Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of a binuclear complex and a coordination polymer of copper(II)

Two new copper complexes [(bipy)(pydc)Cu(µ-OCO-pydc)Cu(bipy)(H2O)].3.5H­2O (1) and {[(µ2-C2O4)(2,2'-bipy)Cu].2H2O}n (2) (pydcH2 = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylilic acid, bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine) have been hydrothermally synthesized. Both complexes were characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Complex 1 consists of two independent neutral molecules. In every moiety, metal ion center is in a distorted octahedral geometry. Coordination polymer (2) has been prepared from the reaction of bis-(cyclohexanone)-oxal-dihydrazone,2,2'-bipyridine and Cu(NO3)2 in basic solution and under hydrothermal condition. The results showed that the bis-(cyclohexanone)-oxal-dihydrazone was converted to oxalate ion under heating and basic pH. Each metal ion center in 2 is in a distorted octahedral geometry and is coordinated by four oxygen atoms of two bridged oxalate ions and two nitrogen atoms of 2,2'-bipyridine molecules. In the crystal structure of 2, some H-bonds and π-π interaction cause formation of a 3D network. KEY WORDS: Hydrothermal synthesis, Cu complex, Coordination polymer, Crystal structure  Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2010, 24(3), 401-409

1-(2-Pyrid­yl)-N,N′-dipyrimidin-2-ylmethane­diamine

In the title compound, C14H13N7, inter­molecular N—H⋯N and C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into infinite one-dimensional chains along (100). A C—H⋯π inter­action also occurs in the crystal

Effects of psycho-educational intervention on health-related quality of life (QOL) of patients with chronic liver disease referring to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

BACKGROUND: Chronic liver diseases (CLDs) are progressive disorder which has a significant impact on the well-being of patients and leads to significant morbidity. CLDs are characterized by disturbances in physical, psychological and social aspects of well-being. It causes significant health-related quality of life (QOL) impairment. Psycho-educational interventions targeting to functional factors could be beneficial for patients with CLDs. METHODS: An interventional study was conducted on 110 patients with CLDs in Shiraz Liver Transplantation Center (SLTC). Subjects with the required CLDs criteria were selected and randomly divided into experimental (55) and control (55) groups. A two part questionnaire with 25 items concerning demographic and general information and 29 items regarding QOL was used. The psycho-educational needs of the experimental group were assessed in a session before the intervention, then the experimental group took part in 3 sessions individually and one session in groups. The questionnaires were filled in again for both groups but the control group did not receive the intervention program. The questionnaires were filled in again for both groups one day and three months after the intervention. RESULTS: Findings revealed no significant differences between the two groups from the view point of demographic characteristics such as marital status, gender, etc... (p > 0.05) and from the point of clinical variables no statistically significant differences were found (p > 0.05). Findings revealed statistically significant differences in all domain of QOL in the experimental group three months after the intervention (p = 0.001), while there was no statistically significant differences in the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study revealed that psycho-educational intervention had a significant effect on QOL of patients with CLDs

Bis(9-amino­acridinium) bis­(pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl­ato)cuprate(II) trihydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, (C13H11N2)2[Cu(C7H3NO4)2]·3H2O or (9-aminoAcr)[Cu(pydc)2]·3H2O, contains a Cu(pydc)2 (pydc = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl­ate) anion, two protonated 9-amino­acridine (9-aminoAcr)+ counter-ions and three uncoordinated water mol­ecules. The anion contains a six-coordinated Cu(II) atom within a distorted octa­hedral geometry. Non-covalent inter­actions i.e. N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and inter­molecular π–π contacts between the pyridine rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.7773 (13) Å] and acridine rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.4897 (13), 3.7784 (14) and 3.8627 (15) Å] result in the formation of a three-dimensional network

Women's Blood Donation: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Reasons for Non-Donation of Blood among Female Staff at Tehran Blood Transfusion Center

Background: The blood donation proportion of women to men is 1 to 9 in Iran. Lack of time, fear of needling and difficult access to donation sites were main reasons for not donating blood in previous studies. The aim of this study was to assess barriers of blood donation by women working in Tehran blood transfusion center.Methods: To achieve the aim of this study we designed a qualitative research. The study population came from female personnel in Tehran Blood Transfusion Center (TBTC) they were recruited by qualitative purposeful sampling with no history of blood donation. Results: Twenty-seven female personnel of TBTC aged 21-55 years old were entered to two focus group discussions. In the focus group discussion, knowledge of participants about the needs and importance of blood donation and donor acceptance criteria was desirable. There were common fears and beliefs about blood donation, similar to the results of  previous study in general female population, including weakness, concerns of having or developing anemia, fear of needling, being in reproductive age, menstruation cycle, pregnancy and childbearing stage. Some of participants believed that working in TBTC, especially in technical units, acts as a deterrent  For few females who worked in TBTC, concern of a positive test result either true or false was another cause of not blood donation. A few donors mentioned that derived plasma from female bloods was not used and also some others experienced complicated blood donation in clients. So they did not attempt to donate blood.Conclusions: At first, it seemed that female staff working in TBTC might have different perceptions about blood donation because of greater awareness than women in the general community. However the results of this study showed that reasons of not donating blood in this group of women was not different from females in the general population

