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Introduction & objectives: Cannabis extract is an important psychoactive substance that have used by people around the world. Due to the diverse effects of cannabis on brain cells, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of cannabis extract on the growth of SH-SY5Y neurons.
Methods: In this experimental study, SH-SY5Y cells were prepared from Pasteur Institute of Iran and then incubated in DMEM, supplemented with  10% fetal bovine serum ,embryo-L glutamine, penicillin and streptomycin at 37^oC and 5% CO₂. following cell proliferation, the cells in the fourth passage were divided into control and experimental groups which were treated with cannabis at concentrations of 100 and1000 ng/ml. during  1 to 9 days, SH-SY5Y cells growth was calculated by flow cytometry using PDT= T× formula.
 
Results: SH-SY5Y cells adhered to the bottom of the flask 24 hours after transfer to the cell culture flask. These cells were initially spherical and after 24 hours become spindle. The results of cell count test on days 1 to 6 showed the growth of cannabis-treated cells similar to the control group, but from the sixth day, in the cannabis extract treated groups, a significant reduction in cell growth was observed at the level of p<0.05 compared to the control group.
Conclusion: The results showed that SH-SY5Y cells in the culture medium were spherically shaped, similar to fibroblast cells, and the based on the results of cell count, it was determined that cannabis inhibits the growth of these cells.

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Background and objectives: The respiratory system is one of the areas that are most vulnerable to unhealthy workplace injuries. One of the most common occupational diseases, are illnesses and respiratory complications in employees who exposed to harmful pollutants in the workplace. Flour powder is a complex organic particle with different components. These ingredients include wheat bran, pollen, starch particles and a variety of bacteria. The high temperature of the bakery oven and the flour in the bakers' work environment can cause allergic and respiratory disorders. Evaluation of pulmonary function tests (spirometry) plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and threatening disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate pulmonary function tests and compare it with non-bakers and healthy people in Ardabil traditional bakers.
Methods: Lung function tests including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), maximal expiratory airflow velocity (PEF), maximal expiratory airflow velocity at 75%, 50%, and 25% of vital capacity (MEF75, MEF50, MEF25) and respiratory and allergic symptoms of 51 traditional male bakers and 51 non-bakers in the same age with other occupations were compared. Respiratory and allergic symptoms using a standard questionnaire including job-related respiratory symptoms such as cough, sputum, shortness of breath, and job-related allergic symptoms. In each phase, in addition to calculating the mean and standard deviation, t-test used to compare the means, the probability of error less than 5% considered significant.
Results: In the present study, there was a significant difference between the case group and the control group in pulmonary parameters. In addition, there was no significant difference between the level of education, type of bakery, number of working hours per day and BMI of bakers. There was a significant relationship between work experience (year) and FVC, FEV1, FEV1 percentage and FEF50%. There was also a significant relationship between the age of bakers and the all parameters above, except FVC, and there was a significant difference between different tasks in bakeries only in the case of FEF50%.
Conclusion: In control subjects, pulmonary parameters decreased with age, but in bakers, this trend is more severe and needs to follow up. The present study showed that traditional bakers in Ardabil are at risk for obstructive respiratory diseases. High oven temperature and exposure to irritants such as wheat flour may play an important role. Preventive tools such as proper ventilation and protective equipment needed.

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Background & objectives: ABCA1 plays an important role in HDL biosynthesis and cellular cholesterol homeostasis and is effective in preventing the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. This study aimed to investigate the effect of combined and rehabilitation training on ABCA1 gene expression in blood lymphocytes and lipid profile in middle-aged men with coronary bypass graft.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 45 middle-aged men (mean age: 55.58±4.7 years) were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly divided into three groups of combined training (15 people), rehabilitation (n=15), and control (n=15). The combined training group included resistance and aerobic exercises and rehabilitation training group included aerobic exercises for 8 weeks (3 sessions per week). Blood samples were taken from all subjects at weeks 0 and 8 to measure the expression levels of ABCA1, HDL, and LDL genes. Kruskal-Wallis, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey post hoc tests were used for statistical analysis using SPSS software, and significance level was p≤0.05 .
Results: The results showed that eight weeks of combined training and rehabilitation training increased the expression level of the ABCA1 (p=0.001 and p=0.001, respectively) gene and plasma HDL (p=0.001 and p=0.012, respectively) level and decreased plasma LDL (p=0.001 and p=0.01, respectively) level. There was also a significant difference between the three groups in ABCA1 and HDL values in favor of the combined training group. 
Conclusion: It seems that combined training can be more effective than rehabilitation training to further increase ABCA1 gene expression and plasma HDL levels and decrease LDL level in middle-aged men with coronary bypass graft.

