Efectos de las formaciones geológicas y la topografía sobre la evolución y diversidad de los suelos

Different soils with various properties and sometimes with different types of limitations can be formed which is necessary to investigate the conditions of soil formation and evolution for their optimal use. In this study, we studied the relationship between soil, topography in terms of slope and elevation, and parent material with the land morphology and physical and chemical properties of soil, how the soil formed and evolved. From 19 control soil profiles, 57 soil samples were obtained from three layers and some soil characteristics including Acidity, Salinity, Gypsum, Lime, Texture and Organic matter were measured. Using NEWHALL software, the soil temperature and moisture regime was determined. To study the conditions of topography, the digital elevation map and slope was prepared, the characteristics of geological formations were determined and based on the Gower index and Jacquard index, the relationship between soil evolution factors with topography and parent materials were studied. The diversity of soils classification was studied using richness, uniformity of Shannon and Simpson indices. Based on the results obtained from Gower and jacquard similarity indices, the effect of topography and parent materials on soil diversity was proved. Soil diversity indices showed an increasing trend from the soil order level to the soil family. The increase in the Richness index was higher at the soil family level, so that the highest soil diversity observed at the soil family level. Also, soil diversity is mainly affected by intrinsic factors and to some extent by environmental factors. Soil profile development is mostly influenced by slope, parent materials and in some areas by groundwater level.Se pueden formar diferentes suelos con varias propiedades y en ocasiones con diferentes tipos de limitaciones lo que es necesario para investigar las condiciones de formación y evolución del suelo para su óptimo aprovechamiento. En este estudio, estudiamos la relación entre el suelo, la topografía en términos de pendiente y elevación y el material parental con la morfología de la tierra y las propiedades físicas y químicas del suelo, cómo se formó y evolucionó el suelo. A partir de 19 perfiles de suelo de control, se obtuvieron 57 muestras de suelo de tres capas y se midieron algunas características del suelo que incluyen acidez, salinidad, yeso, cal, textura y materia orgánica. Usando el software NEWHALL, se determinó el régimen de temperatura y humedad del suelo. Para estudiar las condiciones de topografía se elaboró ​​el mapa digital de elevación y pendiente, se determinaron las características de las formaciones geológicas y con base en el índice de Gower y el índice de Jacquard se estudió la relación entre los factores de evolución del suelo con la topografía y los materiales parentales. La clasificación de la diversidad de suelos se estudió utilizando la riqueza, uniformidad de los índices de Shannon y Simpson. Con base en los resultados obtenidos de los índices de similitud de Gower y Jacquard, se demostró el efecto de la topografía y los materiales parentales sobre la diversidad del suelo. Los índices de diversidad de suelos mostraron una tendencia creciente desde el nivel del orden del suelo hasta la familia del suelo. El aumento en el índice de riqueza fue mayor a nivel de familia de suelos, por lo que la mayor diversidad de suelos se observó a nivel de familia de suelos. Además, la diversidad del suelo se ve afectada principalmente por factores intrínsecos y, en cierta medida, por factores ambientales. El desarrollo del perfil del suelo está influenciado principalmente por la pendiente, los materiales parentales y en algunas áreas por el nivel del agua subterránea

Efectos de las formaciones geológicas y la topografía sobre la evolución y diversidad de los suelos

Se pueden formar diferentes suelos con varias propiedades y en ocasiones con diferentes tipos de limitaciones lo que es necesario para investigar las condiciones de formación y evolución del suelo para su óptimo aprovechamiento. En este estudio, estudiamos la relación entre el suelo, la topografía en términos de pendiente y elevación y el material parental con la morfología de la tierra y las propiedades físicas y químicas del suelo, cómo se formó y evolucionó el suelo. A partir de 19 perfiles de suelo de control, se obtuvieron 57 muestras de suelo de tres capas y se midieron algunas características del suelo que incluyen acidez, salinidad, yeso, cal, textura y materia orgánica. Usando el software NEWHALL, se determinó el régimen de temperatura y humedad del suelo. Para estudiar las condiciones de topografía se elaboró ​​el mapa digital de elevación y pendiente, se determinaron las características de las formaciones geológicas y con base en el índice de Gower y el índice de Jacquard se estudió la relación entre los factores de evolución del suelo con la topografía y los materiales parentales. La clasificación de la diversidad de suelos se estudió utilizando la riqueza, uniformidad de los índices de Shannon y Simpson. Con base en los resultados obtenidos de los índices de similitud de Gower y Jacquard, se demostró el efecto de la topografía y los materiales parentales sobre la diversidad del suelo. Los índices de diversidad de suelos mostraron una tendencia creciente desde el nivel del orden del suelo hasta la familia del suelo. El aumento en el índice de riqueza fue mayor a nivel de familia de suelos, por lo que la mayor diversidad de suelos se observó a nivel de familia de suelos. Además, la diversidad del suelo se ve afectada principalmente por factores intrínsecos y, en cierta medida, por factores ambientales. El desarrollo del perfil del suelo está influenciado principalmente por la pendiente, los materiales parentales y en algunas áreas por el nivel del agua subterránea

Challenges of Charity Hospitals in Tehran: Evidence of Private Sector Participation in the Provision of Health Care

Background & Objectives: Charity hospitals with increasing public participation in the provision of health services could play an important role in assisting government for providing health care and promoting society health. Since most deprived people use the services of these hospitals, paying attention to these organizations and their management can help improve the quality and equality of health services distribution. Thus, this study aimed to explore the challenges of management of charity hospitals in Tehran province and provide solutions for these challenges in 2017. Methods: This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in 2017. Data were collected through semi-structure interviews with 26 participants from various organizations including top and middle hospital managers, experts from Vice-chancellor in treatment affairs of Universities of Medical Sciences in Tehran, and the Endowments and Charity Affairs Organizations. Snowball sampling method was used to select the respondents. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method. Results: The challenges of charity hospitals could be categorized into 5 main codes including financial resources, human resources, physical and structural resources, management, and cultural challenges, and 13 sub codes. Conclusion: Endowment selling and creating endowment funds in charity hospitals to develop sustainable financial resources, supervision of Ministry of Health (MOH) and Universities of Medical Sciences (UMS) for teaching, quality improvement, development of human resources, reconciliation with the goals of the health system, participation in macro policy making and planning, development of structural standards for the management of these hospitals and their announcement by the MOH, are the main solutions for these challenges. Key¬words: Charity hospitals, Qualitative study, Challenges, Tehran Citation: Jaafaripooyan E, Javadi Ghale E, Arab M, Sharifi T. Challenges of Charity Hospitals in Tehran: Evidence of Private Sector Participation in the Provision of Health Care. Journal of Health Based Research 2018; 3(4): 323-37

Factors Determining Primary Coronary Slow Flow Phenomenon among Opium Users and Non-users: A Case Control Study in Northern Iran

Background: Coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP) represents a clinical entity with recurrent chest pain leading to living impairment. The present study aimed to investigate whether opium use correlates with primary CSFP. Methods: This study included Iranian patients with suspected coronary artery disease who underwent myocardial perfusion imaging. Coronary blood flow was measured quantitatively using the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count and slow flow was defined as TIMI grade 2 standard deviations. Age and clinical conditions including diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), hyperlipidemia (HLP), history of chest pain, and opium use were recorded. First, the characteristics of the two groups were compared and then the main analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between CSFP and opium use. Data were analyzed using t test and chi-square test via SPSS 25.0. The significance level was set at P<0.05. Findings: This study was conducted on 44 male patients with documented CSFP who had no stenotic lesions and 134 control group male patients who had normal coronary arteries with normal flow. The mean age was similar in the two groups (54.25 vs.52.69, P=0.474). Two groups were significantly different in terms of history of chest pain (P=0.003), but there was no significant difference in HTN (P=0.084), DM (P=0.284), HLP (P=0.183), smoking (P=0.696), and opium use (P=0.107).  Conclusion: This study indicated that opium use is not associated with primary CSFP

Examining the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Quality of Life in primary Infertile Women

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on quality of life in infertile women. Semi-experimental design, a randomized controlled trial with assessment in baseline, after intervention and two- month follow-up was conducted on participants of control group. A total of 24 female patients with primary infertility diagnosis among patients who referred to the Infertility Center of Shariati hospital in Tehran were selected as volunteers and were assigned randomly into the experimental (n=12) and control groups (n=12). All participants completed Infertile Couples’ Quality of Life Questionnaire in three phases of baseline, after treatment and follow-up. Data were analyzed using multivariate repeated measurement of variance analysis. Results showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy improve the quality of life in social and psychological components, depression, aggression and jealousy in participants of experimental group. Results of this study showed that mindfulness - based cognitive therapy can be effective in improving quality of life in infertile women

Examining the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Quality of Life in primary Infertile Women

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on quality of life in infertile women. Semi-experimental design, a randomized controlled trial with assessment in baseline, after intervention and two- month follow-up was conducted on participants of control group. A total of 24 female patients with primary infertility diagnosis among patients who referred to the Infertility Center of Shariati hospital in Tehran were selected as volunteers and were assigned randomly into the experimental (n=12) and control groups (n=12). All participants completed Infertile Couples’ Quality of Life Questionnaire in three phases of baseline, after treatment and follow-up. Data were analyzed using multivariate repeated measurement of variance analysis. Results showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy improve the quality of life in social and psychological components, depression, aggression and jealousy in participants of experimental group. Results of this study showed that mindfulness - based cognitive therapy can be effective in improving quality of life in infertile women

