Comorbidity between Alzheimer’s Disease and Seizure Episodes

Abstract A mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which overexpress the human amyloid precursor protein (APP), experience Kainic Acid (KA) induced seizures that are more severe than wild type (WT) mice. The latency and severity of seizures observed in AD mice are similar to those of Synaptophysin knockout (Syp KO) mice. Addition of amyloid plaques (Aβ) to cells in vitro leads to the breakdown of Syp-VAMP2 complex. In the present study, we investigated if the breakdown of Syp-VAMP2 complex is responsible for the observed seizure activity in AD mice. The binding of cholesterol to Syp is necessary for biogenesis of synaptic vesicles, and cholesterol-depleted cells have reduced Syp-VAMP2 complex. Being deficient in cholesterol, we expected to observe seizure susceptibility and also reduced Syp-VAMP2 complex in Apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) mice as well. We tested WT, AD, ApoE4, and Syp KO mice for susceptibility to KA induced seizures. Our findings revealed that AD, ApoE4, and Syp KO mice all have similar seizure severity and latency. Using western blot analysis we examined the levels of Syp-VAMP2 complex present in the brains of these mice at 6 months but we failed to observe a difference. We are currently devising more sensitive methods for measuring the abundance of the Syp-VAMP2 complex in the brain

Yield and Yield Components of Faba Bean

ABSTRACT This study set out to investigate the effect of bio-fertilizers containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria and phosphorus on grain yield and yield components of Faba bean. To this end a factorial experiment on the basis of randomized complete block design with four replications was conducted in Behbahan region at South eastern part of Khuzestan Province of Iran. The experimental treatments included Nitroxin containing nitrogenfixing bacteria in three levels of 0, 250, and 500 cc per 1000 m 2 and phosphorus biofertilizer (fertile 2 phosphates) containing phosphorus-fixing bacteria in three levels of 0, 100, and 150 g.ha -1 . The results showed that the effect of treatments with phosphorus bio-fertilizer and Nitroxin on grain yield, biological yield, and harvest index, number of pods per plant, number of grain per pod, 1000-grain weight, and leaf area index was significant at 1% level. The highest grain yield, biological yield, harvest index, number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, 1000-grain weight, and leaf area index belonged to the treatment with consumption of 500 cc Nitroxin per 1000 m 2 and 150 g.ha -1 phosphorus bio-fertilizer and the lowest rates belonged to the control treatment

Pengembangan Media Komik Digital untuk Meningkatkan Keterampilan Mendongeng Siswa Kelas II Sekolah Dasar

Rendahnya minat siswa dalam menceritakan isi dongeng dikarenakan kurangnya media yang mendukung, terbatasnya penggunaan media dalam pembelajaran membuat siswa merasa bosan sehingga pembelajaran menjadi kurang menarik. Adanya penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan prosedur pengembangan media komik digital untuk meningkatkan keterampilan mendongeng pada siswa kelas II sekolah dasar serta untuk mengetahui kuaitasnya dalam hal kepraktisan dan kevalidan. Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian pengembangan (research and development) dengan menggunakan model ADDIE. Instrumen pengumpulan data yang digunakan yaitu lembar validasi dan lembar angket. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian menujukkan bahawa prosedur pengembangan media melalui tahapan analisis, desain, pengembangan, penelitian, dan evaluasi. Hasil kevalidan menunjukkan bahwa validasi ahli materi memperoleh nilai sebesar 90 dan validasi ahli media memperoleh nilai sebesar 96,25. Kepraktisan media menunjukkan hasil angket respon siswa memperoleh nilai sebesar 98 dan angket guru memperoleh nilai sebesar 90. Disimpulkan bahwa kevalidan media dan materi dapat dikatakan valid dan kepraktisan masuk kedalam kategori praktis. Kata Kunci: media, komik, mendongen

Electrokinetic Membrane Bioreactors

The subject of electrokinetics has received considerable interests in the field of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) in recent years. Electrokinetic transport mechanism and associated reactions have wide applications in separations and MBRs. The success of electrokinetic-enhanced separations would highly depend on the study of its conceptions, perhaps leading to opening vast research need. It is also conceivable that the theoretical study of electrokinetic phenomena, especially in the MBRs, indeed leads to profound success in the bioreactor research, design, and operations. This chapter is aiming to overcome the enigma in this field of research and make the fundamental concepts and recent advances readily accessible to researchers and practitioners in membrane technologies

Electrokinetic-assisted membrane photobioreactor (EK-MPBR) for municipal wastewater treatment

Membrane technology and phycoremediation, which utilizes algae for nutrient removal, are two major emerging technologies for wastewater treatment. Membrane photobioreactors (MPBRs) integrate these technologies and provide promising technology to render wastewater for reuse in the industrial or agricultural domains. One of the main current limitations of this technology is membrane fouling, and developing a proper technique to address this issue in MPBRs has remained a gap in this sector. With the major aim of alleviating membrane fouling in MPBRs, this study modified the design of the current MPBRs to utilize an electric field. Using graphite sheet as anode and stainless steel mesh as simultaneous membrane support and a cathode on each side of the membrane module was developed to ameliorate membrane performance. This novel design helps to repel biomass from the membrane surface with the charge introduced by a low voltage direct current (DC) electric field. The membrane performance of the electrokinetic-assisted MPBR (EK-MPBR) as well as the biological performance of this recently developed technology, have been investigated. Synthetic municipal wastewater was treated by an EK-MPBR and ran in parallel with a control MPBR for 49 days, where EK-MPBR demonstrated significant improvement in terms of membrane fouling inhibition with 50% less fouling frequency. Considerable enhancement in phosphorus (P) removal was another advantage of the EK-MPBR compared to the control MPBR with the EK-MPBR having 56% better P removal. Involved electrokinetic phenomena such as electrophoresis, electroosmosis, and electrochemical reactions contributed to the performance of EK-MPBRs in terms of cell size reduction, dewaterability, and bacterial growth and agglomeration inhibition, respectively, leading to change in algal morphology. [...

Molecular investigation of CTX-M gene in Extended Spectrum β Lactamases (ESBLs) producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from Iranian patients with burn wound infection

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is one of the most important causes of infection in burns and intensive care units. Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) production in P. aeruginosa is a major factor in the antibiotic resistance and is thought of as a serious threat to the currently available antibiotic armory. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of CTX-M gene in ESBL-producing P. aeruginosa isolates in burn wound samples.Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional survey, a total of 60 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa were obtained from patients suffering from burn wound infection referred to major hospitals of Tehran, Iran. After verification by biochemical tests and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, CTX-M gene was identified using PCR method.Results: The results of the molecular analysis of CTX-M gene showed that the prevalence of isolates of P. aeruginosa harboring CTX-M gene was 20% (12/60).Conclusion: The results from this study showed high levels of antibiotic resistance and CTX-M gene among P. aeruginosa isolated samples of burn-wound infections which condition may result in the increased the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains and the failure of therapy This study suggests that detailed data on the CTX-M gene frequency can be useful to achieve the best therapy for infections caused by ESBLs producing P. aeruginosa

Optimization of coagulation-flocculation process for dye and COD removal from real dyeing wastewater and evaluation of effluent biodegradability in a carpet factory

Background and Aim: Textile industry is one of the largest consumers of water in the world. The wastewater from the textile industry is known to have strong colour, chemical oxygen demand (COD), highly fluctuating pH and high temperature. The release of coloured wastewater represents a serious environmental and public health concern. Among the various physicochemical and biological methods of textile wastewater treatment, coagulationflocculation is considered as an attractive and favourable technique because of its low cost, easy operation and highefficiency.Materials and methods: The study was conducted in the laboratory scale using Jar test. Dye removal from real wastewater was investigated by the use of three mineral coagulants including poly aluminum chloride, ferric sulfate and ferric chloride. In order to optimize the process, parameters including pH, coagulant dose, time and speed of coagulation were considered. Treated samples were analysed to determine the residual color and COD.Results: According to the results of our experiments, under optimum conditions of process (pH 9, doses of 250 mg/lcoagulant and coagulation speed of 175 rpm with a duration of 5 minutes), the highest removal efficiencies (COD 44.4% and color 95%) were obtained by the use of poly aluminum chloride. The results showed that poly aluminum chloride enhanced the biodegradability of wastewater from 0.07 to 0.21 at optimized process conditions.Conclusion: Although the coagulation process reduced a large percentage of pollution load in the wastewater, another process has to be followed to meet the wastewater discharge standards in receiving sources.Keywords: Textile wastewater, Dye, Coagulation, Biodegradabilit

