Introduction: Multiple and sometimes contradictory evidence exists on the relationship between dust exposure and respiratory symptoms with pulmonary disorders. The study was conducted to examine the effects of chronic exposure to street dust on the pulmonary parameters and respiratory complaints in sweepers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 sweepers working in district 3 Bandar Abbas municipality in 2014. The control group was selected from the staff of the same municipality with an office/administrative position who lacked occupational respiratory exposures. In order to investigate pulmonary parameters, spirometry with Spirolab MIR3 were performed and FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEF and FEF25-75 parameters were measured. Data were analyzed using STATA 12 software. Two Way ANOVA was used to compare respiratory parameters between two groups. Results: Prevalence of respiratory symptoms including cough, sputum, shortness of breath and wheezing had no significant differences in two groups. Values of FEV1, FEF25-75 and PEF showed significant decrease when adjusted for the effect of smoking on sweeper compared with administrative personnel (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between two groups and other variables of FVC and FEV1/FVC. Conclusion: It seems that sweepers cleaning street, who are constantly exposed to dust, are at risk of developing respiratory symptoms and decline in spirometric indices. It is useful to apply protective measures to prevent exposure to dust and to perform annual spirometry for early detection of respiratory disorders in sweepers.

BackgroundIt has been proposed that Noise-induced hearing loss is a complex disease that is combination of environmental and genetic factors. There are inconsistent results concerning the association between variation in glutathione S-transferase (GST) genetic polymorphisms (GSTT1 rs1049055 and GSTM1 rs10712361) and susceptibility to Noise-induced hearing loss.ObjectiveThis study was designed to assess the association between GST gene polymorphism and Noise-induced hearing loss among noise-exposed workers. Methods: In a case-control study, male workers from tile and ceramic factories were selected randomly. Subjects were classified into two groups according to the result of audiometry: 73 subjects showed Noise-induced hearing loss which was considered in the case group and 87 subjects without hearing loss was enrolled in the control group. The GSTT1 and GSTM1 polymorphism of both groups were assessed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.ResultsNull GSTT1 and GSTM1 genotypes were more frequent in case group but no significant statistical difference was seen in case and control groups. No significant link between GSTT1 and GSTM1 genotypes was found.ConclusionThis study suggests that the genetic variability of GSTT1 and GSTM1 has no effect on susceptibility to noise induced hearing loss.

Introduction: Currently, the most important health priority of the whole world is COVID-19. Due to the lack of an effective treatment and vaccine for COVID-19, it is important to seriously focus of the prevention.The aim of this study was to investigate the Knowledge and practice of Hormozgan province workers regarding the protection against COVID-19. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the study sample included 406 workers working in the Hormozgan province who were selected through an available sampling method. The instrument used in this study was a two-part, valid, and reliable questionnaire. The first part contained demographic information and the second part included a questionnaire about knowledge and behavior regarding COVID-19. The questionnaire was provided to the participants through social media and the required data were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and ANOVA, independent t-test, and multiple regression analysis. Results: Regarding the COVID-19 symptoms and prevention, 78.6% of workers answered the questions correctly. The average score of workers' behavior was 32.70±3.84, which indicates only 56% of the participants had appropriate behavior. The results of the study showed that the mean scores of behavior in men and women were 33.51±3.51 and 31.96±3.95, respectively, which are significantly different (P-Value≤0.001). Based on the results of multiple regression analysis, knowledge, exercise, and gender were predictors of workers' behavior (P-Value<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, improving the awareness of workers about COVID-19 and increasing their physical activity, result in more preventive behaviors against this disease. Therefore, raising their awareness through education and also planning and encouraging them for regular physical activity is recommended.

Background: Considering the importance of health anxiety (HA) and its impact on the management of a pandemic, the present study investigated HA among healthcare workers during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 220 healthcare staff working in health centers and hospitals in Iran. Participants were selected using convenience sampling method. The data collection tool was a two-part questionnaire. The first part contained demographic information and the second part included a health anxiety questionnaire (HAQ). This questionnaire was provided to the target community through social media and the required data was collected. Data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA). Results: In the present study, out of 220 participants 128 (58.2%) were employed in health centers and 92 (41.8%) in hospitals. The mean HA score was 17.36 ± 7.66. Moreover, the mean HA scores in health center and hospital personnel was 17.81± 8.02 and 16.52 ± 6.78, respectively, which were not significantly different (P=0.217). The results showed that exercise and chronic disease are significant predictors of HA (P=0.0001 and P=0.043, respectively). Conclusion: The HA level was very high in healthcare personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study showed that physical activity and having an underlying disease are important predictors of HA. Hence, in order to reduce the level of anxiety in healthcare personnel, it is recommended to plan regular physical activity programs and make changes in the work schedule of personnel with underlying disease.

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