Hepatoprotective and antifibrotic effects of trans-chalcone against bile duct ligation-induced liver fibrosis in rats

Objective(s): Several lines of research have shown that hepatic fibrosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Trans-chalcone is a flavonoid precursor with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The present study was conducted to examine the antifibrotic properties of trans-chalcone on bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced liver cholestasis in rats. Materials and Methods: Following the BDL operation, trans-chalcone at doses of 12, 24, and 50 mg/kg was administered orally once a day for 45 consecutive days. Serum levels of liver indices, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total and direct bilirubin, and lipid profile in addition to blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine, were measured. Additionally, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were assessed in liver homogenates. Histopathological evaluations were performed using Masson trichrome (MT) and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Results: The elevated levels of liver enzymes, total and direct bilirubin, BUN, creatinine, cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) induced by BDL were significantly reduced following trans-chalcone administration; while serum level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) increased. Besides, treatment with trans-chalcone elevated the activities of CAT and SOD in the liver tissues of the animals with BDL surgery. According to MT and H&E staining, BDL-induced histopathological changes, including infiltration of inflammatory cells, hepatocyte necrosis, ductal hyperplasia, and collagen deposition were ameliorated using trans-chalcone administration. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the present study that trans-chalcone, possibly by its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may exert hepatoprotective and antifibrotic effects in BDL-induced liver fibrosis.

Safety Evaluation of Nano-Liposomal Formulation of Amphotericin B (SinaAmpholeish) in Animal Model as a Candidate for Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Background: Development of a topical treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an important step in the im­provement of lesion management. Amphotericin B (AmB) is effective against Leishmania species but it is toxic, a Nano-liposomal form of AmB with a size of about 100nm (Lip-AmB) was developed and showed to be effective against Leishmania major, and Leishmania tropica in vitro and against L. major in vivo in animal model. This study was designed to check the irritancy Draize test in rabbits and was completed in the Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, TUMS, in 2012. Methods: Twenty rabbits in 3 steps were housed individually with artificial lighting (12/12h light/dark). SinaAm­pholeish cream or empty liposomes (prepared under GMP condition at Minoo Company, Tehran, Iran), was applied on a gauze patch and the patches were placed on the designated sites of the skin in the back of the rabbits. At 48 and 72h later, the erythema and oedema were checked, scored and recorded. Results: The erythema score in rabbits was 0.83+0.41 for the SinaAmpholeish and 0.5+0.55 for empty liposomes (P= 0.16). The average score for oedema was 0.67+0.52 for SinaAmpholeish and 0.33+0.52 for empty liposomes (P= 0.16). Conclusion: Based on skin irritancy reactions the topical formulation of SinaAmpholeish is safe and could be further checked in human trials

Radiobiological effects of wound fluid on breast cancer cell lines and human-derived tumor spheroids in 2D and microfluidic culture

Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) could abrogate cancer recurrences, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. To clarify the effects of IORT-induced wound fluid on tumor progression, we treated breast cancer cell lines and human-derived tumor spheroids in 2D and microfluidic cell culture systems, respectively. The viability, migration, and invasion of the cells under treatment of IORT-induced wound fluid (WF-RT) and the cells under surgery-induced wound fluid (WF) were compared. Our findings showed that cell viability was increased in spheroids under both WF treatments, whereas viability of the cell lines depended on the type of cells and incubation times. Both WFs significantly increased sub-G1 and arrested the cells in G0/G1 phases associated with increased P16 and P21 expression levels. The expression level of Caspase 3 in both cell culture systems and for both WF-treated groups was significantly increased. Furthermore, our results revealed that although the migration was increased in both systems of WF-treated cells compared to cell culture media-treated cells, E-cadherin expression was significantly increased only in the WF-RT group. In conclusion, WF-RT could not effectively inhibit tumor progression in an ex vivo tumor-on-chip model. Moreover, our data suggest that a microfluidic system could be a suitable 3D system to mimic in vivo tumor conditions than 2D cell culture

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Modulation of Cholesterol Homeostasis in THP-1 Macrophage-Derived Foam Cells

Transformation of macrophages to foam cells is determined by the rates of cholesterol uptake and efflux. This study uses a real time RT-PCR technique to investigate the role of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), α-linolenic acid (ALA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the regulation of the ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1) and liver X receptor α (LXR) genes, which are involved in cholesterol homeostasis. Accordingly, these fatty acids significantly reduced the total, free and esterified cholesterols within the foam cells. While the expression of the ABCA1 and LXRα genes was increased in the presence of the pharmacological LXRα ligand, T0901317, their mRNA expression was not significantly affected by CLA, ALA and EPA. These results suggest that although polyunsaturated fatty acids have an effect on cholesterol homeostasis, they cannot change the expression of the ABCA1 and LXRα genes. Alternatively, several other genes and proteins may be involved