Effect of calcination temperature on performance of ZnO nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cells

The photovoltaic performances of ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were studied using ZnO nanoparticles prepared via the sol–gel method in gelatin medium at different calcination temperatures. The effects of the calcination temperature on the size, surface area, photoluminescence properties, and dye adsorption ability of ZnO nanoparticles were investigated. The results showed that the size of the nanoparticles increased and the surface area decreased with an increase in the calcination temperature. In addition, the oxygen vacancies of the nanoparticles increased with an increase in the calcination temperature. Moreover, although the surface area of the nanoparticles prepared at 600 °C was lower than that of those prepared at 500 °C, their dye adsorption abilities were the same, and both were higher than that of those prepared at 700 °C. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and open-circuit voltage decay measurements were carried out to investigate the cell functions. The DSSC based on ZnO nanoparticles calcined at 600 °C exhibited the highest conversion efficiency because of its higher dye adsorption ability and lower recombination rate compared to the others.This work was supported by a High Impact Research Grant from the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia. A. Moradi Golsheikh would like to thank Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council

علت و پیامد نهایی حوادث قابل پیشگیری در سالمندان؛ یک مطالعه اپیدمیولوژیک

Introduction: With the growing population of the elderly in societies, the medical problems of this age range also increases. Preventable accidents are among these problems. More than 5 million people die as the result of these injuries each year. Therefore, the present study was done aiming to evaluate the causes and outcomes of preventable accidents in the elderly.Methods: The present study is a retrospective cross-sectional one, performed on elderly patients admitted to a hospital during 2 years. Required data were gathered using census method via a checklist consisting of demographic data, cause of the accident, length of hospital stay, number of times revisiting the hospital, and final outcome. Data were then descriptively analyzed using SPSS 16 statistical software.Results: 2336 patients with the mean age of 72.24 ± 9.02 years were evaluated (50.7% female). The most common causes of accidents were falling with 1033 (44.2%) cases, intentional poisoning with 382 (16.4%) cases, and unintentional poisoning with 360 (15.4%) cases, respectively. Mean length of hospital stay was 5 ± 7.7 days. 144 (6.2%) elderly patients died during the study period. Type of accident (p < 0.001) and final outcome (p < 0.001) were significantly different between the sexes.Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, falling, intentional poisoning and unintentional poisoning, respectively, were the most common causes of preventable accidents in the studied elderly population. Most cases were discharged after partial recovery and the 3 afore-mentioned causes had higher prevalence in women. The most frequent outcomes were complete recovery in poisoning, partial recovery in falling, and death in poisoning and burn.مقدمه: به موازات افزایش جمعیت سالمندان در جوامع، مشکلات پزشکی این گروه سنی نیز افزایش می‌یابد. از جمله این مشکلات می‌توان به حوادث قابل پیشگیری اشاره نمود. هر ساله بيش از 5 ميليون نفر در نتيجه این گونه آسيب‌ها جان خود را از دست می دهند. لذا مطالعه حاضر با هدف بررسی علل و پیامد حوادث قابل پیشگیری در سالمندان طراحی شده است. روش کار: پژوهش حاضر يک مطالعه مقطعي‎ گذشته نگر بر روی سالمندان بستری شده در بیمارستان طی دو سال می باشد. اطلاعات مورد نياز از طريق سرشماری و با استفاده از چک لیستی مشتمل بر  اطلاعات دموگرافیک، علت حادثه، طول مدت بستری، تعداد دفعات مراجعه و پیامد نهایی جمع آوری و با استفاده از نرم افزار آماری SPSS 16 مورد آنالیز توصیفی قرار گرفت. يافته ها: در مجموع اطلاعات 2336 بیمار با میانگین سنی 02/9 ± 24/72 سال مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفت (7/50 درصد زن). فراوان ترین علل حوادث به ترتیب عبارت بودند از سقوط 1033 (2/44 درصد) مورد، مسمومیت عمدی 382 (4/16درصد) مورد و مسمومیت تصادفی 360 (4/15 درصد) مورد. متوسط طول مدت بستری 70/7 ± 5 روز بود. تعداد سالمندان فوت شده در طی زمان مورد مطالعه 144 (2/6 درصد) نفر بود. از جهت نوع حادثه (001/0 > p) و پیامد نهایی (001/0 > p) تفاوت معنی داری بین دو جنس مشاهده گردید. نتيجه گيری: بر اساس یافته های مطالعه حاضر سقوط، مسمومیت عمدی و مسمومیت تصادفی به ترتیب شایعترین علل بروز حوادث قابل پیشگیری در سالمندان مورد مطالعه بودند. اکثریت موارد بعد از بهبودی نسبی از بیمارستان ترخیص شده بودند و سه عامل فوق الذکر شیوع بالاتری در زنان داشتند. بهبودی کامل درمسمومیت ها، عدم بهبودی کامل در موارد سقوط و فوت در مسمومیت‌ها و سوختگی بیشترین فراوانی ها را داشتند

