Screening of von willebrand disease in iranian women with menorrhagia

Results: Mean age of our patients was 32.5 ± 10.6 years. The level of von Willebrand factor in 22.5 and von Willebrand activity in 19.6 of patients was abnormal. The prevalence of vWD among patients with menorrhagia was 24. Conclusions: The high prevalence of vWD among our patients was the same as other previous reports, suggesting low awareness about this disease and under diagnosis of mild cases. Background: Menorrhagia is a common health problem in women, particularly those with bleeding disorders. Little is known about the course of menorrhagia or other bleeding symptoms in women with the most common congenital bleeding disorder, von Willebrand disease (vWD). Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of vWD in women with diagnosed menorrhagia. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 460 consecutive patients, presenting menorrhagia, were analyzed. The initial screening and confirmation tests for the diagnosis of vWD included determination of prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), bleeding time (BT), fibrinogen, factor VIII, vWF antigen, and vWF activity. A questionnaire was filled for every patient. The data were then analyzed using the SPSS software. © 2015, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

Grafting of Wool with Alginate Biopolymer/Nano Ag as a Clean Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Agent : Characterization and Natural Dyeing Studies

There is a continuous search for green and sustainable materials and processes in textile dyeing and finishing. In the current study, wool yarns were grafted with Sodium Alginate-Silver nanoparticles (SA-Ag NPs) and consecutively dyed with Cochineal or Madder. The weight gain of the samples was measured to find the optimized SA-Ag NPs initial concentration, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to study their surface morphology. The effects of the initial dye concentration, pH, temperature on the color strength of the dyed samples were investigated. It was found that the pretreatment enhanced the dye-ability, antimicrobial, and antioxidant characteristics of the samples noticeably. Under the same dyeing conditions, the fixation of dyes on the treated wool fibers was noticeably higher than that of the untreated wool fibers. The colorfastness characteristics of the treated samples dyed with Cochineal or Madder were slightly improved. The results clearly showed that the application of SA-Ag NPs on the wool samples could be considered as a green finishing process with promising antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. A very high level of antimicrobial efficiency (99%) was achieved after the pretreatment, which remained as high as 90% even after ten repeated washing cycles.Peer reviewe

Sampling Plan for the Kavya–Manoharan Generalized Inverted Kumaraswamy Distribution with Statistical Inference and Applications

In this article, we introduce the Kavya–Manoharan generalized inverse Kumaraswamy (KM-GIKw) distribution, which can be presented as an improved version of the generalized inverse Kumaraswamy distribution with three parameters. It contains numerous referenced lifetime distributions of the literature and a large panel of new ones. Among the essential features and attributes covered in our research are quantiles, moments, and information measures. In particular, various entropy measures (Rényi, Tsallis, etc.) are derived and discussed numerically. The adaptability of the KM-GIKw distribution in terms of the shapes of the probability density and hazard rate functions demonstrates how well it is able to fit different types of data. Based on it, an acceptance sampling plan is created when the life test is truncated at a predefined time. More precisely, the truncation time is intended to represent the median of the KM-GIKw distribution with preset factors. In a separate part, the focus is put on the inference of the KM-GIKw distribution. The related parameters are estimated using the Bayesian, maximum likelihood, and maximum product of spacings methods. For the Bayesian method, both symmetric and asymmetric loss functions are employed. To examine the behaviors of various estimates based on criterion measurements, a Monte Carlo simulation research is carried out. Finally, with the aim of demonstrating the applicability of our findings, three real datasets are used. The results show that the KM-GIKw distribution offers superior fits when compared to other well-known distributions

Using Newly Developed Software to Enhance the Efficiency of the Nursing Process in Patient Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial

The nursing process is a systematic decision-making method of problem-solving that increases the quality of patient care. Implementation of modern technology in nursing can reduce documentation time, make nursing care safer, and improve the quality of patient care. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of applying newly developed nursing process software on the efficiency of the nursing process in patient care. In this randomized clinical trial, 80 nursing students were randomly allocated into intervention (n = 40) and control (n = 40) groups. The student in the intervention group used the software to care for patients for two semesters. Students in the control group used routine hospital protocol to care for their patients. Modified Brooking nursing process measuring scale was used to evaluate the effectiveness of software before and after the intervention. The results showed a statistically significant difference in the mean efficiency score of the nursing process in the two groups after the intervention (P < .001). Using nursing process software leads to increasing the efficiency of the nursing process in patient care. Thus, providing executive support and electronic resources with relevant training for nursing students can be beneficial in students' education and be a practical application of the nursing process in caring for patients

