Balloon occlusion retrograde transvenous obliteration of gastric varices in two non-cirrhotic patients with portal vein thrombosis

This report describes two non-cirrhotic patients with portal vein thrombosis who underwent successful balloon occlusion retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) of gastric varices with a satisfactory response and no complications. One patient was a 35-year-old female with a history of Crohn's disease, status post-total abdominal colectomy, and portal vein and mesenteric vein thrombosis. The other patient was a 51-year-old female with necrotizing pancreatitis, portal vein thrombosis, and gastric varices. The BRTO procedure was a useful treatment for gastric varices in non-cirrhotic patients with portal vein thrombosis in the presence of a gastrorenal shunt

Serum level of lactate dehydrogenase, homocystein, hemoglobin and platelet in preeclampsia

Objectives: Pre-eclampsia affects approximately 5-8% of pregnant women. The aim of this study was to compare the serum level of Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Homocystein, Hemoglubin and platelet in pregnant women diagnosed as pre-eclampsia and a normal group in Gorgan city, Northeastern Iran from 2007-2008. Methodology: In this case control study, 50 cases of pre-eclampsia were compared with the control group women hospitalized in Dezyani hospital. Pre-eclampsia criteria were: Blood pressure more than or equal to 140/90 mm hg and Proteinuria greater or equal to 300 mg/ 24 hours urine sample in the third trimester. Hemoglobin, platelet, LDH and hemocystein were measured. Data were analyzed by the mean of SPSS-14 program & Chi-2 or t-student were used. Results: The difference of BMI and family incomes was significant between two groups (P-value0.01). Hemocystein level was more than normal range in five patients with pre-eclampsia (P-value<0.001). Conclusions: In this study, hemocystein level was significantly higher in pre-eclampsia patients but LDH, hemoglobin and platelet level had no significant difference

Physical properties of olive

&nbsp;B. Ghamary1,2, A. Rajabipour1, A. M. Borghei1, H. Sadeghi3(1. Agricultural Machinery Department., Faculty of Biosystems Engineering, University of Tehran, Karaj,Iran; 2. Ilam University, Ilam, Iran;3. Agricultural Machinery Department, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, University of Mazandaran, Mazandaran, Iran)&nbsp;Abstract: Physical properties of olive, a fruit of paradise, and of other agricultural products are important factors in the design of processing, grading, transporting and other agricultural machinery. &nbsp;As an initial step to help improve the design of the machinery, in this research physical characteristics of two varieties of local olives, &ldquo;yellow olive&rdquo; and &ldquo;oily olive&rdquo;, were studied. Having been randomly collected during harvest season, for each olive sample three basic diameters, weight, and volume were measured and the following physical characteristics were estimated. &nbsp;For yellow olive and oily olive, the averages of geometric mean diameter were 20.04 mm and 18.28 mm respectively and their sphericties were 0.81 and 0.79 respectively. &nbsp;Application of regression analysis addressing the relationship between the volume and weight of each variety of olive yielded a significant relationship. &nbsp;Also, the volume of the olive samples was compared with that of an assumed ellipsoid shape, which again indicated a significant relationship. &nbsp;Finally, the correlation sought between olive flesh and the whole olive fruit was similarly found to be quite significant.Keywords: Olive, physical properties, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, Iran&nbsp;Citation: Ghamary B, A. Rajabipour, A. M. Borghei, H. Sadeghi. &nbsp;Physical properties of olive. &nbsp;Agric Eng Int: CIGR Journal, 2010, 12(2): 104-110.&nbsp;&nbsp

Microbial biodegradable potato starch based low density polyethylene

Plastic materials remain in the nature for decades. Slow degradation of plastics in the environment caused a public trend to biodegradable polymers. The aim of this research was to produce the microbial biodegradable low density polyethylene with potato starch. Degradation of potato starch based low density polyethylene (LDPE) was investigated in soil rich in microorganisms for 8 months. Weight differences of polymeric samples before and after degradation in soil indicated soil biodegradation. Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR) approved the result. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and weight change after 84 days&#8217; exposure to Pseudomonas aeruginosa confirmed degradation by microorganisms. In addition, potato starch based LDPE was exposed to 8 different kinds of fungi and the degradation was studied visually. Result confirmed the microbialbiodegradability of potato starch based LDPE blend in natural and laboratory condition

Influence of NaCl salinity on growth analysis of strawberry cv. Camarosa

In order to study of salinity effect on growth analysis of strawberry, a greenhouse experiment was conducted in Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan in 2010. This study was carried out RCBD design with 4 replications to determine the influence of salinity (30, 60, 90 Mmol and control with distilled water) on strawberry growth analysis. Results indicated that relative growth rate (RGR), crop growth rate (CGR), leaf area ratio (LAR) and dry matter accumulation were decreased with increasing salinity. The lowest RGR, CGR and LAR were observed in 90 Mmol NaCl salinity. Results also indicated that maximum dry matter accumulations were observed in 1050, 1200 and 1400 degree days in 30, 60 and 90 Mmol NaCl salinity, respectively. Water salinity more than 30 Mmol NaCl L-1 will decreased fresh fruit yield more than 50 percent in hydroponics strawberry production. Dry mass partitioning in NaCl-stressed plants was in favor of crown and petioles and at expense of root, stem and leaf whereas leaf, stem and root DM progressively declined with an increase in salinity

Effects of Moisture Content on Some Physical Properties of Apricot Kernel (CV. Sonnati Salmas)

