that dynamic changes in eyebrows had clear expression with a constant trend. Similar studies on data obtained from KSS and ORD showed that both of these parameters simultaneously increased as well as the level of drowsiness. In addition, a significant relationship existed between facial expression and drowsiness. CONCLUSION: This research would be an effective and efficient tool for timely alarming and detecting the drowsiness quickly and precisely.

Investigation into effects of work-related quality of life and some related factors on cognitive failures among nurses.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive failure is one of the factors which can be influenced by personal and professional characteristics. This research was carried out to study the effect of work-related quality of life (WRQoL) and some related factors on cognitive failures (CF) among nurses. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses working in intensive care units, critical care units and emergency units in 2014. RESULTS: In total, 750 nurses participated in the study. The mean ± SD for the total CF and WRQoL was 40.5 ± 12.7 and 75.8 ± 13.7 respectively. The results show that CF have a statistically significant difference among the age groups, experience groups and working units. Multiple regression tests show that age, income and WRQoL have a significant effect on CF. Based on the results, for a unit increase in WRQoL we expect a 0.26 unit decrease in CF. Analysis of variance results show that the emergency ward had changed the overall effect of WRQoL on CF, after the effect of WRQoL was controlled. CONCLUSIONS: Overall results from the present research indicated that, despite the high level of WRQoL among the studied nurses, the rate of CF was not at an appropriate level. Development of supportive and interventional strategies is highly recommended.

Investigation of the Relationship between Work Ability and Work-related Quality of Life in Nurses.

BACKGROUND: Work ability of nurses is an index of their job satisfaction and is a crucial factor in job quality and security. This study aimed to investigate the association between work ability and quality of working life and to determine the effective demographic and background variables, among nurses. METHODS: The present study was conducted among nurses, working in educational hospitals under the supervision of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2014. Work Ability Index (WAI) and Work-related Quality of Life (WRQoL) were used. RESULTS: The mean WAI was significantly associated with total WRQoL score and the two of its sub-items including Stress at Work, and General Well-Being (P-value=0.001). Moreover, the results showed a significant correlation between total WRQoL and WAI Subscales including mental resources (P-value=0.001), number of current diseases (P-value=0.02), and work ability in relation to the job demands (P-value=0.04). The WRQoL and WAI showed significant associations with age and job experience (P-value=0.001). The average score of WAI and WRQoL was statistically different among various working units (P-value=0.001). CONCLUSION: Overall, results support the association between nurses work ability and WRQoL. Monitoring the WRQoL and work ability of employees would help organizations to know their status and take measures to ameliorate the working conditions.

Relationship between occupational stress and cardiovascular diseases risk factors in drivers.

OBJECTIVES: Of all work stressors, occupational stress is the leading cause of many disorders among workers. Drivers are classified as a high risk group for work related stress. This study set out to determine the relationship between risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and occupational stress among drivers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two hundred and twenty two Ilam's intercity drivers were selected for the study. For measuring work stress, the Osipow work stress questionnaire was used. After a 10-h fasting period, systolic and diastolic blood pressure was recorded. Intravenous blood samples were taken to determine cholesterol, triglyceride and blood glucose levels. The independent samples t-test and Pearson's correlation test were used to assess the relationship between variables and occupational stress. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of the intercity drivers suffered from average to acute stress, and 3.1% of them suffered from acute stress. There was no significant relationship between occupational stress and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.254) among the drivers. Nevertheless, the Pearson's correlation test demonstrated a strong relationship between work stress and blood glucose (p < 0.01), while no strong correlation was found for blood triglycerides and cholesterol levels. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, high rates of occupational stress were observed in the Ilam's intercity drivers. Occupational stress may have effect on blood glucose levels but the results did not suggest a considerable relationship between risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and occupational stress among intercity drivers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2016;29(6):895-901.