Adaptive agricultural water resources management in a desert river basin: Insights from hydrologic modeling

Many arid and semi-arid areas around the world are projected to experience increasing aridity levels throughout the 21st century. The increase in the frequency and severity of droughts and changing precipitation patterns will likely intensify the water shortages. The widening gap between water availability and demand in arid and semi-arid areas necessitates better understanding of water quantity and quality issues in these regions. The objectives of this dissertation are: (1) reviewing the challenges of applying soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) watershed hydrology and water quality model in arid/semi-arid regions with irrigated agriculture; (2) robust analysis of water availability in an example desert river basin under plausible future climate conditions; and (3) evaluating water and land management interventions for adaptive water resources management and agricultural water sustainability. The results show the possibility of dryer future and more saline water resources, increasing the risks of crop loss, especially for high-value crops like pecan. The current agricultural water management practices that support growing pecan orchards will be difficult to implement in the future due to growing water shortages. It is timely for agricultural producers to develop preparedness to use water with marginal quality or take action to reduce the net consumptive water use of their operations by improving agricultural water management. Changing the crop pattern and applying deficit irrigation for water intensive crops like alfalfa helps reduce the irrigation water consumption while growing more drought resistant crops such as pistachio and pomegranate could improve the resilience of agricultural producers to long-term droughts. Challenges of modeling agricultural watersheds in arid/semi-arid regions are addressed in this dissertation to provide a technical road map for watershed modelers interested in applying SWAT

Interfacial fracture toughness of universal adhesive systems treated with an antioxidant

Background: Secondary caries, degradation of the dentin-resin interface and fracture of the restoration are the most common forms of failure. The aim of this study was to assess the interfacial fracture toughness of three different adhesive approaches and to compare their fracture toughness after surface treatment with antioxidant. Material and Methods: Seventy two dentin blocks with 3×4mm dimension and 3mm thickness were prepared and attached to precured 3×4×12mm composite blocks from both sides. Six adhesive groups (N=12), All-bond universal, Scotchbond universal and Clearfil SE bond with or without antioxidant treatment (Sodium Ascorbate 10% )were applied to dentin surfaces, a 160? polyethylene paper formed the chevron in adhesive-dentin interfaces. Chevron-notched beam fracture toughness was measured following a modified ISO 24370 standard. The uniform composite-dentin-composite block was subjected to a 4-point test in universal machine. Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann-Whitney tests (? =0.05). Results: Different adhesive approaches yielded different significant in fracture toughness rates. A significant increase of fracture toughness was observed between adhesive groups after antioxidant surface treatment. The difference in fracture toughness between Scotchbond universal and All-bond universal were significant. Conclusions: The highest value of fracture toughness was reported for Clearfil SE bond and the lowest value was found for All-bond universal. Sodium ascorbate as antioxidant surface treatment had a significant effect in increasing the fracture toughness

Review of Lifespan diagnosis in Patients with Substance-induced Psychosis Admitted to Psychiatric Wards of Imam Hussein Hospital in Tehran 2015

Introduction: Diagnostic certainty is difficult in the early stages of psychotic disorders, and it becomes more complicated if at the same time alcohol or drugs get consumed. There is a bilateral association between substance use and psychotic symptoms. Thus, this study was aimed to evaluate the lifespan diagnosis in patients with substance-induced psychosis admitted to psychiatric wards of Imam Hussein Hospital in Tehran 2015.Method: Through an accessible sampling method, this cross-sectional study was conducted on 90 patients diagnosed with substance-induced psychosis in the psychiatric wards of Imam Hussein Hospital in Tehran. The data were analyzed through frequency descriptive statistics and charts, and by logistic regression using SPSS23 software. Results: In patients with substance-induced psychosis, the results showed that bipolar disorder with psychotic symptoms was the most common disorder (48.9%), followed by schizoaffective (36.7%) disorder, schizophrenia (22.2%), personality disorders (16.6%) (Antisocial, 5.5%; borderline (BPD), 11.1%), adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (3.3%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (4.4%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (1.1%). Logistic regression results showed that the patients' age and family history of psychotic disorders could significantly predict the transition to the spectrum of primary psychotic disorders.Conclusion: In psychotic patients or those with primary psychosis, the simultaneous consumption of several substances may indicate a further aggravation of the disease and accelerate the transition of their diagnosis. The transition of the diagnosis of substance-induced psychosis into primary schizophrenia should be considered in the treatment and administration of the drugs

