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Background and Aim: It has been revealed that taxi drivers break more traffic rules than ordinary drivers. Such risky behaviors include stopping at prohibited areas and sudden change of direction. The present study aimed to determine the Risky Behaviors of Taxi Drivers in Bandar Abbas, Iran., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 184 taxi drivers were randomly selected from eight taxi stations located at different parts of Bandar Abbas city in 2016. Taxi drivers' risky behaviors were evaluated via a 20-item questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 19, using descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-test. The p-values less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant., Results: The mean age of the drivers was 45.1 (±11.1) years. The mean of their occupational experience was 18.7 (±10.8) years. The risky behaviors which showed the highest frequency were respectively, failure to use signal-lights, driving too close to the cars in front, refusing to drive within the lanes and erratic lane changing.The lowest frequency belonged to running a red light, ignoring 'no entry' signs and taking illegal U-turns. Risky driving behaviors were shown to be significantly more prevalent among drivers with previous experience of crashes or tickets than drivers with no such experiences (p<0.01)., Conclusion: Increasing the role of police supervision for the strict implementation of driving laws, and modification of the drivers' behavior and implementation of periodic training programs on drivers' safety issues can be considered for reducing taxi drivers' unsafe behaviors., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest to be declared.

Background: Zinc deficiency is an important problem in children, especially in developing countries. Zinc supplements have beneficial effects on multiple factors, including treatment of growth retardation and hypogonadism, and they can be used as therapeutic and prophylactic agents against infection in children., Objective: To determine the prevalence of zinc deficiency in 6-month to 12-year-old children in Bandar Abbas., Methods: This study was done in Bandar Abbas in 2013. In this cross-sectional study, 583 children were evaluated after obtaining a written informed consent from their parents. Zinc levels < 6 μg/dl were defined as zinc deficiency, zinc levels of 80-66 μg/dl were defined as insufficient, and zinc levels of 80-115 μg/dl were defined as sufficient levels. SPSS software, version 20, descriptive statistics, the chi-squared test, and the t-test were used to analyze the data., Results: Five hundred and eighty-three children with a mean age of 42.82±30.68 months participated in this study. Among the participants, 263 (45.1%) were females, and 320 (54.9%) were males. The prevalence of zinc deficiency was 17.5% in this study. Zinc deficiencies were reported in 67 males (20.94%) males and in 35 females (13.30%). Zinc deficiencies were more common in boys, and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.01)., Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the prevalence of zinc deficiencies is high in Bandar Abbas and that it is more prevalent in males than in females. The children in this area should be screened for zinc deficiency. Future studies should focus on then treatment of zinc deficiency and its role in different aspects of children's health., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest to be declared.

Background: Otitis media is one of the most common infections among children and is a complication in about 30% of common colds. The most common complication of acute otitis media is otitis media with effusion. Some studies have reported the effects of montelukast and mometasone nasal spray in treatment of otitis media with effusion. However, current information is inadequate in this issue., Objective: To compare the effectiveness of montelukast and mometasone nasal spray in treatment of otitis media with effusion in children attending Koodakan hospital in Bandar Abbas, Iran., Methods: This randomized controlled trial was done on 2- to 6-year-old children attending Koodakan Hospital in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, in 2014. Patients were divided into three groups of montelukast, mometasone, and control group. Audiometry was done for all patients at baseline and four weeks after treatment. Patients were compared for treatment results. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 software., Results: A total of 143 children were included in the study. Mean age of the participants were 44.64 ± 18.03 months. There was no significant difference in treatment results in different treatment groups (p>0.05)., Conclusion: Mometasone and montelukast are not effective and not recommended in treatment of otitis media with effusion in children. More studies are needed in this regard., Trial Registration: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02541760., Funding: The authors received financial support for this research from Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest to be declared.

Introduction: People in tropical and semi-tropical areas are in danger of scorpion sting, and this can be a serious problem for them. Mortality due to scorpion sting in the tropical and semi-tropical areas of Iran is about 75%, and this makes scorpion sting in these areas a serious medical problem. Because of this problem, our aim was to assess the epidemiological aspects of scorpion sting in Bandar Abbas, Iran, during 2009-2011., Methods: In this cross-sectional retrospective study, epidemiologic data of 698 scorpion sting cases, who were referred to the Shahid Mohamadi Hospital of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan Province collected from 2009 until 2011. The data included demographic and individual information, such as age, gender, geographic location, bite site, when the incident occurred, and anti-venom consumption. The required data were extracted from the patients' recorded information in the Hospital, and we recorded data in a special checklist and imported the data into the computer for statistical analysis using of SPSS software, version 21.0. Descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage, were used for data analysis., Results: Two hundred and sixty-one (37.4%) of the cases were urban and 437(62.6%) were rural. Males comprised 50.1% of the cases, and women comprised 49.9% (p >0.05). Twenty-five point two percent of scorpion sting cases occurred among people in the 21 to 30 age group, and there were very few cases among people in the 51 to 60 age range (p<0.05). Most of cases were recorded in April and October, and the fewest cases were recorded in July and January (p<0.05); also 32.2% of scorpion sting cases occurred after midnight and in the early morning hours., Conclusion: Our survey showed that there was a high incidence of scorpion stings in rural areas, among 21-30 age group, among housekeepers, and among students. These results indicate the need for public education programs and better sanitation services in the rural areas around Bandar Abbas city. Prospective studies can help to health and medicine organization for prevention and treatment of scorpion sting.

