Synthesis of Nano Porous Silica-titania Membrane with Photocatalytic Properties

In this study, the photocatalytic properties of nanoporous silica-titania membrane was investigated. For this purpose, nano-porous silica-titania membrane was prepared by sol-gel process using tetraethyl orthotitanate and tetraethyl orthosilicate with the intermediate layer of colloidal titania on α-alumina support. The as-prepared membrane was characterized by FTIR, XRD, FESEM and BET techniques. The specific surface area of microporouse silica -30% titania powder was 507 m2/gr. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared membrane was studied for methyl orange photo-degradation under UV light (&lambda

Impacts of chronic illness on families: Experiences of Iranian family of patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Study

Family members are often the primary healthcare providers and support for patients with a chronic disease such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Families endure and encounter long term difficulties when caring for a person suffering from MS. This study was conducted to explain the family experiences with multiple sclerosis and their problem and concerns.In a qualitative research, based on conventional content analysis, 18 family caregivers of patients with MS were selected by using purposive sampling method. Data were collected through semi-structured and in-depth interviews conducted at the Multiple Sclerosis Society and hospitals of Tabriz in Iran from May to December of 2015. Data were analyzed according to qualitative content analysis by using the MAXQDA.10 software. Interviews identified three main categories regarding family caregiver experiences with MS: 1) disease onset crisis, 2) disease burden, and 3) living in the shadow of death. The results showed that family caregivers of MS patients face numerous problems and they are at risk for depression and a lower quality of life due to disease burden. Also the results revealed the main concerns of families are financial problems and fear of paralysis and patient be crippled. Healthcare providers can use these results to better support and care for patients and their family members in order to improve their quality of life and reduce disease complications

Prevalence of Common Aeroallergens in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis in Gorgan, North of Iran, Based on Skin Prick Test Reactivity

Background Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common types of rhinitis. Allergen avoidance is the most important way of preventing this disease. The present study is carried out to determine the frequency of common aeroallergens in patients with allergic rhinitis in Gorgan city by skin prick test (SPT) reactivity. Materials and Methods  In this cross-sectional study 270 patients referring to the Asthma and Allergic Center in Gorgan city, Iran, were enrolled. Diagnosis of allergic rhinitis was confirmed by specialist asthma and allergy. A questionnaire containing demographic data and patient’s history was completed. Skin prick test containing standard allergen extracts, histamine, and physiologic serum was performed on patients. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version16.0. Results: In the present study, 270 patients (113 males and 157 females) had perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR), seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), and mixed allergic rhinitis (MAR) (n=166, 54, 47, receptivity). Out of these patients, the most common aeroallergens was a house dust mite called Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (43.7%), other common allergen were: weeds (40.7%), Dermatophagoides farinae (40.4%), grasses (32.5%), beetles (30%), trees (22.5%), and molds (16.3%). There was a significant relationship between prevalence of allergy to grasses and gender (P=0.016), weeds and age (

A comparison of the effects of Portulaca oleracea seeds hydro-alcoholic extract and Vitamin C on biochemical, hemodynamic and functional parameters in cardiac tissue of rats with subclinical hyperthyroidism

Objective: The present study was performed to evaluate the effects of hydro-alcoholic extract of Portulaca oleracea (P. oleracea) seeds and Vitamin C on biochemical and hemodynamic parameters in cardiac tissue of rats with subclinical hyperthyroidism. Materials and Methods: Forty eight male rats were divided into six groups of 8 and treated for 4 weeks. T4 group received daily injection of levothyroxine sodium (20 μg/kg) and control group was given daily injection of saline. T4-Po groups were given T4 plus 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of P. oleracea seeds extract in drinking water daily. T4-Vit C group received T4 plus daily injection of Vitamin C (100 mg/kg). At the end of the experiment, body weight, serum free T4 level, left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), malondialdehyde (MDA) and total thiol levels were measured. Results: Free T4 levels were increased in all groups that were treated with T4. Weight gain was decreased in T4 and T4-Po100 groups compared to control group (p Conclusion: The results showed that P. oleracea extract has a protective effect on cardiac dysfunction due to subclinical hyperthyroidism induced by levothyroxine sodium in rats

Studying the effects of plasma produced species on the optical characteristics and bonding structure of diamond-like carbon films deposited by direct current unbalanced magnetron sputtering

In the present study, the influence of target power and plasma produced species on optical, structural and morphological properties of diamond-like carbon thin films deposited by direct current unbalanced magnetron sputtering is investigated. Raman spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry are used to study the structural properties and optical characteristics, respectively. Additionally, optical spectroscopy is used to measure the optical band gap of the films and investigate the produced active species in the plasma. Optical emission spectroscopy of the plasma shows that increasing the target power from 60 W to 120 W, increases the hydrogen containing species in the plasma which was due to the water vapor remained in the vacuum chamber. Surface topography of the films illustrates that the surface roughness of the films decreases slightly which leads to the smoother surfaces. Raman spectroscopy shows that I D /I G ratio decreases and the G peak position shifts toward lower wavenumber. Indirect optical band gap also increases from 1.77 eV to 2.18 eV. Results of spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements illustrate that the refractive index decreases from 2.01 to 1.67 at 550 nm and the spectrum of the extinction coefficient decreases as well. These results indicate that increasing the sputtering power, increases the sp 3 C–]H bonding more than C–]C bonding in the matrix of the film

Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Water Purifier Devices in Rafsanjan City

Introduction: Heavy metals (HMs) are one of the most important and dangerous pollutants in water resources. This study aimed to determine the HMs concentrations in city water purifier devices or stations in Rafsanjan, Iran in 2022. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted descriptively and on a laboratory scale on the input and output of 16 city water purifier devices stations in Rafsanjan in the summer of 2022. Heavy metals and other metals including arsenic (As), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), and potassium (K) were tested by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrophotometry (ICP-MS). Also, t-test statistical analysis was used by SPSS software. Results: The mean concentrations of HMs in the output of city water purifier devices for As, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn were ≤ 1, 2.84 ± 0.71, 8.48 ± 1.51, 2.51 ± 1.55, and 18.58 ± 9.24 µg/L, respectively. The difference between the output of water purifier devices and standard values ​​for As, Cr, and Cu was significant (p ≤ 0.001). Other metals concentrations in the output of water purifier devices for Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, and K were 0.03 ± 0.008, 6.72 ± 0.92, 8.38 ± 1.71, 64.11 ± 2.56, and 2.34 ± 0.08 µg/L, respectively. The HMs removal efficiency of city water purifier devices for As, Cu, and Pb were ≥ 99%, 83.33%, and 56.33%, respectively. Conclusion: The HMs removal efficiency of city water purifier devices stations in Rafsanjan City was appropriate due to the use of filters containing alumina and iron hydroxide media

Induction of proteome changes involved in the cloning of mcr-1 and mcr-2 genes in Escherichia coli DH5-α strain to evaluate colistin resistance

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Plasmid genes, termed mobile colistin resistance-1 (mcr-1) and mobile colistin resistance-2 (mcr-2), are associated with resistance to colistin in Escherichia coli (E. coli). These mcr genes result in a range of protein modifications contributing to colistin resistance. This study aims to discern the proteomic characteristics of E. coli–carrying mcr-1 and mcr-2 genes. Furthermore, it evaluates the expression levels of various proteins under different conditions (with and without colistin). Methods: Plasmid extraction was performed using an alkaline lysis–based plasmid extraction kit, whereas polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the presence of mcr-1 and mcr-2 plasmids. The E. coli DH5α strain served as the competent cell for accepting and transforming mcr-1 and mcr-2 plasmids. We assessed proteomic alterations in the E. coli DH5α strain both with and without colistin in the growth medium. Proteomic data were analysed using mass spectrometry. Results: The findings revealed significant protein changes in the E. coli DH5α strain following cloning of mcr-1 and mcr-2 plasmids. Of the 20 proteins in the DH5α strain, expression in 8 was suppressed following transformation. In the presence of colistin in the culture medium, 39 new proteins were expressed following transformation with mcr-1 and mcr-2 plasmids. The proteins with altered expression play various roles. Conclusion: The results of this study highlight numerous protein alterations in E. coli resulting from mcr-1 and mcr-2–mediated resistance to colistin. This understanding can shed light on the resistance mechanism. Additionally, the proteomic variations observed in the presence and absence of colistin might indicate potential adverse effects of indiscriminate antibiotic exposure on treatment efficacy and heightened pathogenicity of microorganisms

Prediction of the waste stabilization pond performance using linear multiple regression and multi-layer perceptron neural network: a case study of Birjand, Iran

Background: Data mining (DM) is an approach used in extracting valuable information from environmental processes. This research depicts a DM approach used in extracting some information from influent and effluent wastewater characteristic data of a waste stabilization pond (WSP) in Birjand, a city in Eastern Iran. Methods: Multiple regression (MR) and neural network (NN) models were examined using influent characteristics (pH, Biochemical oxygen demand [BOD5], temperature, chemical oxygen demand [COD], total suspended solids [TSS], total dissolved solid [TDS], electrical conductivity [EC] and turbidity) as the regression input vectors. Models were adjusted to input attributes, effluent BOD5 (BODout) and COD (CODout). The models performances were estimated by 10-fold external cross-validation. An internal 5-fold cross-validation was also used for the training data set in NN model. The models were compared using regression error characteristic (REC) plot and other statistical measures such as relative absolute error (RAE). Sensitivity analysis was also applied to extract useful knowledge from NN model. Results: NN models (with RAE = 78.71 ± 1.16 for BODout and 83.67 ± 1.35 for CODout) and MR models (with RAE = 84.40% ± 1.07 for BODout and 88.07 ± 0.80 for CODout) indicate different performances and the former was better (P < 0.05) for the prediction of both effluent BOD5 and COD parameters. For the prediction of CODout the NN model with hidden layer size (H) = 4 and decay factor = 0.75 ± 0.03 presented the best predictive results. For BODout the H and decay factor were found to be 4 and 0.73 ± 0.03, respectively. TDS was found as the most descriptive influent wastewater characteristics for the prediction of the WSP performance. The REC plots confirmed the NN model performance superiority for both BOD and COD effluent prediction. Conclusion: Modeling the performance of WSP systems using NN models along with sensitivity analysis can offer better understanding on exploring the most significant parameters for the prediction of system performance. The findings of this study could build the foundation for prospective work on the characterization of WSP operations and optimization of their performances with a view to conducting statistical approaches

Protective effects of Portulaca oleracea and vitamin E on cardiovascular parameters in rats with subclinical hyperthyroidism

Introduction Subclinical hyperthyroidism (SHT) is an endocrine disorder that is associated with abnormalities in heart structure and function. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathophysiology of cardiac disorders caused by SHT. Portulaca oleracea (P. Oleracea) is a herbaceous plant with many pharmacologic effects including antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, the effects of Portulaca oleracea and vitamin E on the biochemical, hemodynamic, and functional parameters of the cardiac tissue was studied in rats with subclinical hyperthyroidism. Methods Fifty-six male rats were divided into seven groups: 1-Control group: daily injection of saline, 2-SHT group: daily injection of levothyroxine sodium (LS) (20 µg/kg), 3- T4+Po groups were given LS and P. oleracea (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg in drinking water), 4- the T4+vit E groups received LS and a daily injection of vitamin E (100 and 200 mg/kg). Cardiac index, systolic blood pressure (SBP), also malondialdehyde and total thiol levels were measured in cardiac tissue. Results SBP and maximum dP/dt were significantly increased and minimum dP/dt was significantly decreased in SHT group. In P. oleracea groups, maximum dP/dt were significantly reduced and minimum dP/dt was increased. Malondialdehyde levels and cardiac index in groups receiving vitamin E and P. oleracea were significantly decreased. Maximum dP/dt was decreased in the group receiving LS+vitamin E. Minimum dP/dt was significantly higher in group received LS+ vitamin E. Conclusion This study showed that Portulaca oleracea has a positive effect on cardiac dysfunction caused by subclinical hyperthyroidism