Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of ascorbic acid from fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seeds and evaluation its extracts in free radical scavenging

The main objective of this study was to compare ultrasound assisted extraction with soxhlet extraction method as control in the extraction ascorbic acid of fennel seeds. Treatment conditions were performed using soxhlet method (240 min at 85 °C) and ultrasound treatment (20 kHz, 39, 64 and 96 W/cm2, 40 and 60 °C), for 15, 30 and 45 min. No significant differences were observed for total soluble solids among the samples studied. A similar trend was observed for both the amount of ascorbic acid extract and its ability to DPPH free radical scavenging. The greatest amount of ascorbic acid obtained in 15 minutes sonication (96 W/cm2 at 60 °C), with equivalent of 1.73 mg/ml fennel seeds extraction. There was a significant difference between soxhlet and ultrasound method, which caused an increase of 69.94 mg/ml ascorbic acid in the extraction compared to the soxhlet. The highest percentage of hydrogen peroxide scavenging was observed in 15 min sonication (96 W/cm2 at 60 °C) equivalent to 74.13% without any significant difference with soxhlet method (6.93% increase in free radical). The highest percentage of DPPH free radical scavenging was observed in 15 min sonication (96 W/cm2 at 60 °C) equivalent to 98.88% without any significant difference with soxhlet method (0.18% increase in free radical). The results of the present study demonstrate that ultrasound assisted extraction is an alternative affordable for yield extraction compared to soxhlet method

INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS ON AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE IN AGRICULTURE (LIVESTOCK FARMING) SECTOR IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The discussion of the factors affecting the tendency to accept new technologies in developing countries is very important. Lack of use of modern technologies in developing countries, especially in the agricultural (livestock farming) sector, leads to negative effects on the quality and quantity of products and the country loses its ability to compete in the international arena. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting on Augmented Reality technology acceptance in the agricultural (livestock) sector of Iran. In this research, the dependent variable is a qualitative variable that is classified into five levels based on the theory of experts using the SWARA method. The dependent variable indicates the ability (awareness) and capability (financially) of a person to accept AR technology. We used the Multinomial Logit model due to the dependent variable is nominal and has more than two categories. The results showed that, the variables of public participation, and education have a significant effect on the willingness to adopt Augmented Reality technology at all levels among farmers.  But variable costs and the number of family labor do not have a significant effect on the willingness to accept Augmented Reality technology. The policy recommendations of this research are that councils can play an important role in raising the level of public participation and conveying the demands of the people to the government. To do this, they must receive the necessary training in order to attract public participation. This is possible through training workshops to increase the level of farmers’ awareness. &nbsp

Orlando’s nursing process application on anxiety levels of patients undergoing endoscopy examination

Background and aims: Anxiety is a common reaction when people encounter new problems where they do not know what expect. The nurses are responsible for assessing the patient and helping them with the procedure of endoscopy. This study investigates differences in anxiety level of patients who receive nursing process of Orlando's theory prior to endoscopy examination compared to a control group. Methods: A Quasi -experimental research design was used in this study. Samples were 60 adult patients who were randomly assigned to two groups (30 patients each). Patients in the study group receive nursing process of Orlando's theory by the researcher plus the routine hospital intervention, while the control group only received the routine hospital intervention. The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI scale) is administering to both groups before and after endoscopy examination. STAI, a self-reporting psychometric test, is used to assess state anxiety levels. STAI has demonstrated reliability and validity in previous studies. Results: Statistically significant difference was evident between the 2 groups regarding the mean of anxiety level of patients after the intervention. Before the intervention, the mean of anxiety level in the control and study groups were 47±9 and 58 ±11 and after the intervention were: 41±7, 35±7, respectively. Conclusion: Intervention groups have the lower mean of anxiety level after the intervention. Female patients in this study experienced low level anxiety compared to male patients after Orlando nursing process. The data suggest that endoscopy unit personnel and the referring physician should consider the patient’s perception of the procedure. Detailed information on the procedure and training in relaxation techniques should be given. Positive re-appraisal and information on sensations to be anticipated, rather than procedural details, will be more successful in alleviating stress and anxiety

Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Endemic Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Iran: Implications for Conservation and Habitat Management

Iran, with its unique climatic and topographic conditions, is home to about 8200 species of vascular plants. Approximately 2300 of the 8200 species are popularly characterized as medicinal or aromatic. Here, we compile information about the endemic medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) of Iran and map their distributions. Our survey found 180 endemic species of MAPs, belonging to 10 families and 30 genera. The majority of species are found in Lamiaceae, Fabaceae, and Apiaceae, with 86, 30, and 18 species, respectively. Approximately 70% of these plants have been recorded in the 10 provinces of Esfahan, Kerman, Fars, Tehran, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, East Azarbaijan, Lorestan, West Azarbaijan, Hamadan, and Mazandaran. These provinces are located in the Iran-o-Turanian region, one of the three major phytogeographic regions in Iran, which covers five areas of endemism (i.e., Azarbaijan, Zagros, Kopet Dagh-Khorassan, Alborz, and Central Alborz). So, Iran-o-Turanian region is the main center of diversity for the Iranian endemic MAPs. The north, center and western parts of Iran are rich in MAPs and could be considered as the dominant biodiversity hotspots of Iran more seemingly due to the diverse climatic and geographic assortment which generates the highest frequency and distribution of MAPs. Many of these MAPs are at the edge of extinction due to the unwise, unscientific harvesting and/or global climate change. Therefore, there is an urgent need to conserve and propagate some of these important MAPs to save them from extinction and also to ensure the availability of raw materials for their use and future research into their efficacy. Furthermore, identifying the areas of endemism (AEs) is an essential part of ongoing regional conservation management programs in Iran and worldwide

Dictation errors among students of primary schools in Iranian populations

Introduction: Dictation as an important academic ability involves divers cortical processes so that any problem in one of them may lead to a dictation error. Identifying current dictation errors helps specialists to understand its causes more comprehensively and to use the most effective interventional approaches. The aim of this study was to compare the most common dictation errors between primary students of Semnan and Babol cities in Iran. Material and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, dictation samples of 2215 Semnan’s primary students and 1664 Babol’s primary students were collected. All of participants had normal I.Q, hearing skills and cranial nerves functions. Dictation materials were chosen from their books and dictated by their teachers. All of errors were categorized according to error kinds. Results: There were significant differences between Semnan’s and Babol’s primary students according to the frequency of dictation errors and their grades. Some of errors such as visual memory, educational and dysgraphia errors were significantly common between groups and all grades. Semnan’s primary students had more dictation errors in first and second grades than Babol’s primary students, although this condition reversed in other grades. Conclusion: Dialect may influence dictation and its errors so there should be various therapeutic and educational focuses for different dialects. The highest levels of visual memory, educational and accuracy errors mean that it is necessary to pay more attention on their prerequisites developmental skills to prevent and to treat them

Dental decay and associated factors in Iranian three-year-old children

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess dental caries and associated factors in children aged three years living in Varamin, Iran. Methods Eight hundred and fifteen three-year-old children were recalled randomly through the records existing in healthcare centers of Varamin, Iran. Two hundred and three mothers were also examined to assess the relationship between the oral health of mothers and children. Dental examinations were performed by two calibrated senior dental students using decayed missed filled teeth (dmft/DMFT) indices according to the WHO oral health survey basic methods. Demographic and oral-health care behavior data were collected using a standard  questionnaire.Results The mean DMFT was 2.69 ± 3.492 years (range 0–19 years). No significant difference was seen in dental care behavior of males and females; 43.4% of children were caries-free. A positive correlation was detected between mother’s DMFT and child’s dmft (r = 0.27, P < 0.0001). Adjusted regression analysis showed that dental caries was observed more frequently in children having mothers with DMFT> 12 compared to mothers with DMFT less than 6 (CR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.02–2.35) after controlling for child’s sex and behaviors.Conclusion This study showed that more than half of the three-year-old children experience dental caries and there is a positive correlation between the DMFT of mothers and dmft of their children

Determining the Frequency Distribution of Ocular Manifestations in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological disease in young people. It is estimated that about 2 million people in the world suffer from this disease. Ocular involvement is one of the most prevalent clinical signs of MS. It is said that 25% of individuals suffer from vision problems during the development of disease. Therefore, this study was conducted in Yazd due to its climate changes and lack of study in this regard. Methods: This study is a cross sectional type, conducted with the aim of studying the frequency of eye symptoms in MS patients referring to the Shahid Sadoughi Yazd ophthalmology Clinic from 2012 to 2014. The Sample size includes 150 patients who referred to the clinic. The tool for gathering information was a questionnaire. After gathering 150 samples, all the data was coded and entered into the computer. Results were analyzed by SPSS18, descriptive statistics, and Chi 2 test. Results: The examined patients included 150 MS patients aged 33.48 years on average and with 28.43 years the onset age of disease examined. This study shows that blurred vision rate of 78.7% and the diplopia rate of 56% were the most prevalent vision complaints of patients from the starting the disease until examination. Optic atrophy with 14.7% and optic neuritis with 12% were the most common ocular findings in the examination. Conclusion: We can conclude that vision disorders are the common consequences of MS. These disorders are accompanied by factors such as age, sex, residence, and family background. Therefore, it is necessary to take the patients’ demographic characteristics into account in their initial examinations.</span

Encapsulation of Vitamins Using Nanoliposome: Recent Advances and Perspectives

Nowadays the importance of vitamins is clear for everyone. However, many patients are suffering from insufficient intake of vitamins. Incomplete intake of different vitamins from food sources due to their destruction during food processing or decrease in their bioavailability when mixing with other food materials, are factors resulting in vitamin deficiency in the body. Therefore, various lipid based nanocarriers such as nanoliposomes were developed to increase the bioavailability of bioactive compounds. Since the function of nanoliposomes containing vitamins on the body has a direct relationship with the quality of produced nanoliposomes, this review study was planned to investigate the several aspects of liposomal characteristics such as size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency on the quality of synthesized vitamin-loaded nanoliposomes

Ameliorative effects of omega-lycotoxin-Gsp2671e purified from the spider venom of Lycosa praegrandis on memory deficits of glutamate-induced excitotoxicity rat model

Memory impairment is one of the main complications of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This condition can be induced by hyper-stimulation of N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) of glutamate in the hippocampus, which ends up to pyramidal neurons determination. The release of neurotransmitters relies on voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) such as P/Q-types. Omega-lycotoxin-Gsp2671e (OLG1e) is a P/Q-type VGCC modulator with high affinity and selectivity. This bio-active small protein was purified and identified from the Lycosa praegrandis venom. The effect of this state-dependent low molecular weight P/Q-type calcium modulator on rats was investigated via glutamate-induced excitotoxicity by N-Methyl-D-aspartate. Also, Electrophysiological amplitude of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in the input–output and Long-term potentiation (LTP) curves were recorded in mossy fiber and the amount of synaptophysin (SYN), synaptosomal-associated protein, 25 kDa (SNAP-25), and synaptotagmin 1(SYT1) genes expression were measured using Real-time PCR technique for synaptic quantification. The outcomes of the current study suggest that OLG1e as a P/Q-type VGCC modulator has an ameliorative effect on excitotoxicity-induced memory defects and prevents the impairment of pyramidal neurons in the rat hippocampus