Ajowan (Trachyspermum copticum) Responses to Organic Fertilizers and Bio-fertilizers under Drought Stress

Water stress and soil nutrients affect the growth of medicinal herbs as well as the quantity and quality of their essential oils. The effect of drought stress and different fertilizers on yield and morphological traits of Ajowan was studied in a split-plot experiment on the basis of a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications in Qaen, Iran. The main plot was devoted to irrigation at three levels (full or weekly irrigation in the whole period of growth-C, weekly irrigation until the beginning of stem elongation and after that every other week irrigation-S1 and weekly irrigation until the beginning of flowering and after that every other week irrigation-S2). The sub-plot was devoted to fertilization at five levels (control, NPK chemical fertilizer, Nitroxin biofertilizers+Barvar 2, organic fertilizer, and cattle manure). It was found that irrigation significantly affected seed yield, branch number per plant, umbel number per plant, umbellet number per umbel, seed number per umbellet and plant height. Seed yield was reduced by 37.8% under the treatment of S1 as compared to full irrigation. The influence of fertilization treatments was significant on seed yield, umbellet number per umbel, seed number per umbellet and plant height. The treatment of chemical fertilizer resulted in the highest seed yield. In total, full irrigation accompanied with the treatment of chemical fertilizer produced the maximum seed yield. However, since chemical fertilizers are not recommended to be applied especially for medicinal herbs, it can be recommended to use biofertilizer (Nitroxin+Barvar 2) given the fact that its yield had no significant difference with that of chemical fertilizer

Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) on Factors Affecting Agility of Iranian Auditing Organizations

Many auditors are now encountering agile management methodologies for the first time. In some cases, this can cause problems for the audit process because the methodology is very different from traditional approaches. Aside from the difficulties faced by the auditor, an ineffective audit can have a negative effect on an agile project by giving a false impression of its progress. Much has been written on agility issues in organizations of various sizes. However, there have been very few studies that attempt to delineate critical issues that drive importance-performance analyzing (IPA) among an organization. This paper aims to propose an Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) on Factors Affecting Agility of Iranian Auditing Organizations

Frequency of Anabolic Steroids Abuse in Bodybuilder Athletes in Kerman City

Abstract Background: Athletes, especially bodybuilders, abuse anabolic steroid drugs to improve their strength and enhance their muscle growth and appearance. This study was conducted to determine the type and frequency of anabolic steroids abuse in bodybuilder athletes in Kerman City. Methods: A confidential questionnaire which included demographic data (age, education), name of abused anabolic drug and duration of drug abuse was completed by 202 bodybuilder athletes, and the collected data were analyzed using Chi Square test. A value of p < 0.05 was considered significant. Findings: The frequency of anabolic steroid abuse was 18.8%. The mean period of bodybuilding activity was significantly higher in those used the anabolic drugs (38.8 months), comparing to those did not use any drugs (14.3 months). Oxymetholone was the most common drug used by athletes (42% merely used Oxymetholone). The frequency of anabolic steroids abuse was not related to education and age of the bodybuilder athletes. Conclusion: Bodybuilder athletes in Kerman city abuse anabolic steroids, and the health care system should plan to inform them about anabolic steroid adverse effects. Keywords: Anabolic steroid, Bodybuilder athletes, Drug abus

Safety Assessment of Arctium lappa L. Fruit Extract in Female Wistar Rats: Acute and Repeated Oral Toxicity Studies

Background and objectives: Arctium lappa belonging to the Compositae (Asteraceae) family has been used as a medicinal and nutritional supplement in the world. The fruits, leaves and roots of the plant are well-known for their pharmaceutical effects. Toxicity of the fruit’s extract in female rats was investigated in the present study. Methods: To assess the toxicity profile of Arctium lappa fruit extract (ALFE), it was administered to rats by gavage in acute and repeated models. The animals were divided into two groups: control and test groups. In the acute toxicity model, 1000 and 5000 mg/kg ALFE were administered to the animals. Toxic symptoms, body weight, death and abnormal behaviors were observed for 14 days. In the repeated toxicity model, ALFE (300 mg/kg) was daily administered for 4 weeks. Biochemical and histopathological changes were assessed and compared with the control group. Statistical significance was determined by one-way analyses of variance, followed by the Tukey test using GraphPad Prism 6. Results: No mortality was noticed in the acute test; therefore, the oral LD50 value determined in the female rats was greater than 5000 mg/kg. In the repeated test, the animals received ALFE (300 mg/kg) and no mortality was observed. The hematology and serum chemistry parameters showed no statistically significant changes.  The histopathological studies revealed evidences of microscopic lesions in two main organs lungs and small intestine. Conclusion: The results indicated that the oral acute toxicity of ALFE in the rats was of a low order with LD50 being more than 5000 mg/kg. Moreover, they revealed slight tissue damage to several organs when sub-chronically administered at a dose of 300 mg/kg.  </strong

The pattern of inherited microcephaly and role of the consanguineous marriage: A study from Southwestern Iran

Background: Microcephaly is a congenital disorder characterized by a head circumference falling more than two standard deviations below the mean with respect to age- and gender-matched population sample, which is divided into isolated and syndromic types. This study aimed to show the inheritance pattern of microcephaly and role of the consanguineous marriage in Southwestern Iran.Patients and Methods: In this study, medical records of 1202 people (out of 3951 families, 30.4%) with autosomal recessive pattern inherited disorder who attended the centers of Khuzestan state welfare organization, southwestern Iran during 2011 to 2016 for genetic counseling, were reviewed.Results: Overall, out of 1202 cases of microcephaly, 114 (9.48%, 2.3/100,000 live births) people were detected. The results showed that most patients were female (66.7%), from Arab ethnicity (63%). Most of the patient‘s fathers were at the level of primary school education (63%) and self-employed (63%), while patient‘s mothers completed primary school education (37%) or illiterate (37%) and housewife (100%). Income distribution showed that the majority of families were below the poverty line (63%), and lived in the urban area (37%). The study showed that the frequency of consanguineous marriage was much higher (81.5% vs. 18.5%, P= 0.0013).Conclusion: In as much as lack of access to early medical attention, poor socio-economic state and harsh environmental factors affect mental health response, these factors are believed play crucial role in reducing the incidence of mental health and associated abnormalities. Considering the relatively high prevalence of inherited microcephaly, it is important to set up clinical guidelines for early detection and management of these conditions to decrease the associated morbidity and mortality. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2017;31(2):119-123]Keywords: Inherited microcephaly; consanguineous marriage; Southwestern Ira

Prevalence of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection in the northeast of Iran

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in Khorasan Razavi and Khorasan Shomali provinces which are the main provinces located in the northeast of Iran. Total number of 429 blood samples were collected from industrial dairy herds. The samples were categorized based on province, age (2-3, 4-6, and 7-10 years old), calving (≤ 2, 3-5, and > 5) and herd size (≤ 100, 101-250, and > 250) and examined by indirect ELISA. The results of this study showed that 109 (25.4%) out of 429 serum samples were BLV seropositive. The BLV prevalence among cattle of dairy herds of Khorasan Razavi and Khorasan Shomali provinces were 29.8% and 1.5%, respectively. The results showed that the number of seropositive animals was increased significantly with the age (p < 0.05). The infection rate in animals 2-3, 4-6 and 7-10 years old were 12.1%, 26.7% and 45.6%, respectively. It was shown that BLV prevalence according to calving ≤ 2, 3-5 and > 5 was 15.5%, 33.0% and 42.9%, respectively, with a significant difference between calving ≤ 2 and > 5 (p < 0.001). The prevalence of BLV among herd size of ≤ 100, 101-250 and > 250 was 19.7%, 14.3% and 42.1%, respectively, which was significantly higher in herds with more than 250 cattle (p < 0.05). This study revealed that BLV infection in dairy herds of northeast of Iran was influenced by geographical location (province), age, calving and herd size

Plasma Levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-17 in HIV-Positive Patients With Oral Candidiasis

Background: Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) by CD4 + Th (T helper)-type cells is the predominant host defense mechanism against Oral Candidiasis (OC) in HIV-infected individuals. Weakened CMI and depletion of CD4 + T cells are the main factor contributing to the output of OC in HIV-positive individuals. The cytokines produced by Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells play a role in mediating an increased susceptibility to OC during HIV infection. Objectives: The present study investigated plasma concentration of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-17 in HIV-1 patients suffering from OC. Patients and Methods: In total, 98 samples in four groups (HIV-positive and HIV-negative persons with and without OC) were obtained from the oral cavities and cultured on Sabouraud’s dextrose agar and CHROMagar. Also blood samples were obtained to assess plasma level of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-17 using ELISA technique. Results: There was a statistically signifcant difference in the plasma concentration of IFN-γ, IL-6 and IL-17 but not about IL-4. Our fndings suggest a signifcant interaction between fungal infection and HIV on expression of assessed cytokines. Conclusions: Fungal infection and HIV alone and together could seriously alter immune system function as assessed by measuring the levels of the plasma cytokines. Therefore, these results provide important new information relative to the putative immune-based factors associated with resistance and/or susceptibility to OC in HIV-positive persons

The Effects of Opium Addiction on the Immune System Function in Patients with Fungal Infection

Background: The use of narcotics such as opium exposes addicts as susceptible targets of different diseases so that they might easily be exposed to different diseases such as fungal infections. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of addiction to opium and fungal infection on plasma levels of certain cytokines including interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-6, IL-17, Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β).Methods: Present study included 72 individuals who were divided into 4 groups: 1) opium-addicted with fungal infection; 2) opium-addicted without fungal infection; 3) non-opium-addicted with fungal infection; and 4) normal individuals (non-opium-addicted and non-fungal infection). The fungal samples, after being detected and confirmed by a physician, were prepared based on clinical symptoms and then analyzed by direct smear and culture method. The measurement of the plasma level of cytokines was done by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.Findings: The comparison of the mean of the plasma level of cytokines showed that addiction to opium and fungal infection had significant effect on the plasma levels of IL-17, IFN-γ, TGF-β cytokines in all studied groups. The interaction of addiction to opium and fungal infection was only significant in the case of plasma level of IL-6.Conclusion: Addiction to opium and fungal infection, either separately or simultaneously, poses significant effect on the immune system and causes disorders in the cytokine network and the immune system and also provides a suitable environment for fungal infection

Designing and verifying an instrument to measure religiosity

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objective: In spite of the paramount importance of religion in human life, the definition of its domain, concepts, and components is subject to theoretical and methodological uncertainty. The root of many of these ambiguities lies in the absence of appropriate measurement tools. Given that, the main purpose of this research is validating and determining reliability of a local instrument for measuring religiosity.Method: This study aimed at developing an instrument. The participants were provided with researchers' questionnaire developed after studying documents and providing the theoretical framework, preparing question banks and validity. The sample, 500 adult citizens over 18 years old in 22 districts of Tehran selected by using random sampling and classification according to gender, age, and area of residence. The obtained data were utilized for exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha reliability, validity criteria, indicators fitted, and eventually the introduction of religiosity questionnaire. In this research, all the Ethical issues were observed and authors declared no conflicts of interest.Results: Based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA), seven factors accounted for 65.67% of the religiosity variance. The results of exploratory factor analysis (RMSEA=0.08, CFI=0.907, GFI=0.869) show the 21-item questionnaire has an acceptable fit. The internal consistency (α=0.83) and consistency over time also indicated that the final questionnaire has acceptable reliability.Conclusion: Results show that the developed questionnaire is acceptable in terms of validity and reliability to be used in Islamic societies for measuring religiosity.For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Please cite this article as: Shahmirzalou H, Rafiey H­, Mousavi MT, Ghaedamini Harouni Gh, Hosseini Safa Z. Designing and verifying an instrument to measure religiosity. J Res Relig Health. 2019; 5(2):6- 22. doi: https://doi.org/10.22037/jrrh.v5i2.1930