O-C Study of 545 Lunar Occultations from 13 Double Stars

International audienceIn this article, we have studied the reports of lunar occultations by this project observation's teams (named APTO) in comparison with other observations of the objects. Thirteen binary stars were selected for this study. All the previous observations of these stars were also collected. Finally, an analysis of O-C of all reports were performed

Molecular and morphological characterization of Parabronema skrjabini of sheep and goats at three different geographical zones in Iran

Parabronema skrjabini is a spirurid nematode of the family Habronematidae that lives in the abomasum of ruminants such as sheep and goats. The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular and morphological aspects of Parabronema skrjabini in sheep and goats in Iran. The worms were collected from these animal species from three different regions. An internal transcribed spacer 2 ribosomal DNA (ITS2-rDNA) fragment of Parabronema skrjabini was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a pair of specific primers (Para-Ir-R and Para-Ir-F). Morphological studies based on the body length, the frontal shield, spicules of male and egg dimensions were performed. ITS2-rDNA sequences were between 167 and 299bp in different isolates. ITS2 homology in different isolates was between 68 % and 77% compared with the sequence data in GenBank. Morphological results showed that the average length of male and female worms in sheep were 16.5mm and 36mm and in goats 16mm and 35.5mm, respectively. The average length of the small and large spicules in sheep were 657.5μm and 304.07μm and in goats 653.08μm and 302.66μm, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first study in the world exploring the genetic diversity of Parabronema in sheep and goats. Add this sentence in discussion: the low ITS2-rDNA identity in different isolates from Iran as compared to the reference sequence in GenBank (68–77%) raise questions regarding the species identity of the parasites isolated in Iran

An evidence-based research on botanical sources for oral mucositis treatment in traditional persian medicine

Background: Cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases associated with heavy complications in treatment. Mucotoxic cancer therapies such as head and neck radiotherapy and some of the chemotherapy agents may lead to oral mucositis. In addition to its economic consequences, mucositis also affects patients' quality of life. In Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) manuscripts, several medicaments have been suggested for the treatment of mucositis. Objective: Considering the public welcome for herbal medicine, the current evidence-based review study is conducted to investigate the herbal remedies which have been proposed for oral mucositis in TPM. Methods: At first, a comprehensive survey was done on Qanon fi al-Teb, which is the most im-portant textbook of TPM; then the scientific name of the herbs was authenticated according to the botanical textbooks. At last, data banks including Scopus, Pubmed, Web of science and Science direct were investigated for possible relevant properties of each medicinal plant in the literature. Results: In total, 30 herbs are introduced in this study. According to the registered documents, 18 herbs are reported to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-nociceptive and wound healing properties of which the therapeutic effect of only a few herbs including Glycyrrhiza glabra, Malva sylvestris, Morus nigra, Punica granatum, and Solanum nigrum were directly evaluated against oral mucositis on the literature. Conclusion: Despite the lack of human studies on mucositis for the other discussed herbs, their related pharmacological properties can be considered for new natural drug discovery supported by medieval and traditional experiments. © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers

Extracranial and transcranial doppler sonography alterations in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with thrombotic stroke

Background and Objective: Diabetes is a major risk factor for stroke. Some studies have shown that difference between clinical signs and prognosis in diabetic patients with stroke compared to non-diabetic patients with stroke is due to difference in pattern of cerebral vascular involvement. This study was done to compare the findings of extracranial and transcranial doppler sonography in diabetic and nondiabetic patients with thrombotic stroke. Materials and Methods: This case – control study was done on 70 diabetic patients and 70 non-diabetic patients with thrombotic stroke. All patients were new cases. Extracranial and transcranial doppler sonography was performed for all subjects. Results: Basilar artery stenosis was significantly more frequent in diabetic cases in comparison with non-diabetic patients (P<0.05). The prevalenc of posterior circulation stenosis in diabetic patients was significantly higher than non-diabetic patients (P<0.05). Conclusion: In diabetic patients, stenosis in vertebrobasilar circulation was more frequent. Higher morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients may be due to vascular stenosis pattern

Fibre-optic based sensors for dust monitoring

Coal dust is one of the main sources of health and safety risk in surface and underground coal mines. Coal dustmonitoring and control are critical measures in any coal mine operation. Optical dust sensing has become a viabletechnology for dust monitoring as it has a number of advantages over conventional gravimetric methods. Fibreopticbased sensors are especially valuable in sensing dust particles in hazardous environments and in the presenceof explosives within coal mines. This paper presents an overview of using fibre-optic based sensors for measuringdust concentration

Prognostic value of QT interval prolongation in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Background and Objective: Several studies have shown that during stroke changes occur in some paraclinic parameters which may have either prognostic or diagnostic value, including electrocardiographic changes. This study was done to evaluate the prognostic value of prolonged QT segment in patients with ischemic stroke. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study with an easy convenient sampling was carried out on 175 patients (73 male and 102 female) with acute ischemic stroke whome have been diagnosed by brain imaging (computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging). All patients were suffering from stroke for the first time and if they use any drug or have underlying disease except diabetes mellitus- hypertension- heart disease and hyperlipidemia were excluded. In the first 24 hours of admission, an electrocardiogram (ECG) were taken for measurement of QT segment and according to death or discharge, patients were divided into two groups, and the mean of QT segment (corrected QT) subsequently were assessed. Data were analyzed using SPSS-15, Chi-Square and independent t-tests. Results: Twenty patients died in the course of admission. The mean of QT segment (corrected QT) in dead patients was 471.15±61.70 and in discharged patients was 421.52±62.96 (P<0.05). The abundance of prolonged QT segment accompanied with death was more frequent. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and heart disease were significantly correlated with morbidity and mortality (P<0.05). There is no relation between mortality with age and sex. Conclusion: This study showed that mean of QT segment (corrected) and also cases of prolonged QT segment were abundant among dead patients, therefore prolongation of QT segment has prognostic value in patients with ischemic stroke