Background: Nocturnal enuresis is among the most common disorders in children. Several pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are available for nocturnal enuresis. Studies for reaching the best pharmacological treatment for this disorder are continuing., Objective: To compare the effectiveness and safety of Desmopressin and oxybutynin for treatment of nocturnal enuresis in children from Bandar Abbas in 2014., Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2014 and participants included 66 children with nocturnal enuresis who were more than 5 years old. Patients were randomly assigned into two groups. The first group received 120 microgram Desmopressin daily for 2 months, then 60 microgram daily for 2 months, then 60 microgram every 2 days. The second group received 5 mg oxybutynin twice a day for 6 months. The patients were followed after 1, 3, and 6 months to track treatment response. The study outcomes were frequency of nocturnal enuresis, urinary incontinency, urgency, and frequency. Data were analyzed using SPSS software., Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups with respects to sex, age, place of residence, and parents' education (p<0.05). Nocturnal enuresis, incontinency, urgency, and frequency of nocturnal enuresis was significantly lower with Desmopressin treatment in comparison to the oxybutynin treated group after 1 and 3 months (p<0.05). In addition, constipation and xerostomia were more frequent among the oxybutynin group after 1, 3, and 6 months (p<0.01). Blurred vision was also more frequent among oxybutynin group after 3 months (p<0.01). After 6 months the frequency of nocturnal enuresis and its frequency was higher in oxybutynin group in comparison to the Desmopressin group (p<0.05)., Conclusion: Desmopressin is more effective and has lower rate of side effects in comparison to oxybutynin for treatment of nocturnal enuresis. We recommend using Desmopressin for treatment of nocturnal enuresis in children. More studies are needed to achieve the best pharmacological treatment option for treatment of nocturnal enuresis., Trial Registration: The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with a ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02538302., Funding: The funder of this research is Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.

Background: With the growing global population, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the demands for food and energy. A major portion of the food and energy is produced via agriculture and livestock activities. The objectives of this research are to gather information regarding the demographic features of farmers, previous poisoning, and the extent of farmers' knowledge in the use of pesticides and associated hazards in different counties and villages in Fasa, a city located in the Fars province of Iran., Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from March to July 2012 in the Nobandegan and Sheshdeh counties, and villages including Miandeh, Fedshkuyeh, Senan, Rahimabad, and other places in the Fasa suburban countryside. To collect data, an appropriate questionnaire was designed and implemented., Results: A total of 200 farmers participated in the study. We found that 55% of farmers were illiterate. Approximately 86% of used pesticides were organophosphorus compounds. Around 30% of the farmers used no protective equipment while working with pesticides, and only 22% of farmers had read and understood the instructions on the pesticide containers., Conclusion: Given the toxicity and hazards of pesticides and their adverse effects on farmers' health, effective measures should be adopted to decrease the amount of pesticides used. Conducting training programs for farmers may help to reduce pesticide exposure risks.

Background: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is usually one of the main problems in industrial settings. The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in different DPOAE are caused by exposure to different levels of noise at different time intervals among workers exposed to noise., Methods: This case-control study was conducted in the autumn of 2014 on 45 workers at Gol Gohar Mining and Industrial Company, which is located in Sirjan in southeast Iran. The workers were divided into three groups based on their noise exposure, i.e., 1) 15 office workers as a control group with exposure to low levels of noise, 2) 15 workers from manufacturing departments who were exposed to a medium level of noise, and 3) 15 workers from manufacturing departments who were exposed to high levels of noise. The SNRs at the frequencies of 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz were measured in both ears at three different time intervals during the shift work. SNRs of 6 or greater were considered as inclusion criterion. Repeated measures, the Spearman rank-order correlation test, and paired t-test analyses were used with α = 0.05 being the level of significance., Results: For all frequencies in the right and left ears, the SNR values were more than 6, thus all SNR values were considered as acceptable responses. The effects of time and sound pressure level (SPL) on SNR were significant for the right and left ears (p = 0.027 and < 0.001, respectively). There was a statistically significant correlation between the SNR values in the right and left ears for the time intervals 7:30-8:00 A.M. and 13:30-14:00 P.M., which implied that an increase in the duration of exposure led to reduced SNR values (p = 0.024, r = 0.948)., Conclusions: The comparison of the SNR values in the right and left ears (for all frequencies and the three different SPLs) indicated that the values decreased during the shift work.

Background: AIDS and hepatitis are two of the most important health issues in the world. Adolescents and individuals in their reproductive years are important population for interventions in order to reduce high risk behaviors for transmission of sexually transmitted disease. However the prevalence of AIDS and hepatitis B and C is high in Bandar Abbas, no study is available about high risk behaviors related to these diseases in Bandar Abbas. The aim of the current study was to investigate high risk behaviors related to AIDS and hepatitis B and C among 15- to 45 year old individuals in Bandar Abbas, Southern Iran., Method: In this analytical study, 1938 participants between 15- and 45 years of age in Bandar Abbas in 2012 were selected to participate in this study. For each individual, the following information was sought: shared syringes, phlebotomy, tattoos, prisoning, drug abuse, amphetamine, alcohol, smoking, unsafe sexual contacts, as well as demographic information including age, sex, marital status, and education level. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, Illinois, United States) using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests., Results: A total of 8.4% reported having had tattoos; 10.3% reported previous phlebotomy. Individuals with prison history included 7.3% of our study population and their mean age was 31.4 years. Unsafe sexual contact was reported in 10.7% of the study sample. High risk behaviors were more common among individuals with a low educational level, and in alcohol users and amphetamine users (P<0.05)., Conclusion: High risk behaviors are more common among individuals in their reproductive years. Increasing educational level and knowledge translation are effective in preventing AIDS and hepatitis high risk behaviors.