The prevalence rate of chronic airway's diseases in women and associated risk factors in developing countries are not well clarified. We evaluated the role of indoor duties in the prevalence of asthma, chronic bronchitis, and related symptoms among females in Isfahan suburbs. In three randomly selected villages, 561 responder females (response rate=95.25%) were evaluated through medical interview and physical examinations. Symptoms, signs, occupational and smoking histories, indoor and farming duties, possible outdoor jobs, housing and farming conditions were assessed. The observed respiratory morbidities were: current asthma (11.2%), history of asthma (1.3%), using asthma medications in life (15.2%), chronic bronchitis (3.4%), exercise-induced dyspnea and/or cough (16.2%), and frequent night coughs and/or dyspnea (15.3%). Age, childhood pulmonary infection, bread baking, carpet weaving and using biomass fuels were significant risk factors for all the pulmonary morbidities (P<0.05 to <0.001). Poultry feeding, using kerosene and gas fuels, were less strong risk factors for asthma and chronic bronchitis, respectively Only seven women were current or ex-smokers. Indoor respirable particulate matters were two to four folds more concentrated than outdoors. Women doing indoor jobs in Iran are potential risk factors for development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

During a one-year period to September 1998, data were collected from all 213 patients referred with pleural effusion. There were 132 males and 81 females; their ages ranged from 18 to 85 years. The most common etiologies of effusion were congestive heart failure (39.4%), malignancy (27.2%), pneumonia (8%), empyema (5.2%), and tuberculosis (5.2%). Pleural effusions are frequent in Iran, and the causes are fairly similar to those reported by European authors, but with slightly more tuberculosis cases, mostly among Afghan refugees.

Villagers residing in areas with rice farms are exposed to smoke from burning of agricultural waste that may affect respiratory health. To assess respiratory effects of this smoke-induced air pollution, a cross-sectional study has been conducted in three randomly selected villages of Isfahan rural areas. A physician-administered health questionnaire was completed for 433 male and 561 female villagers aged 1-80 years, followed by physical examinations and spirometry in symptomatic cases, before and after a rice burning episode in October 2000. Total particulate and respirable particulate maters (PM 10 was doubled during burning episode. Prevalence rates for respiratory symptoms before smoke were: recent asthma attacks (7.7%), using asthma medications (3%), sleep disturbed by dyspnea and cough (7.4%), exercise-induced cough (13.3%), which increased to 9.5, 7.1, 9.3 and 17%, respectively. Mean initial values (as percent of prediction) for; FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEFR, and FEF25-75 were: 85.9 +/- 22.7, 81.7 +/- 8, 86.2 +/- 26.2 and 60 +/- 26.4, respectively. The mentioned values decreased to to 83.2 +/- 19.5, 76.5 +/- 10.3, 85.5 +/- 21.1 and 54.3 +/- 26.4, respectively. All of the clinical and spirometric changes were statistically significant. Study findings suggest increased respiratory morbidity associated with rice burning episodes among all people living in the area.

Background:Invasive breast carcinoma is one of the most common cancers of women. Parameters such as lymph node status, tumor grade, and the status of hormone receptors are among the main prognostic determinants of this cancer. Immunohistochemical detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is widely used to identify metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma. However, its immunoreactivity has been found in some non-prostatic tissues. This study was conducted to assess PSA expression in invasive breast carcinoma and its relationship with routine clinicopathologic parameters.Materials and Methods:100 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded invasive breast carcinoma tissue specimens from the pathology archive of Alzahra hospital (Isfahan, Iran) were studied for the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), HER2/neu, and PSA by immunohistochemistry. Stained sections were classified according to the intensity of staining and the percentage of cells showing PSA staining. The relationship between PSA expression and other markers, age, lymph node status, tumor subtype, and tumor grade was then studied.Results:No association was found between PSA expression on one hand and PR, Her2/neu, age, lymph node status, tumor grade, and tumor subtype on the other. PSA score was reversely correlated with ER expression (P = 0.015).Conclusion:Despite the reverse relationship between PSA expression and the immunoreactivity of ER, PSA expression was not correlated with other prognostic factors. Therefore, the detection of PSA by immunohistochemistry does not seem to be a significant prognostic parameter in patients with invasive breast carcinoma.

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