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Introduction: Health, safety and enviro-nment (HSE) is considered as an important matter in oil refining companies and also as one of the key priorities for the companies. Hence, this research employed the HSE culture ladder in order to assess the HSE culture in the Shahid Tondgooyan oil refi-ning company of Tehran. Materials & Methods: Current research was a descriptive-analytical, sectional and practical study. The population under study included all the administrative and oper-ative officials of Shahid Tondgooyan oil refining company of Tehran. With the ass-istance of the professors and statistical consultants, as well as the type of the study, a check list of the HSE culture ladder was completed and analyzed by the statistical consultants. The mentioned check list was gathered after intensive literature review. This culture model has been categorized into five levels with unique characteristics from pathological to creative ones. Findings: According to the results and self-analysis of the HSE culture by using of the culture ladder model, Shahid Tondgooyan oil refining company of Tehran was in the proactive level. By observing some of the noted factors, it could be reached into the proactive level, and then enter to the creative level. Discussion & Conclusion: With regarding to the obtained results, necessary measures must be taken to progress the level of HSE culture in the refinery area, as well as to progress the operations of the workers and the management’s attitude.

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Introduction: The dyestuff manufacturing and textile industries consume a high volume of water and produce a great amount of wastewater containing various toxic substances. This study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of using activated carbon prepared from milk vetch wood for removing methylene blue dye from synthetic wastewater.

Materials & methods: This research was carried out in laboratory scale with using of 100 ml volume of batch photoreactor and in chemistry laboratory of Ilam university of medical sciences (summer 2013). Activated carbon was prepared using chemical-thermal method. The effect of pH, contact time, dye concentration and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption of methylene blue dye as model organic dye was studied and kinetic and isotherm of the adsorption process was investigated. The dye concentrations were measured via spectrophotometer (665 nm wavelength). 

Findings: The results showed that activated carbon prepared from milk vetch has high potential to remove dye molecules. The MB absorption capacity rates were 38.66, 40 and 48.5 mg/g respectively at pH of 3, 7 and 11 for the initial dye concentration of 50 mg/L and 0.1 g/0.1L absorbent mass  at 30 minute. Also dye absorption rates were 40, 69.66, and 78.04 mg/g on absorbent respectively for 50, 100, and 150 mg/l dye concentration, at pH of 7, 1 g/0.1L absorbent mass, and 30 minutes time. Adsorption data followed Langmuir isotherm model (R²=0.99). 

Discussion & conclusion:  Based on the obtained results, activated carbon prepared from milk vetch can be considered as an efficient adsorbent for removing dye from aqueous phase.

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Introduction: Catastrophizing about pain has been identified as one of the most important psychological variables in transition of acute pain to chronic disabling pain. This study aimed at investigating the psychometric properties of a Persian-language version of the pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) amongst a sample of patients with chronic pain.

Materials & methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 195 patients with chronic pain using convenience method. Participants completed a group of self-report measures including the Persian versions of PCS, pain severity, daily pain-related interference, physical disability, depression, anxiety, catastrophising, positive and negative effects and pain self-efficacy beliefs. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods.

Findings: The factor structure of the PCS was examined, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The results indicated that PCS is conceptualized within a two-factor model, namely magnification and rumination/helplessness. Results also indicated that the PCS and its two subscales have good internal consistency (alphas range from 0.80 to 0.89) and test-retest reliability (rs range from 0.71 to 0.81 (with a 7-14 days interval)). The results of correlation analysis among PCS and its two subscales with measures of pain, interference, disability, depression, anxiety, catastrophising, positive and negative effects and pain self-efficacy beliefs support both the convergent and divergent validity for the PCS and the two subscales of magnification and rumination/helplessness.

Discussion & conclusions: To sum up, the Persian version of the PCS has satisfactory psychometric properties and can be administered amongst the Iranian population with chronic persistent pain.

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Introduction: Motor neurons in spinal cord dictate the structural and contractile properties of muscles. Damage to motor neurons change muscles gene expression pattern. Given that Neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) is required for survival and normal function of muscle fibers, the aim of present study is investigation effect of Decreased activity model as Spinal Nerve Ligation on muscular NT-4 gene expression.
 
Materials & methods: Ten adult male wistar rats in the weight range of 250±20 gr randomly were divided into two groups including healthy control (C), Spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Over the six weeks after SNL, neuropathic pain behavior tests were conducted continually in groups. In the end of Sixth weeks, change of NT-4 gene expression in soleus muscle was measured with Real time technique.
 
Findings: Behavioral tests demonstrated that spinal nerve ligation induce thermal Hyperalgesia and mechanical Allodynia in the SNL group which decreased pain threshold seen in allover period of study (P≤0.05). Also, compared to the C group, NT-4 gene expression in soleus muscle was higher in SNL group significantly (P≤0.05).
 
Discussion & conclusions: The present study demonstrated that decreased activity in the form of SNL is associated with increased NT-4 gene expression in soleus muscle. However, the mechanisms and pathophysiologic issues of this increase are remaining elusive.
 

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Introduction: Oxidative stress plays a key role in the onset and development of diabetes-related complications. Due to the antioxidant effect of exercise and Urtica dioica (UD), this study aimed to evaluate the effect of one period of endurance exercise and hydroalcoholic extract of Urtica dioica on oxidative stress indices of heart tissue in STZ-Induced diabetic rats.
Material & Methods: In this study, 50 Wistar rats (mean±SD weight: 232.12±7.42 g) were randomly divided into five groups: Healthy-sedentary, Diabetes-sedentary, Diabetes-Exercise, Diabetes-Urtica dioica, and Diabetes-Exercise-Urtica dioica. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (45 mg/kg) and 48 hours after injection, blood glucose levels above 300 mg/dl were the criteria for the confirmation of diabetes. Endurance exercise with moderate intensity (5 days/week) and daily gavage of hydroalcoholic extract of UD was performed at 50 mg/kg for six weeks. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 20) through Shapiro-Wilk, two-way ANOVA, and Tukey post hoc test.
Findings: Two weeks after STZ injection, body weight in the Diabetes-Urtica dioica (P=0.001), Diabetes-Exercise (P=0.034), and Diabetes-Exercise-Urtica dioica (P=0.025) groups decreased, compared to the Healthy-sedentary group, and this reduction continued until the end of the sixth week. In addition, six weeks of endurance exercise and UD extract significantly reduced blood glucose concentration in the Diabetes-Exercise (P=0.001), Diabetes-Urtica dioica (P=0.001), and Diabetes-Exercise-Urtica dioica (P=0.001) groups, compared to the Diabetes-sedentary group. Furthermore, endurance training and UD extract caused a significant increase in catalase (P=0.019) and glutathione peroxidase (P=0.028) values and a significant decrease in heart tissue malondialdehyde (P=0.001).
Discussion & Conclusion: Six weeks of endurance training combined with UD extract can increase the antioxidant index and decrease lipid peroxidation in the heart tissue of diabetic rats with streptozotocin.
 

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