Application of a foam-based functionally graded porous material flow-distributor to PEM fuel cells

Application of a recently developed functionally graded porous material (FGPM) model to foam-based flow-distributor (FFD) in PEM fuel cells (FCs) is performed here. The volumetric power density (VPD) of the cell is compared with that of a conventional ribbed/channel parallel-serpentine one with 4-parallel channels (in short, 4-PS). Significant enhancement in VPD% is observed w.r.t. 4-PS case. Say, at current density 1 A cm(-2), the cell with FGPM-FFD provides 84% enhancement vs. 4-PS. The contributions to the enhancement come from two sources: (i) reductions in the cell volume and (ii) increases in generated electrical power. For the flow distributors studied here, the active area is fixed at 50 x 50 mm(2). While the 4-PS cell thickness is determined to be: 3.75 mm, from which 2 x 0.275 mm belongs to the gas diffusion layers (GDLs). In the absence of GDLs in the foam-based cells, the cell thicknesses reduce to 3.2 mm (~15% reduction in cell volume). Moreover, the generated electrical power is also higher in FGPM cells due to the rib-less nature of the foam-based flow distributors. For example, at 1 A cm(-2), the FGPM cell produces 57% more power than the 4-PS base case. At higher current densities, the enhancement is even higher. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Effects of a Plantago ovata-based herbal compound in prevention and treatment of oral mucositis in patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy: A double-blind, randomized, controlled crossover trial

Background: Oral mucositis (OM) is one of the most common complications of mucotoxic cancer therapy. Mucositis induces clinically significant pain, increases the risk of infections and affects the patients� quality of life. Objective: This study investigated the effects of an herbal preparation from Plantago ovata hydrocolloid in the prevention and treatment of OM, in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with a regimen including adriamycin. Design, setting, participants, and interventions: This research was a double-blind, randomized, controlled crossover trial. The herbal compound consisted of a mixture of 500 mg of P. ovate husk in 30 mL water plus three drops of vinegar per dose, which was used as a mouthwash. Phytochemical and physicochemical tests of the compound were also performed. Twenty-eight patients who developed mucositis during the chemotherapy screening cycle were randomized to the herbal compound (n = 14) and placebo (n = 14) groups. They received herbal compound or placebo three times per day during their next chemotherapy cycle (cycle 1 of treatment). Patients were crossed over during cycle 2 of treatment and received the alternative therapy. An oral care protocol was prescribed to all patients in cycles 1 and 2 of the treatment. Main outcome measures: The patients were visited at baseline, the end of the first and second weeks of the screening cycle, and the end of the first and second weeks of each of two treatment cycles. The degree of mucositis was used as the main treatment outcome. Other indexes, such as the severity of pain, xerostomia grade and the quality of life were also measured. Results: Compared with the placebo, the herbal compound significantly reduced the degree of mucositis, the severity of pain and the xerostomia grade; it also improved the patients� quality of life (P < 0.05). Comparison between the screening cycle and placebo treatment group showed that the oral care protocol had a significant effect in the reduction of OM (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The oral care protocol and the herbal compound based on P. ovata are effective ways for preventing and treating OM in patients undergoing mucotoxic cancer therapy. Trial registration: Iranian registry of clinical trials IRCT20180923041093N1. © 2020 Shanghai Changhai Hospita

Development of a variable-porosity metal-foam model for the next fuel cells flow-distributors

Enhancing volumetric power density (VPD), for fuel cell vehicles or combined heat and power systems, has always been a determined desired goal. To give an idea, the present VPD = 5.5 kW L-1 for 2020 Toyota-MIRAI, is targeted to 9.0 kW L-1 by 2040 by Japan. The present research proposes that the conventional GDL + ribbed/channel setup, e.g. in parallel-serpentine (PS) bipolar-plates (BPPs), to be replaced by functionally graded porous material (FGPM) or variable-porosity metal-foam (VPMF) flow distributors. For the present comparative study, at cell current density 1 A/cm(2), the fuel cell with FGPM flow-distributor provides over 80% enhancements in VPD, w.r.t. the PS cases. The enhancement is even higher at higher currents densities. The present manuscript contains three parts: (1) development of a novel protocol to design FGPMs for flow distributors. Through several examples, it has been shown that the designed FGPM reduces the flow resistances towards, and from-the concave corner areas. Hence, flow can reach-to, and leave-from these corners effectively; (2) application of the noted FGPM protocol to fuel cells, in which a three-dimensional and two-phase computational fluid dynamics model has been used to compare the performances of the FGPM flow-distributors with conventional channel/ribbed PS cases; and finally (3) guidelines are proposed on how to manufacture the FGPM flow-distributor. The present model opens a new era in designing flow-distributors for FCs and can be applied to both graphite and metallic BPPs. (C) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved