Fossil record and new aspects of evolutionary history of Calcium biomineralization and plant waxes in fossil leaves

Calcium oxalate (CaOx) is one of the most common bio-minerals in extant plants. It plays a major role in a better understanding of plant taphonomy, environmental effects and evolution of calcium minerals in fossil plants. Although CaOx is common in extant leaves of many plant groups, the fossil record of CaOx in fossil leaves is almost completely unknown, due to the imperfect preservation of CaOx bio-minerals and the disintegration of CaOx crystals during fossilization. Recognition of the remains of CaOx in fossil leaves can be challenging. The record of casts of CaOx in fossil leaves from basal plants, gymnosperms and angiosperms has been established to reconstruct the evolutionary history of CaOx from the Devonian to the Neogene. The present thesis aims to introduce the different distribution patterns of CaOx traces (individual crystals and druses) in fossil leaves and to compare the substituted or residual chemical components in their casts in fossil leaves from basal to higher plant groups. In order to achieve this goal, both fossil and modern (for extant groups) leaves of seed ferns, pteridophytes (ferns), gymnosperms (cycadales, ginkgophytales, conifera) and angiosperms have been examined. Fossil samples were borrowed from different sites and ages from natural history museums in Germany. Extant samples were collected in the Botanical Garden, University of Bonn. Light microscopy (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were utilized to clarify the distribution of CaOx casts in both fossil and fresh leaves. The results show that CaOx is almost non-existent in modern ferns. In seed ferns, the casts of former CaOx crystal druses were observed under a carbon layer in a regular distribution pattern with a size of approximately 20 µm. CaOx in cycads and ginkgophytes appeared as aggregated forms or druses in the phloem. Druses in ginkgophyte measured up to 100 µm. Conifera show a different trend: crystals occur as individuals and more or less small size (10-12 µm) under the cuticle. In angiosperms CaOx appears commonly and in diverse forms. In conclusion, the presence of the CaOx as an important chemical factor in plants is reported from primitive seed ferns to the modern gymnosperms and angiosperms. The distributional pattern of CaOx in each major group of plants is different and can be affected by environmental factors and physiological aspects in plants

Antifungal effect of sesame medicinal herb on Candida Species: original study and mini-review

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal susceptibility patterns of three antifungals, methanolic extracts and N-hexane oil of sesame seeds on C. albicans and C. glabrata, isolated from oral cavity of liver transplant recipients. The results were compared with other reports to develop a mini review as well. Candida species were isolated from liver transplant recipients. To evaluate the antifungal activity of sesame seed oil and methanolic extract, fluconazole, caspofungin and nystatin, the corresponding minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined by CLSI M27-A3 standard method. Minimum fungicidal concentration was also evaluated. The most prevalent species was C. albicans, followed by C. glabrata. Findings indicated sensitivity to antifungal agents and resistance to methanolic extract and N-hexane oil for all C. albicans and C. glabrata isolates. The rate of Candida colonization in the oral cavity of liver transplant recipients was high. Our results revealed that the methanolic and N-hexan extracts of sesame seeds are not effective on C. albicans and C. glabrata species, isolated from the patients. The sesame seed oil pulling and mouthwash cannot effectively cleanse and remove the Candida species in the mouth. Investigation of other medicinal plants or other parts of sesame like leaves and roots are suggested

Kinetic Study of MTBE Removal from Water by Stripping Method

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) is a gasoline additive used to enhance gasoline octane. It is highly soluble in water and is known for its carcinogenicity; hence its high risk of groundwater contamination. The present study was mainly designed  to investigate MTBE effect on gasoline solubility in water, determine the associated COD value, and identify the kinetics of MTBE elimination from water by the stripping method. The results show that the kinetics of MTBE elimination from water can be expressed by a first order equation with the rate constants obtained as 0.0055 min-1 and 0.0074 min-1 at the two stirring rates of 100 rpm and 250 rpm, respectively. These rate constants are evidently high and are indicative of the effectiveness of the stripping method in MTBE removal from water. A linear function was established between COD reduction  with respect to time at room temperature at low stirring rates (100 rpm) but an exponential function at high stiring rates (250 rpm). The solubility of gasoline with different additives (MTBE, ethanol, methanol) in water was also investigated. The results revealed that gasoline solubility decreased from 90 mg/l to 80mg/l and 69 mg/l, respectively, in the presence of ethanol and methanol. This is while the solubility of MTBE-containing gasoline in water rose from 90 mg/l to 778 mg/l, which shows an 8-fold increase in solubility in water

Gastric Duplication Cyst in a man Presenting with Elevated Liver Enzymes and Icterus

Gastric duplication cysts comprise 2-7% of gastrointestinal duplications, rare congenital malformations that can be present at almost any part of the alimentary tract. They mostly present with gastrointestinal obstruction symptoms, ulceration, and painless hemorrhage. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and fullness sensation. Gastric duplications are mostly cystic in shape. Herein, we present a 58-year-old man with a gastric duplication cyst, 70×30×35 mm in size, with the initial presentation of abdominal pain, icterus, and elevated liver enzymes. The patient provided informed consent for this report

MANAGEMENT OF TRACHEOBRONCHIAL INJURY: CASE PRESENTATION AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Tracheobronchial injuries are uncommon and their successful diagnosis and treatment often requires high level of suspicious. Surgical repair should be individualized for each type of injury. This article reviews diagnosis and management of traumatic injuries to the trachea and major bronchi. From March 1991 to March 2003, twenty-seven patients with major airway trauma were managed in Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz, Iran. Afterwards these patients were prospectively studied, for a period of 10 years. The mechanism of injury was blunt trauma in 13 patients, stab wound in 6, gunshot in 2 and iatrogenic in 6. Two patients had associated esophageal injury. Twenty-one patients were male and 6 were female. Eight patients had major bronchial injury, 13 had cervical tracheal injury and 6 had mediastinal tracheal injury. Six patients had re-implantation of main bronchus (5 right and 1 left), and two patients had repair of bronchus with concomitant bi-lobectomy in one of them. In cases of tracheal injury, 12 patients had primary repair of trachea with distal tracheostomy in two. However, 7 patients were managed conservatively with later sleeve resection of trachea and laryngotracheal anastomosis in three patients. Three patients died. Tracheobronchial injury is extremely challenging due to its early threat to life. A high level of suspicious and the liberal use of bronchoscope are critical in the diagnosis of tracheobronchial injuries. Avoidance of iatrogenic complications, primary repair and liberal use of autogenous tissue for wrapping or buttressing increases success rate

Evaluation of users' privacy concerns by checking of their WhatsApp status

WhatsApp Messenger is a popular instant messenger among Iranian users. The WhatsApp status feature provides the possibility of posting desired content without restrictions in terms of type with the capability of being managed by users. Status can be considered as a potential place to express users' feelings, opinions, and thoughts. However, special attention should be paid to the privacy of users and the information published in this manner because access to the content of a user's status by unauthorized friends and interpretations of the user's status content may violate his/her privacy. This study investigates the privacy issues associated with information shared through status. The data of this study were gathered via access to the status content of 4000 Iranian users and via telephone interviews conducted with 350 of them. In this study, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods has been used to analyze the data. This study focuses on the extraction of patterns in users' status content, determination of their polarity, and examination of the factors affecting users' privacy concerns. During the research, 10 general themes were extracted from users' content. The results showed that user privacy concerns influenced the type of theme selected. In addition, the theme selected under different circumstances may include a type of feeling that, in this study, is called polarity. Polarity is affected by the users' privacy concerns. Moreover, the demographic characteristics of users (age and gender) have a significant relationship with the type of theme used and their privacy concerns. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd