Effect of trigonellafoenum-graecum seed-containing herbal tea consumed by mothers on growth parameters of breastfed baby girls

Background and purpose: Trigonellafoenum-graecum seed has galactogogues properties due to phytoestrogens structure and can increase the volume of breast milk. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of herbal tea containing Trigonellafoenum-graecum seed consumed by mothers on growth parameters of baby girls (0-4 months of age) attending health centers in south of Tehran, 2014. Materials and methods: This clinical trial study was performed in 78 mothers breast feeding their 0-4 month old baby girls. They were randomly assigned into two groups (n=39 per groups). The intervention group received herbal tea containing 7.5g Trigonellafoenum-graecum seed powder and 3g black tea and the control group received herbal tea containing 3g black tea powder. The mothers used the beverages three times a day for 4 weeks,. The weight, height and head circumference of the babies were measured using baby weight measurement scale, stadiometer and tape measure in the beginning of the study and each week until 4 weeks. Data was analyzed by independent sample t-test and repeated measurement test in SPSS. Results: No significant difference was found between the two groups in weight, height and head circumference before the intervention (P>0.05). After four weeks Trigonellafoenum-graecum significantly increased the babies� weight from 5282.05 ± 1021.51 to 6383.07 ± 952.06 and head circumference from 38.31 ± 1.62 to 39.92 ± 1.50 (P<0.001), but it had no effect on the height of studied girls (P=0.078). Conclusion: The results showed that consumption of Trigonellafoenum-graecum seedcontaining herbal tea by mothers could improve the weight and head circumference of breastfed babies. © 2015, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

The effect of herbal tea containing fenugreek seed on the signs of breast milk sufficiency in iranian girl infants

Background: One of the important reasons behind termination of breast-feeding in the first six months after childbirth is insufficient production of breast milk. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of herbal tea containing fenugreek seed on the signs of breast milk sufficiency in Iranian girl infants aged 0 - 4 months, at the medical health centers of Tehran university of medical sciences. Patients and Methods: This study was a clinical trial with a control group. Seventy-eight girl infants, 0 - 4 months old that were exclusively breastfed by their mothers, were randomly assigned to the intervention group (received herbal tea containing 7.5 g fenugreek seed powder in addition to 3 g of black tea, three times a day) and the control group (received herbal tea containing 3 g of black tea powder, three times a day). Before and during the four weeks of study, the signs of breast milk sufficiency were evaluated through measurement of growth parameters and use of follow-up forms for measuring the number of wet diapers in one day, frequency of defecation and infant breast-feeding times in a day. Results: Before the intervention there was no significant difference between weight, height, head circumference, the number of wet diapers and frequency of defecation between the two groups (P > 0.05), yet the number of breast feeding times of the control group was more than the Fenugreek group. At the end of the fourth week in proportion to the pre-intervention conditions, the weight of the infants in the fenugreek group increased significantly from 5282.0513 ± 1021.51121 to 6383.0769 ± 952.06190, while head circumference increased from 38.3103 ± 1.62736 to 39.9256 ± 1.50660, number of wet diapers from 5.2821 ± 0.93044 to 8.1648 ± 1.20620, frequency of defecation from 1.8846 ± 1.08495 to 2.7326 ± 0.94771 and the number of breast feeding times from 9.1795 ± 1.39778 to 15.9597 ± 1.45056 (P 0.05). Conclusions: Herbal tea of fenugreek seed in comparison to the control group improves the signs of breast milk sufficiency. © 2015, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

Physics of brain dynamics: Fokker-Planck analysis reveals changes in EEG delta-theta interactions in anaesthesia

We use drift and diffusion coefficients to reveal interactions between different oscillatory processes underlying a complex signal and apply the method to EEG delta and theta frequencies in the brain. By analysis of data recorded from rats during anaesthesia, we consider the stability and basins of attraction of fixed points in the phase portrait of the deterministic part of the retrieved stochastic process. We show that different classes of dynamics are associated with deep and light anaesthesia, and we demonstrate that the predominant directionality of the interaction is such that theta drives delt

An experimental study of permeability determination in the lab

Understanding the flow characteristics in laminar and turbulent flow regime is important for different aspects of reservoir and production engineering. One of the most important parameters in fluid flow is the permeability of the porous media. It is common practice in the industry to use Darcy and Forchheimers equations for characterising the fluid flow in the porous media at laminar and turbulent regimes, respectively. Core flooding experiments were performed with 1.5-inch diameter size core samples from limestone and sandstone formations. The permeability of the samples was measured in the laminar regime at basis flow rate. Then, the flow rate was increased in different steps and permeability was measured, accordingly. The plot of permeability versus flow rate was used to track the evolution of the flow regimes in the core porous media. There are different challenges to monitor the transition between laminar and turbulent regime through core flooding experiments. These challenges are discussed in this paper through both literature review and also experimental results. The results indicated that the core sample preparation, experiment control parameters and also test profiles are important aspects when measuring permeability in the lab. © 2012 WIT Press

Determinants of healthcare utilisation and predictors of outcome in colorectal cancer patients from Northern Iran

We aimed to assess healthcare utilisation (HU), its determinants, as well as its relationship with survival in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. This study was conducted on incident CRC cases from Northern Iran. Information on HU was collected using a valid questionnaire, considering eight diagnostic and four therapeutic services. The results were categorised as good and poor HU. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between HU and other variables. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine major predictors of survival. In total, 227 new cases of CRC were enrolled. HU could be assessed in 218 subjects (96). Living in rural areas was the strongest variable related to poor HU (adjusted OR, odds ratio=2.65; CI, confidence interval: 1.30-5.40). The median survival time was 40.5months. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 71, 52 and 44 respectively. Cox regression analysis showed a significant lower survival rate in patients with poor HU (HR=2.3; CI: 1.46-3.64). HU was an independent predictor of survival in our CRC patients. Patients' place of residence was a significant determinant of HU. Regarding its effects on patients' outcome, HU and its determinants should be considered in designing CRC controlling programmes in our region and similar high-risk populations. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Cellulose pretreatment and dissolution: Selection of solvent and processing conditions

Efficient utilization of biomass is hindered by the recalcitrance to dissolution of semicrystalline cellulose. Pretreatment is often used to alter the structure of cellulosic biomass in order to make cellulose more accessible to solvents and enzymes. The pretreatment involves physical and/or chemical processing which affects the degree of crystallinity and size of biomass particles. We examine here the effects of (i) solvent properties, pretreatment steps and temperature, and (ii) fiber diameter and degree of crystallinity, on the kinetics of cellulose swelling and dissolution. To this end we have combined (a) experimental results on cotton fiber swelling, change in crystallinity and dissolved amount when treated under different solvent conditions, with (b) a phenomenological model that accounts for the phenomena governing the dissolution of solid cellulose, e.g., solvent penetration, transformation from crystalline to amorphous domains, specimen swelling, and polymer chain untangling [1]. The insights obtained from this analysis would facilitate the rational selection of solvents and the design of pretreatment processes to reduce the size and degree of crystallinity of cellulosic biomass particles, leading to enhanced biomass utilization [2]. References: [1] Ghasemi, M.; Singapati, A. Y.; Tsianou, M.; Alexandridis, P., Dissolution of semicrystalline polymer fibers: Numerical modeling and parametric analysis. AIChE Journal 2017, 63 (4), 1368-1383. DOI: 10.1002/aic.15615. [2] Ghasemi, M.; Tsianou, M.; Alexandridis, P., Assessment of solvents for cellulose dissolution. Bioresource Technol. 2017, 228, 330-338. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.12.049

Cellulose pretreatment and dissolution: Selection of solvent and processing conditions

Efficient utilization of biomass is hindered by the recalcitrance to dissolution of semicrystalline cellulose. Pretreatment is often used to alter the structure of cellulosic biomass in order to make cellulose more accessible to solvents and enzymes. The pretreatment involves physical and/or chemical processing which affects the degree of crystallinity and size of biomass particles. We examine here the effects of (i) solvent properties, pretreatment steps and temperature, and (ii) fiber diameter and degree of crystallinity, on the kinetics of cellulose swelling and dissolution. To this end we have combined (a) experimental results on cotton fiber swelling, change in crystallinity and dissolved amount when treated under different solvent conditions, with (b) a phenomenological model that accounts for the phenomena governing the dissolution of solid cellulose, e.g., solvent penetration, transformation from crystalline to amorphous domains, specimen swelling, and polymer chain untangling [1]. The insights obtained from this analysis would facilitate the rational selection of solvents and the design of pretreatment processes to reduce the size and degree of crystallinity of cellulosic biomass particles, leading to enhanced biomass utilization [2]. References: [1] Ghasemi, M.; Singapati, A. Y.; Tsianou, M.; Alexandridis, P., Dissolution of semicrystalline polymer fibers: Numerical modeling and parametric analysis. AIChE Journal 2017, 63 (4), 1368-1383. DOI: 10.1002/aic.15615. [2] Ghasemi, M.; Tsianou, M.; Alexandridis, P., Assessment of solvents for cellulose dissolution. Bioresource Technol. 2017, 228, 330-338. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.12.049

Phase coupling in the cardiorespiratory interaction.

Markovian analysis is applied to derive nonlinear stochastic equations for the reconstruction of heart rate and respiration rate variability data. A model of their 'phase' interactions is obtained for the first time, thereby gaining new insights into the strength and direction of the cardiorespiratory phase coupling. The reconstructed model can reproduce synchronisation phenomena between the cardiac and the respiratory systems, including switches in synchronisation ratio. The technique is equally applicable to the extraction of the multi-dimensional couplings between many interacting subsystems

Impact of glycine betaine on salinity tolerance of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) under in vitro condition

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni), with great potential as a natural sweeteners source, has a high content of sweeteners, which are up to 150 times sweeter than sugar, but virtually with no calories. Stevia also suitable to be cultivated in semiarid climates and coastal areas, which are characterized by the low quality of the irrigation water. Soil salinity occupies a prominent place among the soil problems that threaten the sustainability of agriculture over a vast area in the world. Glycine betaine is an osmoprotectant, that plays an important role and accumulates rapidly in many plants during salinity or drought stress. In order to evaluation of glycine betaine amending effects on salinity stress in stevia under in vitro condition, a factorial experiment was conducted in 2015. Four NaCl levels, including 0, 50, 75 and 100 mM, along with 0, 1, 12.5, 25 and 50 mM of glycine betaine concentrations were used in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. The results showed that salinity levels had significant reduction effects on plant height, root length, shoot fresh weight, number of leaf, total chlorophyll, rebaudioside A and stevioside of the stevia genotype. Due to increasing of glycine betaine, levels all the traits were increased. Owing to amending effect of glycine betaine, its high concentrations made less hazarding effects of salinity on the researched traits. The highest mean value of rebaudioside A (10.62rt) and stevioside (23.38rt) determined at 50 mM of glycine betaine with 0 mM of NaCl concentration