Traumatic Injuries Caused by Fall in the Elderly Referred to the Emergency Department; an Epidemiologic Study

مقدمه: سقوط و صدمات ناشی از آن از مشکلات مهم سالمندان در سراسر جهان محسوب شده و افزایش بار مالی و مراقبتی قابل توجهی را برای سیستم های بهداشتی و درمانی بدنبال دارد. در راستای دستیابی به اطلاعات صحیح جهت برنامه ریزی های پیشگیرانه و یا درمانی دقیق تر، مطالعه حاضر با هدف بررسی اپیدمیولوژیک آسیب های ناشی از سقوط در سالمندان مراجعه کننده به بخش اورژانس طراحی شده است. روش کار: پژوهش حاضر یک مطالعه مقطعی گذشته نگر می باشد که طی سال های 93- 1392 بر روی سالمندان مراجعه کننده بدنبال سقوط به بخش اورژانس، بیمارستان امام رضا، مشهد، ایران، انجام شده است. نمونه گیری به روش سرشماری و شامل تمامی بیماران با سن 60 سال و بالاتر بود. اطلاعات دموگرافیک، ویژگی های حادثه، طول مدت بستری، نوع آسیب و شکستگی، تعداد دفعات مراجعه و پیامد نهایی بیماران با استفاده از آماره توصیفی گزارش گردید. يافته ها: 1033 بیمار با میانگین سنی 07/9 ± 37/73 (دامنه سنی بین60 تا 106سال) در طی مدت دو سال مورد مطالعه قرار گرفتند. از این بین 8/64 درصد زن و بقیه مرد بودند و نسبت جنسی زن به مرد 83/1 بود (5/69 درصد متاهل). میانگین سنی خانم های آسیب دیده (89/8 ± 07/73) تفاوت معنی داری با میانگین سنی مردان آسیب دیده (36/9 ± 92/73) نداشت (156/0=p). بیشتر آسیب دیدگان (6/56 درصد) در گروه سنی 74-60 سال قرار داشتند. وقوع حادثه در فصل تابستان (6/29 درصد) و در ماه شهریور بیشتر از سایر زمان ها بود. متوسط طول مدت بستری 96/6 ± 05/5 روز (دامنه مدت بستری از یک ساعت تا 98 روز) بود. بیشترین تعداد روز بستری به دلیل شکستگی فمور بود. متوسط تعداد مراجعه مجدد در بین زنان (84/0 ± 34/1) و مردان (43/1± 48/1) تفاوت معنی داری نداشت (078/0=p). بررسی مکان های سقوط نشان داد که در 6/73 درصد موارد سقوط از سطح همتراز، 23 درصد سقوط از ارتفاع و 7/2 درصد نیز سقوط اشیاء روی سالمند و بقیه موارد نامشخص بود. 7/65 درصد از زنان سقوط را از سطح همتراز و 9/78 درصد مردان سقوط اشیاء روی سالمند را تجربه نموده بودند (001/0 >p). در بررسی نوع شکستگی به تفکیک جنسیت به ترتیب شکستگی فمور (4/34 درصد)، شکستگی ساعد (34 درصد) و شکستگی شانه (9/8 درصد) در زنان و در مردان به ترتیب شکستگی فمور (3/48 درصد)، شکستگی ساعد (7/13 درصد) و بعد از آن شکستگی ساق (6/10 درصد) شایعترین علل شکستگی بوده اند (001/0 > p). در مجموع 7/2 درصد از موارد سقوط منجر به فوت شده بود. بررسی میانگین سنی بین افراد زنده مانده (97/8 ± 20/73) و فوت شده (50/10 ± 57/97) نشان دهنده تفاوت معنی دار بین این دو گروه بود (001/0 > p). اغلب فوت شدگان در گروه سنی 75-89 سال (50 درصد) و در میان مردان (6/53 درصد) بوده اند. نتيجه گيری: بر اساس یافته های مطالعه حاضر بیشترین موارد سقوط در سالمندان مربوط به خانم های متاهل با متوسط سنی 73 سال، در فصل تابستان (ماه شهریور)، به دنبال سقوط همتراز و بین ساعات 18 -13اتفاق افتاده بود. شایعترین آسیب ناشی از سقوط در سری حاضر شکستگی اندام فوقانی و تحتانی بود و میزان مرگ و میر ناشی از سقوط 7/2 درصد گزارش گردید.Introduction: Falling and its resulting injuries are among the important problems of the elderly all over the world and bring about a considerable rise in financial and care burdens for health care systems. To gain accurate data for prevention or treatment planning, the present study aimed to epidemiologically assess the injuries resulting from falling in elderly patients presenting to emergency department (ED).Methods: The present study is a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out on elderly patients presenting to ED of Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, during 2011 and 2012 following falling. Consecutive sampling was used and patients over the age of 60 were included. Demographic data, accident characteristics, hospitalization duration, type of injury and fracture, frequency of visits and final outcome of the patients were recorded using descriptive statistics. Results: 1033 patients with the mean age of 73.37 ± 9.07 years (range: 60 – 106) were studied during 2 years. 64.8% were female and the female to male ratio was 1.83 (69.5% married). Mean age of the injured women (73.07 ± 8.89) was not significantly different from that of injured men (73.92 ± 9.36) (p = 0.156). Most patients (56.6%) were in the 60-74 years age group. Frequency of accidents was higher in summer (29.6%) and was the highest in September. Mean duration of hospitalization was 5.05 ± 6.96 days (range: 1 hour-98 days). The longest duration of hospitalization was due to femur fraction. Mean frequency of revisits was not significantly different between women (1.34 ± 0.84) and men (1.48 ± 1.43) (p = 0.078). Evaluation of falling locations revealed falling from the same level in 73.6% of cases, falling from a height in 23% of cases, objects falling on the patient in 2.7% of cases and other cases were undefined. 65.7% of females had fallen from the same level and 78.9% of males had experienced falling of objects (p < 0.001). In assessing the type of fracture based on gender, fractures of femur (34.4%), forearm (34%), and shoulder (8.9%) in women and femur (48.3%), forearm (13.7%), and leg (10.6%) in men were the most common types, respectively (p < 0.001). In total, 2.7% of falling cases had led to death. Comparison of mean age between those who survived (73.20 ± 8.97) and those who died (97.57 ± 10.50) showed a significant difference (p < 0.001). Most patients that died were in the 75-89 years age group (50%) and male (53.6%). Conclusion:Based on the results of the present study, the highest frequency of falling in the elderly happened in married women with the mean age of 73 years, in summer (September), following same level falling between 1pm and 6 pm. The most common injury caused by falling in this population was fraction of upper and lower extremities and mortality rate due to falling was 2.7%

