Effect of Direct and Indirect Ultrasonic Methods on Microbial Load and Chemical Quality of Raw Wheat Germ

Background: Thermal methods such as pasteurization and sterilization are currently used to eliminate microorganisms, but they may reduce nutrition value or disturb texture, flavor, taste and color. This study assessed the effect of direct and indirect ultrasonic methods on microbial load and chemical quality of raw wheat germ. Methods: The wheat germ was prepared from Shiraz, southern Iran. It was treated with two direct and indirect ultrasonic methods. In direct method using the frequency of 20 kHz and maximum time of 10 minutes, immersion of the device probe was undertaken in a reservoir containing wheat germ and in indirect way, ultrasound was applied at frequencies of 50-60 kHz for 30 minutes to the wall of the container with samples of wheat germ. The microbial and chemical characteristics of both treated groups were compared. Results: The direct method reduced the microbial load of the product by 0.6 logarithms, while in the indirect method, the microbial load of the product was not significantly reduced. Conclusion: It can be expected that the use of ultrasound waves in an appropriate manner for disinfecting the fresh edible plants, including sprouts, along with its remarkable benefits, in comparison with the traditional thermal methods such as pasteurization and sterilization as well as harmful environmental disinfectants, has a beneficial effect on reducing the microbial load of the germs and its effect on the micronutrients of this nutritious food is little or negligible

Designing a comprehensive security framework for smartphones and mobile devices

This work investigates issues and challenges of cyber security, specifically malware targeting mobile devices. Recent advances in technology have provided high CPU power, large storage, broad bandwidth and integrated peripheral devices such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G/4G to mobile devices, making them popular computing and communication devices. Mobile malware has been targeting mobile devices more than ever and seems to be shifted from their traditional host, the personal computers, to more vulnerable victims. In this study, we mainly focus on malware for Android-based mobile devices. We analyze and discuss related malware and recognize its trends and challenges. We also present a comprehensive security solution that addresses the security from malware threats

Effect of volk oil and potassium nitrate on budbreak, yield and some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) nuts

Purpose: The aim of this study was to improve yield, and characteristics of pistachio nuts of three cultivars by foliar application of volk oil and potassium nitrate. Research method: The study was carried out during the bud swelling stage using a factorial design, following a randomized complete block design with four replications. The experimental factors consisted of three cultivars, namely 'Fandoghi', 'Hasan-Abbasi', and 'Haj-Abdollahi', and three treatments: volk oil (1% and 2%), potassium nitrate (KNO3) (0.3% and 0.5%), and a mixture of volk oil and KNO3 (1% volk oil + 0.3% KNO3, and 1% volk oil + 0.5% KNO3). A control treatment was also included in the study. Findings: The results of this study showed that the highest percentage of open shell nuts (52.17%) was observed in ‘Hasan-Abbasi’ cultivar, and the highest fresh weight of 100 nuts in ‘Haj-Abdollahi’ (202.2 g). The lowest ounce (29.07), the highest dry weight of 100 nuts and 10 kernels weight were obtained 76.26 and 26.56 g in ‘Fandoghi’ cultivar, respectively. The use of 2% volk oil treatment was effective in budbreaking, as well as increasing the percentage of open shell nuts and reducing the percentage of balk nuts. Research limitations: There was no limitation. Originality/Value: 0.5 % KNO3 increased the fresh and dry weight of 100 nuts and decreased ounce of pistachio in all cultivars. Therefore, the use of volk oil and KNO3 treatments can be effective in pistachio orchards, and increase the quantity and quality of the yield

Enabling informed policymaking for chronic kidney disease with a registry:Initiatory steps in Iran and the path forward

Objectives: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) registries have been used for more than half a century. Iran lacks a comprehensive registry to capture data of all CKD patients for an informed care planning and policy making. We aimed to identify the objectives and possible challenges for developing a CKD registry and also to define its minimum data set (MDS) in our healthcare context.Methods: This was a mixed-method study conducted in Iran from fall 2016 till summer 2017. The qualitative part included document analysis and 26 semi-structured interviews with 17 clinicians and managers involved in CKD care. This data was analyzed using the "grounded theory". Then, a modified Delphi survey was conducted. Percentages and mode values were used for analysis.Results: Our participants' leading interest in a CKD registry was centered on providing a coordinated, good-quality care for all CKD stages with particular emphasis to capture events and monitor trends for patients in earlier stages. They highlighted the required financial, technical and human resources as main challenges for a smooth registry implementation. Furthermore, a clinically oriented MDS comprising of 168 elements (with a majority having more than 90% agreement with mode 2) was extracted. It mainly collects demographics, medical history, encounter sessions, diagnostic examinations, medications, vaccinations and mortality data.Conclusions: We reported the initiatory steps taken to establish a CKD registry in an Iranian healthcare context. We focused on the information needs and priorities of our main stakeholders and based our intended registry on addressing those needs. We hope this approach will facilitate its endorsement and advance the efforts for a sustainable, good-quality CKD care. (C) 2018 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Enabling informed policymaking for chronic kidney disease with a registry:Initiatory steps in Iran and the path forward

