The biological weapons threats and coping strategies for health promotion.

The biotechnology revolution and the emergence of new ways to change the genetic material of an organism have led to an increased risk of biological wars. Coping strategies against these threats is very important to improve the health of people. Therefore, due to the importance of this issue, this study is aimed to review the scope of using biotechnology and genetic engineering in wars and coping strategies in all over the world. In this review study, database includes of PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Science Direct were searched. The search was limited to reviewed articles in English published between 1990 and 2020. The primary search results generated 148 relevant references. After eliminating the duplicates and articles which were not related to the review of the abstract, 11 references were identified for inclusion in this review. Based on the results of these studies, the advances in genetic engineering can lead to the development of new weapons for other types of conflict and war scenarios, secret operations, and sabotage activities. Rapid developments in biotechnology and genetics have created environmental, ethical, political, and social challenges for many communities. Increasing awareness and sensitivity, monitoring, and building capacity for effective coping are essential. Biotechnology areas that will probably significantly contribute to countering biological weapons include recognizing the human genome, strengthening the immune system, identifying bacteria and viruses' genome, equipment for biological identification, new vaccines, new antibiotics, and anti-viral drugs must be monitored.

Role of Religious Institutions in Disaster Risk Management: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the relevant research on religious organizations' participation in disasters risk management and to understand the ways in which these organizations impact on disaster management. Today, community-based disaster risk management is emphasized as a very effective approach. Religious organizations are one of the most important components of community. They have access to resources that can be critical to help government agencies to manage disasters successfully. METHODS: This systematic review was conducted since August 2018 to investigate the role of religious institutions in disasters management and was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, Proquest, Embase, and Google scholar were the primary databases used for search of literature. Keywords used in this review were "religious institution," "disaster management," and their equivalents were obtained from Mesh, Emtree, or extracted from related articles. The papers from a broad range of disciplines related to keywords were included, and those articles that focus on response to disaster based on religious beliefs' and religion rather than participation of religious institutions in disaster risk management were excluded. From the 18,071 records identified through database searching in the early stage, 22 articles were selected for this review followed by analysis of the characteristics and content analysis of the included studies to answer the study questions. RESULTS: The findings of this systematic review that emerged from content analysis are summarized in 11 themes: religious institutions' potential for disaster management, preparedness of religious institutions for disasters, response, recovery, the social capital, partnership with all stakeholders, collaboration and communication between mental health professionals and faith-based organization leaders, unity of information and message, religious institution shelters, dealing with disaster in old and new approaches, and barriers and challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Religious institutions have a vital role and great potential in disasters management. They often contribute in response and recovery phases of disasters, although these services are valuable but the great potential of these groups should also be recruited to participate in preparedness and mitigation efforts as part of disasters cycle. Coordination and collaboration of all stakeholders is essential in this way.

The importance of education on disasters and emergencies: A review article.

Disasters and emergencies have been increasing all over the world. Todays, with technological advancement, acquiring knowledge and its application in the realm of action is regarded as the only effective way for prevent disasters or reducing its effects. The present study aimed to review the importance of education and the effect of different methods of education on disaster risk reduction and preparedness in vulnerable people. To this aim, some articles indexed in Database of PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, and ProQuest were searched. The search was limited to reviewed articles in English published between 1990 and 2017. In addition, the selected articles were reviewed for relevant citations. The conducted studies were reviewed by two researchers independently. The primary search generated 128 relevant references. After eliminating the duplicates and articles which were not related to the review of the abstract, 41 references were identified for inclusion. After reviewing more, 31 references, which failed to meet inclusion index, were excluded from the study. Disaster education aims to provide knowledge among individuals and groups to take actions to reduce their vulnerability to disasters. During the last decades, the issue that trained people can be prepared for disasters and responding well has been extensively investigated. Based on the results, disaster education is a functional, operational, and cost-effective tool for risk management. Based on some evidence, it is important for vulnerable people to learn about disasters. There are different methods to educate vulnerable people, but no method is better than others. Trained people can better protect themselves and others. In this regard, planning and designing comprehensive educational programs are necessary for people to face disasters.

Sexual Function and Factors Affecting Menopause: A Systematic Review.

