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Background: The presence of air pollutants such as CO, NO 2 , SO 2 , O 3 , and PM in the ambient air mainly emitted from fossil fuels combustion has become a major health concern. The aims of this study were to estimate the attribution of NO 2 , SO 2 , and O 3 in the premature deaths and prevalence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Isfahan in 2013-2014., Methods: In this study, short-term health effects (total mortality, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and acute myocardial infarction) of exposure NO 2 , SO 2 , and O 3 on the population of Isfahan were assessed using AirQ 2.2.3 software suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO)., Results: The result showed that from nonaccident total mortality in 2013-2014 in Isfahan, the attributable proportion related to NO 2 , SO 2 , and O 3 were 1.03% (109 cases), 3.46% (365 cases), and 1.29% (136 cases), respectively. The percentage of days that people were exposed to the highest concentration of NO 2 (40-49 μg/m 3 ), SO 2 (60-69 μg/m 3 ), and O 3 (40-49 μg/m 3 ) was 34.46%, 16.85%, and 42.74% of a year, respectively. Total mortality attributed to NO 2 , SO 2 , and O 3 exposure was 0.36%, 0.79%, and 0.83%, respectively., Conclusions: The concentrations of NO 2 and SO 2 were upper than the WHO guidelines. The Air-Q software in spite of its limitations can provide useful information regarding the health outcome of the air pollutants. The results estimated in this study were considerable. This information can help the health authorities and policy makers to draw suitable strategies and fulfill effective emission control programs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Health services for those in need. Inpatient care shows a more serious side of individual care and patients and their family members perceive a high level of stress and urge. We conducted this study to determine inequalities of in-patient health care utilization in Iranian people and to assess factors that influence utilization., Methods: In each province, the sample was comprised of 380 urban and 380 rural households that were recruited by a systematic random sampling method. A total of 23,560 households, which included around 102,000 individuals were recruited. We used the questionnaire for data collection. Met admission need (MAN) was the main variable and was considered household assets for determining the economic status. We did all analyses using the STATA version 9.1., Results: The rates of MAN for urban and rural areas were 83% and 81.3% respectively. The rate of MAN was significantly higher in patients with higher educational level. Patients with primary health insurance coverage had significantly higher rate of MAN., Conclusions: Meeting admission needs was estimated around 84% and it seems that modifying insurance coverage is the most feasible intervention for increasing utilization of health services.

Background: Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is one of the main indicators of the millennium development goals and its accurate estimation is very important for the countries concerned. The objective of this study is to evaluate the applicability of capture-recapture (CRC) as an analytical method to estimate MMR in countries., Methods: We used the CRC method to estimate MMR in Iran for 2004 and 2005, using two data sources: The maternal mortality surveillance system and the National Death Registry (NDR). Because the data registry contains errors, we defined three levels of matching criteria to enable matching of cases between the two systems. Increasing the matching level makes the matching criteria less conservative. Because NDR data were missing or incomplete for some provinces, we calculated estimates for two conditions: With and without missing/incomplete data., Results: According to the CRC method, MMR in 2004 and 2005 were 33 and 25 in the best-case scenarios respectively and 86 and 59 in the worst-case scenarios respectively. These estimates are closer to the ones reported by United Nations Agencies published in 2010, 38 and Hogan's study, 30 in 100,000 live births in 2005., Conclusions: The MMR estimation by CRC method is slightly different from the international studies. CRC can be considered as a cost-effective method, in comparison with cross-sectional studies or improvement of vital registration systems, which are both costly and difficult. However, to achieve accurate estimates of MMR with CRC method and decrease the uncertainty we need to have valid databases and the absence of such capacities will limit the applicability of this method in developing countries with poor quality health databases.

Background: Assessing growth is a useful tool for defining health and nutritional status of children. The objective of this study was to construct growth reference curves of Iranian infants and children (0-6 years old) and compare them with previous and international references., Methods: Weight, height or length of 2107 Iranian infants and children aged 0-6 years old were measured using a cross-sectional survey in Tehran in 2010. Standard smooth reference curves for Iranian population were constructed and compared to multinational World Health Organization 2006 reference standards as well as a previous study from two decades ago., Results: Growth index references for Iranian girls are increased in compare to data from two decades ago and are approximately close to the international references. In boys; however, the increment was considerably large as it passed the international references. Not only the values for indexes was changed during two decades, but also the age at adiposity rebound came near the age of 3, which is an important risk factor for later obesity., Conclusions: During two decades, growth indexes of Iranian children raised noticeable. Risk factors for later obesity are now apparent and demand immediate policy formulations. In addition, reference curves presented in this paper can be used as a diagnostic tool for monitoring growth of Iranian children.

Background: Body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy and weight gaining during pregnancy affect infant birth weight and are associated with unfavorable pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe the weight gain pattern of Iranian pregnant women according to the BMI status at the beginning of pregnancy., Methods: This was a longitudinal cross sectional study. A total of 500 pregnant women in 6th-10th weeks of pregnancy were enrolled and followed up through delivery. Body mass index categories based on first visit weight and total weight gain were calculated. The multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to compare the mean values of gestational weight gain., Results: At the first care, those with underweight, normal, overweight and obese accounted for 10.7%, 46%, 35.9% and 7.4% of all participating women, respectively. Most of the subjects were in normal range of BMI (46%) at the beginning of the study. As BMI was more at the first visit, the recommended amount of weight gain was less achievable (70% versus 27%). Although the average weight gain in obese women was less than other groups (9±7.9), about 55% of them were over the recommended standards of weight gain., Conclusion: In conclusion, in spite of frequent visits during pregnancy, only half of pregnant women had normal weight gain and most of them had normal BMI at the first visit. This study highlights the importance of considering women with abnormal pre pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain at an increased risk and providing appropriate care for them to prevent future adverse outcomes.