Vol 6 No 4 (1977)

Articles

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 51 | views: 68 | pages: 150-165
    After giving a brief account about the history of the special program, the objectives and scope of the special program have been discussed and the Iranian scientists and institutes for research and training in the field of public health are invited to cooperate with this special program of the World Health Organization for better control of prevalent tropical disease in the country. Out of the six diseases that at the present time are of interest to the special program, four of them are important public health problems in Iran, namely malaria, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis and leprosy.
  • XML | PDF | downloads: 109 | views: 169 | pages: 166-178

    In this investigation, the mercury content of different samples of Persian Gulf shrimp and fish, Caspian sea fish and the samples of fish from Bandar Pahlavi lagoon, Zarjoub river near Rasht, Zayandehroud river near Esfahan, and Karadj river near Tehran were measured by flameless atomic absorption, cold vapor-technique, using standard addition method. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the presence and the extent of mercury contamination of fish and sea foods, either due to the natural geological existence of mercury compounds in the area of investigation or due to industrial pollution. The result of this study showed that the mean value of mercury content of 100 different samples of Persian Gulf shrimp was 0.24 mg/kg and the average amount of mercury in the samples of different species of Persian Gulf fish was 0.14-0.19 mg/kg and in canned tuna fish was 0.30 mg/kg. The mercury content of the samples of different species of Caspian Sea fish was between 0.07-0.51 mg/kg, the highest value was 0.51 and 0.36 mg/kg which was found in Rutilus-frisikutum and Esox lucius respectively, and the lowest amount of mercury was found in Mugliauratus (0.07 mg/kg). This study was also made on the different species of fish caught from Bandar Pahlaei lagoon which collects the water from some rives in the northern part of the country and therefore any kind of pollution in these rivers would be brought into this lagoon. The mercury content of different species of fish of Bandar Pahlavi lagoon was found to be 0.04-0.51 mg/kg. The mercury content of fish from Zarjoub river near Rasht, Zayandehroud river near Esfahan and Karadj river near Tehran was 0.07-0.23, 0.19, 0.05 mg/kg respectively. Considering the results of this investigation and the acceptable limit of mercury in fish which is 0.5 mg/kg in most countries it seems that at the present time, mercury contamination of fish and sea food is not a hygienic problem in Iran.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 67 | views: 69 | pages: 179-194
    The mechanism of the genesis and development of obesity is not yet known. In particular, it is not known whether the main reason is and increase in energetic efficiency, i.e. better utilization of food consumed, or hyperplasia. This study was undertaken to throw some light on this subject. Obesity was produced by chemical methods, i.e. by injections of gold-thioglucose and mono-sodium glutamate, as well as by feeding a high energy (high-fat-high-protein) diet, in weanling, female mice. In these mice food intake, growth rate and body composition changes during growth were investigated. The results obtained show that increased energetic efficiency rather and hyperplasia plays the dominant role in the genesis and development of obesity. More research has to be carried out on this subject in man.
  • XML | PDF | downloads: 51 | views: 79 | pages: 195-221

    A study of the relationship between the disorder of glucose metabolism and ischemic heart disease was performed on 122 patients and 100 controls in Loghman-Dowleh Adham’s Medical Center in Tehran. The GTT abnormality was found in only 8% of the control group while for the patients with the heart ischemia the prevalence was 62.3%. Prevalence of glucose metabolic disorder among men with acute myocardial infarction was 72% and among men with acute coronary insufficiency was 50%, but there was no significant difference in the prevalence of GTT disorder among women for these two diseases. The prevalence of the GTT disorder was 73% among obese patients while the rate was 50% among patients with normal weights. The causal relationship between glucose tolerance abnormality and ischemic heart disease is discussed.

  • XML | PDF | downloads: 49 | views: 75 | pages: 222-235
    Anthropometric Measurements is a simple and reliable tool for assessment of nutritional status of children. In this study height and weight of 23,170 middle class school children of 6-14 years in the city of Shiraz and four rural areas were measured. Results showed no difference among the rural and urban children. They were close to the third percentile of Boston standard for height and weight for the age. While height and weight of middle class school children in Tehran are reported to be close to fiftieth percentile of the Boston standard, similar patterns of growth have been reported from similar countries. Our results confirm close correlation between socio-economic development and child physical growth. Evaluation of weight for height in our sample showed that 19.3 per cent of children in the city and 16.8 per cent in rural areas were nutritionally at risk. And relative risk was higher below ten years of age. Therefore twenty bottom percent of younger school children in provinces are to be given highest priority in nutrition intervention programs in school.