Gold Nanoparticles: Synthesising, Characterizing and Reviewing Novel Application in Recent Years

AbstractIn this paper we report the synthesis of gold nanoparticles during laser ablation of a metal gold plate in distilled water. The experiments were performed with a first harmonic (1064nm, 6ns, 10Hz) output of a Nd:YAG laser varying the operative fluency between 5Jcm-2 and 15Jcm-2. The results indicate that gold nanoparticles are synthesized at room temperature.In this paper we give an overview of the properties of gold relevant to its potential application in molecular-scale devices absorption spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were employed to determine the optical properties and size of gold nanoparticles. And novel applications of gold nanoparticles have been studied in various fields

The Prevalence of Mental Disorders (Depression and Anxiety) and its Related Factors Among the Elderlies in Bastam, 2018

Background:  Depression and anxiety are common problems in the elderly, which also causes disability and physical illness. The aim of this study is to investigate The Prevalence of Mental Disorders (Depression and Anxiety) and factors affecting them among the elderlies of Bastam city. Method: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. By referring to Bastam Health Center, 262 adults aged 60 and over were selected by simple random sampling method. Depression and anxiety in the elderly were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory, respectively. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics including independent t-test, Pearson correlation test and Chi-square test were used. Result: In the present study, 25.6%, 11.1% and 8% of the elderly had mild, moderate and severe depression, respectively. There was no significant difference between depression scores in terms of gender, marital status and employment status (P.V> 0.05); But there was a significant difference between the mean depression scores in terms of underlying disease (P.V <0.001). There was a significant difference between the mean score of anxiety in terms of gender, marital status, occupational status and underlying disease (P.V ≤0.05). There was a direct and significant relationship between age and mean score of depression and anxiety. Also, there was a significant negative correlation between the level of education of the elderly and depression and anxiety scores (P.V ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Depression and anxiety are prevalent among elderly people in Bastam. Therefore, it is important to address mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety in the elderly, and to identify risk factors among the elderly

The Prevalence of Mental Disorders (Depression and Anxiety) and its Related Factors Among the Elderlies in Bastam, 2018

Background:  Depression and anxiety are common problems in the elderly, which also causes disability and physical illness. The aim of this study is to investigate The Prevalence of Mental Disorders (Depression and Anxiety) and factors affecting them among the elderlies of Bastam city. Method: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. By referring to Bastam Health Center, 262 adults aged 60 and over were selected by simple random sampling method. Depression and anxiety in the elderly were measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory, respectively. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics including independent t-test, Pearson correlation test and Chi-square test were used. Result: In the present study, 25.6%, 11.1% and 8% of the elderly had mild, moderate and severe depression, respectively. There was no significant difference between depression scores in terms of gender, marital status and employment status (P.V> 0.05); But there was a significant difference between the mean depression scores in terms of underlying disease (P.V <0.001). There was a significant difference between the mean score of anxiety in terms of gender, marital status, occupational status and underlying disease (P.V ≤0.05). There was a direct and significant relationship between age and mean score of depression and anxiety. Also, there was a significant negative correlation between the level of education of the elderly and depression and anxiety scores (P.V ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Depression and anxiety are prevalent among elderly people in Bastam. Therefore, it is important to address mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety in the elderly, and to identify risk factors among the elderly

Prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in Iran

BACKGROUND: Estimates of the annual prevalence for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) were consistent across the international sites range, 1.9% – 2.5%. The nine population surveys, which used Diagnostic Interview Schedule, estimated a six-month prevalence of OCD ranging from 0.7% to 2.1%. This study performed in order to determine the prevalence of OCD in a population-based study among Iranian adults aged 18 and older and to study the association of them with factors such as sex, marital status, education, type of occupation and residential area. METHODS: A cross-sectional nationwide epidemiological study of the Iranian population aged 18 and older was designed to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and their association with the above mentioned factors. 25180 individuals were selected and interviewed through a randomized systematic and cluster sampling method from all Iranian households. Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) criteria were used in diagnosis of OCD. 250 clinical psychologists interviewed the selected subjects face to face at their homes. RESULTS: The prevalence of OCD in Iran is 1.8% (0.7% and 2.8% in males and females; respectively). 50.3% of the survey sample were men, 49.9% women, 29.1% single, 67.45% married, 0.4% separated or divorced, 2.5% widow/widower and 4% undetermined. All of the above-mentioned factors were examined in the univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Although the data did not fit the models well, but in univariate models, sex, the category "single" of marital status, age, the categories "business" and "housewife" and residential areas showed significant effect adjusting for the factors, but the models didn't fit the data properly. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that the prevalence of OCD is not rare in the community of Iran and is within the range of other countries. Similar to prior studies in other communities, OCD is more common in females than males

Effects of dietary common juniper (Juniperus communis) essential oil on growth, immunity, antioxidant status, and disease resistance in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

The main aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of common juniper (Juniperus communis) essential oil (JCEO) on growth, digestive enzymes, biochemical profile, immune and antioxidant system, and liver enzymes in the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. 240 fish (10.63 ± 0.06 g) were fed for 60 days in 12 thanks (20 fish per tank) with experimental diets containing JCEO including: control or T1 (untreated), T2 (fed 0.5% JCEO), T3 (1% JCEO), T4 (2% JCEO). Results revealed an increase in final weight (FW) and weight gain (WG) in all treatments, with a significant difference with the control group (P < 0.05). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) decreased, after addition of JCEO compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Amylase, protease and lipase activity levels increased in all groups (T2, T3 and T4 groups), which were significantly different from the control (P < 0.05). The T2 group had the highest total protein (TP) level in serum compared to the control, and all experimental treatments exhibited a significant difference with the control (P < 0.05). The activity of antioxidant enzymes in serum, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) increased compared to the control group, with the highest levels in the T4 group. Inclusion of JCEO to the diet significantly reduced the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in blood compared to the control (P < 0.05). The highest level of serum lysozyme activity and total immunoglobulin (total Ig) were observed in T3 group, which displayed a significant difference with the control (P < 0.05). Serum alternative complement activity (ACH50) increased in the supplemented fish compared to the control (P < 0.05). The fish survival increased after challenge with Yersinia ruckeri in JCEO-supplemented fish. In conclusion, JCEO at dietary level of 1% could improve the nutrient digestion and absorption and provide better growth, as well as reinforce the immune system in rainbow trout

Developing a Water Quantity-Quality Equitable Allocation Model in River-Reservoir Systems: Application of Scenario Optimization Technique

Water quantity-quality equitable allocation model in river-reservoir systems provides the possibility of decision making on the amount of allocated water by considering the hydrological, economical, and environmental effects. Water allocation is done according to three criteria, namely equity, efficiency, and sustainability by considering uncertainties in hydrological parameters. In this method, at first a water quantity-quality allocation model was developed in GAMS optimization model based on the mentioned three criteria. Scenarios were built based on scenario optimization technique by identifying the uncertainties in the model inputs. Water was allocated using the initial model for each sub-scenario. Afterward, water allocation in each scenario was obtained by the tracking model. To assess the applicability of the proposed method, it was applied to Roodbal river basin in south-east of Fars province, south of Iran. After analyzing basic data, upstream inflow and TDS concentration were identified as the uncertain input and the most critical quality parameter respectively. Due to the existing uncertainty, three scenarios of wet, normal and dry year were built. The results of using the proposed model showed that 100 percent of the users’ demands are supplied in wet and normal years and 61 percent in dry years. The volume of reservoir was always more than minimum volume (35 MCM) and TDS concentration was lower than 1000 mg/L (TDS water quality standard). The value of these three criteria were also at their highest possible. Based on the results of the model, the Roodbad River-Reservoir system faces no problem in supplying agricultural water demands in wet and normal years. Therefor, water can be stored in wet and normal years to be used during dry years. In dry years, water is  allocated to the users in a way that the mentioned criteria have the maximum values and the reservoir storage doesn’t reach the minimum value except for the last month of the optimization period

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE AGE OF WOMEN AT THEIR FIRST MARRIAGE, ISPHAHAN-IRAN

In this study which was carried out in 1974 in Isphahan, 3,000 married women between the ages of 15 to 44 who were the residents of the city of Isphahan and a similar group of women who were residents of the villages surrounding the city were interviewed. Results indicate that the average and the median of age at the first marriage had been increasing steadily since 1959 for the city women and since 1969 for the women in the villages. However, the average age at the first marriage has always been higher for the city women and for the five years period from 1969 to 1974 have reached to 15 months

Effect of a Low-Level Laser on Liposomal Doxorubicin Efficacy in a Melanoma Cell Line: Doxorubicin Delivery Enhancement in Response to Lasers Effect

