Assessment and comparison of the awareness and attitude of male and female general practitioners of Shiraz about andropause in 2016

Background and Aim: Male menopause is a natural age-dependent decline in testosterone levels in men. Despite the importance of this issue for the health of the elderly, there is a lack of related information. So this study aimed to assess and compare the awareness and attitude of male and female general practitionersabout andropause.Materials and methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 204 general physicians in Shiraz-2016. Cluster method was used for sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was developed for assessing the demographic characteristics and levels of awareness and attitude of general physicians aboutandropause. All stages of research were conducted ethically. SPSS 18 was used to analyze the data, and descriptive statistics, independent t-tests and Pearson’s correlation were applied for data analysis. P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.Results: Results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the male and female general physicians, awareness about andropause (p = 0.185). Also there was a statistically significant difference between the attitude of males and females towards andropause (p < 0.001). The correlation between the mean score of awareness and attitude towards andropause was statistically significant (p= 0.018, r = 0.166).Conclusion: The implementation of training courses for spreading information and knowledge as well as positive attitudes towards andropause for general practitioners are highly advocated.Keywords: Andropause, Awareness, Optimism, General practitione

Genotypic distribution of rotavirus strains causing severe gastroenteritis in children under 5 years old in Borazjan, Iran

Objective This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of rotavirus disease and to investigate the genotypes of rotavirus strains causing acute gastroenteritis among children aged <5 years old in Marvdasht, Iran. Methods One hundred and forty-one children, aged 1 month to 5 years, afflicted with severe diarrhea were enrolled during January 2007 to December 2008. Their stool samples were studied with enzyme immunoassays (EIA) for group A rotaviruses. Rotavirus-positive specimens were genotyped by the Nested RT-PCR using different types of specific primers. Findings Out of total collected samples rotavirus infection was detected in 40 (28.37%). Of the rotavirus episodes, 72.91% occurred during the first 2 years of life (P=0.038). The highest prevalence of infection was identified in summer (52.50%) and the lowest in winter (7.50%). The most common clinical features included diarrhea (96.25%), vomiting (82.50%) and fever (45.0%). Mixed genotypes were the predominant G type (60.0%), followed by non-typeable (12.50%), G2 (12.50%), G4 (10.0%) and G1 (5.0%) genotypes. G3/G8 mixed infection is the first of these rotavirus genotypes to be reported in Iran. Conclusion Regarding high frequency of rotavirus infection, continuous surveillance is needed to inform diarrhea prevention programs as well as to provide information about the occurrence of new rotavirus strains. This will assist policy makers in decision making on rotavirus vaccine introduction. Keywords: Rotavirus, Gastroenteritis, Genotyping, Children, Epidemiolog

A Shuttle Bus for the University of Central Florida

The University of Central Florida, with an enrollment of approximately 16,000 students, is being faced with parking, traffic and transportation problems. The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a commuter campus, with over 90% of the students arriving by automobile. Parking spaces cost over $800/space, and funding to build new spaces is scarce. Existing lots on the perimeter of the UCF campus offer a potential advantage to park and ride services or a shuttle serve around UCF. Research conducted for this paper evaluated the usage of a shuttle bus system around the UCF campus. The primary purpose of the shuttle is to move people around the campus, similar to the shuttle used by Disney. This is benefit primarily to the users, but it is also an asset to the whole campus, especially since it increased the general mobility of the University population and its accessibility to various locations and activities. The size of a shuttle travel area around the campus, routes that would serve all major areas of the campus and cost of the shuttle bus are the major points evaluated in the research report. The methodology included in this study references the Urban Transportation Planning Process (UTPP), which consists of four sub-models: (1) trip generation, (2) trip distribution, (3) modal split and (4) traffic assignment

Relationship between mathematical thinking, mathematics anxiety and mathematics attitudes among university students

This study investigates the relationships between mathematics anxiety, attitudes toward mathematics and mathematical thinking among university students. A 60-item questionnaire included mathematical thinking rating scale, mathematics anxiety rating scale and mathematics attitudes rating scale completed by 203 university students from the Faculty of Science, Engineering, Food Science, and Human Ecology in one of the public university in Malaysia. The correlation analysis was used to establish relationship between mathematical thinking, mathematics attitude, and mathematics anxiety and independent t-test was used to investigate differences between the two gender groups and two race groups on their mathematics anxiety, attitudes toward mathematics and mathematical thinking. The results indicated that a significant high positive correlation exists between mathematical thinking and mathematics attitude (r=.856, p<0.05). Also there was negative moderate correlation between mathematical thinking and mathematics anxiety (r=.-576, p<0.05). There was also negative correlation between mathematics anxiety and mathematics attitude (r=.509, p<0.05). In conclusion, these findings indicated that level of mathematics anxiety is related to mathematical thinking and mathematics attitude. On the other hand, students' backgrounds in terms of their majors have no effect on the three constructs

Microencapsulation and Fermentation of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and Bifidobacterium BB-12

Because of poor survival of probiotic bacteria, microencapsulation evolved from the immobilized cell culture technology used in the biotechnological industry. Two probiotic strains, Bifidobacterium (BB-12) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA-5) were immobilized in calcium alginate by extrusion method. Encapsulation parameters and efficacy of this method were evaluated. Growth factors of these two bacteria were also measured by culturing in 10-L fermenter. Growth curves were obtained with respect to optical density and dry biomass weight. Encapsulation yield was over than 60% in each experiment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of Entrapment of cells in alginate matrix and cross-sections of dried bead were obtained and illustrated. Bifidobacterium have been shown better biotechnological properties

Mapping the intellectual structure of the coronavirus field (2000-2020): a co-word analysis

Over the two last decades, coronaviruses have affected human life in different ways, especially in terms of health and economy. Due to the profound effects of novel coronaviruses, growing tides of research are emerging in various research fields. This paper employs a co-word analysis approach to map the intellectual structure of the coronavirus literature for a better understanding of how coronavirus research and the disease itself have developed during the target timeframe. A strategic diagram has been drawn to depict the coronavirus domain’s structure and development. A detailed picture of coronavirus literature has been extracted from a huge number of papers to provide a quick overview of the coronavirus literature. The main themes of past coronavirus-related publications are (a) “Antibody- Virus Interactions,” (b) “Emerging Infectious Diseases,” (c) “Protein Structure-based Drug Design and Antiviral Drug Discovery,” (d) “Coronavirus Detection Methods,” (e) “Viral Pathogenesis and Immunity,” and (f) “Animal Coronaviruses.” The emerging infectious diseases are mostly related to fatal diseases (such as Middle East respiratory syndrome, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and COVID-19) and animal coronaviruses (including porcine, turkey, feline, canine, equine, and bovine coronaviruses and infectious bronchitis virus), which are capable of placing animal-dependent industries such as the swine and poultry industries under strong economic pressure. Although considerable research into coronavirus has been done, this unique field has not yet matured sufficiently. Therefore, “Antibody-virus Interactions,” “Emerging Infectious Diseases,” and “Coronavirus Detection Methods” hold interesting, promising research gaps to be both explored and filled in the future

The Positive Effect of Atropa belladonna on Inflammatory Cytokines in the Animal Model of Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and demyelination of the central nervous system. Given the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of MS and the anti-inflammatory effect of Atropa belladonna (AB), the aim of this study was to determine the effect of AB on inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors in MOG35-55 induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).Methods: Thirty-two purebred C57BL/6 mice, weighing (20 ± 2g) were randomly assigned to the 4 groups: control, and three experimental groups: EAE, EAE + AB100, and EAE + AB300 that after EAE induction received 0, 100, and 300 mg/kg AB daily. AB was dissolved in PBS (phosphate-buffered saline) and the volume of gavage in all groups was 100 μL. After 30 days, the mice were weighed, anesthetized with ether and blood was collected directly from the heart. Specific animal ELISA kits measured the inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-17, IL-4, and TNF-α). One-way ANOVA with Duncan post hoc test was used for comparison between groups.Results: EAE increased serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-17, and decreased IL-10 and IL-4 compared to the control group. AB significantly decreased the mean level of TNF-α, IL-17 and increased IL-10 and IL-4 compared with EAE group. The effect of 300 mg/kg was clearly better than 100 mg/kg. There was also a significant difference between the control group and the 300 mg/kg group.Conclusion: In the present study, AB plant extract increased serum levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines in the MS animal model

Study of the immunogenicity of outer membrane protein A (ompA) gene from Acinetobacter baumannii as DNA vaccine candidate in vivo

Objective(s): Acinetobacter baumannii is one the most dangerous opportunistic pathogens in hospitalized infections. This bacterium is resistant to 90% of commercial antibiotics. Therefore, developing new strategies to cure A. baumannii-infections is urgent. The DNA vaccines new approach in which the immunogen can be directly expressed inside the target cells through cloning of immunogen into an expression vector. The outer membrane protein A(OmpA) is one the critical factors in pathogenicity of A. baumannii which has been repeatedly described as a powerful immunogen to trigger the immune responses. As the pure form of the OmpA is insoluble, vaccine delivery is very hard. Materials and Methods: We previously cloned the ompA gene from A. baumannii into the eukaryotic expression vector pBudCE4.1 and observed that the OmpA protein has been considerably expressed in eukaryotic cell model. In current study, the immunogenic potential of pBudCE4.1-ompA has been evaluated in mice model of experimental. The serum levels of IgM, IgG, IL-2, IL-4, IL-12 and INF-γ were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after immunization with ompA-vaccine. The protective efficiency of the designed-DNA vaccine was evaluated following intranasal administration of mice with toxic dose of A. baumannii.Results: Obtained data showed the elevated levels of IgM, IgG, IL-2, IL-4, IL-12 and INF-γ in serum following the vaccine administration and mice who immunized with recombinant vector were survived more than control group.Conclusion: These findings indicate ompA-DNA vaccine is potent to trigger humoral and cellular immunity responses although further experiments are needed

The protective effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Ephedra pachyclada leaves on ovarian damage induced by cyclophosphamide in rat: An experimental study

Background: Cyclophosphamide (CP) is an anticancer drug that acts as an alkylation agent after metabolism in the liver. CP has toxic effects on the body’s cells, especially the reproductive system’s function, and causes infertility. Moreover, medicinal plants have few side effects and are psychologically acceptable to patients. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of Ephedra pachyclada hydroalcoholic extract (EPHE) on ovarian tissue and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in rats treated with CP. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 48 adult female Wistar rats (180-200 gr, 9-10 wk) were randomly assigned to 6 experimental groups (n = 8/each): (a) control; (b) sham; (c) CP; (d) CP+250 mg/kg EPHE; (e) CP+500 mg/kg EPHE; (f) CP+1000 mg/kg EPHE. On the 29th day of the experiment, serum was collected; serum concentration of the luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, estrogen, progesterone, and antioxidant activity were measured. The number of ovarian follicles were also counted. Results: In the CP groups, serum concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone significantly increased, and estrogen and progesterone significantly decreased (p ≤ 0.05). EPHE significantly compensated for the complications caused by CP and 1000 mg/kg had the greatest effect. Antioxidant reduction by CP was significantly enhanced by EPHE, especially at higher doses (p ≤ 0.05). The number of primordial, primary, secondary, and Graafian follicles showed a significant decrease in CP groups and EPHE groups showed a significant increase compared to the CP. EPHE showed that the concentration of 1000 mg/kg was more effective than other doses (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: In addition to proving the effect of EPHE on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, our investigation showed antioxidant properties, which can be an effective factor in CP-treated rats. Key words: Ephedra, Cyclophosphamide, Ovary, Follicles, Hydroalcoholic extract