Sirjan City Research Articles

The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Quality of Life, Emotional Distress, and Pain Intensity among Women with Breast Cancer

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on improving quality of life, emotional distress, and pain intensity among women with breast cancer. Methods: In this semi-experimental research, a pretest-post-test design with a control group (unequal) was used. Its statistical population included all women with breast cancer in Sirjan city in 2021. Forty women with breast cancer in Sirjan city in 2021 were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. At first, a pre-test was taken from both groups. Then, mindfulness-based stress reduction training was implemented for the experimental group, and no intervention was performed for the control group. To collect data, the quality-of-life questionnaire of the World Health Organization and the emotional distress questionnaire were used. The research data were analyzed using covariance analysis. Results: The quality-of-life scores in the experimental group increased from 20.54 in the pre-test phase to 85.97 in the post-test phase and decreased from 48.85 to 39.05 in the control group. The emotional distress score in the experimental group decreased from 100.05 in the pre-test to 51.40 in the post-test stage. In the control group, the emotional distress decreased from 107.1 in the pretest to 103.7 in the post-test stage. Also, in the experimental group, the pain intensity scores decreased from 8.60 in the pre-test to 4.35 in the post-test. In the control group, the pain intensity decreased from 7.20 in the pre-test to 7.80 in the post-test. Conclusion: Stress reduction methods based on mindfulness can be effective in the quality of life, emotional distress, and pain intensity in women with breast cancer. According to the results, it seems necessary for nurses, doctors, and patients to cooperate with psychologists to carry out interventions.

Investigation of the Diversity of Fauna and Larval Habitat Characteristics of Culex Mosquitoes, the Potential Arboviruses Vectors in South East of Iran

Introduction: Arboviruses have been a persistent public health challenge in Iran for the past 50 years. Culex mosquitoes are the main vectors of these viruses. Different aspects of these vectors, including their phenotypic characteristics, insecticide resistance, and the potential for infection transmission, were regularly reported from different parts of the world. The present study aimed to determine the fauna and prevalence of the Culex larval stage in four sites in Kerman province, Iran from March to September 2019. Method: In total, 450 samples of Culex mosquito larvae were collected and identified using valid taxonomic keys. Physical and biological characteristics data of the larval habitats, including water situation, sunlight situation, and habitat kind, were recorded. Results: Two Culex species, Culiseta longiareolata and Culex quinquefasciatus, were detected with prevalence rates of 88.8% and 11.2%, respectively. The recorded temperatures in larval habitats ranged from 16 to 28 ◦C. Kerman City, Iran exhibited the highest prevalence of detected Culex mosquito larvae among the studied areas. Moreover, Rayen City and Sirjan City in Iran had the lowest and highest temperature rates, respectively. The temporary habitats were the most prevalent sites for larvae collection. Conclusion: This study provided a snapshot of the predominant Culex mosquito fauna in Kerman, serving as a foundation for future molecular studies, identification of insecticide-resistant fauna, and exploration of the potential for initial transmission and continuation of zoonotic infections.

Innovative continuous heating-enhance solar still farm- A case study for irrigation in a pistachio orchard

Water scarcity is a global concern that has become one of the main problems for agricultural activities, especially in countries with arid and semi-arid climates like Iran. Sirjan city, a sweltering and arid city in Iran, is one of the locations where its economy mainly relies on pistachio orchards and other agricultural activities, which are highly affected by poor water quality and high TDS of wells. This city's climate, high solar irradiation, sunny sky, and the high requirement for distilled water for irrigation make utilizing solar power and solar-still desalination systems a reasonable choice. However, the low water production rate of conventional solar still systems prevents the use of this technology in field-scale projects and real agricultural activities. Therefore, we mixed solar still and solar power, to enhance the water production rate and provide water with proper TDS for a pistachio orchard in Sirjan City. In comparison to conventional solar still, the proposed continuous heating-enhanced solar still benefits from several improvements, including passing water through the grooved glass that leads to lowering the glass temperature, increasing water basing temperature by a heating element, polyurethane isolation of basin and capability of working during day and night. The mentioned improvements will lead to an increase in daily water production by 21% from 5.5 to 6.6, 24% from 5.5 to 6.8, 31% from 5.5 to 7.2, and 44% from 5.5 to 7.92 respectively. Therefore, utilizing all the mentioned approaches leads to a 120% increase in daily water production from 5.5 to 12.17 L and in comparison, to the conventional mechanisms, significantly reduces the required area for the system. The results showed that the proposed method is highly effective and could be used in real agricultural activities in arid and semi-arid climates.