Investigation of physical properties of apricot kernel is necessary for the design of equipment for processing, transportation, sorting and separating. In this research the physical properties of apricot kernels have been evaluated as a function of moisture content vary from 2.86 to 13.03% (w.b.). With increasing in moisture content, kernel length, width, thickness, geometric mean diameter and surface area increased; the sphericity varyied from 62.2% to 62.9%; mass, thousand grain mass, volume and true density increased from 0.437 to 0.484 (gr), 437.4 to 484 (gr), 0.431 to 0.473 (cm3) and 1015.7 to 1023.5 (kg/m3), respectively; The porosity and bulk density decreased from 47.21 to 42.71% and 580.02 to 540.11 (kg/m3) respectively. The angle of static friction on all surfaces increased as the moisture content increased

Microfibers synthesized by wet-spinning of chitin nanomaterials : mechanical, structural and cell proliferation properties

Partially deacetylated chitin nanofibers (ChNF) were isolated from shell residues derived from crab biomass and used to prepare hydrogels, which were easily transformed into continuous microfibers by wet-spinning. We investigated the effect of ChNF solid content, extrusion rate and coagulant type, which included organic (acetone) and alkaline (NaOH and ammonia) solutions, on wet spinning. The properties of the microfibers and associated phenomena were assessed by tensile strength, quartz crystal microgravimetry, dynamic vapor sorption (DVS), thermogravimetric analysis and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). The as-spun microfibers (14 GPa stiffness) comprised hierarchical structures with fibrils aligned in the lateral direction. The microfibers exhibited a remarkable water sorption capacity (up to 22 g g−1), while being stable in the wet state (50% of dry strength), which warrants consideration as biobased absorbent systems. In addition, according to cell proliferation and viability of rat cardiac myoblast H9c2 and mouse bone osteoblast K7M2, the wet-spun ChNF microfibers showed excellent results and can be considered as fully safe for biomedical uses, such as in sutures, wound healing patches and cell culturing.Peer reviewe

Conductive Carbon Microfibers Derived from Wet-Spun Lignin/Nanocellulose Hydrogels

We introduce an eco-friendly process to dramatically simplify carbon microfiber fabrication from biobased materials. The microfibers are first produced by wet-spinning in aqueous calcium chloride solution, which provides rapid coagulation of the hydrogel precursors comprising wood-derived lignin and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-l-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (TOCNF). The thermomechanical performance of the obtained lignin/TOCNF filaments is investigated as a function of cellulose nanofibril orientation (wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS)), morphology (scanning electron microscopy (SEM)), and density. Following direct carbonization of the filaments at 900 degrees C, carbon microfibers (CMFs) are obtained with remarkably high yield, up to 41%, at lignin loadings of 70 wt % in the precursor microfibers (compared to 23% yield for those produced in the absence of lignin). Without any thermal stabilization or graphitization steps, the morphology, strength, and flexibility of the CMFs are retained to a large degree compared to those of the respective precursors. The electrical conductivity of the CMFs reach values as high as 103 S cm(-1), making them suitable for microelectrodes, fiber-shaped supercapacitors, and wearable electronics. Overall, the cellulose nanofibrils act as structural elements for fast, inexpensive, and environmentally sound wet-spinning while lignin endows CMFs with high carbon yield and electrical conductivity

Mesoporous Carbon Microfibers for Electroactive Materials Derived from Lignocellulose Nanofibrils

The growing adoption of biobased materials for electronic, energy conversion, and storage devices has relied on high-grade or refined cellulosic compositions. Herein, lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNF), obtained from simple mechanical fibrillation of wood, are proposed as a source of continuous carbon microfibers obtained by wet spinning followed by single-step carbonization at 900 °C. The high lignin content of LCNF (∼28% based on dry mass), similar to that of the original wood, allowed the synthesis of carbon microfibers with a high carbon yield (29%) and electrical conductivity (66 S cm–1). The incorporation of anionic cellulose nanofibrils (TOCNF) enhanced the spinnability and the porous morphology of the carbon microfibers, making them suitable platforms for electrochemical double layer capacitance (EDLC). The increased loading of LCNF in the spinning dope resulted in carbon microfibers of enhanced carbon yield and conductivity. Meanwhile, TOCNF influenced the pore evolution and specific surface area after carbonization, which significantly improved the electrochemical double layer capacitance. When the carbon microfibers were directly applied as fiber-shaped supercapacitors (25 F cm–3), they displayed a remarkably long-term electrochemical stability (>93% of the initial capacitance after 10 000 cycles). Solid-state symmetric fiber supercapacitors were assembled using a PVA/H2SO4 gel electrolyte and resulted in an energy and power density of 0.25 mW h cm–3 and 65.1 mW cm–3, respectively. Overall, the results indicate a green and facile route to convert wood into carbon microfibers suitable for integration in wearables and energy storage devices and for potential applications in the field of bioelectronics.</p

Differential Developmental Deficits in Retinal Function in the Absence of either Protein Tyrosine Sulfotransferase-1 or -2

To investigate the role(s) of protein-tyrosine sulfation in the retina and to determine the differential role(s) of tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases (TPST) 1 and 2 in vision, retinal function and structure were examined in mice lacking TPST-1 or TPST-2. Despite the normal histologic retinal appearance in both Tpst1−/− and Tpst2−/− mice, retinal function was compromised during early development. However, Tpst1−/− retinas became electrophysiologically normal by postnatal day 90 while Tpst2−/− mice did not functionally normalize with age. Ultrastructurally, the absence of TPST-1 or TPST-2 caused minor reductions in neuronal plexus. These results demonstrate the functional importance of protein-tyrosine sulfation for proper development of the retina and suggest that the different phenotypes resulting from elimination of either TPST-1 or -2 may reflect differential expression patterns or levels of the enzymes. Furthermore, single knock-out mice of either TPST-1 or -2 did not phenocopy mice with double-knockout of both TPSTs, suggesting that the functions of the TPSTs are at least partially redundant, which points to the functional importance of these enzymes in the retina