Influence of Olive Cultivar on Oil Attributes in the Arid Region of Qom, Iran

Olive cultivation has economic and health implications. The quality of harvested oil is affected by the type of cultivar and the climate in which the trees are cultivated. This study was carried out to determine quality indices (peroxide value, K232, and K270), fatty acid composition, and pigment profiles in some cultivars grown in an arid region in central Iran. These are cultivated in completely different climatic conditions than the major olive growing areas of Iran. The results have illustrated that there are significant differences between the cultivars in oil quality, pigments content, and fatty acid composition. Oil quality of all studied cultivars falls within the established ranges for extra virgin olive oil. Oleic acid levels of the ‘Beledy’ and ‘Leccino’ cultivars are below the International Olive Council (IOC) established limit. Oils of the ‘Mari’, ‘Koroneiki’, and ‘Mission’ cultivars had the highest monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) content. However, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content for Mission oil was considerably higher than ‘Koroneiki’ and ‘Mari’ oils. The ratio of MUFA/PUFA for ‘Mari’ and ‘Koroneiki’ was higher among all the cultivars studied. Furthermore, these two cultivars presented higher oleic/linoleic acid ratio and lower Cox values. Based on our findings, ‘Mari’ and ‘Koroneiki’ are among the best performing cultivars for producing olive oil in intensely hot and arid regions

Frequency and clinical patterns of stroke in Iran - Systematic and critical review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cerebrovascular disease is the second commonest cause of death, and over a third of stroke deaths occur in developing countries. To fulfil the current gap on data, this systematic review is focused on the frequency of stroke, risk factors, stroke types and mortality in Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirteen relevant articles were identified by keyword searching of PubMed, Iranmedex, Iranian University index Libraries and the official national data on burden of diseases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The publication dates ranged from 1990 to 2008. The annual stroke incidence of various ages ranged from 23 to 103 per 100,000 population. This is comparable to the figures from Arab Countries, higher than sub-Saharan Africa, but lower than developed countries, India, the Caribbean, Latin America, and China. Similarly to other countries, ischaemic stroke was the commonest subtype. Likewise, the most common related risk factor is hypertension in adults, but cardiac causes in young stroke. The 28-day case fatality rate is reported at 19-31%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Data on the epidemiology of stroke, its pattern and risk factors from Iran is scarce, but the available data highlights relatively low incidence of stroke. This may reflect a similarity towards the neighbouring nations, and a contrast with the West.</p

Copper Ferrite Nanoparticles: An Efficient and Reusable Nanocatalyst for a Green One-Pot, Three-component Synthesis of Spirooxindoles in Water

A green reaction of isatins, active cyanomethanes, and cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives for the efficient and simple one-pot three-component synthesis of spirooxindole fused heterocycles in refluxing water by use of magnetically recoverable and reusable catalyst is reported. The features of this procedure are, the use of magnetically recoverable and reusable catalyst, mild reaction conditions, high to excellent product yields, operational simplicity, and easy workup procedures. Most importantly of all, easy magnetic separation of the catalyst eliminates the requirement of catalyst filtration after completion of the reaction. Furthermore, the catalyst remained highly active even after 5 repeated uses

Evaluation of the Morphological, Electrical and Antibacterial Properties of Polyaniline Nanocomposite Based on Zn/Al-Layered Double Hydroxides

International audienceIn this work, polyaniline (PAn) based on Zinc aluminum layered double hydroxides (3:1; Zn/Al-LDHs) nanocomposites; containing various concentrations of LDHs were successfully prepared via free emulsion polymerization using ammonium peroxydisulfate (APS) as an oxidizing agent. The morphology of the synthesized LDHs and its nanocomposites were investigated using transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). TEM and SEM results showed that LDHs nanoparticles were obviously located in the polymer, with good dispersion. While the XRD results were demonstrated intercalated or exfoliated nanocomposites morphologies depending on the modification of the LDHs. The surface area of the fashioned nanocomposites was investigated. It was found that the surface area for PAn/LDHs, PAn/LDH-DS and LDH-DBS nanocomposites increased to 34.26 m2 g−1, 36.83 m2 g−1and 36.62 m2 g−1, respectively, while neat polyaniline was (23.84 m2 g−1). Moreover, the electrical conductivity for the investigated nanocomposites was enhanced with increasing the ratio of LDHs in the prepared nanocomposite. The fashioned nanocomposites exhibited good antibacterial activity against G+ve, G−ve bacteria and fungi. Therefore, it could be a promising candidate in various electrical and biological applications