Effect of saffron oral capsule on anxiety and quality of sleep of diabetic patients in a tertiary healthcare facility in southeastern Iran: A quasi-experimental study

Purpose: To determine the effect of oral capsule of saffron (a herbal medicine) on anxiety and quality of sleep of diabetic patients of a tertiary healthcare facility in Zabol, Iran in 2016.Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study on 50 diabetics of Zabol who met the inclusion criteria. Participants were randomly split into two groups (control and test). Anxiety and quality of sleep were evaluated by Spielberger Anxiety Inventory and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants in the intervention group received a daily (between 12 noon and 2 pm) intake of 300 mg saffron capsule after lunch while those in the control group received a placebo daily for a similar duration. After a week, anxiety and sleep quality were assessed.Results: A significant difference in anxiety and quality of sleep prior to and after saffron oral capsule intake (p = 0.001) was observed. In the control group, anxiety and quality of sleep did not show any significant difference before and after intervention (p = 0.001).Conclusion: The results show that saffron capsule intake is effective in reducing anxiety and improving the quality of sleep among diabetic patients. Further studies are required to enhance saffron capsule formulation.Keywords: Anxiety, Blood glucose, Sleep, Diabetes mellitu

Scale insects (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha) of Ficus carica L. (Moraceae), with a new record from Iran

A total of 13 species of Coccomorpha (Hemiptera) from three scale insect families; Coccidae (3), Diaspididae (5) and Pseudococcidae (5) have been found on Ficus carica L. (Moraceae) in Iran. Diaspidiotus braunschvigi (Rungs) (Diaspididae) is recorded as new record in Iran, described and illustrated based on adult females. Species that have been previously recorded on F. carica, are listed, and the global distribution is given for each species

Balst people and their Relation to the Naming of Palestine through history (1198 -1020 BC)

The Palst People are considered apart of the Hindu-European People Groups who left the areas North to the Mediteranian , near the Bilkan Peninsula, that is after They wewe strained by the diminishing food resources. The Plast People directed wagons pulled by bulls in order to attack the Kingdoms located east of the Mediteranian (such as the Levant , the Syrian coats , Egypt and Libya) . A great many researchers have tackled the issue of the origins of the Palestinians go back in history to the Palst people , a theory that explains the very name of Palestine.

Acoustic Detection of Cavitation Inception

Cavitation phenomenon can cause deterioration of the hydraulic performance, damage by pitting, material erosion, structure vibration and noise in fluid machinery, turbo-machinery, ship propellers and in many other applications. Therefore, it is important to detect inception of cavitation phenomenon. An experimental study has been carried out in order to investigate the noise radiated by various cavitating sources to determine the validity of noise measurements for detecting the onset of cavitation. Measurements have been made measuring the noise radia¬ted by a number of configurations in a water tunnel at various operating condition to determine the onset of cavita¬tion. The measurements have been conducted over a frequency range of 31.5 Hz to 31.5 kHz in one-third octave bands. The on¬set of cavitation was measured visually through a Perspex side of the working section of the water tunnel. Moreover, a theoretical estimate of the pressure radiated from the cavitation nuclei at their critical radii and their frequency was presented. Tests indicated that, generally, at the point of visual incep¬tion there was a marked rise of the sound pressure level in the high-frequency noise, whilst the low-frequency noise in¬creased as the cavitation developed. This finding was supported by the theoretical estimate of the pulsating frequency of cavitation nuclei. The results illustrated that the visual observations of inception confirm the noise measurements

Spatial distributions of natural radionuclide concentrations of bottled mineral water: doses estimation and health risk assessment

Background: Evaluation of the various types of water reveal that groundwater comprises 99% of the earth’s available fresh water. Many factors affect the type and degree of mineralization, as well as the natural radionuclides content in these types of water. The consumption of bottled natural mineral water, which comes from groundwater, among Iranians is gradually increasing. Therefore, the detection of high concentrations of radionuclides, associated with consumption of groundwater, is proposed as a public health problem in several areas. Methods: In this study, the activity concentration of natural radionuclides such as 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Pb, and 40K, annual effective dose for three age groups (17 years), and excess lifetime cancer risk due to the ingestion of natural radionuclides present in 70 different commercial bottled mineral waters from most provinces of Iran, were evaluated. Activity concentrations were measured using gamma spectrometry and a high purity germanium detector (HPGe). Results: The results showed that the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides were higher than those reported in the same studies in other countries. Also, the annul effective dose for the three age groups was much higher than the recommended value (0.1 mSvyr-1), as reported by the WHO. The excess lifetime cancer risk for three radionuclides, 226Ra, 228Ra, and 40K, were less than the acceptable value of 10-3 for radiological risk, while the risk for 210Pb was higher than the recommended value. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the frequent use of bottled waters produced in different provinces of Iran possess health hazards to consumers. Keywords: Mineral waters, Spectrometry, Gamma, Radium-226, Potassium-40, Ira

Computational and Experimental Study on the Water-Jet Pump Performance

The effect of operational and geometrical parameters on the jet pump efficiency were determined experimentally and numerically. Numerical investigation was held firstly to determine the effect of diffuser angle, mixing chamber length, pump area ratio and driving nozzle position on the efficiency of jet pump. Commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver ANSYS FLUENT R 15.0 using SST-turbulence model was used. The numerical results showed that jet pump efficiency increases with decreasing both of diffuser angles and mixing chamber length up to a certain value and then pump efficiency decreases. Also, jet pump efficiency increases with increasing pump area ratio up to a certain value and then pump efficiency decreases. It was found that maximum numerical efficiency is 37.8 % for pump area ratio of 0.271. In addition, the numerical results showed that the optimum relative length of mixing chamber is 5.48 and the optimum value for diffuser angle at which the efficiency is a maximum value is 5º. Experimental tests were conducted to obtain the effects of various operational and geometrical parameters on the performance of the jet pumps. A test rig was constructed using the optimum design from the numerical results. The CFD’s results were found to agree well with actual values obtained from the experimental results

Presenting a rapid method for detection of Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter jejuni in food samples

Objective(s): Listeria monocytogens, Bacillus cereus and Campylobacter jejuni are three toxin producing bacteria over the world, especially in Iran, and it is essential to find a certain, rapid procedure to identify these microorganisms. In this research, these bacteria were simultaneously detected by multiplex PCR technique in foods. Materials and Methods: The primary approval of bacterial strains was performed by biochemical tests. PCR primers were designed based on the nucleotide sequences of the NHEB/NHEC gene of B. cereus, the hly gene of L. monocytogenes and the C gene of C. jejuni. The specificity of Multiplex PCR method was determined using seven food poisoning bacteria including Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysentery, Yersinia pestis, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium botulinum and Vibrio cholerae. To confirm the reaction, DNA extraction was performed from 30 food samples (milk), and gene amplification was performed by PCR. The length of amplified fragments was 300 bp, 210 bp and 160 bpfor NHEB/NHEC, hly and C genes, respectively. Results: The detection limits of the PCR method were 5, 4 and 3 pg for L. monocytogenes, B. cereus and C. jejuni, respectively. Specifisity test showed that this reaction is spesific to these 3 bacteria. Conclusion: In this study, we  introduced a new multiplex PCR method for simultsnus detection of L. monocytogens, B. cereus and C. jejuni. These results can be used  for detection of other toxin producing bacteria in food

Knowledge, attitude and use of complementary and alternative medicine among nurses: A systematic review

Copyright © 2016 Journal of Integrative Medicine Editorial Office. E-edition published by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (February 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyObjectives The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature to describe the knowledge, attitude and practice of CAM by nurses. Methods Three databases were searched for relevant studies from launch through September of 2017 and included MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of science. Results The average knowledge of CAM therapies by nurses was 62.2% with attitude about use averaging 65.7%. Close to two-thirds (65.9%) reported use of CAM therapies with patients. The primary reasons nurses suggested use of CAM were for stress and anxiety reduction and health improvement. Conclusion Current evidence demonstrates the need for nurse education programs to integrate and strengthen CAM content into existing curricula. Similarly, documentation of the nature and extent of nurse use of CAM therapies in the clinical setting, as well as patient-reported use and preferences for CAM therapies, would provide valuable prospective data

Comparing the Coronal Seal of Different Thicknesses of MTA with Gutta-Percha after Post Space Preparation

Introduction. The aim of this study was to compare the coronal seal of different thicknesses of MTA with gutta-percha after post space preparation. Materials and Methods. A total of 50 maxillary central incisors randomly divided into 5 experimental groups ( = 8). After preparation of the root canals with step back technique, in groups 1 and 2, post spaces were prepared and 4 or 5 mm gutta-percha remained in the apical, respectively. In groups 3, 4, and 5, there was 1-2 and 3 mm MTA in the apical, respectively. The ten teeth serve as control groups. The teeth were connected to a bacterial microleakage evaluation system. The study period was 120 days and the samples were evaluated on ten-day intervals; Meier-Kaplan technique was used for estimation of the mean time of microleakage to occur. Log-rank test was used for comparison of microleakage. Results. Number of samples exhibiting microleakage in MTA was less than those of gutta-percha at all intervals. Means of days with no microleakage were maximum and minimum with 3 mm MTA and 4 mm gutta-percha, respectively. Conclusion. Obturation of root canals using the MTA technique provides a proper seal with the minimum thickness of MTA in teeth requiring post space preparation