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Background: Congenital malformations are one of the most important and common types of anomalies in infants, and they are considered as the leading causes of disability and mortality in children. These malformations impose enormous costs on families and organizations involved in the treatment, maintenance, and education of patients. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the risk factors affecting the incidence of congenital anomalies in infants born in Iran. Methods: In this retrospective descriptive-analytical study, we registered various information of all newborns examined and their mothers, including gender, family relationship of parents, type of delivery, types of congenital malformations, anomalies of the hands and feet, and anomalies of the nervous and reproductive systems in the maternity wards of hospitals in Iran. Data were gathered using a checklist. The relationships between different factors were assessed by chi-square test, and the factors influencing congenital malformations were investigated by logistic regression using SPSS-26 software. The significance level of all tests was 0.05. Results: According to the results, 7.5% of newborns had congenital malformations. Eclampsia and diabetes mellitus increased the risk of congenital malformations by 15 and 11%, respectively. The risk of congenital malformations in rural areas was 12% higher than in urban areas. Factors such as consanguineous marriages, history of abortion, and gender also affected the risk of congenital malformations. Conclusions: Necessary measures and plans in the field of premarital counseling, regular pre-pregnancy and post-pregnancy tests and controls, especially in rural and deprived areas, are essential and effective in reducing the incidence of congenital malformations.

Background and Purpose: Survival tree model is a nonparametric method which can be used to identify the affecting factors from a specific time to the onset of an event. In this method, the categories are selected according to the most important factors. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting the duration of breastfeeding in mothers and introduce the homogeneous subgroups using a survival tree model. Materials and Methods: It was a historical cohort study analyzing the survival data of mothers with healthy single childbirths referring to the rural and urban health centers of Agh-Ghala County since 2011 until 2014. Data analyses and groupings of breastfeeding survival were performed using survival tree model with conditional inference algorithm in R Software. A separation criterion (SEP) confirmed the relevance of the model. Results: Survival tree model results revealed that the type of consumed milk with the complementary nutrition, ethnicity and the time interval between current childbirth and the previous delivery were the most important factors affecting the duration of breastfeeding. The SEP's criterion was 2.082. Thus, due to the significant difference between the subgroups and the value of more than 1 for SEP criterion, the efficiency of the model was confirmed. Conclusion: Survival tree model could be introduced as a suitable and powerful method for ranking the duration of breastfeeding rate which presents four homogeneous subgroups for analysis in addition to identifying the predictive variables.

The present work aimed to evaluate the health risks of occupational exposure to heavy metals in a steel casting unit of a steel plant. To determine occupational exposure to heavy metals, personal air samples were taken from the workers’ breathing zones using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health method. Noncancer and cancer risks due to the measured metals were calculated according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency procedures. The results indicated that the noncancer risks owing to occupational exposure to lead (Pb) and manganese were higher than the recommended value in most of the workstations. The estimated cancer risk of Pb was also higher than the allowable value. Moreover, the results of sensitivity analysis indicated that the concentration, inhalation rate, and exposure duration were the most influencing variables contributing to the calculated risks. It was thus concluded that the present control measures were not adequate and further improvements were required for reducing the exposure levels.

Background: There are many concerns about the migration of phthalates into bottled water. These compounds are hazardous to consumers. In this study, the risk factors of the use of various brands of drinking water bottled in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers under different storage conditions were examined. Methods: Phthalate esters were measured and analyzed using air-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (AALLME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Subsequently, the risk of exposure to the desired compounds was evaluated by calculating the risk factor and excess cancer risk. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 24 software. Results: The average concentration of phthalate esters (DEHP, DBP, DIBP, DEP, and DMP) after 5 and 15 days of storage at incubator temperature of 42°C, and after 15, 45, and 75 days at incubator temperature of 25°C by increasing the initial level of the conditions was 7.28, 8.99, 1.78, 5.6, 6.45, and 8.55 ppb, respectively. The risk factor of non-carcinogenic effects of phthalates for consumers was low and can be ignored (HQConclusion: However, due to the increase in the concentration of phthalate esters in bottled water by increasing the storage time and temperature, as well as increasing the ethylene hexyl phthalate content from its established limit, the use of bottled water kept in unsuitable conditions for the society, and especially the sensitive groups, is not appropriate

