Effects of formulation and baking process on acrylamide formation in Kolompeh, a traditional cookie in Iran

Thermal treatments and recipes are two critical aspects for the formation of acrylamide at ordinary household cooking conditions and industrial level. Kolompeh is a traditional Iranian cookie, and the aim of this study was to monitor acrylamide formation in four different recipes: traditional sugary Kolompeh (TSK), traditional simple Kolompeh (TSIK), industrial sugary Kolompeh (ISK), and industrial simple Kolompeh (ISIK). Along with the measurement of reducing sugars, moisture, and pH, acrylamide was quantified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results indicated that acrylamide content was 1758, 1048, 888, and 560 μg/kg for TSK, TSIK, ISK, and ISIK, respectively, revealing that the kind of thermal treatment in combination with higher concentrations of reducing sugars were the major driver for acrylamide formation. In particular, acrylamide concentration in TSIK direct heating was 1.87 times higher than industrial indirect heating treatment, highlighting that domestic preparation of Kolompeh required a specific attention as a source of potential toxic molecule formation

Ovariectomized rat model of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis affects about 200 million people worldwide and is a silent disease until a fracture occurs. Management of osteoporosis is still a challenge that warrants further studies for establishing new prevention strategies and more effective treatment modalities. For this purpose, animal models of osteoporosis are appropriate tools, of which the ovariectomized rat model is the most commonly used. The aim of this study is to provide a 4-step guideline for inducing a rat model of osteoporosis by ovariectomy (OVX): (1) selection of the rat strain, (2) choosing the appropriate age of rats at the time of OVX, (3) selection of an appropriate surgical method and verification of OVX, and (4) evaluation of OVX-induced osteoporosis. This review of literature shows that (i) Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats are the most common strains used, both responding similarly to OVX; (ii) six months of age appears to be the best time for inducing OVX; (iii) dorsolateral skin incision is an appropriate choice for initiating OVX; and (iv) the success of OVX can be verified 1-3 weeks after surgery, following cessation of the regular estrus cycles, decreased estradiol, progesterone, and uterine weight as well as increased LH and FSH levels. Current data shows that the responses of trabecular bones of proximal tibia, lumbar vertebrae and femur to OVX are similar to those in humans; however, for short-term studies, proximal tibia is recommended. Osteoporosis in rats is verified by lower bone mineral density and lower trabecular number and thickness as well as higher trabecular separation, changes that are observed at 14, 30, and 60 days post-OVX in proximal tibia, lumbar vertebrae and femur, respectively

Investigation of energy inputs and CO2 emission for almond production using sensitivity analysis in Iran

The objective of this study is to examine input–output energy and CO2 emission of almond production in Shahrekord region, Iran. This article presents a comprehensive picture of the current status of energy consumption and some energy indices like energy use efficiency, energy productivity, specific energy and net energy gain. Sensitivity analysis of energy was carried out using the marginal physical productivity (MPP) technique. For this propose data were collected from 29almond farms using a face to face questionnaire. The results revealed that total energy input for almond production was found to be 106.61GJ/ha where the electricity was the major energy consumer (59.58%). The direct energy shared about (50.98%) whereas the indirect energy did (49.02%). Energy use efficiency, energy productivity, and net energy were 0.37, 0.016 kg/MJ, and -67350.16MJ/ha, respectively. The regression results revealed that the contribution of energy inputs on crop yield (except for farmyard manure and water energies) was insignificant. Water energy was the most significant input (0.674) which affects the output level. The results also showed that the impacts of direct, indirect and renewable energies on yield are significant. The GHG emissions were indicated a high CO2 output in diesel fuel consumption

Inorganic nitrate, a natural anti-obesity agent

Evidence for potential effects of inorganic nitrate (NO3) on body weight is limited to inconsistent findings of animal experiments. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to quantify the overall effect of inorganic NO3, administered via drinking water, on body weight gain in rats. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases, and the reference lists of published papers. Experiments on male rats, reported data on body weight in NO3-treated animals and controls, were included for quality assessment, meta-analyses, subgroup analyses, and meta-regressions. Of 173 initially obtained studies, 11 were eligible to be included in the analyses, which covered the years 2004 to 2019 and included a total of 43 intervention (n=395) and 43 control (n=395) arms. Overall, the final body weights were significantly lower in the NO3-supplemented groups compared to controls (WMD= –16.8 g, 95 % CI= –27.38, –6.24; P=0.002). Doses of NO3 higher than the median (> 72.94 mg L-1 d-1) and longer NO3 exposure (> 8 weeks) resulted in greater mean differences (WMD= –31.92 g, 95 % CI= –52.90, –10.94 and WMD= –23.16 g, 95 % CI= –35.64, –10.68 g). After exclusion of experiments using high doses of NO3 (> 400 mg L-1 d-1), the overall mean differences in body weights between the groups decreased by approximately 37 % but remained statistically significant (WMD= –10.11 g, 95 % CI= –19.04, –1.19, P=0.026). Mean changes in body weight were affected by age, baseline values in body weight, and the duration of the studies. These preliminary experimental findings strongly support the hypothesis that NO3 can be considered as a natural anti-obesity agent

Application of Activity-Based Costing Method in Calculation the prime Cost of Medical Students’ Education

Introduction: Calculating the prime cost of student education is one of the requirements for achieving the goals of the country's development programs in terms of improving the efficiency of universities. It is also one of the most important goals of the transformation and innovation program in medical education. This study aimed to calculate the prime cost of education for students of the School of Health at Bam University of Medical Sciences using activity-based costing method.Methods: The present study is a descriptive cross-sectional and retrospective study. The required data were collected through designed forms. Then, the service prime cost was calculated using the activity-based costing method and Excel 2016 software.Results: The results showed that the total cost of Bam School of Health was 31016503943 Rials. Of this amount, the environmental health group has the highest (22.53%), and the health services management group has the lowest (9.34%) costs among the existing educational groups. Also, among the cost chapters, the largest share is related to the expenses of the first chapter, salaries and wages.Conclusion: In this study, a cost analysis was performed by cost chapters.  This approach in cost analysis helps planners to estimate a fixed cost enabling them to determine a fixed level of benefit and creating the lowest possible cost. It will help universities to be more accurate and efficient in using the resources available to them

Economic Evaluation of the Drugs Used In Treating Patients with Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Myocardial infarctions (MI), as one of the outcomes of cardiovascular diseases, are responsible for 20% of deaths, so that every 30 seconds, one person suffers from MI. Various drugs are used to treat myocardial infarction, and we need to have precise information of the cost-effectiveness of these drugs. The aim of this study was to examine economic evaluation of the drugs used for treatment of patients with MI. Methods: In the present systematic review study, published articles related to economic evaluation of the drugs used for treatment of patients with MI within the time interval between 2000 and 2017 were searched, using electronic databases such as Tufts Medical Center Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry ,Cochrane library, NHS Economic Evaluations Database Medline, PubMed, Google scholar, web of science using the following keywords: Cost- effectiveness* OR cost- utility* OR economic evaluation * AND (myocardial infarction*) AND (angiotensin- converting enzyme inhibitor (lisinopril) OR thrombolytic agents (streptokinase, anistreplase or anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex OR beta blockers (metoprolol, propranolol, atenolol, acebutolol, bisoprolol). Due to heterogeneity in the outcome, we were not able to use meta-analysis. Methodological quality of the structure e of tarticles was examined by Drummond’s standard checklist. Results: Based on the inclusion criteria, the search of databases resulted in 12 articles that fully covered economic evaluation of the drugs used in treating patients with MI. The results of the present study indicated that a streptokinase and t-PA drug for treatment of patients with myocardial infarction was cost-effective. The results showed that most of the studies clearly stated the time horizon of the study and included direct medical costs in their analysis. In addition, the majority of the studies were used the Markov model. The quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were the main outcome used for measuring the effectiveness. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that a thrombolytic agent for treatment of patients with myocardial infarction was cost-effective. The results were relatively varied due to the differences in time horizon and variables used in the models such as efficacy and drug prices. Furthermore, these studies were designed and conducted in high-income countries; thus, the application of these results in low- and middle-income countries will be limited

Effect of long-term inorganic nitrate administration on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in ovariectomized rats

Introduction: Menopause is associated with reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and lower tolerance against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. This study investigated whether long-term nitrate administration provides resistance against myocardial IR injury in ovariectomized (OVX) rats.Method: After ovariectomy, female rats were assigned to the OVX and the OVX + nitrate groups (n = 14/group); the latter group consumed nitrate (100 mg/L) for 9 months. At month 9, each group was divided into two subgroups (n = 7/subgroup), of which one subgroup was exposed to myocardial IR (IR+ hearts) and the other was not exposed (IR− hearts). The hearts of rats were isolated, and NO metabolite (NOx), oxidative stress indices, and mRNA expressions of endothelial (eNOS), inducible (iNOS), and neuronal (nNOS) NO synthases, as well as markers of apoptosis, were measured in the IR− and IR+ hearts. In the IR+ hearts, cardiac function indices (CFI) and the infarct size were also measured.Results: Nitrate increased catalase activity (97%) and eNOS expression (2.94-fold) in the IR− hearts. In the IR+ hearts, nitrate reduced left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure (11.6%) and infarct size (26.2%) and increased recovery of LV developed pressure (44.0%) and peak rate of positive (28.9%) and negative (15.4%) changes in LV pressure. In addition, in the IR+ hearts, nitrate increased eNOS and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) as well as decreased iNOS, Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax), caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression. Nitrate increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and catalase (CAT) activity and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels at month nine in serum and IR+ hearts.Conclusion: The favorable effects of nitrate against IR injury were associated with higher eNOS and Bcl-2 expression, CAT activity, TAC, and lower iNOS, Bax, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 and TNF-α expression, and MDA in the heart tissue. Nitrate preconditioning alleviated IR-induced myocardial injury in OVX rats; this effect was associated with eNOS upregulation before IR and the blunting of OVX-induced eNOS downregulation, iNOS upregulation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in heart tissue after IR

Cross-talks between the kidneys and the central nervous system in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease, which is considered as a common autoimmune disorder in young adults. A growing number of evidences indicated that the impairment in non-neural tissues plays a significant role in pathology of MS disease. There are bidirectional relationship, metabolic activities and functional similarity between central nervous system (CNS) and kidneys which suggest that kidney tissue may exert remarkable effects on some aspects of MS disorder and CNS impairment in these patients compels the kidney to respond to central inflammation. Recently, it has been well documented that hormonal secretion possesses the important role on CNS abnormalities. In this regard, due to the functional similarity and significant hormonal and non-hormonal relationship between CNS and kidneys, we hypothesized that kidneys exert significant effect on initiation, progression or amelioration of MS disease which might be regarded as potential therapeutic approach in the treatment of MS patients in the future

The Effects of Inorganic Nitrate on Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism in Type 2 Diabetes: The Protocol of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Background and Aim: Decreased bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) in type 2 diabetes contributes to disrupted pathways of glucose/insulin homeostasis and progression of long-term complications. Due to its ability to convert to NO, inorganic nitrate (NO3) has been recently highlighted as a potential therapeutic agent in type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: This research entails a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase II clinical trial that will be conducted on 62 type 2 diabetic patients. The patients will be randomized to receive a 6-month daily dose of NO3-rich beetroot powder (5 g/d, contains ~250 mg NO3) or placebo (5 g/d, contains <25 mg NO3). The primary outcome is glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The study is powered to detect a 0.75% reduction in HbA1c levels between the groups. Fasting serum glucose, serum insulin, lipid parameters, liver enzymes, thyroid function tests and complete blood count will be measured as secondary outcomes. The measurements will be done at baseline, and will be repeated in the fourth, twelfth and twenty-fourth weeks. Protocol of the study was approved by the ethical committee of the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (IR.SBMU.ENDOCRINE.REC.1395.322). The trial was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with the following identification: IRCT20180409039246N1

The effect of vibration during friction stir welding on corrosion behavior, mechanical properties, and machining characteristics of stir zone

Different methods have been applied to refine various characteristics of the zone (or nugget) obtained by friction stir welding (FSW). In the current research, joining components are vibrated normal to the weld line during FSW to refine the zone microstructure. This process is described as friction stir vibration welding (FSVW). The effect of FSVW on mechanical properties, corrosion behavior, and machining characteristics of the zone are investigated. Al5052 alloy specimens are welded using FSW and FSVW processes and their different characteristics are compared and discussed. The results show that the strength and ductility of the welded parts increase when the vibration is applied. The outcomes also show that corrosion resistance of the nugget for FSV-welded specimens is lower than FS welded samples, and machining force of the former specimens is higher than the latter ones. These are related to smaller grain size in the zone of FSV-welded specimens compared to FS welded parts. Smaller grain size leads to a greater volume fraction of grain boundaries and, correspondingly, higher strength and hardness, as well as lower corrosion resistance