The purpose of this review study is to evaluate sexual function and its effective factors in menopause. A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The key words of "menopause," "postmenopause," "postmenopausal," "premenopause," "pre-menopausal period," "sexual function," "sexual health," "sexuality," "sexual and gender disorders," "sexual development," "sexual dysfunction," "sexual disorders," "sexual behavior and "sexual activity" were used in combination with the Boolean operators OR and AND. After reviewing the selected articles, 27 papers were selected based on the criteria for entering the study and the goals set. The results of the reviewed articles showed that, in the physical domain, the factors affecting sexual function can be mentioned, age, hormonal changes, medical problems and reproductive history. Sexual disorders in menopause can be affected by some of the individual and social characteristics and psychological problems. Considering the fact that many psychological and social injuries occur in this period following sexual disorders; therefore, policies and programs for improving the quality of life of women in menopause should be aimed at eliminating sexual dysfunction, correcting attitudes and negative emotions and help to women for more comfortable in menopause.

Comparing Quality of Life of Elderly Menopause Living in Urban and Rural Areas.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to compare the quality of life of elderly menopause living in urban/rural areas of Abadeh, Iran. METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted on 312 urban and 68 rural elderly population using the two-stage (systematic random classification) and objective-based sampling methods. Data were collected by Leiden-Padua questionnaire for assessment of quality of life in elderly menopause. SPSS software (version 21) and descriptive-analytical tests were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that the overall quality of life was 37.5 and 34.2 in rural and urban areas, respectively, and no statistically significant difference was observed between them. However, there was statistically significant difference in the mean score of depression and anxiety, cognitive function, social function, life satisfaction, and sexual activity in urban and rural elderly menopause (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It seems necessary to pay more attention to the elderly menopause to improve their quality of life and consider proper planning for their empowerment and coping skills training.

The relationship between fluid resuscitation and intra-abdominal hypertension in patients with blunt abdominal trauma.

BACKGROUND: Excessive fluid administration for saving patients from hypovolemic shocks is one of the main causes of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). The purpose of this paper is to survey the relationship between fluid resuscitation and increase intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present descriptive-analytical study recruited 100 patients with confirmed abdominal trauma and presenting to emergency departments. The cases with high IAP measured through the bladder were identified as developing ACS in case of having comorbidities involving two of the following systems: respiratory system, renal system or cardiovascular system. The volume of the fluids administered was compared in the first 24 h in subjects with and without ACS. RESULTS: Of 100 patients with abdominal trauma, whose IAP was measured, 28 cases developed ACS. The mean volume of the fluids received was found to be significantly higher in the patients with ACS (8772 ml) compared to in those without (5404 ml). As a complication of excessive fluid administration, IAH can seriously threaten the patient's life. CONCLUSIONS: Excessive fluid resuscitation causes ACS among the critically ill or injured patients such as abdominal trauma, pelvic fracture and intra-abdominal organ injuries hence to prevent this complication in all patients requiring short-term excessive administration of fluids, great care, and sensitivity are required to constantly control IAP and adjust the fluid administration.

The Evaluation of the Awareness, Attitude and Practice of the Elderly Toward Self-Medication: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of various diseases in the elderly has increased the use of drugs, which is coupled with age-related physiological changes and places the elderly at risk for multiple side effects. The present study aimed to determine awareness, attitudes and practices of elderly towards self-medication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample included 300 participants over 60 years under any of the health centers in urban and rural areas of Abadeh city, who were selected based on stratified random sampling method. In order to collect data, the questionnaire including demographic information, awareness, attitude and performance of the elderly and the checklist of drug intractable consumption. RESULTS: Based on the results, 76% of the elderly reported drug consumption. Regarding lifestyle, the average score of the elderly's awareness for the elderly who lived with and without families were 78.6±14.2 and 69.2±13.6, respectively. In other words, a significant difference was observed between these two groups. In addition, there was a significant between the elderly's performance score with and without family members about the self-medication (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Considering the increase in self-medication among the elderly, adherence to prescription criteria for drug among this age group is recommended. Finally, designing and implementing various educational programs in health education center is necessary for the elderly and their families for the purpose of improving awareness and practice.