Evaluating the anti-leech effects of tobacco methanolic extract compared with succinyle choline and some other anti-parasite drugs

زمینه و هدف: زالوها جزء راسته آنالیدا هستند که50 نوع از آن از خون پستانداران تغذیه می کنند. آلودگی به زالو باعث عوارضی شامل: کم خونی شدید، خونریزی، افزایش حساسیت و واکنش آنافیلاکتیک می شود. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی اثر تعدادی از داروهای شیمیایی و گیاهی بر زالو گونه لیمناتیس نیلوتیکا انجام شد. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه تجربی ابتدا تعداد 100 عدد زالو از جنس لیمناتیس نیلوتیکا تهیه و اثر عصاره متانولی تنباکو و داروهای مبندازول، سوکسینیل کولین، مترونیدازول، تریکلابندازول، لوامیزول، نیکلوزاماید و یک تیمار با آب مقطر بر زالو مطالعه شد. حرکات و اثرات داروها به مدت 720 دقیقه مورد مشاهده و بررسی قرار گرفت و زمان فلجی و مرگ زالو ثبت می گشت. یافته ها: با بررسی فلجی و مرگ زالو مشخص شد عصاره متانولی تنباکو با دوز 600 میلی گرم با میانگین 17 دقیقه باعث مرگ زالوها می شود. داروهای تریکلابندازول با میانگین 66/118 دقیقه، لوامیزول با 7 دقیقه، نیکلوزاماید با 66/18 دقیقه و مترونیدازول با 11/541 دقیقه باعث مرگ زالوها شدند. نتیجه گیری: میانگین زمانی نسبتاً کوتاه فلجی و مرگ زالو توسط عصاره متانولی تنباکو و داروهای لوامیزول، نیکلوزاماید، تریکلابندازول نشان از اثرات ضد زالویی این داروها می باشد و ممکن است بتوان از آنها در موارد آلودگی انسانی با زالو گونه لیمناتیس نیلوتیکا استفاده نمود

Synthesis of hydrous iron oxide/aluminum hydroxide composite loaded on coal fly ash as an effective mesoporous and low-cost sorbent for Cr(VI) sorption: Fuzzy logic modeling

The aim of this research was to estimate the possibility of using synthesized hydrous iron oxide/aluminium hydroxide composite loaded on coal fly ash (FA3) as an efficient sorbent for Cr(VI) sorption from aqueous solution. In this regard, dissolution and precipitation processes were performed to rearrange and load the intrinsic iron and aluminum on the surface of fly ash. Different characterization techniques including XRD, XRF, FT-IR, SEM, LPS and BET surface area were applied to analyze the sorbent properties. Moreover, sorption kinetics were studied using Morris–Weber intra-particle diffusion, Lagergren pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. The kinetic analyses indicated that pseudo-first-order model controlled the sorption process. In order to estimate the sorbent capacity, Langmuir, Freundlich and D–R models were applied. The thermodynamic parameters of Cr(VI) sorption were also studied. In addition, removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was predicted using the developed fuzzy logic model. The fuzzification of four input variables including pH, contact time, adsorbent dose and initial Cr(VI) concentration versus removal efficiency as output was carried out using an artificial intelligence-based approach. A Mamdani-type fuzzy interface system was employed to fulfill a collection of 24 rules (If-Then format) using triangle membership functions (MFS) with seven levels in fuzzy sets. The proposed fuzzy logic model demonstrated high predictive performance with correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.95 and acceptable deviation from the experimental data, confirming its suitability to predict Cr(VI) removal efficiency. Based on experimental data and statistical analysis, the synthetized sorbent was effective for treating wastewater containing Cr(VI).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Prevalence of anti-HCV antibody and related risk factors among bleeding disorder patients in Yazd province of Iran

زمینه و هدف: مصرف جایگزین درمانی خون و فرآورده های خونی غربال نشده یا فاکتورهای انعقادی تغلیظ شده ویروس زدایی نشده در بیماران اختلال انعقادی خطر ابتلا به هپاتیت C را در آنها ایجاد می کند. مطالعه حاضر به منظور بررسی فراوانی آنتی بادی بر علیه ویروس هپاتیت C (anti-HCV Ab) و فاکتورهای خطر مربوطه در بیماران اختلال انعقادی استان یزد انجام شد. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه توصیفی-تحلیلی که به روش سرشماری در تابستان 1385 انجام شد، پس از جمع آوری اطلاعات پرسشنامه ای، از 77 بیمار نمونه خون گرفته شد. نمونه های پلاسما با کیت الیزا از نظر آنتی بادی بر علیه ویروس هپاتیت C و سپس نمونه های مثبت با روش تست RIBA (Recombinant Immonoblot Assay) تایید شدند. داده ها با استفاده از آزمون های آماری کای دو و آنالیز رگرسیون لجستیک مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرار گرفتند. یافته ها: فراوانی آنتی بادی بر علیه ویروس هپاتیت ‍‍C معادل 4/49 (38 بیمار) بدست آمد. بین داشتن فرم شدید بیماری (از نظر نیاز به فرآورده های خونی) (01/0

Antibiotics-encapsulated nanoparticles as an antimicrobial agent in the treatment of wound infection

Disruption in the wound-healing process is caused by the presence of bacteria and leads to major problems and delays in wound healing. The limitations of commonly used medicines for treating wound infections include drug toxicity, insufficient microbial coverage, poor penetration, and increased resistance. This study aimed to determine the effect of ciprofloxacin loaded in solid lipid nanoparticles (Cip-SLN) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and ampiciliin-vancomycin loaded in solid lipid nanoparticles (Amp-Van-SLN) on Staphylococcus aureus in wounds. Antibiotics were encapsulated in SLNs using the double emulsion method and were characterized. The in-vitro effect of antibiotic-loaded nanoparticles on P. aeruginosa and S. aureus was assessed using well diffusion and MIC methods. Finally, the topical antibacterial activity of these nanoparticles against bacterial wound infection was measured in a mouse model. MIC results showed that in the first 24 hours, the free drug had a greater effect on inhibiting bacteria, and in 72 hours, the inhibitory effect of nanoparticles increased. There was no toxicity effect of 400 µg/mL of nanoparticles on cells. According to the findings, the groups treated with Cip-SLN and Amp-Van-SLN were more effective than the control group (untreated) in different concentrations. In the wound healing process, the group treated with solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) exhibited a greater epithelial thickness, indicating enhanced healing, compared to the group treated with the free drug. The use of SLN can increase the accumulation of antibiotics at the site of infection with a slow release of the drug due to its fatty nature, which leads to a significant inhibitory effect on bacteria and also improves wound healing

Influence of 24-Hours Shift Work System on Occupational Stress among Iranian Firefighters

Introduction: Firefighters are exposed to variety of stressors. Job related factors and shift-work system are the main stressors among Iranian firefighters. It seems necessary to study these related factors. Therefore, the present study aimed to find out what dimensions of job stress are associated with 24-hour shift-work schedule of firefighters.Materials and Methods: After studying the validity and reliability of Persian version of NIOSH Generic Job Stress Questionnaire, 228 firefighters completed it, together with the validated version of the Survey of Shift-worker (SOS) questionnaire. The Spearman, Chi 2, Mann-Whitney and ANOVA statistical analysis were conducted through SPSS 18.Results: Results showed that some undesirable effects of Shiftwork in more than 60% of firefighters are medium to high. There was a significant relationship between variables of shiftwork (sleep disorders, the undesirable effects of shiftwork) and the variables of job stress (ambiguity in job future, workload, physical environment, job control, employment opportunities, non-work activities, social support from bosses, spouse, friends, relatives, subjective demands, role incompatibility, role ambiguity and job satisfaction).Conclusion: The present study shows that adverse effects of 24-Hour Shiftwork and occupational stress largely interact with each other. Therefore, it could be concluded that job stress could be moderated or reduced and job satisfaction could concurrently be increased through focusing on the roots of occupational stress from the perspective of shiftwork systems. 

