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Background Heavy vehicle drivers spend a great deal of time away from their families. This issue and other difficulties around their job may increase risky behaviors among them. The current study aims to investigate the prevalence of opium drugs, stimulants, cannabis, and alcohol use 12 hours before driving among heavy vehicle drivers. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we selected two sites that were in charge of medical examination of drivers and recruited 363 drivers of heavy vehicles (trucks, trailers, and buses). We asked drivers about total number of drivers they knew and number of drivers who experienced use of different types of drugs. The data were analyzed using Network Scale Up Method (NSUM). Findings Mean of age and job experience was 43.28 ± 10.04 years and 16.07 ± 9.67 years, respectively. The highest and lowest prevalence of drug use related to opium-based drugs at 12.8% to 14.0% and simulants at 1.97% to 2.84%, respectively. The prevalence of alcohol use 12 hours before driving was 4%. Conclusion 12-hour before driving prevalence of opium-based drugs among drivers was high. This might put them in higher risk of road accidents. There is a need to design appropriate educational programs for them.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Strategy for systematic searches of the published literature. Table S2. Summarized characteristics of included studies. Graph S1. The ASR trend of breast cancer in Eastern Mediterian Region by qulity of data registration throughout 1998–2019. Graph S2. The ASR trend of breast cancer in Eastern Mediterian Region by qulity of data registration throughout 1998–2019. Figure S1. Geographic Distribution of ASR of breast cancer in Eastern Mediterranean Countries from 1998 to 2018.

Moslem Taheri Soodejani,1 Ali Akbar Haghdoost,1 Abbas Sedaghat,2 Mohammad Reza Baneshi,3 Farzaneh Zolala4 1HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; 2Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran; 3Modeling in Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; 4Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IranCorrespondence: Farzaneh ZolalaInstitute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman 7616913555, IranTel +98 3431325700Fax +98 3431325135Email zolalafarzaneh@gmail.comBackground: The rate of viral infections in donated bloods is one of the main indicators of blood safety which has to be monitored precisely. This paper provides a thorough study of blood safety indicators in the last 15 years in Iran.Methods: The data of the transfusion organization in Iran from years 2003 to 2017 were used. The study focuses on the analysis of the frequency of viral hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) as well as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in blood donations.Results: Of 27,442,124 donated bloods, the relative frequencies were 4, 302, and 81 for HIV, HBV and HCV, respectively. This study also shows that the corresponding frequencies were significantly lower in recent years (2.5, 53, and 26 per 100,000 samples in 2017).Conclusion: The presented study indicates an overall low infection rate and provides evidence for the effectiveness of modern safety measures in improving the level of blood safety in Iran.Keywords: transfusion-transmitted infections, infection, blood donors

Background Network Scale-up (NSU) method is an indirect method for the estimation of hidden behaviors. In NSU, respondents are asked about the number of members they know from a subpopulation of interest (e.g., injecting drug user) and assume that the prevalence of risky behavior in the networks of a random sample of respondents is similar to that of the population. However, first, we need to identify the total number of people each respondent knows [the social network size (C)]; Moreover, certain risky behaviors happen in particular age and gender groups. Our aim was to determine the size and age-gender distribution of female networks. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Kerman, Iran. A total sample of 1275 women was recruited using multistage sampling. In this study, 25 first names were selected as reference groups. Participants were asked how many people they know with the selected names. The respondent’s answers were categorized into eight separate age-gender subgroups and C was estimated for each subgroup. Findings The results of this study showed that, on average, each Kermanian woman knows about 234 people and about two-thirds of them are female (82 males and 152 females); moreover, participants were more likely to communicate with their peers. The majority of males (88%) known by Kermanian women were in young and middle age groups; in contrast the female young and middle age groups, who are at reproductive age, form only 45% of the female part of their networks. Conclusion We have seen that the age-gender distribution of the networks is not the same as that of the general population. Our figures can be applied in NSU studies focusing on risky behaviors of particular age and gender groups.

Background Since 2000, Iran has been delivering training and treatment services, including methadone therapy, to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients through triangular clinics. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of these activities at the HIV Triangulation Centre in the city of Kerman, Iran, through clients’ views. Methods Participants were recruited using a convenience sample and assessed through in-depth interviews, and observations. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis, matrix based method. Findings The results found problems in training and counseling which was described by the staff to be due to the effects of the economic difficulties of the clients, not being of the same sex as the consultant, and lack of utilization of a variety of training methods by the clients. Furthermore, the absorption of clients was perceived as being affected by the appearance of the center, gossip around the center, limited working hours, and interpersonal relations between clients and staff. The clients also criticized the building of the center as it failed to maintain anonymity of the patients. The need for supplementary services, such as dentistry, was perceived by many clients. Conclusion The application of appropriate strategies such as providing adequate training and removing the obstacles of absorption should be taken into account to increase the utility and coverage of the triangular clinic. These interventions could be a range of activities, such as relocating the center to a more decent place and encouraging the staff to appear in a professional white coat to help gain the trust of clients.