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Background: Exposure to organic solvents is common among workers. Objective: To assess neurobehavioral effects of long-term exposure to organic solvents among rubber workers in Tehran, Iran. Methods: Across-sectional study was conducted on 223 employees of a rubber industry. The participants completed a data collection sheet on their occupational and medical history, and demographic characteristics including age, work experience, education level; they performed 6 psychiatric tests on the neurobehavioral core test battery (NCTB) that measure simple reaction time, short-term memory (digit span, Benton), eye-hand coordination (Purdue pegboard, pursuit aiming), and perceptual speed (digit symbol). Results: Workers exposed and not exposed to organic solvents had similar age and education distribution. The mean work experience of the exposed and non-exposed workers was 5.9 and 4.4 years, respectively. The exposed workers had a lower performance compared to non-exposed workers in all psychomotor tests. After controlling for the confounders by logistic regression analysis, it was found that exposure to organic solvents had a significant effect on the results of digit symbols, digit span, Benton, aiming, and simple reaction time tests. No significant effect was observed in pegboard test. Conclusion: Occupational exposure to organic solvent can induce subtle neurobehavioral changes among workers exposed to organic solvents; therefore, periodical evaluation of the central nervous system by objective psychomotor tests is recommended among those who are chronically exposed to organic solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Road traffic accidents are one of main problems in Iran. Multiple factors cause traffic accidents and the most important one is sleepiness. This factor, however, is given less attention in our country. Road traffic accidents relevant to sleepiness are studied. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all road traffic accidents relevant to sleepiness, which were reported by police, were studied in Tehran province in 2009. Results: The risk of road traffic accidents due to sleepiness was increased by more than sevenfold (odds ratio ¼ 7.33) in low alertness hours (0:00e6:00) compared to other time of day. The risk of road traffic accidents due to sleepiness was decreased by 0.15-fold (odds ratio ¼ 0.15) in hours with maximum of alertness (18:00e22:00) of circadian rhythm compared to other time of day. Conclusion: The occurrence of road traffic accidents due to sleepiness has significant statistical relations with driving during lowest point of alertness of circadian rhythm.

Abstract Background Night work is associated with disturbed sleep and wakefulness, particularly in relation to the night shift. Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are characterized by complaints of insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness that are primarily due to alterations in the internal circadian timing system or a misalignment between the timing of sleep and the 24-h social and physical environment. Methods We evaluated the effect of oral intake of 5 mg melatonin taken 30 minutes before night time sleep on insomnia parameters as well as subjective sleep onset latency, number of awakenings, and duration of sleep. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study with periods of 1 night and washouts of 4 days comparing melatonin with placebo tablets was conducted. We tried to improve night-time sleep during recovery from night work. Participants were 86 shift-worker nurses aged 24 to 46 years. Each participant completed a questionnaire immediately after awakening. Results Sleep onset latency was significantly reduced while subjects were taking melatonin as compared with both placebo and baseline. There was no evidence that melatonin altered total sleep time (as compared with baseline total sleep time). No adverse effects of melatonin were noted during the treatment period. Conclusion Melatonin may be an effective treatment for shift workers with difficulty falling asleep.

Background: Poor sleep quality is a significant issue among people who inject drugs (PWID). This study aimed to evaluate sleep quality and associated factors among PWID in Iran., Methods: Using respondent-driven sampling, 2,652 PWID (2,563 male) were recruited in 11 major cities in Iran between 2019 and 2020. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was utilized to measure sleep quality, and logistic regression was used to assess associations in RDSAnalyst, a software designed for respondent-driven sampling., Results: The overall prevalence of poor sleep quality was 68.4% (68.3% among males and 70.2% among females). Married PWID had higher odds of poor sleep quality (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 1.41; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.91). Lack of access to sufficient food in the past 12 months was also associated with poor sleep quality (AOR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.17, 2.57 for sometimes having no access, and AOR: 2.95; 95% CI: 1.93, 4.52 for always having no access compared to always having access). Additionally, good self-rated health was significantly associated with lower odds of poor sleep quality (AOR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.31)., Conclusion: Poor sleep quality is prevalent among PWID in Iran. It is recommended to mitigate the adverse effects of this issue and enhance the overall quality of life for PWID. Supportive interventions aimed at preventing and treating poor sleep quality, as well as improving overall health outcomes, are essential., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background/objective: Despite the high efficacy of using Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in reversing upper airway obstruction in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the efficiency of this treatment is limited due to the low adherence. Mask pressure is suggested to play a significant role in adherence. In this study, we intend to investigate the effect of Lidocaine-prilocaine cream CPAP mask on pressure sensation., Methods: In this study, 75 patients referred to CPAP titration were divided into three groups. In groups one and two, Lidocaine-prilocaine cream and Petroleum jelly were used respectively. The third group had no intervention., Results: VAS discomfort immediately (VAS0), after 15 min (VAS15), and the next day (VAS all) in three groups were compared. VAS0, VAS15, and VAS all were not significantly different among the three groups ( P  > 0.05). Among participants with VAS0 above 5, VAS15 was significantly lower in intervention groups than the control group ( P  < 0.05)., Conclusion: This study shows that both Petroleum jelly and Lidocaine-prilocaine cream can be used for decreasing pressure sensation during CPAP titration among patients who suffer excessive facial discomfort immediately after putting on a CPAP mask., Competing Interests: Compliance with Ethical StandardsInformed Consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. The present clinical trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), with ID: IR.TUMS.VCR.REC.1398.552 and registered in ClinicalTrials.gov as ID: IRCT20190602043791N1. We have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (© Association of Otolaryngologists of India 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Study Objectives: In this study we aimed to conduct a comprehensive review of sleep medicine in Iran, focusing on the country's advancements, challenges, and the global context., Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of sleep medicine in Iran, using various sources to ensure a thorough analysis. The national educational curriculum for sleep medicine and guidelines on sleep clinics issued by Iran's Ministry of Health served as a foundational resource. Additionally, we gathered information from the Iranian Sleep Medicine Society website and relevant committee data sources. To enhance our understanding of the current research landscape, we performed a targeted search on PubMed using keywords related to sleep and Iran., Results: The study presents a dynamic overview of sleep medicine in Iran, highlighting key advancements and challenges. Significant progress was observed in establishing standardized sleep medicine training and accredited sleep clinics. The Iranian Sleep Medicine Society plays a pivotal role in spearheading these developments, contributing to implementing regional guidelines for sleep tests. However, challenges such as a limited number of trained specialists, a scarcity of certified sleep clinics, and obstacles to accessing sleep disorder treatments were identified., Conclusions: We advocate for the implementation of increased research initiatives, nationwide education and screening programs, and proactive measures to strengthen the landscape of sleep and circadian medicine in the country., Citation: Behkar A, Amirifard H, Samadi S, et al. Global practice of sleep medicine: Iran. J Clin Sleep Med . 2024;20(6):1009-1015., (© 2024 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.)