Introduction: Due to water scarcity and increased water consumption during the past years, the importance of water in terms of transmission of diseases, as well as Iran's climate, groundwater aquifers are known as the most important resources of drinking water supply. Using the Water Quality Index (WQI) is considered as strong managerial tool for decision making in water resource management. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of groundwater in Ardakan for drinking purpose using WQI. Spatial analysis was conducted with the geographic information system (GIS). Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study to investigate the quality of groundwater in Ardakan for drinking purpose. Information on total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), bicarbonate (HCO3-), chlorine (CL-), sulfate (SO42-), nitrate (NO3-), calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) of 24 wells was obtained from Ardakan Health Center. The characteristics of the stations were determined using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and transmitted to the map prepared in the GIS environment. The calculated values of the WQI were zoned in the GIS environment by Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) method. Results: Based on the WQI, well no.5 has the best quality water (17.61), which has the lowest WQI, and the highest value of WQI was obtained for well no. 20 (156.86). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that none of wells have drinkable water, 13 wells had good quality water, and 11 wells had poor quality and should be treated for drinking.

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a potentially avoidable cause of irreversible blindness or severe visual impairment in many infants born premature. The global incidence of premature birth has been reported to be 11.1 per 100 livebirths in 2010. The present communication share the experience and lessons learnt during a Neonatologist-Ophthalmologist Retinopathy of Prematurity (NO-ROP) campaign and ROP situation analysis in Bangladesh. A weeklong workshop was organised in May 2016 in Dhaka for the paediatricians and ophthalmologists of the country involved in ROP care. This included a programme to train the attendees on basic to advanced ROP care. Finally, a half day session was organised for the government stakeholders, non government organisations, obstetricians, neonatal and child health care providers and ophthalmologists to assess the level of awareness, the gaps and any obstacles for an effective ROP care in the country. Besides, two neonatal units were visited to assess the ROP situation at district levels in Bangladesh. The observations were documented and recommendations suggested. The awareness and resource availability for ROP care was disproportionately less compared to the demand even in Dhaka. At the district levels, the ROP care mostly did not exist. However, the eagerness to help, support and bridge the gaps was tremendous both among the government and non government organisations. There is an urgent need to strengthen and expand the existing ROP services in Dhaka as well as at the district levels. The observations made and lessons learnt could go a long way in combating ROP blindness in Bangladesh and in other developing countries. Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2019; 45: 122-125

The interaction in the nanoclay is expected to be improved as the result of the amalgamation of hypalon chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber (CSM) with nanoclay in the presence of compatibilizer agent nature rubber (ENR). Melt intercalation method was also applied to prepare CSM phases. The effect of ENR and nanoclay on the mixture behavior was also detected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) contributed to scrutinize the thermal properties of the prepared NR/CSMs. The outcomes of the X-ray diffraction study are compatible with those of thermal analysis. The results indicated that CSM was infixed into nanoclay. Regarding the fact that the amount of the nanoclay content was lower than 12 wt%, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (F.W.O) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (K.A.S.), methods were applied to specify the energy of the apparent activation of the nano/hypalon systems holding 3, 6, 9 wt% of nano. The upshots demonstrated that increasing the thermal stability of hypalon was directed into boosting the nanoclay content. This divulges that there is an interplay between nanoclay, ENR and hypalon. Comparing to micro-filled ENR/CSM and ENR/CSM cross linked systems, it is predicted to conclude an enhanced thermal stability, higher values of Tg, better dispersion the nanoclay and more polish without any cracks.

Objectives Methane (CH4) breath test is an established diagnostic method for gastrointestinal functional disorders. Our aim was to explore the possible link between splanchnic circulatory changes and exhaled CH4 in an attempt to recognize intestinal perfusion failure. Design Randomized, controlled in vivo animal study. Setting University research laboratory. Subjects Anesthetized, ventilated Sprague-Dawley rats (280 ± 30 g) and Vietnamese minipigs (31 ± 7 kg). Interventions In the first series, CH4 was administered intraluminally into the ileum before 45 minutes mesenteric ischemia or before reperfusion in non-CH4 producer rats to test the appearance of the gas in the exhaled air. In the porcine experiments, the superior mesenteric artery was gradually obstructed during consecutive, 30-minute flow reductions and 30-minute reperfusions achieving complete occlusion after four cycles (n = 6), or nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia was induced by pericardial tamponade (n = 12), which decreased superior mesenteric artery flow from 351 ± 55 to 182 ± 67 mL/min and mean arterial pressure from 96.7 ± 18.2 to 41.5 ± 4.6 mm Hg for 60 minutes. Measurements and main results Macrohemodynamics were monitored continuously; RBC velocity of the ileal serosa or mucosa was recorded by intravital videomicroscopy. The concentration of exhaled CH4 was measured online simultaneously with high-sensitivity photoacoustic spectroscopy. The intestinal flow changes during the occlusion-reperfusion phases were accompanied by parallel changes in breath CH4 output. Also in cardiac tamponade-induced nonocclusive intestinal ischemia, the superior mesenteric artery flow and RBC velocity correlated significantly with parallel changes in CH4 concentration in the exhaled air (Pearson's r = 0.669 or r = 0.632, respectively). Conclusions we report a combination of in vivo experimental data on a close association of an exhaled endogenous gas with acute mesenteric macro- and microvascular flow changes. Breath CH4 analysis may offer a noninvasive approach to follow the status of the splanchnic circulation.

