Farah Ashrafzadeh; Farideh Sahebkar; Anahita Alizadeh; Majid Sezavar; Babak Karimi; Maryam Naseri; Gholamreza Khademi
Abstract
Introduction: Poisoning is the most common method of non-fatal suicide. In recent years, poisoning caused by the use of medications and chemicals has increased. The present study aimed to investigate the rate of suicide using toxic compounds in Iranian children.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted ...
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Introduction: Poisoning is the most common method of non-fatal suicide. In recent years, poisoning caused by the use of medications and chemicals has increased. The present study aimed to investigate the rate of suicide using toxic compounds in Iranian children.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted using the data of 83 children aged 5-16 years who attempted suicide using toxic substances and were admitted to the pediatric and toxicology departments of Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. Results: Among 500 suicide cases, 83 committed suicide using toxic substances, and 8.4% of the suicides were committed by children aged 5-7 years. In addition, 60% of the suicide cases were aged 14-16 years. In total, 45.5% of the children committed suicide with prior planning (statistically significant). The peak time of referral to the emergency department was between 6-12 PM, and more than 90% of the patients were admitted with stable vital signs. The most commonly used toxic substance was organophosphate. During admission, psychiatric counseling was not provided to 36.1% of the patients, and the clinical outcomes also showed the use of non-lethal doses. Conclusion: According to the results, it is of utmost importance to assess the underlying causes of suicide attempts in early childhood (e.g., prior planning and antisocial behaviors), especially with the increased age of children to 14-16 years in such incidents.
Gholamreza Khademi; Bahareh Imani
Abstract
Introduction: Noise pollution in hospital wards can arise from a wide range of sources including medical devices, air-conditioning systems and conversations among the staffs. Noise in intensive care units (ICUs) can disrupt patients’ sleep pattern and may have a negative impact on cognitive performance. ...
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Introduction: Noise pollution in hospital wards can arise from a wide range of sources including medical devices, air-conditioning systems and conversations among the staffs. Noise in intensive care units (ICUs) can disrupt patients’ sleep pattern and may have a negative impact on cognitive performance. Material and methods: In this review article, we searched through PubMed and Google Scholar, using [noise and (ICU or “intensive care unit”)] as keyword to find studies related to noise pollution in ICUs. In total, 250 studies were found among which 35 articles were included. Results: The majority of the reviewed studies showed that noise pollution levels were higher in ICUs than the level recommend by The United States Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization. Noise pollution was mostly caused by human activity and operating equipments in ICUs and other hospital wards. Conclusion: As the results indicated, identifying, monitoring and controlling noise sources, as well as educating the hospital staffs about the negative effects of noise on patients’ health, can be highly effective in reducing noise pollution.
Ahmad Shah Farhat; Gholamreza Khademi
Abstract
Environmental pollution is one of the most serious and fast-growing problems in the world of today. Lead poisoning is a threatening environmental situation with the potential of causing irreversible health issues and serious negative consequences in adults and children. Lead proves to have almost no ...
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Environmental pollution is one of the most serious and fast-growing problems in the world of today. Lead poisoning is a threatening environmental situation with the potential of causing irreversible health issues and serious negative consequences in adults and children. Lead proves to have almost no clear biological function. However, once it enters the body, it is known to cause severe health effects, which might be irreversible. In this article, we aimed to review the related literature to find evidence concerning the effect of lead toxicity on CNS, particularly its role in febrile convulsion. In this review, PubMed database was searched using MeSH terms. One hundred and fifty seven articles were retrieved, most of which were irrelevant to the topic. After a thorough search in PubMed and Google Scholar, seizure was shown to be one of the consequences of lead toxicity, but there was no evidence of epilepsy or febrile convulsion, induced by this metal contamination.