Renal Artery Stenosis and Its Predictors in Hypertensive Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Angiography

Background: Renal artery stenosis (RAS) has been increasingly recognized in the recent years, especially in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). RAS affects the patients with hypertension (HTN), but the exact prevalence is not known. Objectives: This study was performed to determine the prevalence and to identify the predictors of RAS in hypertensive patients undergoing coronary artery angiography. Patients and Methods: In a cross-sectional study from August 2008 to August 2009, 481 patients with HTN and suspected CAD underwent selective coronary and renal angiography for screening and predicting RAS. RAS was defined as a higher than 50% stenosis in the renal artery lumen. Multivariate analysis of factors associated with the presence of RAS were examined using a logistic regression model. Results: The mean ± standard deviation of age was 59.25 ± 10.81 years and 50.3% were men. According to angiographic data, 425 patients (88.4%) had CAD, while 56 (11.6%) had normal coronary arteries. RAS was seen in 94 (22%) patients with CAD. The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified only age (P < 0.001) and the number of significant coronary lesions (P < 0.001) as independent predictors of RAS. Gender, smoking, congestive heart failure, diabetes mellitus (DM), hyperlipidemia (HLP) and body mass index (BMI) were not independent predictors. Conclusions: This study suggests that in the management of patients with RAS, risk factors should most likely be considered as beneficial. In addition, the clinical and angiographic features are helpful in predicting its presence in elderly patients with CAD

Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Nursing Care: A Review

Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (RTMS) therapy is one of the modern treatment methods for various neurological and psychiatric diseases. With the clinical advancement of new therapies, there is a need to increase nursing knowledge, various practical skills, and new ways of organizing care. This study aims to review the rTMS, and the role of psychiatric nurses before, during and after rTMS. The search was conducted in IranMedex, PubMed, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Ovid, and SID databases using the keywords: Repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation, long-term potential, mental nerve, psychiatric nursing both in English and Persian. Initial search yielded 42 articles, of which 24 were selected for the review. Treatment with rTMS can cause significant treatment effects. It has low complications, and is non-invasive and painless. The patient is conscious during the treatment process and is safe from the effects of anesthetic drugs. This method is also effective for people who are resistant to treatment. The psychiatric nurses play an important role in rTMS and teach patients on the formation of realistic expectations and the establishment of systems that ensure the continuity of safety and care. Moreover, they can assess clinical problems and work with the patients to create a therapeutic environment

Content analysis of food advertising in Iranian children\u27s television programs

Background: Advertisements can influence children\u27s health related behaviors. Television advertisements are the main avenues directing commercials at children in Iran. This study aimed to explore the content of food advertisement during children\u27s television programs in 2007-8 and to compare it with those reported in 2000. Methods: All advertisements broadcasted before, during, and after children\u27s programs aired on two major Iran national television networks were videotaped for a period of 4 weeks during 2007- 8. For each advertisement, type of product(s) and mode of presentation (s) were coded. Results: A total of 229 television advertisements were broadcasted. Food commercials were the most frequent group (31%) across the two channels. Among the food products advertised, calorie dense foods, including chocolate, soft drinks, extruded cereals, ice cream, cookies and candies were the most frequent. The appeal mainly used in television food advertisements was stimulation of hunger/thirst (38.5%). The advertisements were mostly presented as animations (54%) and the messages used were mainly directed to good taste. Conclusion: Although the total number of food advertisements during children\u27s television programs has decreased but the consumption of high fat, high sugar, low nutrient dense foods continues to be promoted. Policies to address the issue should be scrutinized