Validation and evaluation of school-based mental health literacy training program "The Guide Cymru" in Iranian adolescent students aged 13–15: study protocol

BackgroundSchools are an ideal setting for enhancing mental health literacy, a crucial strategy for improving adolescents’ mental health knowledge and attitudes and promoting help-seeking. "The Guide Cymru" program is an adaptation of the mental health literacy program" The Guide" that was developed in Canada. The program will be culturally adapted for 13- to 15-year-old Iranian adolescent students in the first secondary schools.MethodsIn this randomized controlled trial, using the stratified random sampling procedure, the whole eighth and ninth grade student body (aged 13 to 15) from Sirjan City's first secondary schools will be included in the study. Twenty first secondary schools will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: control or intervention. Finally, 562 students and 40 teachers will participate in the research. The tools of mental health literacy scale (MHLs), mental health general knowledge and attitudes related to mental disorders/illnesses are employed in this study.DiscussionThis trial aims to be to explore whether "The Guide Cymru", a mental health literacy program offered to students as part of the school curriculum, can decrease the stigma associated with mental health and promote help-seeking behaviors among students.

Phenylketonuria Incidence based on the Results of the Neonatal Screening Program and Evaluation of this Program-based Surveillance Data System in Sirjan City from 2012 to 2019

Background PKU is the most common hereditary metabolic disease. Considering the severe complications caused by the lack of timely diagnosis of this disease, it is important to carry out the newborn screening process properly. Aim This study aims to determine the incidence of phenylketonuria (PKU) based on the results of the neonatal screening program and evaluate the indicators of this program in Sirjan City from 2012 to 2019. Methods The present study was across-section descriptive, and all screening babies were examined from 2012 to 2019. Screening information was obtained from data recorded in the neonatal screening program and patient information from the national form of epidemiological investigation of genetic diseases in the Kerman Health Department. Excel software was used to draw charts. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the variables. Information was provided as a frequency table and chart. Results The overall screening coverage was 95.3%. Among this, 93.2% of infants were screened during the 3 to 5 days of life. The incidence of PKU was found to be 1.33 in 10,000 live births. Around 0.44% of the samples were inappropriate, and the percentage of inappropriate samples was from the beginning of the program and monitored across each year. On the first visit to the PKU treatment center, 50% of infants were below 2 weeks. About 100% of patients identified in screening were the first child in the family, and around 83.3% of parents were consanguineous. Conclusion The incidence of PKU in Sirjan is in line with the national average. Implementation of the screening program showed a significant impact on the timely diagnosis and the onset of patients. It is necessary to increase household awareness about the consequences of consanguineous marriages, especially in areas with a high prevalence of PKU.

Design of an Educational Campaign Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior to Encourage People to Donate Organs: A Study Protocol

In all countries, organ donation shortage is a concern and there is a huge difference between the number of organs available for transplant and the numbers of potential recipients on waiting lists. The authors of this protocol, intend to design an educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to encourage people over 18 years old to become an organ donor. This is the protocol of a campaign that will be carried out in three phases in Sirjan city, located in southern Iran. Initially an educational campaign will be designed, then it will be implemented, and eventually the educational campaign will be evaluated. In order to evaluate the effect of the campaign, a researcher-made questionnaire will be designed based on the theory of planned behavior and after a detailed literature review and inquiring the opinion of experts. The findings of this study will provide valuable evidences regarding the efficacy of the educational campaign on the intension of people to donate organs.

Fruit and vegetable consumption in diabetics patients: Effect of pender health promotion model (HPM) intervention.

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of the intervention based on Pender's health promotion model (Pender's HPM) to improve the consumption of fruits and vegetables in diabetic patients. The present study was quasi-experiment community-based research conducted on 112 diabetic patients in Sirjan City. Eligible diabetic patients were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The data were collected by two questionnaires, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the researcher-made based on Pender's HPM. In order to compare qualitative variables between two groups, Chi-square test was performed. P value <0.05 was considered significant. The findings showed that there is a significant difference in the consumption of fruit juice in men and women (P value = 0.016). In this study, the perceived obstacles structure and interpersonal influences structure was effective on the consumption of vegetables and salad in diabetic patients before and after the educational intervention. Perceived benefits and interpersonal and situational influencers are effective on the consumption of fruits and vegetables in diabetic people and health planners should design educational interventions in order to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the target group by considering these effective determinants.

Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors for Mortality in COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease in 2019 (COVID-19) is globally a major factor in the mortality of patients. Hence, there is an immediate requirement to recognise the mortality predictors in the COVID-19 patients. Aim: To identify the clinical features and risk factors for the mortality of adult patients suffering from COVID-19 in Sirjan, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, all demographic, clinical, laboratory data of COVID-19 patients who were admitted to hospitals of Sirjan city was collected from July to October 2020 and data was analysed in November 2020. In this period, 269 patients with COVID-19 were admitted. The findings based on the considered parameters of patients in the hospital was recorded; Univariable and multivariable logistic regression methods were applied to find the risk factors due to in hospital death. Results: Out of 269 patients, 39 patients (14.5%) died in the hospital and the rest were discharged. A total of 152 (56.5%) patients had co-morbidity. Hypertension (HTN) was the most common underlying disease 71 (26.4%), followed by Diabetes Mellitus (DM) 55 (20.4%), cardiac disease, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). The most common symptom was dyspnea 207 (77%), coughing and fever. The most common findings in the chest Computed Tomography (CT) scan of patients was ground-glass opacity with a frequency of 150 among 188 patients (79.8%) in patients with the abnormal CT scan. Multivariable regression indicated the increased odds of in hospital death associated with COPD (OR=3.20, 95% CI 1.02– 10.04; p=0.046), arterial saturation of oxygen ≤93% (OR=5.70, 95% CL 2.42–13.40; p&lt;0.001), and leukocytosis (OR=7.26, 95% CL, 3.02-17.49, p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, COPD, arterial saturation of oxygen (≤93%), and leukocytosis were risk factors for the hospital mortality of COVID-19. It might be proper for the initial determination of patients who may need life saving interventions.

Treatment outcomes and influencing factors on patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: a retrospective study

Introduction: Tuberculosis infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the most common infectious diseases, especially in countries such as Iran. The course of treatment and the number of drugs used vary depending on the severity of the disease and the parts of the body involved. The resistant tuberculosis to treatment has increased in recent years. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the frequency distribution of response to treatment of patients with tuberculosis in Sirjan, Iran. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study investigated all patients with tuberculosis in Sirjan city who had referred to health centers during the years 2011-2019. The data collection tool was a pre-prepared checklist that included information on age, sex, sputum smear results, sputum culture results, diabetes, patients' nationality, drug side effects, and response to treatment. Finally, data was entered into SPSS version 22, and analyzed. Results: In this study, the overall response rate was 83% and the mortality rate was 10%. Between the frequency distribution of response to treatment in terms of gender, age, sputum smear results, sputum culture results, patients' nationality and diabetes was not statistically significant difference. Also, no statistically significant difference was found between the frequency distribution of pulmonary TB treatment response in terms of drug allergy, drug hepatitis and other drug side effects. Conclusion: According to results, can be concluded that none of the variables: age, sex, smear and culture result, and history of diabetes have no an effect on response to treatment and mortality of tuberculosis.

Economic evaluation and energy/exergy analysis of PV/Wind/PEMFC energy resources employment based on capacity, type of source and government incentive policies: Case study in Iran

The energy supply concerns are increased with the increment of demand, environmental emission, and global warming. As an alternative to fossil fuels, the development of renewable energy technologies is one of the most important strategies. Thus, governments around the world have adopted policies to expand the share of clean energy with a view to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction and many other policies. In this study, the economic evaluation and energy/exergy analysis of using renewable energy resources (wind, solar, and fuel cell) has been performed under three scenarios in Sirjan city, Iran. The studied scenarios are distinguished from each other due to the capacity to be installed, renewable energy sources type, and different work policies. Related to the photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy, different types of PV panels and wind turbines are studied, and the most favorable one is selected. Also, the best way is considered to install PV panels and fuel cells in this location based on different policies. According to this, it can be said that the economic aspects of the investigation are clarified and studied in renewable energy under the policies and scenarios for investors in this field.

Recent Archaeological Research in South Iran: Excavation at the Old City of Sirjan (The Site of Qal’eh Sang)

ABSTRACT The importance of old Sirjan lies in its geographical location in the Persian Gulf hinterland. It stood at the intersection of routes that connected the Persian Gulf and the Central Iranian plateau. The first season of excavations at Qal’eh Sang in 2015 brought to light a complete and great bathhouse dating to the time between eleventh to fifteenth century AD and a stonecutting workshop dating to the fourteenth century. Various types of pottery were identified, most of them date to the time between the eleventh to fifteenth century and find parallels at many sites in China, Afghanistan, at the coasts of the Persian Gulf, Central Iranian plateau as well as northeast and west Iran. Furthermore, Sirjan city was relocated three times during the Islamic era at Qal’eh Kafar, Qal’eh Sang, Bagh-e Bamid, and Saeedabad.

The Effect of an Eight-week Pilates Training on Interleukine-18 Level, Fatigue, and Balance in Women With Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Proinflammatory cytokines increasingly cause inflammation in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In this regard, the current study aimed to shed light on the effectiveness of an eight-week Pilates training program in the level of interleukin-18, the severity of fatigue, balance, and physical disability, in females with MS. Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental research with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group and conducted in Sirjan City, Iran. A total of 30 female MS patients (Mean±SD age: 30.15±6.97 years; 2≤ expanded disability status scale≤5.5) were selected using a purposeful sampling method and divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group conducted the Pilates exercises for eight weeks, three sessions per week (lasting 45-60 minutes), while the control group had no regular physical activity. Before and after the training program, we evaluated fatigue, physical disability, and balance using the fatigue severity scale, the expanded disability status scale, and the Berg balance scale, respectively. Also, 5 mL of blood was taken from each participant to evaluate the interleukin-18 level. Then, the independent t-test was used to compare the pretest-posttest scores. Results: The findings indicated that the Pilates training program significantly decreased the level of interleukin-18, the severity of fatigue, and the score of physical disability (P≤0.05), and increased the balance (P≤0.05), in females with MS. Conclusion: Therefore, patients with MS can make the best use of such exercises to strengthen their immune systems and performances.

COMPARING THE ACCURACY OF GNSS POSITIONING VARIANTS FOR UAV BASED 3D MAP GENERATION

Abstract. GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System and is the standard generic term for satellite navigation systems that provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage. The advantage of having access to multiple satellites is accuracy, redundancy, and availability at all the times. Though satellite systems do not often fail, if one fails GNSS receivers can pick up signals from other systems. If the line of sight is obstructed, having access to multiple satellites is also a benefit. GPS (Global Positioning System, USA), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System, Russia), BeiDou (Compass, China), and some regional systems are positioning systems that are usually used. In recent years with the development of the UAVs and GNSS receivers, it is possible to manage an accurate PPK (Post Processing Kinematic) networks with a GNSS receiver mounted on a UAV to achieve the position of images principal points WGS1984 and to reduce the need for GCPs. But the most important challenge in a PPK task is, which a combination of different GNSS constellations would result in the most accurate computed position in checkpoints. For this purpose, this study focused on a PPK equipped UAV to map an open pit (Golgohar mine near Sirjan city). For the purpose, different combination of GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou used for position computed. Results are plotted and compared and found out having access to multiple constellations while doing a PPK task would bring higher accuracies in building photogrammetric models although it may cause some random error due to the higher values of noise while the number of the satellites increases.

Hookah is the enemy of health campaign: a campaign for prevention of hookah smoking among youth.

Hookah smoking is now a serious health threat especially for adolescents. Implementation of planned interventions can help reduce hookah smoking. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a campaign Hookah is the Enemy of Health Campaign (HEHC) based on the protection motivation theory to prevent hookah smoking among the youth in Sirjan city, in 2018. This was a pre- and post-intervention study. Participants were 280 male and female youth who were selected randomly through the health centers of Sirjan. The educational campaign was conducted during 3 months and participants were trained through interpersonal, group, organizational and community channels and mass media. Data were collected by filling out a questionnaire (containing 64 questions) by the participant before the intervention and 3 months after. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage), chi-square and Wilcoxon signed-rank test by SPSS20 software. The prevalence of hookah smoking was 44.3% in the target group. There was a significant change in the mean scores of knowledge and perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, response efficiency, self-efficacy, rewards, fear and protection motivation after the HEHC (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the structure of perceived cost (p > 0.05). Also, the prevalence of hookah smoking among the target group for those who had ever consumed decreased from 8.9 to 4% and for those who used it occasionally decreased from 35 to 19.4%. The HEHC was effective in reducing hookah smoking, raising knowledge and improving the constructs of the protection motivation theory among the youth of Sirjan.

The application of geographic information systems (ArcGIS) in selecting locations for installing banners and billboards in a health campaign.

In recent years, the geographic information system (GIS) application has used the latest spatial data to help researchers make the right decisions in the shortest time. This study was conducted with the aim of using geographic information systems (ArcGIS) for selecting the best location for installing banners and billboards in a health campaign. This research was an analytical and applied research conducted in Sirjan city, Iran in 2018. In this research, GIS and fuzzy logic methods were used. In order to implement the fuzzy operator in the GIS environment, initially, the main influencing criteria in location selection were determined. Then the weighted layers were put on top of each other and, by considering the sub criteria, the most suitable places to install banners and billboards were identified in the final map. The final map showed the best places to install billboards and educational banners for the 'hookah is the enemy of health' campaign. The final number of these places was 30 according to the main criteria, and the number was reduced to 25 places, after considering the sub criteria. ArcGIS can be used in selecting the best locations for installing banners and billboards in a health campaign.

Destruction of groundwater quality and the risk of saltwater intrusion in the aquifers nearby Sirjan salt playa, Iran

ABSTRACTThis research investigated on the hydrochemistry and salt-fresh mixing of the groundwater in the aquifers nearby Sirjan salt playa near Sirjan city, Kerman province, Iran. Therefore, 62 groundwater samples were collected from Sirjan salt playa, Kheyrabad plain, Chahderaz plain and Golgohar mining area. Chemical diagrams, ion ratios, statistical method and mixing applied to hydochemical investigation. The water samples were then categorised into four water types; i.e. NaCl, Na-Ca-Cl, Na-SO4 and Ca-HCO3. The presence of salt playa in the area has led to the phenomenon of mixing between saline and freshwater. Saltwater intrusion occurred from 0.01 to 29% in the groundwater and it destroyed the quality of groundwater in the study area. Most percentages of intrusion were seen in Golgohar mine area and which is due to overexploitation of groundwater by dewatering process in the pit, where the saltwater intrudes from hard rock aquifer by upconing phenomena. Results showed that the actual concentrations of Na+ are less than expected concentrations; while for Mg2+ and Ca2+ their actual concentrations have been increased versus expected concentrations and it suggests cation exchange of Na+ by Mg2+ and Ca2+ in the aquifers of the study area.

Predictive factors for preventing hookah smoking and health promotion among young people based on the protection motivation theory.

BACKGROUND:Smoking hookahs is one of the most preventable risk factors for non communicable diseases. It is also considered as the gateway to youth addiction. Planning and training to prevent this health problem is considered an important priority. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive factors for preventing hookah smoking (PHS) in the youth of Sirjan city, based on the protection motivation theory (PMT).MATERIALS AND METHODS:This research was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2018, and participants were chosen by simple random sampling. Data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire which was valid and reliable and was designed based on the PMT constructs. This questionnaire was completed by 280 young people in Sirjan, Iran. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and linear regression.RESULTS:Pearson correlation coefficients showed that there was a significant correlation between protection motivation and the structures of the PMT, except for the response cost structure. The strongest correlation was between protection motivation and self-efficacy (r = 0.502) and fear (r = 0.470). The structures of the PMT predicted 36.5% of PHS, and fear (β =0.27) was the strongest predictor of PHS.CONCLUSION:The results of this study show that the constructs of the PMT can partially predict PHS. This theory can be used as a tool for designing and implementing educational interventions to prevent hookah smoking among the youth.

The impact of educational intervention based on the health belief model on observing standard precautions among emergency center nurses in Sirjan, Iran.

Providing health care services has always been considered as a hazardous job due to a number of reasons. The risk of blood-borne viruses and the importance of their prevention has led to the formulation of principles called standard precautions (SPs). The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of an educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model constructs on the behavior of nurses in emergency centers regarding observing SPs in Sirjan, Iran. This was a quasi-experimental study. The study population included 100 emergency personnel working in health centers in Sirjan city (of Iran), who were randomly divided into two intervention (n = 50) and control (n = 50) groups. The educational intervention was conducted over two sessions each lasting for 60 min. Information was collected by a questionnaire (with 64 questions), completed in an interview conducted directly before the intervention and 3 months later. Data were analyzed using the χ2 test, t-test and paired t-test.The results showed nurses did not have enough information about SPs, but after the intervention, knowledge scores increased in both groups. In the Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs, significant differences were observed in perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits and barriers, cues to action and self-efficacy, after the intervention, in the intervention group (P < 0.001), but not in the control group (P > 0.05). HBM was effective in educating SPs among emergency personnel.

Analysis of the Relationship between Social Phobia and Creative Thinking and Problem Solving of the Teenage Girls

Social anxiety is one of the common problems of the students. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social phobia and creative thinking and problem solving of the teenage girls in a sample of the students in Sirjan city. This is a relationship research. To this end, 250 male and female students were selected through cluster random sampling. For data collection, Creativity Test (CT), problem solving methods questionnaire, and social phobia inventory were used that had acceptable reliability and validity. For statistical analysis, the mean and standard deviation were used for descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation and multiple regressions were used for inferential statistics. The results showed that all styles of problem solving and creativity R2=0.17 explain the variance of the social anxiety. Accordingly, it can be concluded that problem solving styles and creativity are can significantly explain social anxiety of the students.

Investigation of the Effect of Walkway Orientation on Natural Ventilation

Proper orientation of walkways based on regional winds and local shades provides a good control over walkways ventilation. Architectures of the old town of Sirjan had experimentally orientated the city’s walkways in a manner that shadows in walkways produced the maximum possible natural ventilation in this hot and dry town. This study has focused on this optimum design of Sirjan city considering natural ventilation mechanism. At first, a typical walkway with certain geometric parameters is considered. Then, considering the symmetry of the shadows cast in walkways, the natural ventilation rate is investigated at 7 different angles with 15° intervals. The problem is modeled using finite volume method numerically with Sirjan climate conditions. Results show that the present orientation of walkways in this city creates the maximum possible rate of natural ventilation and thermal comfort in a walkway.