In the present work, a simple and portable analysis device was designed for the first time for the determination of lead ions as the model analyte. The basis of the lead analysis is its extraction and pre-concentration in an acceptor droplet via the application of an electrical field. The acceptor droplet is a KI solution and therefore, the formation of a yellow precipitation of PbI2 was a sign of the presence of lead ion in the solution. Following this, digital picture of the final acceptor droplet was analyzed by investigating its Red-Green-Blue (RGB) components. The results show that the RGB intensities of the acceptor phase are proportionate to the lead concentration in the sample solution. Also, a 9.0 V battery was used to apply the electrical field, and other effective parameters, such as the type of organic liquid membrane, pH of the sample solution, and the extraction time, were considered to obtain the optimal conditions. The model analyte was determined by extracting it from a 100 μL sample solution across a thin layer of 1-octanol, immobilized in the pores of a polypropylene membrane sheet, and into the acceptor droplet via applying a 9.0 V electrical potential for 20 min. The device is capable of determining lead ions down to 20.0 ng mL(-1), with admissible repeatability and reproducibility (the intra- and inter-assay precision ranged between 3.8-7.0% and 9.8-11.9%, respectively). Also, we calculated error% for the model analyte in the range of -8.5 to +4.5, which suggests that the chip offers acceptable accuracy for the analysis of lead ions. The linearity was studied in the range of 50.0-1500 ng mL(-1), with a correlation coefficient of 0.9994. Finally, the designed device was used for the analysis of lead in real samples.

Background: Assessment of dental developmental stage is more valuable than tooth eruption because the duration of tooth eruption is short and is determined by the appearance of tooth in the oral cavity. Among the different methods that could be used to determine the developmental stage of teeth, the Demirjian’s method has been extensively applied. This study aimed to assess the developmental stage of homologous mandibular first and second molars in 5 to 12-year olds using the Demirjian’s method.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 panoramic radiographs of 5 to 12-year-old Iranians obtained from the Radiology Department of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences from March 2019 to April 2020. The developmental stage of homologous mandibular first and second molars teeth were scored based on Demirjian’s stages. The observers were first calibrated for use of the Demirjian’s method and then the inter- and intra-examiner reliability and the respective kappa values were calculated after observing 300 panoramic radiographs. The radiographs were assessed twice with a one-month interval. The collected data was analysed using SPSS version 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).Results: Significant difference was noted in the developmental stage of the first and second molars in the right and left side among the different age groups. According to the results, there was not a significant difference in the developmental stage of the first molars in right and left side between two genders while the difference in this regard between the mandibular right and left second molars between two genders was significant. Moreover, there was a significant difference in the development of the first and second molars in the right and left side between the four distributed age groups for each gender.Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, evolution of mandibular first and second molar is not an appropriate indicator for gender segregation in children under 12 years old, but it can be used in ages estimation. Therefore, it can be concluded that gender is an impactful factor on the growth process of the second molar on the left and right in this age group.

Spiritual health is one of the aspects of health that is necessary to pay attention to this aspect. Spiritual health of the aged is associated with several factors which in particular may affect other aspects of their health; therefore, this study also sought to examine the relationship between spiritual health and self-effi cacy of health behaviors in the aged. In this study, statistical population was patients aged 60 years and older who were hospitalized in two hospitals affi liated with Isfahan University of medical sciences. The subjects were recruited through convenience sampling method. The data was collected by a three-part questionnaire consisted of a) demographic and health related characteristics, b) The Self Rated Abilities for Health Practices Scale (SRAHP) and c) Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics (mainly multiple regression analysis) in SPSS software. The subjects consisted of 210 participants (116 males, 93 females) with mean (SD) age of 72.5 (8.5) years. The results showed signifi cant relationship between health behaviors effi cacy and gender (t=2.44, df=207, p=.16), income (F 3,208 =5.8, P<.001) and education level (F 4,208 =9.25, P<.001). Findings showed that the entered predictor variables were accounted for 27% of total variance (R 2) of the health behaviors effi cacy (P<0.001, F 2, 207 =38.4). Spirituality may be an important explanatory factor of subjective health behavior effi cacy in older patients. Therefore, it is worthwhile for the health care professionals to take spiritual care into account as an important factor that may help the aged patients adopt healthy behaviors.