A new approach for solving nonlinear Thomas-Fermi equation based on fractional order of rational Bessel functions

In this paper, the fractional order of rational Bessel functions collocation method (FRBC) to solve Thomas-Fermi equation which is defined in the semi-infinite domain and has singularity at $x = 0$ and its boundary condition occurs at infinity, have been introduced. We solve the problem on semi-infinite domain without any domain truncation or transformation of the domain of the problem to a finite domain. This approach at first, obtains a sequence of linear differential equations by using the quasilinearization method (QLM), then at each iteration solves it by FRBC method. To illustrate the reliability of this work, we compare the numerical results of the present method with some well-known results in other to show that the new method is accurate, efficient and applicable

Anticancer activity of Sargassum oligocystum water extract against human cancer cell lines

Background and Objectives: Antitumor drug resistance and side effects of antitumor compounds are the most common problems in medicine. Therefore, finding new antitumor agents with low side effects could be interesting. This study was designed to assay antitumor activity of the extract from brown alga Sargassum oligocystum, gathered from Persian Gulf seashore, against K562 and Daudi human cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: The research was performed as an in vitro study. The effect of the alga extract on proliferation of cell lines were measured by two methods: MTT assay and trypan blue exclusion test. Results and Conclusion: The most effective antitumor activity has been shown at concentrations 500 μg/ml and 400 μg/ml of the alga extract against Daudi and K562 cell lines, respectively. The results showed that the extracts of brown alga Sargassum oligocystum have remarkable antitumor activity against K562 and Daudi cell lines. It is justified to be suggested for further research such as algal extract fractionation and purification and in vivo studies in order to formulate natural compounds with antitumor activities

In vitro antitumor activity of Gracilaria corticata (a red alga) against Jurkat and molt-4 human cancer cell lines

Gracilaria corticata is a red alga which can be collected from many sea coasts around the world such as China, India, Persian Gulf, etc. The Persian Gulf is a unique marine habitat infested with diverse seaweeds. The aim of the present study is to explore anticancer potential of the crude extracts from G. corticata which was collected from the Bushehr coast (South west of Iran). Here, different concentration of the aqueous extract from G. corticata was tested for probable antitumoral activity on Jurkat and molt- 4 human lymphoblastic leukemic cell lines. The cells were treated by different concentration of algal extract and the number of viable cells was determined by trypan blue. Also, cytotoxicity of the extract was evaluated by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The results showed that 9.336 and 9.726 μg/μl of algal extract were the most effective concentrations against Jurkat and molt-4 cells, respectively. The water crude extract of red alga G. corticata had significant anticancer activity and it might be a good candidate for further investigations in order to develop a natural compound as an anticancer agent which can be used for the production of potential anticancer drug and novel pharmaceutical leads.Key words: Gracilaria corticata, anticancer, Jurkat, molt-4

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

In the title compound, (C13H11N2)2[Zn(C7H3NO4)2]·3H2O, the ZnII ion is six-coordinated with the N4O2 donor set being a distorted octa­hedron through two almost perpendicular (r.m.s. deviation of ligand atoms from the mean plane is 0.057 Å) tridentate pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl­ate ligands [dihedral angle between the ligands = 86.06 (4)°]. The charge is compensated by two 9-amino­acridinium cations protonated on the ring N atom. A variety of inter­molecular contacts, such as ion–ion, N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, and π–π stacking [centroid–centroid distances = 3.4907 (9)–4.1128 (8) Å], between cations and between anions, play important roles in the formation of the three-dimensional network

Effect of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles on pregnancy and testicular development of mice

this study, considering the high sensitivity of developing fetal organs, different doses of iron oxide nanoparticles coated with dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) were injected intraperitoneally to pregnant mice. The magnetic and structural properties of DMSA-coated nanoparticles were examined by Alternating Gradient-Force Magnetometry, X-Ray Diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The histological studies of the fetal liver and placenta sections showed presence of  nanoparticles in these organ systems. Weight change and the number of pups born by pregnant mice in comparison with controls were not significantly different. But, a significant decrease was seen in infants growth from the mothers treated with doses higher than 50 mg/kg. The testicular histological studies of these infants showed decrease in spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and mature sperm significantly. Although, some studies revealed the nontoxic effect of iron oxide nanoparticles in adult mice, the present study indicated that, the doses higher than 50 mg/kg of DMSA-coated magnetic nanoparticles can disrupt embryo development.Key words: Magnetic nanoparticles, pregnancy, testicular development, toxicity

Environmental and social performance disclosure and shareholders’ wealth- a perspective from Malaysian companies

Since sustainability reporting is a mean to communicate with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders and also reflect the companies’ sustainability performance, which inspires sustainable growth and development, consequently increasingly more and more stakeholders including shareholders ask for sustainability disclosures. In some Countries CSR reporting has become mandatory by legislation and companies have to disclose their environmental and social activities. Sustainability reporting has become mandatory for Malaysian public listed companies (PLC) since 2007. There a declarative about CSR activities in all Malaysian companies but number of sustainability indicators and the quality of disclosure are different among different companies. Since the main goal of each business is to maximize its shareholders’ wealth, and CSR practices would occur costs for companies, this paper amis to find any significant relationship between level of CSR disclosure and companies share price and net profit. The result. The paper studied through 45 Malaysian public listed companies in three years (From 2008-2010). The results indicated that companies with higher level of sustainability disclosure have higher share price and have higher net profi

Voluntary sustainability disclosure, revenue, and shareholders wealth- a perspective from Singaporean companies

There is an unprecedented growth among wide range of stakeholder’s attention to environmental and social performance, and disclosure by companies. People within a community are worried about natural resources, air and water pollution, as well as low income-tier group of the community. Companies started to perform in a way to minimize their negative and adverse impact on natural scarce resources, and practice some social-friendly activities in order to either build a shared value for long term purpose, and to gain customers and shareholders attention for short term purposes. Since environmental and social issues are associated with peoples’ right and public law, thus some governments have legislated certain rules and regulations and also have made CSR disclosure as a mandatory practice for public listed firms. But CSR disclosure is still optional in most of countries. Environmental and social performance and disclosure in Singapore are not mandatory. So Singaporean public listed companies perform and disclose their CSR activities voluntarily.. Findings of this research show that there is a positive and significant relationship between environmental and social performance disclosure as well as revenue. This research investigated the relationship between environmental and social disclosure and shareholders wealth in Singapore; meanwhile it has found that there is a positive and considerable relationship between sustainability reporting and amount of paid dividend and share price as well

Risk of Depression in a Suburban Primary Care Setting Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Major depression is a common disorder affecting millions of adults each year. Many population-based surveys showed an increase in the number people with symptoms of depression at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to determine and compare the prevalence of depression risk in a primary care setting before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on retrospective review of medical records from a large suburban primary care clinic. Records of adults 18 years and older, seen between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020 and who had also been screened for depression using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were analyzed. RESULTS: Adults 18 years and older who completed the PHQ-9 assessment in 2019 and 2020 were 5078 and 4338, respectively. Risk of depression was 18.2% in 2019 and 14.8% in 2020 ( CONCLUSION: Although our results did not reflect the published literature reporting a higher prevalence of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were consistent with reports of increased risk in females and younger adults

The Drug Reimbursement Decision-Making System in Iran

Background:  Previous studies of health policies in Iran have not focused exclusively on the drug reimbursement process. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the entire drug reimbursement process and the stakeholders, and discuss issues faced by policymakers. Methods: Review of documents describing the administrative rules and directives of stakeholders, supplemented by published statistics and interviews with experts and policymakers. Results: Iran has a systematic process for the assessment, appraisal, and judgment of drug reimbursements. The two most important organizations in this process are the Food and Drug Organization, which considers clinical effectiveness, safety, and economic issues, and the Supreme Council of Health Insurance, which considers various criteria, including budget impact and cost-effectiveness. Ultimately, the Iranian Cabinet approves a drug and recommends its use to all health insurance organizations. Reimbursed drugs account for about 53.5% of all available drugs and 77.3% of drug expenditures. Despite its strengths, the system faces various issues, including conflicting stakeholder aims, lengthy decision-making duration, limited access to decision-making details, and rigidity in the assessment process. Conclusions: The Iranian drug reimbursement system uses decision-making criteria and a structured approach similar to those in other countries. Important shortcomings in the system include out-of-pocket contributions due to lengthy decision making, lack of transparency, and conflicting interests among stakeholders. Iranian policymakers should consider a number of ways to remedy these problems, such as case studies of individual drugs and closer examination of experiences in other countries