Effects of Withania coagulans extract and morphine on spermatogenesis in rats

Purpose: To investigate the comparative effects of Withania coagolans extract and morphine on spermatogenesis in rats Methods: W. coagolans was collected from Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran and 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight doses of methanol extract and 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg body weight doses of morphine were administered parenterally to the rats which were divided into groups. Blood samples were collected and the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone were assayed. The testicular tissue was isolated for histopathological examination. Results: No significant changes were observed in levels of LH, FSH and testosterone in treated groups (p < 0.05). However, there was significant difference between the treated groups for extract plus morphine groups, in terms of the number of spermatogonium, spermatocytes and spermatide variation. Moreover, the results indicate tissue disorders in all groups relative to control. The extract caused more disturbances in spermatogenesis compared to morphine, and appears to improve parameters related to spermatogenesis. Conclusion: The results show that the higher dose of Withania coagolans extract (100 mg/kg) exerts varying effects on reproductive parameters. Moreover, the lower dose of Withania coagolans extract (50 mg/kg) enhanced spermatogenesis while also protecting against the damaging effects of morphine

Design and fabrication of a compact microstrip triplexer for wimax and wireless applications

A novel structure to design a microstrip triplexer for wireless and WiMAX applications is presented. To obtain a compact microstrip layout, step impedance resonators and coupled lines are used. The introduced triplexer has a size of 0.35λg×0.26λg, where λg is calculated at 2.3 GHz. Also, the obtained insertion losses are 0.78 dB, 1.1 dB and 0.62 dB at 2.3 GHz, 3.2 GHz and 3.6 GHz, respectively. The LC model of the presented resonator is investigated to tune three resonance frequencies by calculating numerical values of inductors and capacitors. Finally, the designed triplexer is simulated and measured

Efficiency of Magnetic Granular Adsorbent Based on Natural Zeolite/Chitosan in Removing Arsenic from Polluted Water

Hypothesis: Among the various pollutants found in natural water, the heavy metal arsenic is more important due to its high toxicity. One of the most efficient methods to remove this pollution from water streams is the surface adsorption method. Zeolite nanocomposites can be considered powerful among arsenic adsorbers. Powder adsorbents are not very effective in industrial systems due to the problems such as clogging of filters, high pressure drop and also the problem of separation from water.Methods: To solve this problem, zeolite nanocomposite powder was transformed into beads using the chitosan gel method in three different types of cross-linking solutions including sodium hydroxide, sodium tripolyphosphate and joint sodium hydroxide/sodium tripolyphosphate. The effect of various parameters such as the type and initial ratio of the materials on the formation of beads was investigated.Findings: The results showed that the beads formed in the sodium hydroxide+sodium tripolyphosphate cross-linking solution and the optimal initial ratio of 1:3 from chitosan to the nanocomposite have a more suitable appearance and strength and better performance in arsenic absorption. In order to confirm and justify the mentioned Findings, SEM, BET and AAS analyses were performed. Operational parameters of initial arsenic concentration and adsorbent dose which are effective on the beads’ adsorption efficiency were investigated and the optimal amount of adsorbent dose was determined as 1 g/L with an efficiency of 92.9%. In order to obtain more information about the method of adsorption and determining the maximum capacity of adsorbents, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms for granular adsorbents were investigated. The highest adsorption capacity of 7450.7 mg/g was obtained and Freundlich isotherm was in better agreement with the results

Pain Management and Its Related Factors in the Emergency Department of Besat Hospital in Sanadaj, 2016

Abstract:Background: Pain is a distressing feeling as well as a discomfort which triggers as the result of a special stimulation of nerve endings.This study aimed to investigate the amount of sufficient pain management among patients referring to the emergency department in Besat Hospital in the city of Sanandaj in Iran.Material and Methods: in this descriptive-analytical study, 175 patients with severe pain intensity higher than 3 and definite causes of pain with physical origins admitted to the emergency department were included. Before and after analgesics injection, pain intensity was assessed by a 10-point scoring system.Results: No significant correlation showed between pain intensity in patients, administration of painkillers, and age (P>0.05).There was a statistically significant relationship between pain intensity, gender, and the type of analgesics received (P<0.05). The findings of this study also revealed that reduction of pain was not significantly correlated with age, gender, referral time, and administration of painkillers on patients (P> 0.05).Conclusion: Failure to control pain among patients can lead to physical, mental, psychological, and social health-related problems. Therefore, proper examination of pains can provide suitable interventions in order to control and manage pains among patients and consequently promote their quality of life

