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The aim of this descriptive-analytical study was to measure the concentration of heavy metals (HMs) in the leaf and bark of Ulmus carpinifolia as new biological indicators, and the ecological risk assessment of these metals in the ambient air. To achieve these goals, 48 sampling locations were selected in the city and concentration of four HMs-zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd)-was measured in the mentioned indicator using atomic absorption spectroscopy method. After this, ecological risk assessment, source appointment, and spatial distribution were conducted. In this regard, the enrichment factor (EF), potential ecological risk factor (E r), potential ecological risk index (RI), correlation coefficient (r), and other indices were calculated. The results showed that the concentration of HMs in the leaf and bark in ascending order is as Cd

IntroductionGender composition and the soaring trends of drug and tobacco dependency reveal the priority of social skills training related to drug avoidance self-efficacy among female students. The aim of this study was to verify the impact training high school female students to have the social skills needed to avoid the use of drugs.MethodsThis study was conducted from September 2012 to May 2013 in two high schools in Ahvaz City in southwest Iran. The participants were divided randomly into two groups of 60 students, one experimental group and one control group using the multi-stage simple sampling method. Two questionnaires, i.e. the ASES and TISS questionnaires, were completed before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics, chi squared, paired-samples t-test, and the independent-samples t-test were used.ResultsThe participants had a mean age of 14.93 years. Among the 120 participants, 90.8% indicated that they had never smoked a cigarette, and 51.7% of the participants denied having smoked a hookah. There was no significant relationship between the self-sufficiency means of drug avoidance in the two groups of girls before intervention (p ≥ 0.05). However, after intervention, a significant difference was found in test score of self-efficacy of drug avoidance between the two groups, i.e., 94.91 ± 8.3 for the control group versus 99.16 ± 3.8 for the experimental group, p < 0.05). Significant increases were observed for the pre- and post-test scores of self-efficacy of drug avoidance in the experimental group compared to the control group (99.16 ± 3.8 (p = 0.001) vs. 96.58 ± 6.98 (p > 0.05). The mean values of the pre- and post-test scores of social skill before and after intervention increased significantly only for the experimental group (97.60 ± 19.19 vs. 100.58 ± 12.37, p = 0.03).ConclusionEducational intervention can significantly enhance social skills for drug avoidance self-efficacy, so it is recommended that such skills be taught in the high school curriculum.

Background and aims: Decreased levels of physical activity (PA) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic can cause physical and psychological problems for individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PA, body image, and eating disorders (EDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic among high school girls in Farsan, Iran. Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, and the research population included female high school students from Farsan, Iran, who were studying in 2019-2020. In this regard, 535 high school girls (age: 15.95±1.42, weight: 53.07±10.01, BMI: 20.14±3.48) were selected based on cluster-random sampling to participate in the study. Multidimensional Body Self-relation Questionnaire (MBSRQ), Baecke’s Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (EDDS) were used to collect data, and Pearson correlation coefficients were administered to establish statistical relationships. Results: The results indicated significant positive correlations between body image and PA levels (r=0.304, P=0.001). However, no significant correlations were observed between body image and anorexia nervosa (AN) (r=-0.035, P=0.424), bulimia nervosa (BN) (r=-0.033, P=0.446), and binge ED (r=-0.041, P=0.339). Likewise, no relationships were observed between PA and AN (r=0.084, P=0.052), BN (r=0.073, P=0.092), as well as binge ED (r=0.071, P=0.099). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, PA was positively associated with body image but not with EDs. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that PA improved body image in adolescent girls during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Corneal transplantation is known as the most successful and common type of organ transplant, but it calls for more intensive and long-term care. Given the lack of adequate information on this important surgery in this province and the differences between indications and causes of corneal transplantation, the present research was carried out to examine the causes and outcomes of corneal transplant in patients visiting Al-Zahra eye hospital who had received donated cornea in the past five years.Methods: In a retrospective analytical-descriptive study 135 files of 149 eyes that had gone through corneal transplantation were examined. Information on the age, gender, residence, indications, and surgery consequences was extracted and was analyzed in SPSS 19 statistical software with descriptive statistics (percentage, frequency, mean, and standard deviation.Results: The highest transplant indication was keratoconus with a frequency of 39.9% followed by bullous keratopathy, corneal opacity, and transplant rejection with frequencies of 16.1, 12.7, and 10.1%, respectively. Other indications were corneal scar (9.4%), corneal perforation (2.7%), trauma (2.7%), and Fuchs’ corneal dystrophy (1.3%) in the order mentioned. Concerning postoperative complications in this research, 57.7% of the eyes (86 cases) showed no complication. Moreover, complications were mostly related to astigmatism with a frequency of 30.8% (46 cases).Conclusions: In general, the most common indication in this research was keratoconus. Most surgeries were also complication-free and most complications were associated with astigmatism.