The plasma Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) does not have any correlation with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)

We performed this study to measure the Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) plasma level and to survey its correlation with disease activity in the newly diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients and those who were under treatment with the combination of Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug (DMARD) plus Prednisolone (PSL).We enrolled 30 newly diagnosed RA patients who received no treatment regarding their disease, 30 patients under treatment with the combination of Methotrexate (MTX) + Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) + PSL and 30 healthy subjects in this case-control study from September 2017 to December 2017. The level of plasma TNF-α was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in each group. For assessment of disease severity, we used Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28) formula, and regarding DAS-28, we divided patients into four groups, including remission, low, moderate and high disease activity. There were no significant differences in the plasma level of TNF-α between the newly diagnosed RA patients and subjects who received MTX + HCQ + PSL, as well as healthy controls (p>0.05). There was a significant correlation between plasma levels of TNF-α and DAS-28 in the newly diagnosed patients with RA (r = 0.594, P = 0.001). Targeting TNF-α at the early stage of RA could have more beneficial effects on the amelioration of disease activity

Investigation the Suitability of Patient Education Pamphlets and Patient Satisfaction among Teaching Hospitals in 2015

Background: To make the best use of written information in education pamphlets, suitability criteria developed for instructional materials. Moreover, client satisfaction with the quality of written materials provided in hospitals for patients needs to be taken into account. Aim: Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the suitability of patient education pamphlets and patient satisfaction among teaching hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. Method: A total number of 542 patient education pamphlets developed in 11 teaching hospitals in Mashhad was collected via a census method and their suitability was investigated using Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) instrument. Subsequently, satisfaction with education pamphlets among 2820 hospitalized patients was evaluated using a questionnaire designed based on SAM instrument. The association between the suitability of the given pamphlets and patient satisfaction was also determined. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test were used to analyze the findings. Results: The results revealed that 33.3% and 66.7% of the given pamphlets fell into the superior and adequate categories in terms of suitability, respectively. With regard to the satisfaction level, 0.7%, 26.4%, and 72.9 % of the patients were poorly, fairly, and completely satisfied with the pamphlets, respectively. Moreover, the pamphlets rated the higher suitability by patients obtained the higher satisfaction scores. Implications for Practice: The results of this study indicated a need for reconsiderations in some suitability factors for the pamphlets. In this respect, the factors of cultural appropriateness as well as layout and typography rated as acceptable

Quality of Life in Children with Asthma versus Healthy Children

BACKGROUND: Asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease in the pediatric age group. The disease affects different aspects of the children's lives, such as physical, emotional, social and educational aspects. Thus, more focus has been on the quality of life in these patients rather than the duration of their illness in recent years.AIM: This study examined the different aspects of quality of life in asthmatic children for the first time in this geographic area.METHODS: The study was cross-sectional conducted in 2015-2016. The asthmatic group was 100 patients aged 8 to 12 admitted to the Asthma and Allergy Clinic of Ghaem Hospital (as) in Mashhad with the control group composed of 100 healthy children of the same age and gender. The standard questionnaire pedsQLTM was used for comparing the quality of life of children in the two groups. Statistical analysis was SPSS23 with P-value less than 0.05, which was statistically significant.RESULTS: In each group, 58 patients were boys, and 42 were girls. In a comparison of the quality of life of children, the asthma group with a mean total score of Peds QL 20.99 ± 12.54 compared to the healthy children with a mean total score of Peds QL of 8.8 ± 5.41 had a lower quality of life (P < 0.001). Moreover, regarding various aspects of quality of life asthma group had a lower quality of life in physical performance, emotional performance and performance in school (P < 0.001). Nonetheless, there was no significant difference between the two groups considering social function (P = 0.267). Examining the relationship between Peds QL score of patients with asthma with various variables was indicative of the fact that Peds QL scores were significantly correlated with the gender of the patients, showing better quality of life in the girls (P = 0.001).CONCLUSION: The results indicated that children with asthma have a significantly lower quality of life compared with healthy children of the same age. Also, in examining the different aspects of quality of life, these children had a lower quality of life in physical performance, emotional performance, and performance at school, and were at the level as that of healthy children only in social performance

The effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on gene expression related to insulin, lipid and inflammation in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective: This research was conducted to assess the effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) intake on gene expression related to insulin, lipid and inflammation in subjects with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 40 subjects diagnosed with PCOS. Subjects were randomly allocated into two groups to intake either 100mg CoQ10 (n¼20) or placebo (n¼20) per day for 12 weeks. Gene expression related to insulin, lipid and inflammation were quantified in blood samples of PCOS women with RT-PCR method. Results: Results of RT-PCR shown that compared with the placebo, CoQ10 intake downregulated gene expression of oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (LDLR) (p<0.001) and upregulated gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-c) (p¼0.01) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of subjects with PCOS. In addition, compared to the placebo group, CoQ10 supplementation downregulated gene expression of interleukin-1 (IL-1) (p¼0.03), interleukin-8 (IL-8) (p¼0.001) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) (p<0.001) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of subjects with PCOS. Conclusions: Overall, CoQ10 intake for 12 weeks in PCOS women significantly improved gene expression of LDLR, PPAR-c, IL-1, IL-8 and TNF-a

Downregulation of ITM2A Gene Expression in Macrophages of Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis

Objectives: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a rheumatic disorder that is mostly determined by genetic and environmental factors. Given the known importance of macrophage in AS pathogenesis, we investigated the transcriptional profile of macrophage cells in the disease. Methods and Results: Two approaches of differential expression and subsequently, weighted gene co-expression network analysis was utilized to analyze a publicly available microarray dataset of macrophages. Integral membrane protein 2A (ITM2A) was among the most significant genes with a decreased trend in the common results of both methods. In order to confirm the finding, the expression of ITM2A was evaluated in monocyte-derived (M2-like) and M1 macrophages obtained from 14 AS patients and 14 controls. Macrophages were differentiated from whole-blood separated monocytes by 7 days incubating with macrophage colony-stimulating factor and then macrophages specific markers were verified with the flow cytometer. M1 polarization was induced by IFN-gamma and lipopolysaccharide. Finally, relative gene expression analysis by real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed a significant downregulation of the ITM2A gene in both M2 like and M1 macrophages of the AS group compared to the control. Conclusion: Since ITM2A plays a critical role in osteo- and chondrogenic cellular differentiation, our finding may provide new insights into AS pathogenesis.Peer reviewe

The effects of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E co-supplementation on gene expression of lipoprotein(a) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein, lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

This study was conducted to determine the effects of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E cosupplementation on gene expression of lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL), lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was done on 68 women diagnosed with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria aged 18e40 years old. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either 1000 mg omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil containing 400 mg a- Linolenic acid plus 400 IU vitamin E supplements (n ¼ 34) or placebo (n ¼ 34) for 12 weeks. Lp(a) and Ox-LDL mRNA levels were quantified in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of PCOS women with RT-PCR method. Lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress were quantified at the beginning of the study and after 12-week intervention. Quantitative results of RT-PCR demonstrated that compared with the placebo, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E co-supplementation downregulated expressed levels of Lp(a) mRNA (P < 0.001) and Ox-LDL mRNA (P < 0.001) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of women with PCOS. In addition, compared to the placebo group, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E cosupplementation resulted in a significant decrease in serum triglycerides (�22.1 ± 22.3 vs. þ7.7 ± 23.6 mg/dL, P < 0.001), VLDL- (�4.4 ± 4.5 vs. þ1.5 ± 4.7 mg/dL, P < 0.001), total- (�20.3 ± 16.6 vs. þ12.2 ± 26.1 mg/dL, P < 0.001), LDL- (�16.7 ± 15.3 vs. þ11.9 ± 26.1 mg/dL, P < 0.001) and total-/HDLcholesterol (�0.5 ± 0.6 vs. þ0.4 ± 0.8, P < 0.001). There were a significant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity (þ89.4 ± 108.9 vs. þ5.9 ± 116.2 mmol/L, P ¼ 0.003) and a significant decrease in malondialdehyde levels (�0.3 ± 0.4 vs. -0.008 ± 0.6 mmol/L, P ¼ 0.01) by combined omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E intake compared with the placebo group. Overall, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E cosupplementation for 12 weeks in PCOS women significantly improved gene expression of Lp(a) and Ox- LDL, lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress

第711回 千葉医学会例会・第20回 佐藤外科例会 32.

<p>It obtained by maximum likelihood method using HKY+<i>Г</i>+I as nucleotides' substitution model. Triangleshows the position of cluster C which is detailed in (A). See <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0162492#pone.0162492.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1</a> legend for more details.</p