Patient doses of CT examinations in Western and Eastern Azerbyjan provinces of Iran

Medical X-rays are the largest man-made source of public exposure to ionizing radiation. While the benefits of computed tomography (CT) are well known in accurate diagnosis, those benefits are not risk free. CT is a device with higher patient dose in comparison with other conventional radiation procedures. So it is important to avoid conditions where the amount of radiation used is more than that needed for the procedure. Since that there is not any report on the radiation doses received by patients in CT scan wards in hospitals under control of Eastern and Western Azerbyjan medical sciences university, in the North West of Iran; this study was a part of national project to establish and optimize local and national diagnostic guidance levels. This work intends to calculate CT Dose Index (CTDI) and Dose Length Product (DLP) in common CT procedures in two north western provinces of country. Two hospitals got involved in the present study. CTDI and DLP measurements were done according to AAPM report no. 96 for head, chest and abdomen CT procedures. The mean CTDIw for head (base), sinus, chest and abdomen were 12.22, 13.13, 13.3 and 7.6 mGy, respectively.Patient dose levels in CTDI and DLP in our study aren't higher than those in developed countries

Patient doses in radiographic examinations in Western and Eastern Azerbyjan provinces of Iran

     This study was a part of national project to establish and optimize local and national diagnostic guidance levels. This work intends to evaluate image quality and entrance surface air kerma (ESAK) for patients' radiographic examinations in two north western provinces of country. Two hospitals got involved in the present study. The rate of the rejected images and image quality grades were determined. The ESAK were calculated by X-ray tube output measurements and X-ray exposure parameters (kVp, mAS, FFD, as well as patients thicknesses) for common radiographic examinations including: chest, skull, thoracic, lumbar in two projections and also abdomen and pelvis in one projection. The rate of images categorized as poor was 40%. Patients' dose in radiographic examination varied by a factor of up to 6.9, 13.84, 9.76, 11.33, 6.15, 8.69, 2.85, 3.05, 12.41, and 5.51 in chest (PA), chest (LAT), lumbar (AP), lumbar (LAT), thoracic (AP), thoracic (LAT), skull (PA), skull (LAT), abdomen and pelvis, respectively. The mean ESAK values for above mentioned techniques were 0.3, 0.7, 2.85, 6.87, 2.3, 4.9, 1.32, 1.05, 2.9 and 2.2 mGy, respectively. Poor image quality plays a major role in unnecessary radiation dose to the patients but in compare with other studies stated that patient dose levels in radiographic examinations in our study aren't higher than those in developed countries.

A Comparative Analysis of Individualism and Collectivism Effects on Customer Satisfaction in the Retail Sector: Examining Asian and Western Cultures

Customer satisfaction is the result of a customer's assessment of how well a service has performed, stemming from the differences between their initial expectations and the actual service they have encountered. While various elements play a role in shaping customer satisfaction, numerous factors come into play. This study focuses on exploring cultural differences, considering the multicultural environment of Malaysia. This is particularly intriguing since businesses in Malaysia cater to both local and international customers from Asian and Western regions. The objective of this study is to examine the correlation between individualism and collectivism about customer service satisfaction, with a specific focus on the retail sector involving multinational brands and diverse customers. The utilization of Geert Hofstede's Dimension theory is justified as it is a widely recognized framework for cultural differences research. A quantitative methodology was employed, surveying 103 participants, with 51.5% originating from Asian cultures and 48.5% from Western cultures. The findings demonstrate that while both individualism and collectivism significantly influence customer service satisfaction in the retail sector, collectivism plays a more significant role in determining overall satisfaction levels. To enhance the understanding of this topic, it is suggested that future studies expand beyond the Klang Valley area and explore additional explanatory variables that consider the impact of cultural differences on customer satisfaction

Effect of Cadmium on Germination Characters and Biochemical Parameters of Two Iranian Ecotypes of Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.)

Cadmium (Cd), being a highly toxic metal pollutant of soils, it inhibits root and shoot growth and yield production, affects nutrient uptake and homeostasis. It is frequently accumulated by agriculturally important crops and then enters the food chain with a significant potential to impair animals and human’s health. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate the effects of various Cd levels (0 as control, 300, 450, 600, 750 and 1050 µM) on some growth and biochemical parameters of two Iranian ecotypes of cumin (Cuminum cyminum) seedlings. The results revealed that seed germination, root growth, chlorophyll content and total soluble protein of both ecotypes decreased significantly with increase in metal concentration. The proline showed an increase in lower concentrations of Cd but at higher concentrations it decreased. The present results allow us to conclude that the cumin plants adversely affected by cadmium toxicity. Decrease in the seed germination percentage, root growth, chlorophyll and protein content may be considered as circumstantial evidence for the toxicity of cadmium. The present study demonstrated that under cadmium stress, C. cyminum underwent biochemical changes to survive under high concentrations of this metal. Increase in metal chelate components (proline) proves this fact. It can be concluded that Isfahan ecotype was superior to Khorasan ecotype in most of the measured parameters and it can be suggested that Isfahan ecotype is more tolerant to Cd stress than Khorasan ecotype