The effect of food service system modifications on staff body mass index in an industrial organization

Due to the adverse effects of obesity and overweight on health status of people, organizations that provide daily food aim for a healthy Body Mass Index among their staff. The purpose of this applied randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to study the effect of modifications in the food service section and nutritional intervention on the BMI of staff in an industrial center. In this applied randomized controlled trial which lasted for 40 days, 116 overweight people (BMI ≥ 26) were randomly selected and divided into control and test groups. Individual daily food plan was prepared by a dietitian and nutritional education sessions were held for test group. At the management level, food menu was modified reduce the calorie intake by at least 1000 Kcal per day for the test group and also cost less for the center. The kitchen staffs were trained to promote healthy cooking and improving the food taste. The satisfaction level of food service was also evaluated before and after the intervention, using a questionnaire. To analyze the findings, SPSS 16 software, independent t-test and paired t-test, and Macnemar test were used. The results showed that BMI in test group decreased from 27.5 ± 2.36 to 26.8 ± 2.15 (p<0.05), while in control group increased by 0.5 Kg/m2. Similar result was observed in weight change. The level of satisfaction of food service following changes in the menu increased significantly in both groups. Also, cost of food and use of fat were reduced by 15% and 8%, respectively.  Dietary interventions and improving the nutritional knowledge along with modification in food service system could result in better weight management in organization staff using canteen food.  

Vortex combustion and heat transfer in meso-scale with thermal recuperation

Vortex flows were utilized as a means to stabilize gaseous flames in micro/meso scale non-premixed combustors for use in small scale power and propulsion systems. In the present study, computational and experimental investigation of a turbulent asymmetric vortex flame is studied. Three-dimensional modeling of reacting flows was conducted to explore flame distribution and flow evolution in the chamber. The wall temperature was measured by using an infrared thermometer under the specified flow conditions. The experimental results showed that in stoichiometric condition, by increasing the mass flow rate of air, the wall temperature increases. The emitter efficiency was evaluated based on the measured wall temperature for outside wall. The emitter efficiency was found to be significantly influenced by the position of flame distribution, for which the mixture preheating (by the combustor wall) is believed to be a main reason. The effect of increasing the swirl was to improve the mixing and flame stability for swirl numbers up to approximately one. Excessive swirl also had the advantage of forcing the flame to move upstream to a position closer to the burner wall, resulting in excessive wall heating and emitter efficiency as well

Rehydration: Comparison of Isotonic and Hypotonic Saline with Dextrose in Children

Introduction: Early rehydration with bolus fluid can be life saving. We compared isotonic saline with a hypotonic fluid which was composed of saline 0.9%, dextrose, and bicarbonate in our clinical setting.Materials and Methods: 71 children entered to this study , 41 cases received isotonic saline and the remaining 30 cases received hypotonic fluid which was composed of 750 cc saline 0.9%, 28 cc bicarbonate 7.5%, and 222cc dextrose 5% for resuscitation fluid challenge at a dose of 20ml/kg over 20 minutes that could be repeated up to 3 times as needed. Serum sodium (Na), potassium (K), blood sugar (BS) and bicarbonate (HCo3) were measured before initiating rehydration and after 3 hours. T independent test was used to compare the values between the two groups and T paired test in each group in SPSS 16. The level of significance was set at 0.05.Results: Serum Na, K, BS, and HCo3 were 134±5, 3.8 ±0.6, 90±16, and 11.6±3.6 before and 135±4, 3.7±0.5, 73±13, and 15±3 three hours after rehydration in the isotonic group, respectively.In the isotonic rehydrated group, BS drop and HCo3 rise significantly (p<0.001). Serum Na, K, BS, and HCo3 were 134±6, 3.6±0.6, 91±15, and 10.1±1.9 before and 136±3, 3.6±0.4, 94±10, and 15±2 three hours after rehydration in the hypotonic saline group, respectively. Serum sodium increased 2meq/dl (p<0.04) and bicarbonate increased 4.9 meq/l (P< 0.001).Conclusions: The hypotonic serum containing 115meq/l of sodium chloride combined with 25meq/l of sodium bicarbonate and dextrose 1.1% is not associated with a decrease in BS or hyponatremia. It also increases serum HCo3 prominently.Keywords: Hypotonic Solutions; Isotonic Solutions; Dehydration; Child