The recent increase in the global consumption of antibiotics has led to faster entry of these pollutants into the environment as well as an increase in public concern about its impact on ecosystem and human health. Generally, due to high toxicity of antibiotics, biological methods are not used to treat these pollutants; therefore, advanced oxidation processes are recommended to treat and reduce the toxicity of the wastewater. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of photo-oxidation (P) and electro-oxidation (E) processes in the removal of amoxicillin (AMX) from wastewater, either as integrated or separate processes. Moreover, the effect of variables, including current density (2-100 mA/cm2), reaction time (2–120 min), and electrolyte concentration (100–1,000 mg/l) on antibiotic removal efficiency were investigated by Box Behnken design under response surface methodology, and optimal conditions were determined for pollutant removal. Then, the effect of AMX concentration and pH variables on the removal efficiency was investigated. The COD removal efficiency was also evaluated under optimal conditions, and eventually the toxicity and bioavailability of the effluent from the combined Photo-Electro oxidation process (PE) were examined. The optimal conditions for variables, including current density, reaction time, and electrolyte concentration for removal efficiency of 62.4%, were 94 mA/cm2, 95 min and 997 mg/l, respectively. Investigating the Amoxicillin and pH variables showed that by reducing the contaminant concentration and pH, the antibiotic removal efficiency increased. The toxicity and bioavailability of the final effluent show the reduction of both parameters in the PE reactor effluent. The PE process can provide an appropriate function to reduce the toxicity and antibacterial properties of effluent by removing more than 60% of amoxicillin and 30% of COD from wastewater.

Objectives: Women’s reproductive empowerment is an essential issue for good reproductive health which is affected by various socioeconomic and cultural factors. This study was designed to compare women’s reproductive empowerment in urban and rural areas. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical and correlational-type study, 810 women referring to health care centers in Sari were recruited through proportional cluster sampling method. Data were collected using a questionnaire on women’s reproductive empowerment including cultural, individual-family, social, and family planning domains. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical tests. Results: The mean (standard deviation) of women’s reproductive empowerment score was 91.46±13.14 (a 95% CIof 90.55-92.36) and no statistical difference was observed between the urban and rural women in this respect (P = 0.59). In addition, cultural and family planning domains obtained the highest 29.12 (5.80) and the lowest 17.55 (4.25) scores concerning reproductive empowerment, respectively. Therefore, women’s reproductive empowerment score was significantly correlated with the females’ employment status (P = 0.006) and their husbands’ levels of education (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Overall, the finding contributes to the discourse on women’s reproductive empowerment based on their residential area and thus adds to the limited literature on this issue in developing countries and Iran, in particular. Therefore, appropriate planning is required for women with various employment statuses and their spouses with different educational levels in order to improve their empowerment in terms of reproductive issues.

The entry of toxic organic pollutants and resistant to biodegradation has increased the concern about human health. The use of advanced oxidation (AO) processes to degrade these pollutants has been developing. One of the AO processes is based on the use of hydrogen peroxide in removing resistant organic pollutants.This study aimed to develop a new reactor capable of producing H2O2 in the solution. Therefore, a porous electrode made of stainless steel with the capability of air injection in the electrode center was used. The 30 cm rod graphite electrodes were also used as an anode electrode in a 4000 ml reactor. The effects of variables, including current density (30–40 mA/cm2), time (10–30 min), and electrolyte concentration (12–17 mM/L) on the amount of H2O2 production were evaluated by Box behenken design under response surface methodology using Design expert software. The results of this study showed that H2O2 can be produced at the electrode surface of porous cathode under optimal conditions of 36 mA/cm2 current density, 16 mM/l electrolyte concentration, in 23 min, and in the amount of 34 ppm. Using a porous cathode electrode causes the maximum contact among the solution, water, and air, and increases the production of H2O2.The release of resistant organic compounds to the waste water is a serious problem to the environment. By the application of the Electro-oxidation (EO)reactor with the ability to produce H2O2, this issue is resolved. Furthermore, this technique is applied for non-selective degradation of the toxic organic compounds. • The electro-oxidation process is a useful method for destruction of persistent organic matter from wastewater. • Due to use of porous cathode in this method, contact between the electrode and the sewage is at its maximum level which increases the efficiency and speed of sewage treatment. • This method can produce H2O2 as a high potential oxidant that can reduce persistent organic properties of sewage and make the wastewater suitable for biological treatment. Method name: Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP), Electro-oxidation (EO), Electrochemical Oxidation Processes (EOP), Keywords: Box Behnken design, Electro-oxidation process, Hydrogen peroxide, Modeling, Porous electrode

Disturbances associated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can be due to the pathologic process of the disease or insufficient physical fitness. The benefits of exercise in improving cardiopulmonary fitness have been demonstrated in animal studies and also clinical trials on cardiovascular patients and healthy human cases; however, its effectiveness in people with MS(pwMS) is still unknown. people with MS often engage in rehabilitation programs for exercise tolerance improvement. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the effect of this specific intervention on cardiopulmonary fitness of these patients. The present study intended to illustrate the etiology of exercise intolerance in pwMS and also the effects of exercise on these etiological factors.The present interventional study included 21 female patients suffering from Relapsing-Remitting MS (RR-MS) who had a mean age of 35 ± 5.18 years and the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores of 1 to 4. All the participants underwent Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) on an ergometer pre- and post-intervention. The intervention included 18 sessions of endurance training using a stationary bicycle with an intensity of 70% of the peak Heart Rate (HR) or 60% of the peak VOThe present study showed that even a short, 6-week course of aerobic exercise could change the peak HR and VO

Introduction: Iodine deficiency and associated disorders, which lead to a wide range of clinical manifestations, have been raised as one of the health and nutritional problems in Iran. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the amount of iodine in distributed salts in Abarkouh city in 2017-2018. Materials and Methods: Random sampling was done by census on all 30 distributed brands in Abarkouh city in the different stores across the city. Sixty samples (30 samples after one month from the production date and 30 samples after 6 months from the production date) were collected and transferred to the laboratory. The measurement of iodine was done according to the British Pharmacopoeia recommended method. T-test was used to analyze the data. Results: The Mean iodine concentration in the salts supplied in the Abarkouh was 29.83 ± 19.9 ppm, which was 50% less than the Iran's standard, with a statistically significant difference (P ≤ 0.001). 66.6% of the studied brands did not contain adequate iodine. Six months after production date, the average iodine amount in salts was reduced to 24.26 ± 16.94 ppm, but the reduction was not statistically significant (P = 0.224). Conclusion: Average iodine amount in most of the salts supplied across the Abarkouh city was not acceptable and some salts lacked iodine. Therefore, careful and continuous supervision and monitoring the process of iodized salts production in factories is recommended.

Background Fathers' depression is an understudied subject, and the increasing participation of fathers on the care of their children, this is an issue of great importance. This study aimed to determine the relationship of paternal postpartum depression with prenatal and postpartum depression of mothers and their marital satisfaction. Methods This longitudinal study was conducted among 352 expecting couples in 28–40 weeks of pregnancy and 6–8 weeks after delivery from April to September 2019. Eligible participants were selected from primary health care centers in northern Iran using a two-stage sampling method. Socio-demographic information, Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, and ENRICH Couple Scale were used for data collection. The primary basis of data analysis was cross-lagged structural equation modeling to explore the underlying mechanism for paternal postpartum depression. Results The results showed that a) maternal prenatal depression indirectly (βstand = 0.32, p = 0.004); b) maternal postpartum depression directly (βstand = 0.56, p Limitations Culturally-sensitive measures of marital satisfaction, especially in conservative context of developing countries, along with self-reported data of psychological problems may lead to under-reported findings. Conclusion The major contribution of marital satisfaction and maternal depression during prenatal period on the paternal postpartum depression, emphasizes on the prenatal period as the ideal time for fathers' mental health improvement.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), often affects women of childbearing age. Family planning consultation is a major aspect of medical care in these patients because of the risk of disease activation and poor pregnancy and fetal outcomes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate contraceptive prevalence and consulting service in women with SLE.METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, a total of 144 female patients with SLE, ages 15-50, who were presented to rheumatology clinics in Sari, north of Iran, were evaluated. The study was conducted between March 2019 and May 2020. Patients' clinico-demographic profile and fertility information were obtained. Disease activity and damage were assessed by the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity (SLEDAI) and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) Damage Index (SDI).RESULTS: One hundred and forty-four SLE patients of childbearing age participated in this study. From 102 patients with the possibility of pregnancy, 36(35.2%) received contraceptive consultations in last year. Withdrawal was the most prevalent contraceptive method (41.7%), followed by permanent (11.8%), and barrier methods (9%). There were no significant differences in age, disease duration, marriage duration, SDI or SLEDAI scores between the women who received or not received contraceptive counseling (P>0.05).CONCLUSION: Many SLE patients did not receive adequate information about contraception, and it may be associated with many adverse effects on disease activity and pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, contraceptive consultation as an important aspect of patient’s management is strongly suggested.

Background: Congenital malformations are one of the most important and common types of anomalies in infants, which are one of the main causes of disability and mortality in children. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the risk factors affecting the incidence of congenital malformations, as well as the number of different infant anomalies recorded in neonatal health data in Khoy, Iran, during 2017. Methods: In this study, all neonates born in the maternity wards of hospitals in Khoy, Iran, during 2017 were evaluated in terms of gender, weight, and parental consanguinity. Hurdle and Zero-inflation approaches were utilized for the double Poisson model. Moreover, the data were collected using some checklists, and the analyses were performed in R-3-6-1 software. Result: According to the results of the present study, the Hurdle approach was better than Zero-inflation. The birth weight and parental consanguinity affected the incidence of congenital malformations in infants. Conclusion: Given that a significant proportion of infants are born without any congenital malformations, it is important to use count regression models based on excess zero approaches to assess congenital malformations. It is also necessary to take steps to reduce consanguineous marriages and the number of infants with low-birth-weight to prevent congenital malformations.

Background: Dengue, a febrile illness, is caused by a Flavivirus transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Climate influences the ecology of the vectors. We aimed to identify the influence of climatic variability on the occurrence of clinical dengue requiring hospitalization in Zone-5, a high incidence area of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), Bangladesh. Methods and Findings: We retrospectively identified clinical dengue cases hospitalized from Zone-5 of DCC between 2005 and 2009. We extracted records of the four major catchment hospitals of the study area. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) provided data on temperature, rainfall, and humidity of DCC for the study period. We used autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models for the number of monthly dengue hospitalizations. We also modeled all the climatic variables using Poisson regression. During our study period, dengue occurred throughout the year in Zone-5 of DCC. The median number of hospitalized dengue cases was 9 per month. Dengue incidence increased sharply from June, and reached its peak in August. One additional rainy day per month increased dengue cases in the succeeding month by 6% (RR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04&ndash, 1.09). Conclusions: Dengue is transmitted throughout the year in Zone-5 of DCC, with seasonal variation in incidence. The number of rainy days per month is significantly associated with dengue incidence in the subsequent month. Our study suggests the initiation of campaigns in DCC for controlling dengue and other Aedes mosquito borne diseases, including Chikunguniya from the month of May each year. BMD rainfall data may be used to determine campaign timing.

BACKGROUND Dyspepsia is a common complaint among patients who refer to gastroenterology clinics. Studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between dyspepsia and

Background: There is emerging evidence to support the link between polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and periodontal disease, but the mechanisms associated with these two diseases have not been clearly elucidated but relate to different aspects of inflammation. This study aimed to determine the gingival inflammation indexes and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome compared to control group.Methods: This is a case-control study in which 87 women referred to the Babol Clinic Private Hospital were divided into three groups: 26 women with PCOS diagnosed on the basis of Rotterdam criteria with gingivitis, 26 women with PCOS without gingivitis and 26 healthy women who were matched for age and body mass index. After recording the underlying variables, fasting saliva samples were taken from all participants in the morning before any periodontal intervention. The samples, which were transferred to Babol Molecular Cell Research Center under cold-chain conditions to measure the serum levels of MMP-9 using ELISA kits. Periodontal status was evaluated for Gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI). Analysis of variance was used to compare the results for the normal quantitative variables and Chi-square test was used to compare the qualitative variables. Significance level was considered less than 0.05.Results: The highest mean periodontal disease indexes (GI, BOP, PI) were observed in women with PCOS with gingivitis and then in women with PCOS without gingivitis and then in healthy women in control group (p Conclusions: There is a positive association between periodontal disease and PCOS and that salivary MMP-9 levels are higher in PCOS women with and without gingivitis than healthy women. However, it is recommended that multicenter study with larger sample sizes are to be conducted to establish a clearer association.

Risk assessment is an important tool in predicting the possible risk to health. It heightens awareness by estimating the probability of adverse health effects in humans who are exposed to chemicals in the course of their work. Therefore, the present work aims to determine the occupational exposure of operating room staff to the volatile anesthetic gases, isoflurane and sevoflurane, and estimates non-cancer risk using the United States Environmental Protection Agency method. Air samples from the breathing zone of staff members were collected using the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Method 103 and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The results indicate that the measured concentrations of isoflurane and sevoflurane are below the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health standard (2 ppm) for technicians and nurses, but not for anesthesiologists and surgeons. Moreover, the estimated non-cancer risk due to isoflurane is above the acceptable value for anesthesiologists (but acceptable for other occupational categories). A sensitivity analysis indicates that exposure time has the most effect on calculated risk (53.4%). Occupational exposure to anesthetic gases may endanger the health of operating room personnel. Therefore, control measures, such as daily testing of anesthetic devices, ensuring the effectiveness of ventilation systems, advanced scavenging methods, and regular training of staff are highly recommended.

Objective. Reproductive disorders are one of the complications of diabetes mellitus. Since conflicting results have been obtained from different studies, which examined serum levels of cytokines in patients with diabetes, and considering the fact that the origin of cytokines cannot be accurately determined from their serum changes, attempts were made in the present study to study histological changes and testicular tissue levels of TNF-α and IL-1 in rats treated with exercise. Considering the effects of exercise in reducing blood sugar level and its complications, two types of short-term and long-term regular exercises were also considered to evaluate their effects on male reproductive tissues. Methods. In this study, 60 male rats with the weight range of 250±50 g were used and were randomly divided into six groups (10 rats each). Healthy groups included sedentary control group, and groups treated with two and eight weeks of exercise. Rats with type 1 diabetes (induced by streptozotocin) included sedentary control group, groups treated with two and eight weeks of exercise (six groups). All groups were evaluated in terms of testicular tissue levels of TNF-α and IL-1 using ELISA and the histometry of spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, Sertoli cells, epithelial thickness, diameter of veins, and thickness of the seminiferous tubule. Results. Histological changes resulting from diabetes, particularly in the diameter of testicular veins and a number of cells, including Sertoli, highlights the important fact that tissue perfusion in patients with diabetes is especially crucial, in a way that exercise proved useful for tissue structures by offsetting this complication. Measurement of the cytokines IL-1 and TNF-α in the current study showed that perfusion problems are more important in diabetic complications than inflammatory factors. Conclusions. The main result of this research is recommendation of investigating the tissue of interest for diagnosis of diabetes complications, measuring inflammatory mediators of tissue rather than evaluating their serum concentrations, and focusing on vascular complications as a major complication of diabetes. Furthermore, regular exercise could help improve the function of reproductive organs in healthy groups and prevent diabetes infertility complications to an acceptable degree in diabetic groups.

Background: Slaughterhouse wastewater (SWW) is hardly treated due to the large amount of organic matter, nutrients and suspended solids. These materials are naturally decomposed through biological processes, and then environmental pollution, transmission of pathogens and problems become smelled. Conventional purification methods require high investment costs, high energy consumption and expert workforce. Therefore, the efficient and sufficient treatment of SWW with low cost, efficient construction and operation is important. Methods: A combined anaerobic system consisting of three pilot-scale anaerobic baffled reactors (ABRs) in the first stage and three anaerobic filters (AFs) were used to treat SWW. The ABR reactors arranged at three hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 12, 18 and 24 hours and organic loading rates (OLRs) of 4, 7 and 10 kg/m3/d. The OLR applied for ABR reactors, was 0.5 to 1.55 kg COD/m3/d. Results: Evaluation of the ABR reactor indicated that this reactor at OLR of 7 and 10 kg COD/m3/d and HRT of 18 hours, had removal efficiency of 83.29% and 85.79%, respectively. AF reactor, at OLR of 0.981, 0.576 and 0.561 kg COD/m3/d and HRT of 36 hours, had removal efficiency of 79.39%, 74.09% and 63.14%, respectively. Conclusion: The optimum HRT and OLR were 24 hours and 7 kg COD/m3/d and 36 hours and 1 kg COD/m3/d in ABR and AF reactor, respectively. Keywords: Waste water, Slaughterhouse, Anaerobic treatment