Objectives: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) registries have been used for more than half a century. Iran lacks a comprehensive registry to capture data of all CKD patients for an informed care planning and policy making. We aimed to identify the objectives and possible challenges for developing a CKD registry and also to define its minimum data set (MDS) in our healthcare context.Methods: This was a mixed-method study conducted in Iran from fall 2016 till summer 2017. The qualitative part included document analysis and 26 semi-structured interviews with 17 clinicians and managers involved in CKD care. This data was analyzed using the "grounded theory". Then, a modified Delphi survey was conducted. Percentages and mode values were used for analysis.Results: Our participants' leading interest in a CKD registry was centered on providing a coordinated, good-quality care for all CKD stages with particular emphasis to capture events and monitor trends for patients in earlier stages. They highlighted the required financial, technical and human resources as main challenges for a smooth registry implementation. Furthermore, a clinically oriented MDS comprising of 168 elements (with a majority having more than 90% agreement with mode 2) was extracted. It mainly collects demographics, medical history, encounter sessions, diagnostic examinations, medications, vaccinations and mortality data.Conclusions: We reported the initiatory steps taken to establish a CKD registry in an Iranian healthcare context. We focused on the information needs and priorities of our main stakeholders and based our intended registry on addressing those needs. We hope this approach will facilitate its endorsement and advance the efforts for a sustainable, good-quality CKD care. (C) 2018 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

An insight to HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) pathogenesis; evidence from high-throughput data integration and meta-analysis

Background Human T-lymphotropic virus 1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a progressive disease of the central nervous system that significantly affected spinal cord, nevertheless, the pathogenesis pathway and reliable biomarkers have not been well determined. This study aimed to employ high throughput meta-analysis to find major genes that are possibly involved in the pathogenesis of HAM/TSP. Results High-throughput statistical analyses identified 832, 49, and 22 differentially expressed genes for normal vs. ACs, normal vs. HAM/TSP, and ACs vs. HAM/TSP groups, respectively. The protein-protein interactions between DEGs were identified in STRING and further network analyses highlighted 24 and 6 hub genes for normal vs. HAM/TSP and ACs vs. HAM/TSP groups, respectively. Moreover, four biologically meaningful modules including 251 genes were identified for normal vs. ACs. Biological network analyses indicated the involvement of hub genes in many vital pathways like JAK-STAT signaling pathway, interferon, Interleukins, and immune pathways in the normal vs. HAM/TSP group and Metabolism of RNA, Viral mRNA Translation, Human T cell leukemia virus 1 infection, and Cell cycle in the normal vs. ACs group. Moreover, three major genes including STAT1, TAP1, and PSMB8 were identified by network analysis. Real-time PCR revealed the meaningful down-regulation of STAT1 in HAM/TSP samples than AC and normal samples (P = 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively), up-regulation of PSMB8 in HAM/TSP samples than AC and normal samples (P = 0.04 and P = 0.01, respectively), and down-regulation of TAP1 in HAM/TSP samples than those in AC and normal samples (P = 0.008 and P = 0.02, respectively). No significant difference was found among three groups in terms of the percentage of T helper and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (P = 0.55 and P = 0.12). Conclusions High-throughput data integration disclosed novel hub genes involved in important pathways in virus infection and immune systems. The comprehensive studies are needed to improve our knowledge about the pathogenesis pathways and also biomarkers of complex diseases.Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Funding: F Carvalho and E Fernandes acknowledge support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT), in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy i4HB; FCT/MCTES through the project UIDB/50006/2020. J Conde acknowledges the European Research Council Starting Grant (ERC-StG-2019-848325). V M Costa acknowledges the grant SFRH/BHD/110001/2015, received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma Transitória DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006.proofepub_ahead_of_prin