Extracellular Vesicles-Based Drug Delivery Systems: A New Challenge and the Exemplum of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Research for the most selective drug delivery to tumors represents a fascinating key target in science. Alongside the artificial delivery systems identified in the last decades (e.g., liposomes), a family of natural extracellular vesicles (EVs) has gained increasing focus for their potential use in delivering anticancer compounds. EVs are released by all cell types to mediate cell-to-cell communication both at the paracrine and the systemic levels, suggesting a role for them as an ideal nano-delivery system. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) stands out among currently untreatable tumors, also due to the difficulties in achieving an early diagnosis. Thus, early diagnosis and treatment of MPM are both unmet clinical needs. This review looks at indirect and direct evidence that EVs may represent both a new tool for allowing an early diagnosis of MPM and a potential new delivery system for more efficient therapeutic strategies. Since MPM is a relatively rare malignant tumor and preclinical MPM models developed to date are very few and not reliable, this review will report data obtained in other tumor types, suggesting the potential use of EVs in mesothelioma patients as well

The unfinished agenda of communicable diseases among children and adolescents before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Communicable disease control has long been a focus of global health policy. There have been substantial reductions in the burden and mortality of communicable diseases among children younger than 5 years, but we know less about this burden in older children and adolescents, and it is unclear whether current programmes and policies remain aligned with targets for intervention. This knowledge is especially important for policy and programmes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to use the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 to systematically characterise the burden of communicable diseases across childhood and adolescence. METHODS: In this systematic analysis of the GBD study from 1990 to 2019, all communicable diseases and their manifestations as modelled within GBD 2019 were included, categorised as 16 subgroups of common diseases or presentations. Data were reported for absolute count, prevalence, and incidence across measures of cause-specific mortality (deaths and years of life lost), disability (years lived with disability [YLDs]), and disease burden (disability-adjusted life-years [DALYs]) for children and adolescents aged 0-24 years. Data were reported across the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and across time (1990-2019), and for 204 countries and territories. For HIV, we reported the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) as a measure of health system performance. FINDINGS: In 2019, there were 3·0 million deaths and 30·0 million years of healthy life lost to disability (as measured by YLDs), corresponding to 288·4 million DALYs from communicable diseases among children and adolescents globally (57·3% of total communicable disease burden across all ages). Over time, there has been a shift in communicable disease burden from young children to older children and adolescents (largely driven by the considerable reductions in children younger than 5 years and slower progress elsewhere), although children younger than 5 years still accounted for most of the communicable disease burden in 2019. Disease burden and mortality were predominantly in low-SDI settings, with high and high-middle SDI settings also having an appreciable burden of communicable disease morbidity (4·0 million YLDs in 2019 alone). Three cause groups (enteric infections, lower-respiratory-tract infections, and malaria) accounted for 59·8% of the global communicable disease burden in children and adolescents, with tuberculosis and HIV both emerging as important causes during adolescence. HIV was the only cause for which disease burden increased over time, particularly in children and adolescents older than 5 years, and especially in females. Excess MIRs for HIV were observed for males aged 15-19 years in low-SDI settings. INTERPRETATION: Our analysis supports continued policy focus on enteric infections and lower-respiratory-tract infections, with orientation to children younger than 5 years in settings of low socioeconomic development. However, efforts should also be targeted to other conditions, particularly HIV, given its increased burden in older children and adolescents. Older children and adolescents also experience a large burden of communicable disease, further highlighting the need for efforts to extend beyond the first 5 years of life. Our analysis also identified substantial morbidity caused by communicable diseases affecting child and adolescent health across the world. FUNDING: The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence for Driving Investment in Global Adolescent Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe