An integrated home energy management system by the load aggregator in a microgrid using the internet of things infrastructure

Smart technologies enable the significant participation of consumers in demand-side management programs. In this paper, the management of electrical energy consumption for a set of residential houses in a microgrid by a load aggregator for a 24-h planning horizon is studied. In this study, consumption management programs are implemented on controllable equipment by sending binary codes by the load aggregator via the internet of things (IoT) infrastructure to residential sockets. To increase the level of customer convenience and provide more flexibility for consumers to participate in demand response programs, a parameter called the value of lost load (VOLL) has been introduced. According to the results, in addition to no need to use the energy management system for each residential house, only by moving shiftable loads to off-peak hours, 18.34% of energy consumption costs are saved daily. Also, from the load aggregator’s viewpoint for every 10% change in status from normal to the scheduled priority, there is a reduction of about 3.4% in the consumer’s peak-load cost. If solar arrays and storage resources are used, more than 18% of the total consumption cost can be saved

Rehydration: Comparison of Isotonic and Hypotonic Saline with Dextrose in Children

Introduction: Early rehydration with bolus fluid can be life saving. We compared isotonic saline with a hypotonic fluid which was composed of saline 0.9%, dextrose, and bicarbonate in our clinical setting.Materials and Methods: 71 children entered to this study , 41 cases received isotonic saline and the remaining 30 cases received hypotonic fluid which was composed of 750 cc saline 0.9%, 28 cc bicarbonate 7.5%, and 222cc dextrose 5% for resuscitation fluid challenge at a dose of 20ml/kg over 20 minutes that could be repeated up to 3 times as needed. Serum sodium (Na), potassium (K), blood sugar (BS) and bicarbonate (HCo3) were measured before initiating rehydration and after 3 hours. T independent test was used to compare the values between the two groups and T paired test in each group in SPSS 16. The level of significance was set at 0.05.Results: Serum Na, K, BS, and HCo3 were 134±5, 3.8 ±0.6, 90±16, and 11.6±3.6 before and 135±4, 3.7±0.5, 73±13, and 15±3 three hours after rehydration in the isotonic group, respectively.In the isotonic rehydrated group, BS drop and HCo3 rise significantly (p<0.001). Serum Na, K, BS, and HCo3 were 134±6, 3.6±0.6, 91±15, and 10.1±1.9 before and 136±3, 3.6±0.4, 94±10, and 15±2 three hours after rehydration in the hypotonic saline group, respectively. Serum sodium increased 2meq/dl (p<0.04) and bicarbonate increased 4.9 meq/l (P< 0.001).Conclusions: The hypotonic serum containing 115meq/l of sodium chloride combined with 25meq/l of sodium bicarbonate and dextrose 1.1% is not associated with a decrease in BS or hyponatremia. It also increases serum HCo3 prominently.Keywords: Hypotonic Solutions; Isotonic Solutions; Dehydration; Child

Developing an Educational Parenting Skills Package to Parents Undergoing Substance Abuse Treatment for Preventing Addiction among Adolescents: A Study Protocol Based on Social Marketing Approach

Background: Developing an educational parenting skills package for parents with substance abuse may be effective in preventing the same problem in their adolescents. Social marketing is one of the approaches facilitating the preparation of educational content for this purpose. Social marketing is a regular and planned process focusing on customers and their needs for encouraging a target group to exhibit a particular behavior or adopt a specific idea. This study protocol aims to use the social marketing approach to prepare an educational parenting skills package for the parents undergoing substance abuse treatment to prevent addiction in their adolescents. Methods: An educational parenting skills package will be designed and validated by a combination of qualitative research (descriptive phenomenology), scoping review, and Delphi study based on social marketing approach (4 Ps = product, price, place, promotion). The package will be prepared in four phases including educational need assessment, ranking the identified educational needs, determining the suitable health education constructs, and modeling and developing the educational content based on the identified constructs. The designed educational package will be validated from the perspective of the target group (parents undergoing substance abuse treatment) and experts. Conclusion: Developing educational packages based on a scientific health education approach and mainly the Social Marketing Assessment and Response Tool (SMART) model with an emphasis on market analysis or marketing mix (4 Ps = product, price, place, promotion) can prove effective in attracting the audience and promoting the target activitie