Women's Blood Donation: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Reasons for Non-Donation of Blood among Female Staff at Tehran Blood Transfusion Center

Background: The blood donation proportion of women to men is 1 to 9 in Iran. Lack of time, fear of needling and difficult access to donation sites were main reasons for not donating blood in previous studies. The aim of this study was to assess barriers of blood donation by women working in Tehran blood transfusion center.Methods: To achieve the aim of this study we designed a qualitative research. The study population came from female personnel in Tehran Blood Transfusion Center (TBTC) they were recruited by qualitative purposeful sampling with no history of blood donation. Results: Twenty-seven female personnel of TBTC aged 21-55 years old were entered to two focus group discussions. In the focus group discussion, knowledge of participants about the needs and importance of blood donation and donor acceptance criteria was desirable. There were common fears and beliefs about blood donation, similar to the results of  previous study in general female population, including weakness, concerns of having or developing anemia, fear of needling, being in reproductive age, menstruation cycle, pregnancy and childbearing stage. Some of participants believed that working in TBTC, especially in technical units, acts as a deterrent  For few females who worked in TBTC, concern of a positive test result either true or false was another cause of not blood donation. A few donors mentioned that derived plasma from female bloods was not used and also some others experienced complicated blood donation in clients. So they did not attempt to donate blood.Conclusions: At first, it seemed that female staff working in TBTC might have different perceptions about blood donation because of greater awareness than women in the general community. However the results of this study showed that reasons of not donating blood in this group of women was not different from females in the general population

High Titers of Hemagglutination Inhibition Antibodies against 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus in Southern Iran

ABSTRACT Background: Pandemic flu had at least two waves in Iran. Knowing how many of the general population were already exposed to this infection has a major impact on national preventive measures. As of December 30, 2009, a total of 3672 confirmed cases of human infection with a novel Influenza A (2009 H1N1) virus had been reported in Iran with 140 deaths. Objective: In this study we aim to measure, as a pilot study, the seroprevalence of positive antibody titer (humoral immunity) against 2009 H1N1 virus in Iranian population in Shiraz, Southern Iran. Methods: Through cluster random sampling of families residing in Shiraz, 2553 subjects were selected and after a medical interview blood samples were taken and checked for polyclonal antibody against 2009 H1N1 antigen using hemagglutination inhibition assay. An antibody titer of more than 1:40 dilution was considered positive. Data were analyzed considering the demographic characteristics of the population and were compared among different age groups. Results: 1504 (58.91%) samples were tested positive for the presence of polyclonal antibody against 2009 H1N1 virus. The prevalence of positive titers were significantly higher in 60 to 64 years old group and significantly lower in 20 to 24 years old group (p<0.05). Data did not differ based on other demographic characteristics or the history of flu like illnesses in the past 6 months. Conclusion: High seroprevalence of antibody against 2009 H1N1 in the sera of our subjects describes either a high level of preexisting immunity against H1N1 in Iranian population or a high rate of asymptomatic infection in our area compared to other countries

Association between Tumor Necrosis Factor- α-308 G/A Polymorphism and Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex polygenic disease in which gene-environment interactions are important. A number of studies have investigated the association between tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) -308 G/A polymorphism (substitution G→A, designated as TNF1 and TNF2) and MS susceptibility in different populations, but the results of individual studies have been inconsistent. Therefore, performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published studies is desirable. We sought to quantitatively summarize the association between TNF-α-308 G/A polymorphism and MS. The Medline and Scopus databases were searched to identify potentially relevant case-control studies published in English journals up to January 2010. A meta-analysis of these studies was performed. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated under fixed and random effects models. Twenty-one eligible studies, comprising 2880 patients with MS and 3579 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. The overall pooled ORs (95%CI) for TNF2 versus TNF1 and TNF2 carriers (2/2+2/1) versus non-carriers (1/1) were 1.02 (0.86-1.21) and 0.99 (0.8-1.24), respectively. In the European populations, the pooled ORs (95%CI) for TNF 2/1 versus 1/1 were 0.85 (0.73-0.98), which was statistically significant. However, the other results did not support this finding. The pooled ORs (95%CI) for TNF 2/1 versus 1/1 and TNF 2/2 versus 2/1 were not statistically significant in the overall population. In addition, the pooled ORs for TNF2/2 versus TNF2/1+1/1 and TNF2/2 versus TNF1/1 were not statistically significant. Our meta-analysis does not support the role of TNF-α -308 G/A polymorphism in developing MS