Acupressure has not an analgesic effect in patients with renal colic: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND Easing renal colic (RC) pain is of the most important issues in the emergency departments. This study was conducted to investigate the analgesic effects of intravenous paracetamol in comparison to acupressure and intramuscular diclofenac in patients with RC. METHODS This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 96 eligible patients with RC, visiting the Emergency Department of Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad, Iran. The participants were selected by consecutive non-random sampling method, and were randomized in three groups, each comprising of 32 participants. The first and second groups received 75 mg intramuscular diclofenac and lg intravenous paracetamol, respectively. In the third group, three acupressure points were manually stimulated for six minutes. The pain score was measured by Visual Analog Scale for pain at baseline and after 10, 30, and 60 minutes. Collected information analyses by SPSS version 20 and interpreted using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage) and inferential statistics (chi-square test). RESULTS The mean age was 31.60 +/- 7.42 years (range:18-50). The two methods (diclofenac and paracetamol groups) were significantly better in pain reduction compared to acupressure after 10 minutes (p<0.001). Ninety four percent of participants in diclofenac group, 87% of paracetamol group and none of acupressure group were completely satisfied with their treatment method (p<0.001). CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that acupressure did not effectively reduces renal colic pain. It seems that contrary to acupressure, intravenous paracetamol is a safe and effective analgesic medicine for patients with RC.Mashhad University of Medical SciencesOpen access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Effects of Two-by-Two Combination Therapy with Valproic Acid, Lithium Chloride, and Celecoxib on the Angiogenesis of the Chicken Chorioallantoic Membrane

Background: The synergistic effects of valproic acid (VPA), lithium (Li), and celecoxib (CX) have been shown in combination therapy against the proliferation and metastasis of numerous cancers. Angiogenesis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of tumor growth and metastasis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antiangiogenic effects of VPA, lithium chloride (LiCl), and CX, alone or in 2-by-2 combinations, using the chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Methods: Fertilized chicken eggs were randomly divided into 10 groups: control, VPA (1.8 and 3.6 µmol/CAM), Li (0.15 and 0.60 µmol/CAM), CX (0.02 and 0.08 µmol/CAM), VPA+Li, VPA+CX, and CX+Li (n=10 per group). A window was made on the eggshells and the CAMs were exposed to a filter disk containing VPA, LiCl, and CX, alone or in 2-by-2 combinations. The control CAMs were treated with distilled water (vehicle). Three days after the treatment, the number of vessel branch points was counted in each CAM. The data were analyzed using SPSS, version 15.One-way ANOVA, followed by the Tukey tests, was used to compare the groups. A P<0.05 was considered a statistically significant difference between the groups. Results: According to the results, all the tested drugs decreased the number of the vessel branch points in a dose-dependent manner compared to the control group (P<0.001). In addition, combinations of the drugs were more effective in decreasing angiogenesis than the use of each drug alone. Conclusion: These findings suggest that 2-by-2 combinations of VPA, CX, and LiCl can be considered an effective antiangiogenesis therapeutic modality

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A NOVEL FOUR-ELECTRODE DEVICE SYSTEM FOR MONITORING SKIN IMPEDANCE

Qi, meridians, and acupoints are important issues in Chinese medicine. One of the theories claims that acupuncture points and meridians have unique electrical properties. The associations between acupuncture points or meridians and special electrical properties are still under debate. In the current study, we introduced and explained a device for this kind of research and evaluated the reliability of this device as well as effects of pressure, cleaning the skin by alcohol and exfoliation on electrical skin measurements. Fifteen subjects (10 female, 5 male) were recruited to participate in the study. An impedance meter based on the four-electrode technique was designed and fabricated specifically for this study. The effects of pressure, cleaning of the skin by alcohol, and exfoliation on electrical skin impedance were evaluated separately. The device repeatability was also evaluated 30 times in a 30 minutes period. Scale weight up to 200 grams, cleaning the skin with alcohol, and exfoliation didn't affect the performance of this device. The device performance didn’t change significantly during the 30 minutes measurement either. The new system we evaluated can be a reliable tool for researches on electrical skin impedance in acupuncture, as its performance is fairly stable even in the presence of various confounding factors such as various pressures on the probe, cleaning the skin with alcohol and exfoliation

Five years of a single burn center experience with toxic epidermal necrolysis: retrospective study of causative drugs and the clinical outcome

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare, but potentially life-threatening reactions to medications. Both conditions have significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to document the epidemiological features, aetiologies, treatment and clinical outcomes of such patients.Method: In this retrospective cross-sectional study the records of all patients with TEN treated for5 years in central Hospital, Mashhad, Iran were reviewed. Results: Thirty-four patients were studied with a mean age of 26.5 years. Mean age in the mortality and survivors groups was 33.6 and 25.3 years, respectively. Drugs accounted for all 34 cases were including Anti-convulsants (52.9%) other the most common implicated drug followed by antibiotics (26.5%), allopurinol (5.9%) and multiple drugs (anticonvulsants plus antibiotics) (14.7%). Antibiotics had the shortest interval between ingestion time and onset of symptoms. The mean ICU length of stay was 12.7 days, with a range of 1 to 30 days. The mean of SCORTEN was 2.3; it was 3.3 and 2.1 in the mortality and survivors group, respectively (P=0.001).All 34 TEN cases were given intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG). Six patients with TEN died (17.6%). The highest mortality was found in the allopurinol group with 50%, whereas anticonvulsants and antibiotics had a mortality rate of 16.6% and 15.3%, respectively.Conclusion: Anti-convulsants especially Lamotrigine were the most frequently implicated drug, followed by antibiotics and allopurinol. IVIG was shown beneficial effects in TEN syndrome

Fabrication and Characterization of Gelatin Stabilized Silver Nanoparticles under UV-Light

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were successfully synthesized using the UV irradiation of aqueous solutions containing AgNO3 and gelatin as a silver source and stabilizer, respectively. The UV irradiation times influence the particles’ diameter of the Ag-NPs, as evidenced from surface plasmon resonance (SPR) bands and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. When the UV irradiation time was increased, the mean size of particles continuously decreased as a result of photoinduced Ag-NPs fragmentation. Based on X-ray diffraction (XRD), the UV-irradiated Ag-NPs were a face-centered cubic (fcc) single crystal without any impurity. This study reveals that the UV irradiation-mediated method is a green chemistry and promising route for the synthesis of stable Ag-NPs for several applications (e.g., medical and surgical devices). The important advantages of this method are that it is cheap, easy, and free of toxic materials

Time-dependent effect in green synthesis of silver nanoparticles.

The application of "green" chemistry rules to nanoscience and nanotechnology is very important in the preparation of various nanomaterials. In this work, we successfully developed an eco-friendly chemistry method for preparing silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in natural polymeric media. The colloidal Ag-NPs were synthesized in an aqueous solution using silver nitrate, gelatin, and glucose as a silver precursor, stabilizer, and reducing agent, respectively. The properties of synthesized colloidal Ag-NPs were studied at different reaction times. The ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra were in excellent agreement with the obtained nanostructure studies performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and their size distributions. The prepared samples were also characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The use of eco-friendly reagents, such as gelatin and glucose, provides green and economic attributes to this work

Preparation and evaluation of niosomes containing autoclaved Leishmania major: a preliminary study

In this study, different positively charged niosomal formulations containing sorbitan esters, cholesterol and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide were prepared by film hydration method for the entrapment of autoclaved Leishmania major (ALM). Size distribution pattern and stability of niosomes were investigated by laser light scattering method and ALM encapsulation per cent was measured by the bicinchoninic acid method. Finally, the selected formulation was used for the induction of the immune response against cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice. Size distribution curves of all the formulations followed a log-normal pattern and the mean volume diameter was in the range 7.57–15.80 mm. The mean volume diameters were significantly increased by adding Tween to Span formulations (p50.05). The percentage of ALM entrapped in all formulations varied between 14.88% and 36.65%. In contrast to ALM, in vivo studies showed that the niosomes containing ALM have a moderate effect in the prevention of cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice