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Objectives: Air pollutants in dentistry offices may cause problems for the health of staff and patients. Accordingly, the present study was performed to the assessment of bacterial bioaerosols and particulate matter (PM) characteristics in the indoor air of dentistry clinics. Methods: The sampling points were restoration, endodontics, and prosthesis wards. The PM specimens were taken using Grimm Dust Monitor and the microbial specimens were taken using QuickTake 30. Results: The maximum and minimum PM10 concentration across the different measure wards occurred as 70.31 and 30.32 μg/m3 in the Ketabchi Clinic restoration and its endodontics ward, respectively. The total number of bioaerosols was 2079. Gram‑positive Staphylococcus spp.(872), Gram‑positive Micrococcus spp.(706), and Gram‑negative Bacillus spp.(501) were present in the indoor air. The results showed a significant relationship for PM1 and PM2.5 in each sampling site. Conclusion: The low PM and bacterial bioaerosols contamination can be due to the coincidence with coronavirus pandemic, as during this period, health and hygienic protocols have been strictly observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are among leading causes of debility and death at a global scale. The current study aimed at investigating the possible advantage of administrating tranexamic acid (TXA) in patients with post-TBI brain contusion and intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IPH). Materials and Methods: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on patients who had brain contusion/IPH according to their on-admission brain computed tomography (CT) scan, referring to Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, during 2018-2021. The patients were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (receiving TXA through an antecubital vein access) or the control group (receiving Normal Saline via a similar route). TBI severity, ICH volume, and compressive effects of hemorrhagic mass on admission, 24 h, and 72 h after treatment were assessed. Then 3-month outcome estimated by Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Results: There was no significant difference between patients' age, gender, TBI etiology (traffic collision or fall from height), and skull fracture between the study groups. Compressive effects of hemorrhagic mass, new bleeding and brain edema during 24 and 72 hours after intervention were not significantly different between the TXA and placebo groups. The alterations in ICH volume from preintervention to 24/72 h postintervention were similar between the intervention and placebo subgroups (P > 0.05). Majority of participants (82.5%) showed a good 3-month neurological outcome according to GOS, but that was not significantly different between the study groups. One case of death occurred in each subgroup, and both of them died after hospital discharge. Conclusion: TXA neither has a preventive effect against in-hospital post-TBI hemorrhage enlargement nor on neurological outcomes three months after hospital discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the main causes of disability. Since individuals with TBI experience many problems in their daily life, they must be highly supported. Regarding the nature of their problems, their caregivers suffer from many psychological problems. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of group acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the family function, experiential avoidance, and anxiety of the TBI patients' caregivers. Methods: The current study was a randomized clinical trial with waiting list and intervention groups. Forty caregivers of TBI patients who referred to Kashan's Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Iran, since 2017 until 2019 were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 20) and the waiting list control (n = 20) groups. Both the groups completed a demographic information questionnaire, the Family Assessment Device, the Experiential Avoidance in Caregiving Questionnaire, and the anxiety subscale of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale in pretest, posttest, 3-month follow-up, and 6-month follow-up. Results: The results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that ACT program can significantly decrease the anxiety, experiential avoidance, and most of the dimensions of the family functions (P < 0.005). Conclusion: ACT could be utilized to improve the family functions and reduce the experiential avoidance and the anxiety of the TBI patients' caregivers. This trial is registered with the Registry of Clinical Trials: "IRCT20190704044100N1." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Management of water resources, especially groundwater in arid and semiarid regions, is of particular importance. Various natural and human factors in recent decades have created critical conditions for these resources. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate changes in groundwater levels over the past 28 years. Materials and Methods: To conduct this research, statistics related to 64 piezometer wells were studied during the years 1990–2018, and the effect of rainfall and extraction from groundwater resources was interpreted and analyzed. Results: The results of the study showed that according to the hydrograph of 64 piezometer wells in Kashan plain, the groundwater level has a downward trend and has decreased by 15.29 m during 28 years. The annual drop was 0.54 m. An increasing peak of water table was also observed. Moreover, the water level has decreased slightly in some years and has not decreased in some years. Conclusion: The study shows that uncontrolled harvesting in the long run has had a more significant impact than rainfall on groundwater resources. Moreover, water abstraction has occurred on average in the southern and southeastern parts of the plain, which can be due to the concentration of agricultural lands in this area. To reduce this trend, strong management strategies should be adopted and appropriate to the situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Paying attention to Children's evolutionary status help to improve their mental capacity and make them more intelligent and creative adults. The present study aimed to investigate the developmental status in 4–60-month-old children of Kashan and Aran-Bidgol and its related factors in 2016–2017. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 656 children aged 4–60 months in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol that were recruited by a stratified random sampling method. Data were collected through self-report using Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and demographic and clinical questionnaire. The ASQ consists of 30 questions in five domains including communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social skills. The inter-rater agreement coefficient of 93%, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.51–0.87, and the 2-week test–retest correlation of 0.75 are reported for this questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as Chi-square, ANOVA, and t-test. The significance level was considered <0.05. Results: The results showed that 527 (80.3%) of the 656 children were healthy, and the rest had a disorder at least in one of the developmental domains, including 1.5% disorders in communication skills, 6.2% in gross motor, 1.2% in fine motor skills, 1.2% in problem-solving, and 0.9% in the personal-social area. There was a significant relationship between developmental disorders with the child's gender and birth weight. Among maternal characteristics, there was a significant relationship between the mother's job and age with developmental delay. Conclusion: Despite the normal evolution in most children of Kashan and Aran-Bidgol, a significant number of them had a disorder at least in one of the evolutionary domains. It is essential to sensitize the families about the developmental process of their children and encourage them to alleviate the risk factors to prevent early complications of these disorders in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]