Antihyperglycemic activity of quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) fruit extract and its fractions in the rat model of diabetes

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that has affected approximately 10% of population worldwide. Cydonia oblonga Mill. (C. oblonga), commonly called quince, contains diverse phytochemical constituents with a broad range of pharmacological activities. The current study is aimed to investigate the antihyperglycemic effect of aqueous extract of Cydonia oblonga Mill. fruit (ACO) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and to identify the active fraction. Methods and Results: Diabetes was induced in rats by a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin. The antihyperglycemic activity of different concentrations of ACO (80, 160 and 240 mg/kg body weight daily for a period of 28 days) was evaluated in the diabetic rats by measuring their fasting blood glucose (FBG). Furthermore, the antihyperglycemic effects of two major fractions of ACO were evaluated for the identification of active fraction. Finally, the chemical composition of the active fraction, methanolic fraction (MF), was examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) assay. The oral administration of ACO on diabetic rats resulted in a significant collapse in FBG in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the MF was the active fraction and exhibited antihyperglycemic activity in diabetic rats during the experiment. The main component of MF was identified as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural or 5-HMF (a well-known natural compound) that may be responsible, at least partly, for the antidiabetic and antihyperglycemic effects of quince. Conclusion: Our results have demonstrated for the first time that quince possesses antihyperglycemic effect in diabetic rats and the MF of the aqueous extract is active fraction

Chemopreventive effect of quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) fruit extract on hepatocellular carcinoma induced by diethylnitrosamine in rats

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or primary liver cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadliest cancers, which has been increasing greatly worldwide. Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) is a well-known environmental toxin and potent hepatocarcinogenic dialkylnitrosoamine present in air, water, and in a number of foodstuffs. In the present study, we evaluated preventive effect of aqueous extract of quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) fruit (ACO) against DEN-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats. Methods and Results: The model of hepatocellular carcinoma was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of DEN (200 mg/kg) as an initiator that after two weeks followed by daily oral administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene (30 mg/kg) as a promoter for two weeks. Quince-treated rats were pretreated with ACO intragastrically at three different doses two weeks prior to DEN injection. The marked reduction of serum biomarkers of liver damage and cancer, including alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) were observed in ACO supplemented animals as compared with HCC rats at the end of the experiment. Moreover, the quince extract exhibited in vivo antioxidant activity by elevating glutathione (GSH) contents as well as preventing lipid peroxidation in the liver tissues of DEN-treated rats. The relative weight of liver was also reduced in quince-treaded rats as a prognostic marker in HCC. Conclusions: Our results clearly demonstrated that quince has a chemopreventive effect against HCC in rats and can be proposed as a promising candidate for the prevention of DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. &nbsp

The Role of Antiepileptic Treatment in the Recurrence Rate of Seizures After First Attack: A Randomized Clinical Trial

How to Cite This Article: Assarzadegan F, Tabesh H, Hesami O, Derakhshanfar H, Beladi Moghadam N, Shoghli A, Beale A.D, Hosseini-Zijoud S.M. The Role of Antiepileptic Treatment in the Recurrence Rate of Seizures After First Attack: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Iran JChild Neurol. Spring 2015; 9(2):46-52.AbstractObjectiveEpilepsy is a serious, potentially life-shortening brain disorder that occurs in patients of all ages and races. A total of 2–4% of people have experienced seizures at least once in their lifetime. Although treatment usually begins after a seizure, it is an important question whether the first cases of seizure do need to be treated by antiepileptic drugs. In this manner, we compare the recurrence rates of epilepsy in first seizure patients treated with sodium valproic acid as an antiepileptic drug versus a placebo.Material & MethodsIn a randomized clinical trial study, 101 first seizure patients were randomly divided into two groups: one group was treated with antiepileptic drugs (sodium valproate 200mg, three times a day) and the other group was given a placebo.The recurrence rate of seizures was evaluated and compared between the groups after 6 months of follow up.ResultsEight recurrence cases were detected. All recurrence cases came from the placebo group, with four patients suffering an additional seizure after four months and between 4-6 month follow up. A comparison of recurrence rate detected a statistically significant difference between the drug group and placebo group.ConclusionOur data shows that the recurrences occurred only in the placebo group with the difference between the recurrence rates in the placebo versus drug-treated was significant. Our results suggest that drug therapy for people after their first seizure attack might reduce the probability of seizure recurrence