Synthesis of Highly Active Pd@Cu–Pt/C Methanol Oxidation Electrocatalysts via Continuous, Co-Electroless Deposition

Controlled deposition of metals is essential for the creation of bimetallic catalysts having predictable composition and character. Continuous co-electroless deposition (co-ED) permits the creation of bimetallic catalysts with predictive control over composition. This method was applied to create a suite of Cu–Pt mixed-metal shell catalysts for use in methanol electrooxidation in direct methanol fuel cell applications (DMFCs). Enhanced performance of Cu–Pt compositions over Pt alone was predicted by existing computational studies in the literature. Experimental evidence from this study supports the bifunctional catalyst explanation for enhanced activity and confirms the optimum Cu:Pt ratio as Cu3Pt for this methanol electrooxidation. This ability to control the composition of a bimetallic shell can be extended to other systems where the ratio of two metals is critical for catalytic performance

Synthesis and Electrochemical Evaluation of Carbon Supported Pt-Co Bimetallic Catalysts Prepared by Electroless Deposition and Modified Charge Enhanced Dry Impregnation

Carbon-supported bimetallic Pt-Co cathode catalysts have been previously identified as higher activity alternatives to conventional Pt/C catalysts for fuel cells. In this work, a series of Pt-Co/C catalysts were synthesized using electroless deposition (ED) of Pt on a Co/C catalyst prepared by modified charge enhanced dry impregnation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) characterization of the base catalyst showed highly dispersed particles. A basic ED bath containing PtCl62− as the Pt precursor, dimethylamine borane as reducing agent, and ethylenediamine as stabilizing agent successfully targeted deposition of Pt on Co particles. Simultaneous action of galvanic displacement and ED resulted in Pt-Co alloy formation observed in XRD and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (XEDS) mapping. In addition, fast deposition kinetics resulted in hollow shell Pt-Co alloy particles while particles with Pt-rich shell and Co-rich cores formed with controlled Pt deposition. Electrochemical evaluation of the Pt-Co/C catalysts showed lower active surface but much higher mass and surface activities for oxygen reduction reaction compared to a commercial Pt/C fuel cell catalyst

Electrostatic Adsorption of Platinum onto Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers for Nanoparticle Synthesis

Strong Electrostatic Adsorption (SEA) has been demonstrated as a simple, scientific method to prepare well dispersed Pt nanoparticles over typical forms of carbon: activated, black, and graphitic carbons. Many varieties of specialty carbons have been invented in the last few decades including multi-walled nanotubes, nanofibers, graphene nanoplatelets, etc. In this work, we explore whether SEA can be applied to these specialty carbons for the synthesis of Pt nanoparticles. Over a number of oxidized and unoxidized multiwalled nanotubes and nanofibers, the point of zero charge (PZC) was measured and the uptake of anionic Pt complexes (Pt hexachloride, [PtCl6]2−, and cationic Pt complexes (platinum tetraammine, [Pt(NH3)4]2+) as functions of final pH were surveyed. Pt nanoparticles on the various supports were synthesized at the optimal pH and were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The specialty carbons displayed volcano-shaped uptake curves typical of electrostatic adsorption for both Pt anions at low pH and Pt cations at high pH. However, the regimes of uptake often did not correspond to the measured PZC, probably due to surface impurities from the carbon manufacturing process. This renders the measured PZC of these specialty carbons unreliable for predicting anion and cation uptake. On the other hand, the anion and cation uptake curves provide an “effective” PZC and do indicate the optimal pH for the synthesis of ultrasmall nanoparticle synthesis. High resolution STEM imaging also showed that with SEA it is possible to disperse nanoparticles on the surface as well as the inner walls of the specialty carbons