Introduction: The cytotoxicity of chemotherapy drugs is a significant challenge in the way of surmounting cancer. Liposomal drug delivery has proven to be efficacious in increasing the function of the drugs. Its potential to accumulate drugs in the target site and enhance the efficiency of anticancer agents with lower doses hinders their cytotoxicity on normal healthy cells. Since the release of drugs from liposomes is not generally on a controlled basis, several studies have suggested that external stimuli including lasers could be used to induce controlled release and boost the efficiency of liposomal drug delivery systems (LDDSs).Methods: The A375 cancer cell line was used and exposed to the liposomes containing doxorubicin in the presence of a low-level laser beam to investigate its effect on the liposomal stimuliresponsiveness release and its toxicity on cancer cells. So as to achieve that goal, Annexin V/PI was employed to analyze the number of cells that underwent apoptosis and necrosis.Results: Here, we report the effect of laser irradiation on LDDSs. According to the results obtained from the annexin V/PI assay, the pattern of viability status has shifted, so that the number of preapoptotic cells treated with liposomal doxorubicin and a laser beam was more than that of cells treated with only liposomal doxorubicin.Conclusion: The use of stimuli-responsive LDDSs, in this case, laser-responsive, has led to favorable circumstances in the treatment of cancer, offering enhanced cancer cell cytotoxicity DOI:10.34172/jlms.2021.2

Evaluation of possible occurrence of mutation in MMR repair system genes in resistant and sensitiveclinical strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosisby using sequencing method

Background:during recent years, the incidence and spread of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium causing tuberculosis, has set this disease in World Health Organizationpriorities alignment of diseases like AIDS and hepatitis. Study of close examination of resistant and susceptible clinical strains genotypes is necessary to overcome drug resistance. Among the numerous repair systems, only there are limited number of encoding genes of DNA repair enzymes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Commonly these genes have been conserved and any changes among them likely increasethe mutation occurance due to the impossibility of correctionof spontaneous mutations insensitive strains of this bacteria.mut genes encodeDNA repairable enzymes.This study investigated the mutations in these genes and the effect of these mutations on tuberculosis drug resistance. Materials&Methods: In this study,of 29 available specimens,we were selected 8 susceptible strains and 21 resistantstrains andafter ordering appropriate primers and performing the proliferation reaction two types of amplicons produced which includingfragments of genes mut T2 and mut T4 and they were sent inorder to sequencing. Results:The results of chain reactionprimer represents an appropriate choice of primerswhich were investigated. Sequencing results showed that overall 73% of resistant strains that had been selected for study of mutT4gene, have no mutations in codons 48of mutT4 gene, and 70% of resistant strains have no GGA >>> CGA mutation at codon 58 of mutT2 gene. Conclusion: One of the strategies to overcome tuberculosis drug resistance is a close examination of genotypes of resistant and susceptible clinical strains. Results of this study was performedby examining changes in mut T2 and mut T4 gene sequence. The mutation in mut T2 always associated with mutation in mut T4, in this way, the first mutation may occurs in mut T4and after that, the second mutationmay occurs in mut T2. Importance of this is determined by study of encoded proteins by these two genes and position of mut t4thanmut T2 in the MUT HLS spatial structure of protein complex. Results of comparison of drug resistance and occurrence of mutations in hot-spots of mut T2 and mut T4 genes illustrated that these genes are conserved in resistant strains. However, there is no significant relation in susceptible strains

Rapid antidepressant effects of repeated doses of ketamine compared with electroconvulsive therapy in hospitalized patients with major depressive disorder.

Accumulating evidence suggests that N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists (e.g. ketamine) may exert rapid antidepressant effects in MDD patients. In the present study, we evaluated the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine compared with the electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in hospitalized patients with MDD. In this blind, randomized study, 18 patients with DSM-IV MDD were divided into two groups which received either three intravenous infusions of ketamine hydrochloride (0.5 mg/kg over 45 min) or ECT on 3 test days (every 48 h). The primary outcome measure was the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), which was used to rate overall depressive symptoms at baseline, 24 h after each treatment, 72 h and one week after the last (third) ketamine or ECT. Within 24 h, depressive symptoms significantly improved in subjects receiving the first dose of ketamine compared with ECT group. Compared to baseline level, this improvement remained significant throughout the study. Depressive symptoms after the second dose ketamine was also lower than the second ECT. This study showed that ketamine is as effective as ECT in improving depressive symptoms in MDD patients and have more rapid antidepressant effects compared with the ECT