Prevention of liver cancer by standardized extract of Melissa officinalis L. in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma: Its potential role as a chemopreventive agent

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the liver and the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Melissa officinalis L. (M. officinalis L.), known as lemon balm is a medicinal plant, which has a wide range of pharmacological properties. This study was aimed to assess the chemopreventive effect of aqueous extract of M. officinalis (AMO) against diethyl nitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats. Methods and Results: The model of hepatocellular carcinoma was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of DEN (200 mg/kg) as an initiator and after two weeks was followed by daily oral administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene (30 mg/kg) as a promoter for two weeks. Lemon balm-treated rats were pretreated with AMO intragastrically at three different doses two weeks prior to DEN injection. At the end of the experiment, the marked reduction of serum biomarkers of liver damage and cancer, including alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) were observed in AMO complemented rats compared to DEN-treated animals. Furthermore, the extract exhibited in vivo antioxidant activity by elevating GSH concentration and preventing lipid peroxidation in the liver tissues of HCC rats. The relative weight of liver was also reduced in lemon balm-treated rats as a prognostic marker in HCC. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that M. officinalis has a chemopreventive effect against HCC in rats and can be suggested as a potential agent for the prevention of primary liver cancer. &nbsp

Cancer chemoprevention by oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifoli L.) fruit extract in a model of hepatocellular carcinoma induced by diethylnitrosamine in rats

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequent and fatal human cancer with poor diagnosis that accounts for over half a million deaths each year worldwide. Elaeagnus angustifolia L. known as oleaster has a wide range of pharmacological activities. This study aimed to investigate the chemopreventive effect of aqueous extract of E. angustifolia fruit (AEA) against diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC in rats. HCC was induced in rats by a single injection of DEN (200 mg/kg) as an initiator. After two weeks, rats were orally administered 2-acetylaminofluorene or 2-AAF (30 mg/kg) as a promoter for two weeks. Oleaster-treated rats were orally pretreated with the increasing doses of AEA two weeks prior to DEN injection that continued until the end of the experiment. In the current study, a significant decrease in serum biomarkers of liver damage and cancer, including alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) was observed in AEA-treated rats when compared to HCC rats. Furthermore, the oleaster extract exhibited in vivo antioxidant activity by elevating reduced glutathione (GSH) contents as well as preventing lipid peroxidation in the liver tissues of DEN-treated rats. The relative weight of liver, a prognostic marker of HCC, was also reduced in oleaster-treated rats. To conclude, our results clearly demonstrated that oleaster fruit possesses a significant chemopreventive effect against primary liver cancer induced by DEN in rats. It can be suggested that the preventive activity of oleaster against hepatocarcinogenesis may be mediated through the antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and antimutagenic effects of the fruit

Antioxidant and chemopreventive effects of Asperugo procumbens in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cancer is the fifth most common malignancy, with 0.25–1 million new cases diagnosed annually worldwide. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant and chemopreventive effects of aqueous extract of Asperugo procumbens L. (AAP) against diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats. Methods and Results: The model of hepatocellular carcinoma was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of DEN (200 mg/kg) as an initiator that after two weeks followed by daily oral administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene (30 mg/kg) as a promoter for two weeks. AAP-treated rats were pretreated with the extract intragastrically at three different doses two weeks prior to DEN injection. At the end of the experiment, the marked reduction of serum biomarkers of liver damage and cancer, including alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) were observed in AAP complemented rats as compared to DEN-treated animals. Besides, the extract exhibited in vivo antioxidant activity that evident by increasing GSH concentration along with lipid peroxidation prevention in the liver tissues of HCC animals. In addition, A. procumbens showed in vitro free radical scavenging activity that determined by 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picryl hydroxyl (DPPH) antioxidant assay. The relative weight of liver was also reduced in AAP-treaded rats as a prognostic marker in HCC. Conclusions: Our results obviously confirmed that A. procumbens possesses a chemopreventive effect against primary liver cancer induced by DEN in rats as well as  in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activities