KEPEDULIAN DAN KEBERSIHAN LINGKUNGAN SISWA-SISWI SDN 3 SAWOJAJAR KOTA MALANG

A clean environment is everyone’s dream. However, creating an environment that is uncluttered and eye-chatching is a challenge in itself. We often ignore environmental hygiene issues in our immediate environment, especially the school environment, due to busyness and other factors. A clean environment has many advantages for everyone. The aim is to increase the participation of school members in making the environment around the school clean and unpolluted. The program of activities is carried out in an environmental care model with a community service team consisting of lecturers and students of Ikip Budi Utomo Malang. Their activities through efforts to clean up the school yard at SDN 3 Sawojajar. In general, school members are aware of the importance of maintaining a clean school for environmental preservation and health improvement. However, in terms of increasing this understanding, continuous motivation is needed both from the government and from instutions related to the environment

The relationship of brand marketing communication and brand authenticity / Wan Soraya Wan Abdul Ghani …[et al.]

This study aims to determine the relationship between brand marketing communication towards brand authenticity among the users of a local brand company. Brand marketing communication is related to enhancing the brand itself by shaping the brand authenticity perceptions directly and clarifying its positioning. The survey was conducted among the local coffee brand consumers at a local coffee shop conducting its business in a shopping mall. A sample size of 385 respondents were selected from different ages, races, backgrounds, and statuses in this study by convenience sampling. Four distinct forms of elements in the brand marketing communication were thus reviewed, namely: advertising, social media, sponsorship, and corporate social responsibility. In this research, all the elements showed their respective relationship with brand authenticity, whereby the difference was the extent of the relationships' strength in the results. The results shown were gathered via the latest SPSS software. Further discussions on the results were shared in this paper

Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) and AMPK Relevance in Cardiovascular Disease

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential receptors of the innate immune system, playing a significant role in cardiovascular diseases. TLR4, with the highest expression among TLRs in the heart, has been investigated extensively for its critical role in different myocardial inflammatory conditions. Studies suggest that inhibition of TLR4 signaling pathways reduces inflammatory responses and even prevents additional injuries to the already damaged myocardium. Recent research results have led to a hypothesis that there may be a relation between TLR4 expression and 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling in various inflammatory conditions, including cardiovascular diseases. AMPK, as a cellular energy sensor, has been reported to show anti-inflammatory effects in various models of inflammatory diseases. AMPK, in addition to its physiological acts in the heart, plays an essential role in myocardial ischemia and hypoxia by activating various energy production pathways. Herein we will discuss the role of TLR4 and AMPK in cardiovascular diseases and a possible relation between TLRs and AMPK as a novel therapeutic target. In our opinion, AMPK-related TLR modulators will find application in treating different immune-mediated inflammatory disorders, especially inflammatory cardiac diseases, and present an option that will be widely used in clinical practice in the future

The Effects of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Arum orientale on CLP-Induced Sepsis in Rats

Background: Sepsis is a lethal clinical syndrome that results from dysregulated systemic inflammatory response of the body due to the invasion of pathogens, especially bacteria. Despite advances in medical care and therapy, sepsis is still one of the major causes of death in intensive care units and no decisive medical treatment is available against that. Studies have suggested that some Arum species have anti-bacterial properties. The present study investigated the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Arum orientale, on cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) induced sepsis in rats. Methods: CLP method was used for induction of sepsis in rats. Hydroalcoholic extract of A. orientale was injected intraperitoneally with doses of 80 and 640 mg/Kg body weight at times of 0, 1, 3, 6 and 24 h after the surgery. Antibacterial activity, hemodynamic parameters, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and survival rate were measured after 72 h. Results: Hydroalcoholic extract of A. orientale showed antibacterial activities as potent as gentamycin against Escherichia coli. Administration of the extract with a dose of 80 mg/Kg body weight increased significantly hemodynamic parameters such as mean arterial pressure (p<0.05)and decreased optical density (OD) (p<0.05) of blood. The extract also increased serum MPO activity (p<0.01) and reduced survival rate to 20%. Conclusion: This study for the first time showed that hydroalcoholic extract of A. oriental acts as a double edge sword in the treatment of CLP-induced sepsis. This extract showed antibacterial properties and also improved hemodynamic parameters but decreased survival rate, that might be through pro-inflammatory effects

Epidemic modeling and flattening the infection curve in social networks

The main goal of this paper is to model the epidemic and flattening the infection curve of the social networks. Flattening the infection curve implies slowing down the spread of the disease and reducing the infection rate via social-distancing, isolation (quarantine) and vaccination. The nan-pharmaceutical methods are a much simpler and efficient way to control the spread of epidemic and infection rate. By specifying a target group with high centrality for isolation and quarantine one can reach a much flatter infection curve (related to Corona for example) without adding extra costs to health services. The aim of this research is, first, modeling the epidemic and, then, giving strategies and structural algorithms for targeted vaccination or targeted non-pharmaceutical methods for reducing the peak of the viral disease and flattening the infection curve. These methods are more efficient for nan-pharmaceutical interventions as finding the target quarantine group flattens the infection curve much easier. For this purpose, a few number of particular nodes with high centrality are isolated and the infection curve is analyzed. Our research shows meaningful results for flattening the infection curve only by isolating a few number of targeted nodes in the social network. The proposed methods are independent of the type of the disease and are effective for any viral disease, e.g., Covid-19.Comment: in Persian language. Journal of Modelling in Engineering 202