Online Health Information Seeking Behavior among Iranian Pregnant Women: A Case Study

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the health information seeking behavior, applicability and the evaluation of health information obtained from the Internet by Iranian pregnant women. Design and setting: The present study was descriptive-survey. The study population included 196 pregnant women in different gestational months referred to hospitals with Obstetrics and Gynecology ward in Hamadan, Iran on September and October in 2016 who were selected based on stratified random sampling method. The data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire. Findings: Most pregnant women, while facing with pregnancy problems, seek out health information from the Internet and they often trust the information and share with their doctor. The information increases their awareness about pregnancy. Websites and social networks are two important sources in finding health information and reference of content and educated authors are regarded as two important criteria in evaluating health information obtained from the Internet. In addition, fetal development and nutrition during pregnancy were regarded as two important issues having the most searches among pregnant women. Conclusion: Internet has become a popular source for health information finding. The high importance of the accuracy of information used by pregnant women and the vulnerability of this range of society highlight the need to equip hospital libraries with update resources of the information and amenities such as suitable seats, ventilation, and the like. Using medical librarians and informants and referral of pregnant women to these libraries by a doctor or midwife in order to obtain valid information, standardization of Persian-based digital libraries related to health, introducing valid portals for pregnant women are regarded as some important issues in this regard. Familiarizing pregnant women, especially in developing countries, with various types of content on the Internet and how to find valid information by medical librarians can facilitate the access to information for pregnant women and reduce many complications raised by the lack of reliable and valid information

Sol-gel synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical evaluation of magnesium aluminate spinel nanoparticles for high-capacity hydrogen storage

In this research, we successfully synthesized magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) spinel nanoparticles using a sol-gel process, with stearic acid serving as a capping agent. The synthesis process involved calcination at 900 °C for 4 h, resulting in the formation of nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of approximately 12 nm, as determined through Debye–Scherrer analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. The optical band gap was measured as 2.84 eV using Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) analysis. Additionally, we found the mean pore size of the nanoparticles to be 20.2 nm through Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. We characterized the resulting powders using various techniques, including Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM). We conducted electrochemical investigations utilizing the Chronopotentiometry (CP) technique. The electrochemical analysis demonstrated that MgAl2O4 spinel nanoparticles exhibit a noteworthy hydrogen storage capacity of 4000 mAh/g, highlighting their potential as promising candidates for hydrogen storage applications. This comprehensive study underscores the successful synthesis, thorough characterization, and exceptional electrochemical performance of MgAl2O4 spinel nanoparticles, firmly positioning them as valuable materials for advancing hydrogen storage technologies

The effect of Dorema aucheri-Hydroalcoholic extracts on thyroids hormones in adult male rats.

زمینه و هدف: فلاونوئیدها گروهی از ترکیبات پلی فنولیک با خاصیت آنتی اکسیدانی می باشند که دارای خاصیت ضد سرطانی، ضد توموری و ضد تیروئیدی هستند. گیاه بیلهر گیاهی است حاوی فلاونوئید که در این تحقیق اثر آن بر هورمون های تیروئیدی مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه تجربی 50 سر موش صحرایی نر بالغ به 5 گروه ده تایی تقسیم شدند. گروه ها شامل گروه کنترل بدون دریافت ماده ای و گروه شاهد با دریافت آب مقطر و سه گروه دریافت کننده عصاره بیلهر به میزان 100، 200 و 400 mg/kg به مدت سه هفته به صورت خوراکی بودند. در پایان این مدت از موش ها خونگیری به عمل آمد و هورمون های تیروئیدی T3، T4 و TSH اندازه گیری و اطلاعات با کمک آزمون های آماری کروسکال والیس و دان مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرار گرفت. یافته ها: نتایج نشان داد که غلظت پلاسمایی هورمون TSH در گروه دوز mg/kg 100 افزایش معنی دار (05/0

The effect of hydroalcohlic extract of capparis spinosa flower buds on sex hormones in adult male rats

زمینه و هدف: لگجی گیاهی است حاوی فیتواستروژن ها که تأثیر تعدیل کننده بر هورمون ها دارند و ممکن است؛ بر محور هیپوفیز گناد تأثیرگذار باشد. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی تأثیر احتمالی این گیاه بر هورمون های تستوسترون و گنادوتروپین (FSH و LH) انجام شده است. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه تجربی 40 سر موش صحرایی نر بالغ به پنج گروه (8 =n) شامل: گروه کنترل، گروه شاهد با دریافت آب مقطر، و سه گروه دریافت کننده عصاره لگجی به میزان 100، 200 و mg/kg 400 تقسیم شدند. حیوانات عصاره را به مدت 28 روز از طریق گاواژ دریافت کردند. 24 ساعت پس از آخرین گاواژ حیوانات تحت بیهوشی با اتر قرار گرفتند و خونگیری از قلب آن ها انجام شد. سطوح هورمون های جنسی تستوسترون، LH و FSH در سرم با استفاده از کیت الیزا مورد سنجش قرار گرفت. یافته ها: غلظت پلاسمایی هورمون تستوسترون در گروه تیمار با دوز mg/kg 100 کاهش معنی دار نسبت به گروه شاهد و کنترل داشت (05/0>P). غلظت سرمی هورمون FSH و LH در گروه های تجربی نسبت به شاهد و کنترل هیچ تغییری نشان نداد. نتیجه گیری: عصاره هیدرو الکلی گیاه لگجی می تواند بر عملکرد هورمون تستوسترون موثر باشد و می تواند در درمان اختلالات محور هیپوفیز گناد موثر واقع شود

Protecting River Environment through Proper Management of Material Mining by Matrix Method (Case Study of A'la River in Iran)

Regarding the importance of rivers, appropriate management of aggregate mining is of great significance. Mining of river materials has a direct impact on environmental conditions of the river. Today, aggregate mining management represents a crucial topic in river engineering. Often selected based on the pattern of the considered river, matrix method provides a suitable approach to improve the river aggregate mining management. The present research aims at presenting the application of the matrix method in river material mining location evaluation. Given the capabilities of the matrix method for determining potential of mine area and aggregate mining method, this method can be seen as a suitable solution for reducing negative environmental impacts of river material mining. A'la River is one of the most important rivers streaming in Khouzestan Province (Iran), with its sediment load and mining potential being of critical importance. In this research, the reach of A'la River at the intersection of Rood-Zard River and Rahmhormoz diversion dam was studied for aggregate mining and application of matrix method. The main purpose of this work is to study the application of matrix method to A'la River. The results indicate braided pattern of the river and appropriateness of the matrix method. Available volume of aggregate for mining within the mentioned reach of A'la River was estimated as 50,000 m3, and scraping method at a maximum depth of 1 m was proposed for mining of the aggregates

Radial Basis Function Neural Networks : A Review

Radial Basis Function neural networks (RBFNNs) represent an attractive alternative to other neural network models. One reason is that they form a unifying link between function approximation, regularization, noisy interpolation, classification and density estimation. It is also the case that training RBF neural networks is faster than training multi-layer perceptron networks. RBFNN learning is usually split into an unsupervised part, where center and widths of the Gaussian basis functions are set, and a linear supervised part for weight computation. This paper reviews various learning methods for determining centers, widths, and synaptic weights of RBFNN. In addition, we will point to some applications of RBFNN in various fields. In the end, we name software that can be used for implementing RBFNNs

Giant Mediastinal Mass in A 3-year-old Boy, A Rare Presentation of Neurofibromatosis Type I

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disease diagnosed with presentation of café-au-lait macules, Skinfold freckling, iris Lisch nodules, neurofibromas, osseous lesion and Optic gliomas. Mediastinal mass as first presentation of NF1 is very rare and its frequency is about 2.7%. here we present a rare case of NF1 in a 3-year-old boy admitted with respiratory distress and superior vena cava syndrome

Effects of Chewing Different Flavored Gums on Salivary Flow Rate and pH

Chewing gum increases salivary flow rate (SFR) and pH, but differences in preferences of gum flavor may influence SFR and pH. The aim of this paper was to assess the effect of five different flavors of sucrose-free chewing gum on the salivary flow rate and pH in healthy dental students in Isfahan, Iran. Fifteen (7 men and 8 women) healthy dental student volunteers collected unstimulated saliva and then chewed one of five flavored gums for 6 min. The whole saliva was collected and assessed for 6 consecutive days. After unstimulated saliva was collected, stimulated saliva was collected at interval of 0-1, 1–3, and 3–6 minutes after the start of different flavored chewing gums. The SFR and salivary pH were measured. The SFR increased in all five flavored gums at 1, 3, and 6 minutes after start of chewing gums (P < 0.001). The flow rate of all products reached peak in the 1st minute of stimulation, except spearmint-flavored gums which reached peak in the 6th minute. In the 1st minute, the strawberry-flavored gums showed the highest SFR. During 1–3 minutes, strawberry- and apple-flavored gums showed higher SFR, respectively. Only the spearmint- and cinnamon-flavored gum significantly increased salivary pH. Gum flavored can affect the SFR and pH and special flavors can be advised for different individuals according to their oral conditions

Electrospun nanofibers for efficient adsorption of heavy metals from water and wastewater

Heavy metals (HMs) are persistent and toxic environmental pollutants that pose critical risks toward human health and environmental safety. Their efficient elimination from water and wastewater is essential to protect public health, ensure environmental safety, and enhance sustainability. In the recent decade, nanomaterials have been developed extensively for rapid and effective removal of HMs from water and wastewater and to address the certain economical and operational challenges associated with conventional treatment practices, including chemical precipitation, ion exchange, adsorption, and membrane separation. However, the complicated and expensive manufacturing process of nanoparticles and nanotubes, their reduced adsorption capacity due to the aggregation, and challenging recovery from aqueous solutions limited their widespread applications for HM removal practices. Thus, the nanofibers have emerged as promising adsorbents due to their flexible and facile production process, large surface area, and simple recovery. A growing number of chemical modification methods have been devised to promote the nanofibers\u27 adsorption capacity and stability within the aqueous systems. This paper briefly discusses the challenges regarding the effective and economical application of conventional treatment practices for HM removal. It also identifies the practical challenges for widespread applications of nanomaterials such as nanoparticles and nanotubes as HMs adsorbents. This paper focuses on nanofibers as promising HMs adsorbents and reviews the most recent advances in terms of chemical grafting of nanofibers, using the polymers blend, and producing the composite nanofibers to create highly effective and stable HMs adsorbent materials. Furthermore, the parameters that influence the HM removal by electrospun nanofibers and the reusability of adsorbent nanofibers were discussed. Future research needs to address the gap between laboratory investigations and commercial applications of adsorbent nanofibers for water and wastewater treatment practices are also presented

Comparison of Blood Transfusion Plus Chelation Therapy and Bone Marrow Transplantation in Patients with β-Thalassemia : Application of SF-36, EQ-5D, and Visual Analogue Scale Measures

Date of Acceptance: 08/06/2015 © 2015 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Acknowledgments The present article was extracted from the thesis written by Hassan Karami and was financially supported by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran (grant No. 6292). The authors would like to thank all participants in the study IJHPM supports the Open Access initiative. Abstracts and full texts (PDF format) of all articles published by IJHPM are freely accessible to everyone immediately upon publication. IJHPM also does not charge any submission or publication fees.Peer reviewedPublisher PD