Development, Validity and Reliability of Dysphagia Assessment Test in Iranian Adults after Stroke

Introduction: Many patients who have had strokes suffer from dysphagia which can lead to aspiration pneumonia in 20% to 25% of cases. Early assessment of dysphagia has can reduce the risk of death and the cost of medical care. The present study developed a questionnaire to assess dysphagia in adult patients who have suffered strokes and determined the validity and reliability of the content. Methods: The phases of the study consisted of item generation, analysis of content validity and determination of reliability. To assess the content validity, the primary questionnaire was rated by five experts on swallowing disorders. Items with low scores were removed from the questionnaire. Next, 30 stroke patients were assessed using the final questionnaire and the reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Results: The average scores of the items ranged from 0.4 to 1. Only two items were omitted because of insufficient content validity. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.71 and the standard error of deviation was 4.96, signifying that the reliability was acceptable. Conclusion: This questionnaire has good content validity and reliability. Although it can be used for clinical assessment of stroke patients who suffer from dysphagia, the concurrent validity should be determined by comparison with to a gold standard such as videofluoroscopy

Comparative evaluation of the effects of three hydraulic calcium silicate cements on odontoblastic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells: an in vitro study

Objective: The study aimed to compare the response of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) towards three hydraulic calcium silicate cements (HCSCs) by measuring cytotoxicity and expression of dentinogenic genes. Methodology: Dental pulps of five impacted mandibular third molars were extirpated as a source for hDPSCs. Next to culturing, hDPSCs were subjected to fluorescence-activated cell sorting after the third passage to validate stemness of the cells. Human DPSCs were exposed to diluted supernatants of OrthoMTA (OMTA), Biodentine (BD) and Calcium-Enriched Mixture (CEM) at concentrations 10, 25, 50 and 100% at the first, third and fifth day of culture. Then, cells were exposed to 10% concentrations supernatant of HCSCs to determine DSPP and DMP1 gene expression, using a quantitative polymerase-chain reaction. Data were analyzed using one-way and three-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey post hoc statistical tests. Results: Optimal cell proliferation was observed in all groups, regardless of concentration and time-point. HCSC supernatants were non-cytotoxic to hDPSCs at all three time-points, except for 100% Biodentine on day five. On day seven, OMTA group significantly upregulated the expression of DSPP and DMP1 genes. On day 14, expression of DMP1 and DSPP genes were significantly higher in BD and OMTA groups, respectively. Conclusion: Biodentine significantly upregulated DMP1 gene expression over 14 days, whereas CEM was associated with only minimal expression of DSPP and DMP1 . &nbsp

Comparative evaluation of the effects of three hydraulic calcium silicate cements on odontoblastic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells: an in vitro study

Objective The study aimed to compare the response of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) towards three hydraulic calcium silicate cements (HCSCs) by measuring cytotoxicity and expression of dentinogenic genes. Methodology Dental pulps of five impacted mandibular third molars were extirpated as a source for hDPSCs. Next to culturing, hDPSCs were subjected to fluorescence-activated cell sorting after the third passage to validate stemness of the cells. Human DPSCs were exposed to diluted supernatants of OrthoMTA (OMTA), Biodentine (BD) and Calcium-Enriched Mixture (CEM) at concentrations 10, 25, 50 and 100% at the first, third and fifth day of culture. Then, cells were exposed to 10% concentrations supernatant of HCSCs to determine DSPP and DMP1 gene expression, using a quantitative polymerase-chain reaction. Data were analyzed using one-way and three-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey post hoc statistical tests. Results Optimal cell proliferation was observed in all groups, regardless of concentration and time-point. HCSC supernatants were non-cytotoxic to hDPSCs at all three time-points, except for 100% Biodentine on day five. On day seven, OMTA group significantly upregulated the expression of DSPP and DMP1 genes. On day 14, expression of DMP1 and DSPP genes were significantly higher in BD and OMTA groups, respectively. Conclusion Biodentine significantly upregulated DMP1 gene expression over 14 days, whereas CEM was associated with only minimal expression of DSPP and DMP1

Silver Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles: Preparation, Characterization and Efficient Degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol Under Visible Light

Hydrothermally synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles containing different amounts of silver were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDX) techniques. XRD results showed prepared samples include 100% anatase phase. The presence of silver in TiO2 nanoparticle network was established by XRD, SEM/EDX and FT-IR techniques. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared catalysts was tested for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) under visible light.. The experiments demonstrated that 2,4-DCP was effectively degraded in the presence of Ag/TiO2 samples. It was confirmed that the presence of Ag on TiO2 catalysts could enhance the photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-DCP in aqueous suspension. It was found that an optimal dosage of 1.68 wt% Ag in TiO2 achieved the fastest 2,4-DCP degradation (95% after 180 min irradiation) under the experimental conditions. On the basis of various characterizations of the photocatalysts, the reactions involved to explain the photocatalytic activity enhancement due to Ag doping include a better separation of photogenerated charge carriers. GC-MS analysis showed the major intermediates of 2,4-DCP degradation are simple acids like oxalic acid, acetic acid, etc. as the final products

The role of cognitive style, cognitive dysfunction and negative emotions in predicting students' outsourcing

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cognitive style, cognitive disfunction and negative emotions in students was procrastination. The population of all third year students studying at the secondary school in Tehran, in the 94-95 school year. 135 students of secondary schools in the city of Tehran were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. After discarding incomplete questionnaires finally 115 questionnaires were analyzed. Abzar‌Hay data collection of cognitive abilities (Save, 1392), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale and Tlgn Watson (1988), and Cognitive Style Inventory (Kolb, 1982) and procrastination questionnaire (Solomon and Ruth Bloom, 1984). were. Data were analyzed using correlation and regression analysis. The results showed that active experimentation style, cognitive ability and procrastination are significant predictors of negative emotions. The results of regression showed that negative emotions and cognitive abilities were significantly positive and negative role predict procrastination, and procrastination total of 63% of the variance accounted for addressing

Deeper insight into the monoterpenic composition of Ferula gummosa oleo-gum-resin from Iran

The monoterpenic composition of the essential oil of oleo-gum-resin Ferula gummosa Boiss from Iran was studied by GC x GC-ToFMS. This study allowed to tentatively identify 130 monoterpenic compounds including 24 hydrocarbons, 52 alcohols, 4 ethers, 20 aldehydes, 8 oxides, 18 ketones, 1 furan and 3 epoxides, from which only 25 were reported before in this species. Furthermore, while previous studies identified terpenic hydrocarbons such as beta- and alpha-pinene as the most abundant monoterpenes, in the present study monoterpene alcohols as myrtenol, mentha-1,8-dien-7-ol, two pinocarveol isomers and mentha-1,5-dien-8-ol were the predominant components. GC x GC-ToFMS analysis allowed achieving a deeper characterization of the monoterpenic composition of F. gurnmosa, which may contribute to the increase of the value of this biomass plant material as a source of monoterpenic compounds. Moreover, this approach allows a more efficient quality control for existent applications and to prevent adulterations, promoting market confidence. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Assessment of the sesquiterpenic profile of Ferula gummosa oleo-gum-resin (galbanum) from Iran. Contributes to its valuation as a potential source of sesquiterpenic compounds

The sesquiterpenic composition of the essential oil of Iranian oleo-gum-resin Ferule gummosa Boiss was studied by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC x GC-ToFMS). A total of 106 sesquiterpenic compounds, including 61 hydrocarbons, 29 alcohols, 2 aldehydes, 10 oxides, 2 ketones, 1 furan, and 1 epoxide, were tentatively identified. From these, 68 are reported for the first time in F. gummosa species. Moreover, the most abundant sesquiterpenic compounds detected were the alcohols bulnesol, alpha-eudesmol, and alpha-bisabolol. This work allowed to achieve a deep characterization of the sesquiterpenic composition of F. gummosa oil, a crucial step in the bioprospection of this biomass plant material as a source of sesquiterpenic compounds. Furthermore, this approach can promote the market confidence allowing a more efficient quality control and preventing adulterations. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved