Definition and characteristics of climate-adaptive cities: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Cities, as frontline responders to climate change, necessitate a precise understanding of climate-adaptive features. This systematic review aims to define and outline the characteristics of climate-adaptive cities, contributing vital insights for resilient urban planning. METHODS: This systematic review, initiated on March 6, 2018, and concluded on August 26, 2021, involved reviewing multiple electronic databases based on the study's objectives. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) tool was used for quality assessment and critical evaluation of articles retrieved through a comprehensive and systematic text search. Descriptive and thematic analyses were conducted to extract definitions, features, and characteristics of climate-adaptive cities. RESULTS: Out of 6104 identified articles, 38 articles met the inclusion criteria. In total, 20 definitions and 55 features for climate-adaptive cities were identified in this review. Codes were categorized into two categories and ten subcategories. The categories included definitions and features or characteristics of climate-adaptive cities. CONCLUSION: A climate-adaptive city, as derived from the findings of this study, is a city that, through effective resource management, future-oriented planning, education, knowledge utilization, innovation in governance and industry, decentralized management, and low-carbon economy, leads to the adaptability, resilience, sustainability, and flexibility of the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city against all climate change impacts and reduces their negative consequences.

Detection of magnetomotive ultrasound signals from human tissue.

Rectal cancer is a common cancer, with presently a 5-year survival of 67 %. Treatment is based on tumor stage, but current staging methods, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound, are limited in the ability to correctly stage the disease. Magnetomotive ultrasound is a developing modality that has a potential to improve rectal cancer staging. Magnetic nanoparticles are set in motion by an external magnetic field, and the resulting motion signature is detected by ultrasound. Here, we report on magnetomotive images of magnetic nanoparticles in human tissue, using a prototype system where a rotating permanent magnet provides the varying magnetic field, and an ultrasound transducer array encircling the magnet, detects the induced motion. Prior to surgery, a patient with a low rectal tumor was injected at three sites close to the tumor with magnetic nanoparticles. Postsurgical magnetomotive ultrasound scanning revealed the three injection sites, with no obvious artefactual signals. A phantom study showed detection of nanoparticles beyond 40 mm, where 30 mm is the expected maximum distance to mesorectal lymph nodes. Magnetomotive ultrasound image of iron oxide nanoparticles in human tissue. Prior to surgery a patient was injected with nanoparticles, and the excised tissue specimen was imaged with a prototype magnetomotive ultrasound system. The three colored areas overlaid on the standard B-mode greyscale image, correspond to the three injection sites.

COP27: The Prospects and Challenges for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

In line with the global trend, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been growing vulnerable to the direct and indirect health effects of climate change including death tolls due to climatological disasters and diseases sensitive to climate change since the industrial revolution. Regarding the limited capacity of MENA countries to adapt and respond to these effects, and also after relative failures of the previous negotiation in Glasgow, in the upcoming COP27 in Egypt, the heads of the region's parties are determined to take advantage of the opportunity to host MENA to mitigate and prevent the worst effects of climate change. This would be achieved through mobilizing international partners to support climate resilience, a major economic transformation, and put health policy and management in a strategic position to contribute to thinking and action on these pressing matters, at least to avoid or minimize the future adverse consequences.

Health system plan for implementation of Paris agreement on climate change (COP 21): a qualitative study in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring public health is crucial in any policy debate on climate change. Paris Agreement on climate change is a global contract, through which countries have committed themselves to a public health treaty. The agreement has laid the foundation for mitigation and adaptation. This study was conducted to provide an evidence-based framework for policy-making in the health system of Iran in order to reduce the adverse effects of climate change on public health and to increase the adaptation of the health system as a result. METHODS: This is a qualitative study. We first used Delphi method to extract the components of Paris Agreement on climate change that were related to the functions and policymaking of health system in Iran. Twenty-three experts in health and climate change were identified purposefully and through snowball sampling as participants in Delphi. Data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire. We used SPSS software version 25 for data analysis based on the descriptive indices including the mean, the percentage of consensus above 75%, and the Kendall coordination coefficient. RESULTS: Seventy-nine components classified within nine categories were extracted. The most important examples of the implementation of Paris Agreement on climate change in the health system of Iran were: participation in the formulation of strategies for mitigation and adaptation, identifying vulnerable groups, assessing vulnerability, increasing the capacity of health services delivery during extreme events, using early warning systems, using new technologies to increase the adaptation, evaluation of interventions, financial support, increasing the number of researches, increasing the knowledge and skills of staff, and finally public awareness. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence-based policy-making is pivotal to develop effective programs to control the health effects of climate change. This research provided policy translation and customization of micro and macro provisions of Paris Agreement on climate change, in line with the political context of health system in Iran. Our finding will pave the ground, we envisage, for further steps towards capacity building and enhancement of resiliency of the health system, adaptation interventions, and evaluation, identification of barriers and facilitators for adaptation and decreasing the adverse health effects caused by the climate change, in Iran and perhaps beyond.

Climate change and health in Iran: a narrative review.

BACKGROUND: The consequences of climate change are highly impeding the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) anywhere, especially in low and middle-income countries. While climate change scales up, its health-related risks increase, which in turn leads to cause new challenges for public health. As a second largest country of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of World Health Organization, Iran is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. PURPOSE: This study seeks the notion of health risks and challenges of climate change in Iran and provide potential evidence-based remedies to prevent and diminish such destructive effects. METHODS: A comprehensive literature in various computerized databases was conducted, and numerous published original research and review articles about climate change status and evidences of adverse health consequences of climate change in Iran were reviewed. RESULTS: The evidence suggests that the expected health challenges related to climate change in Iran are: rising temperatures; frequent extreme weather events; reduction of air quality; food-borne, water-borne, and vector-borne diseases; mental health and well-being consequences; and the increasing trend of natural disasters and deaths associated with climatological hazards. CONCLUSIONS: By considering the growing burden of diseases associated with climate variability in Iran as well as the interdisciplinary nature of climate change and health issues, an integrated, multi-sectoral, and comprehensive approach for identification, prioritization, and implementation of adaptation options is required by Ministry of Health and Medical Education as a custodian of public health in order to enhance the resiliency and adaption against adverse health effects of climate change.

Nejat Briefcase: A tool for drug education.

BACKGROUND: On account of the prevalence of psychoactive substances and drug abuse and its diversity of forms and methods of use, along with the reduction in the age of drug abuse, a continuing medical educationof physicians with these issues is necessary. Although it is legally forbidden, most physicians have no close contact to these drugs, and this is not effective for training, prevention and treatment of drug addiction. In this regard, offering an educational tool is needed, if in close contact to these drugs. The 'Nejat Briefcase' is a tool designed for the purpose of training and familiarization of psychoactive substances and drugs. The aim of this study is to investigate the points of view of the participants in the continuing medical education program, 'Introduction to types of psychoactive substances and drugs' and about the Nejat Briefcase, in the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, all the general physicians (108 people) who participated in the continuing medical education program, 'Introducing types of psychoactive substances and drugs,' in the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), in 2012 - 2013, were considered. In this program, in order to introduce various types of psychoactive substances and drugs to the physicians, as well as acquaint them with their forms, methods of use, and prices, the new educational tool (Nejat Briefcase), containing various types of psychoactive substances and drugs and the related educational packages, such as, booklets and brochures, was used. A researcher-made, valid and reliable questionnaire was distributed at the end of program to gather the participants' points of view about the educational program. Data was analyzed by the SPSS and t-test and descriptive statistical tests. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The response rate to the questionnaire was 83%. Forty-four people (41%) were women and 64 (59%) were men. The mean total score of the participants' points of view was 4/58 ± 0/45 (out of 5), which indicated the positive points of view of the participants. Ninety-seven people (90%) were satisfied with the program. CONCLUSIONS: On account of the participants' positive points of view on the Nejat Briefcase and their consent to it, using varied and attractive educational tools for psychoactive substances and drug training and producing tools similar to the Nejat Briefcase are proposed.