Application of Wind Energy in Urban Regional Planning Toward Ecological Sustainability(Case Study: Hashtgerd)

The remarkable development of sciences and technologies in the world of]o today has apparently brought mankind comfort and well-being, but it has also created new problems for humans including environmental pollution, widespread changes in world weather conditions, etc. Fossil fuels cause numerous environmental pollutions. In other words, on the one hand poisonous gases enter the environment following the burning of fossil fuels, make breathing difficult for people, and pollute the environment. On the other hand, accumulation of these gases in the atmosphere prevents heat from escaping the earth, leading to temperature increases and widespread weather changes on earth called the greenhouse effect. The best way to stop the increasing trend in the concentrations of these poisonous gases is to use clean energies such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrogen energies instead of energy obtained from burning fossil fuels and thus to prevent environmental pollutions and the problems they caused. Since cities are the major consumers of energy, the need for utilizing clean energies (including wind energy) becomes more obvious because attention to the way energy is provided for cities, and the management of this energy, will influence the preservation of environmental health and the optimal use of energy resources of the earth. With this purpose in mind, optimizing energy consumption and utilization of new energies in cities will be taken into account from the very first in urban and regional planning. Through utilizing renewable energy in cities, we will achieve the above-mentioned goals, including reduced use of fossil energy and saving costs, and movement towards sustainable development and environmental health. In this project, the SWOT table of utilizing renewable energy was prepared for the region of Hashtgerd in order to analyze the available information and offer a strategy suitable for the subject of the research. Following that, a flowchart of studies and conditions required for utilization of this energy, with emphasis on ecological sustainability, was prepared to select suitable conditions for utilizing wind energy in cities. Important and effective indicators in these processes were then used to draw up tables for analyzing and estimating various conditions, amounts of generated electricity and reduction in emission. Moreover, using the KLIMM software, two regions around Hashtgerd were selected for establishing wind farms, taking the required areas for the farms and electricity consumption in Hashtgerd into consideration. Finally, a region south of Hashtgerd was judged the most suitable site with respect to location and other characteristics

The Potential Ameliorating Role of Spironolactone in Trastuzumab Mediated Cardiotoxicity: A Narrative Review

Background: Around 20% of breast cancers (BC) overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2). HER-2 upregulation has been linked to increased tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis. Trastuzumab, an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, has improved overall survival in early-stage and metastatic BC but at the expense of developing cardiac morbidity. In the current review, we aimed to discuss the pathogenesis of trastuzumab-induced cardiac toxicity and the potential preventive properties of spironolactone in this regard. Methods: We thoroughly searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science according to the following search terms: trastuzumab, cardiotoxicity, heart failure, Spironolactone. Results: Trastuzumab deteriorates mitochondrial function and subsequently leads to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cardiomyocytes. Published clinical studies have offered conflicting results regarding the efficacy of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and beta-blockers (BB) in respect of trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity. On the other hand, spironolactone has been found to exert both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Recent in vivo studies have supported the cardioprotective effect of spironolactone through maintaining mitochondrial ultrastructure and reducing ROS production. Conclusions: Although spironolactone mitigates oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, there is a lack of clinical evidence to support the effectiveness of spironolactone in trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity. Design and implementation of clinical trials are of the essence to determine the potential beneficial impacts of spironolactone upon trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity

Dislodged Interatrial Septum Occluder was Found in an Incredible Place: A Case Report

Secundum type atrial septal defect (ASD) is the most common type of interatrial septum defects. Transcatheter closure of secundum ASD has replaced traditional surgical ASD closure in most cases. Embolization of device is relatively uncommon (0.3%), but it can be a life-threatening situation that needs emergency open heart surgery. We presented a 44-year-old woman who underwent a successful ASD device closure, but the day after procedure, she presented with dyspnea and frequent paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia with absence of device in interatrial septum (IAS) position. Further investigation by transesophageal revealed atrial septal occluder in the right pulmonary artery that extracted by surgery successfully

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Isolation and identification of phytase-producing strains from soil samples and optimization of production parameters

Introduction:Phytase can be used as a feed additive to catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of phytate as the major storage form of natural phosphorus. Phytase is produced by a wide range of bacteria, fungi and yeasts. Isolation and identification of phytase-producing strains from soil, is of great interest for commercial application in different industries. The aim of the current study was the isolation and identification of phytase-producing strains from soil samples and optimizing the enzyme production. Materials and methods: For isolation and identification of phytase-producing strains, soil samples were collected from farms near Qazvin. Diluted samples were spread onto PSM solid media and production of the clear zones about the colonies gave a visual indication of phytase production. The selection of the best phytase-producing strain was performed by measuring the enzyme activity in the liquid medium. The selected strain was identified by slide-culture technique and the effect of carbon source (phytate and wheat bran), pH and time of incubation were also investigated for optimal enzyme production. Results: In this study, a Penicillium sp. was isolated from a soil sample near Qazvin and was selected as the best phytase-producing strain. The maximum phytase activity (171 U/ml) was obtained in the medium containing % 2 (w/v) phytate, at pH 5, after 72 h of incubation. By using wheat bran as the source of carbon and phytate, the maximum phytase activity, which was 61.7 U/mL, was produced at pH 7 and after the same time of incubation. Discussion and conclusion: Penicillium sp. isolated from a soil sample near Qazvin, was able to produce highly active phytase in optimized environmental conditions, which could be a suitable candidate for commercial production of phytase to be used as complement in poultry feeding industries

Evaluation of Drug Repositioning by Molecular Docking of Pharmaceutical Resources to Identification of Potential <em>SARS-CoV-2</em> Viral Inhibitors

Unfortunately, to date, there is no approved specific antiviral drug treatment against COVID-19. Due to the costly and time-consuming nature of the de novo drug discovery and development process, in recent days, the computational drug repositioning method has been highly regarded for accelerating the drug-discovery process. The selection of drug target molecule(s), preparation of an approved therapeutics agent library, and in silico evaluation of their affinity to the subjected target(s) are the main steps of a molecular docking-based drug repositioning process, which is the most common computational drug re-tasking process. In this chapter, after a review on origin, pathophysiology, molecular biology, and drug development strategies against COVID-19, recent advances, challenges as well as the future perspective of molecular docking-based drug repositioning for COVID-19 are discussed. Furthermore, as a case study, the molecular docking-based drug repurposing process was planned to screen the 3CLpro inhibitor(s) among the nine Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antiviral protease inhibitors. The results demonstrated that Fosamprenavir had the highest binding affinity to 3CLpro and can be considered for more in silico, in vitro, and in vivo evaluations as an effective repurposed anti-COVID-19 drug