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Background & Objectives: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world and Ardabil province is in the top ranks in the world. MicroRNAs are non-coding RNA molecules with a length of 18 to 21 nucleotides and due to their regulatory role in post- transcriptional gene expression; single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could affect their function on target genes regulation.
Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 150 healthy volunteers, which were born and living in Ardabil province, 30 SNPs in microRNA genes have been detected by the Whole Exome Sequencing assay. Then, the obtained results were evaluated using Sanger-based PCR-Sequencing method. The Pearson correlation test was used for finding significant relationships.
Results: After confirming the WES results, the population frequency of the selected variants was compared with the general populations of Iran, Europe and the world. Based on the age-standardized rate (ASR), six variants with significant differences, including rs10061133, rs12220909, rs12983273, rs2292832, rs2505901 and rs6505162 were observed.
Conclusion: According to the previous case-control studies which indicate the association between the variants rs10061133, rs12220909, rs12983273, rs2505901, and rs6505162 and gastric carcinogenesis in various populations, the observed significant differences in our population could imply on the presence of the cancer susceptibility in Ardabil province.

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Background & objectives: Urinary tract infection is still one of the most common diseases that affect pregnant women. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of sexual hygiene behaviors on urinary tract infection in pregnant women.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 100 pregnant women with urinary tract     infection (case group) and 150 pregnant women without urinary tract infection (control group) in health centers of Ardabil city in 2020. Purposive sampling was done in 6-10 weeks of pregnancy. The information was collected through a researcher-made questionnaire. SPSS 21 software was used for statistical analysis of data. The odds ratio (OR) of infection in both groups was estimated by logistic regression.
Results: Sexual health behaviors in the majority of women of the case group (47%) were average (with score of 50.1-66), but in the majority of the control group (49.33%) were good (with score of 66.1-84) (p<0.001). Sexual intercourse 3 or more times in a week in the last 30 days was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (p=0.001). Spouse bathing before sexual intercourse was less in women in the case group than the control group (p=0.022). Statistically significant differences were observed in Pre-coital voiding (p=0.04), Post coital voiding (p=0.02) and post-coital bathing (p=0.03) in the two groups.
Conclusion: Sexual hygiene behaviors play an important role in preventing or contracting urinary tract infections. Therefore, training and improving hygiene behaviors in women and their spouses is an effective step in reducing urinary tract infections.
 

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Background & Objective: Hepatitis B virus [HBV] infection is one of the most important public health concerns. The present study was conducted to provide a descriptive analysis of detected HBV infection in Ardabil province.
Methods: In this retrospective longitudinal study, the hepatitis B surveillance database of Ardabil province was examined from 2014 to 2018. The frequency of hepatitis B virus infections was presented based on age, gender, marital status, place of residence, primary symptoms, and reporting sources. Also, the trend of changes in the number of detected cases over time was investigated using time series analysis.
Results: A total of 817 positive cases with a mean age of 43.1 years were reported. Most of them were male [n=503, 61.5]. The Frequency of identified positive cases decreased over time. Most of the infections were asymptomatic [87.5%]. Almost 90.0% of patients with HBV were married and the majority of the identified patients were resided in urban settings [n=598, 73.2%]. Most diagnostic tests were done voluntarily [n=219, 26.8%] or during prenatal care [n=109, 13.3%]. Most cases were identified and reported by the health network [n=292, 35.7%] and blood transfusion organization [n=190, 23.2%].
Conclusion: Decision-makers of the health sector of the province can use this information as a source for evidence-based decision-making in the effective management of the disease.

Corresponding Author:
Eslam moradi-Asl, Department of Public Health, School of Health, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
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Background & objectives: Designing knee osteoarthritis (KOA) prevention programs requires recognizing modifiable risk factors. This study aimed  to determine the frequency of osteoarthritis in patients with knee pain referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil city.
Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 850 patients with knee pain who were referred to the clinic of rheumatology in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil city were studied. Demographic and personal characteristics and medical history of OA were collected from the participants by a checklist. Osteoarthritis was diagnosed based on clinical and radiographic evidence by a rheumatologist.
Results: Of all patients, 310 (36.5%) were diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. The most of patients (33.5%) were in the  age group of 50-59 years old, women (80.6%) and housewives (29%). 39.9% of all patiens had obesity and most of them (43.2%) have  not exercised at any time. A family history of knee osteoarthritis was reported in 45.2% of patients, while a family history of joint replacement was reported in 6.1%. 15.8% of patients reported a history of previous knee trauma. The type of used toilet was traditional in 90.3%.
Conclusion: The frequency of knee OA in our study similar to other studies was at a moderate level and due to regional risk factors, it is suggested to reduce the incidence of KOA by presenting necessary training programs and changing the nutritional patterns of society people.

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