A new approach in compatibilization of the poly(lactic acid)/thermoplastic starch (PLA/TPS) blends

tIn this study, a new compatibilizer was synthesized to improve the compatibility of the poly(lacticacid)/thermoplastic starch blends. The compatibilizer was based on maleic anhydride grafted poly-ethylene glycol grafted starch (mPEG-g-St), and was characterized using Fourier transform infraredspectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and back titration techniques. Theresults indicated successful accomplishment of the designed reactions and formation of a starch coredstructure with many connections to m-PEG chains. To assess the performance of synthesized compati-bilizer, several PLA/TPS blends were prepared using an internal mixer. Consequently, their morphology,dynamic-mechanical behavior, crystallization and mechanical properties were studied. The compatibi-lizer enhanced interfacial adhesion, possibly due to interaction between free end carboxylic acid groupsof compatibilizer and active groups of TPS and PLA phases. In addition, biodegradability of the sampleswas evaluated by various methods consisting of weight loss, FTIR-ATR analysis and morphology. Theresults revealed no considerable effect of compatibilizer on biodegradability of samples

The relationship between cognitive emotion regulation and tendency to addiction in adolescents

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive emotion relation and tendency to addiction in adolescents in Isfahan, Iran. METHOD: The participants of the study were all 14–17-year-old students in Isfahan. Four hundred participants were selected as the sample group with the use of multistage cluster sampling. The instruments included in the study were questionnaires of cognitive emotion regulation[1] and tendency to drug abuse.[2] The data were analyzed through correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Regression analysis indicated that there was a significant relationship between all the components of cognitive emotion regulation and tendency toward addiction in adolescents (P < 0.001). FINDING: The findings of the study showed that the difficulty in emotion management being resulted by the problems of drug abusers, and this condition leads to a failure in the management of individual emotional states. Furthermore, considerable importance of emotion regulation in the psychopathology of these individuals was not indicated. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the investigation of the emotional factors in relation with individuals' tendency toward addiction was significant, and in the field of prevention of drug dependence, education could help individuals in improving emotion regulation

Urinary BK virus excretion in children newly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background: Determining the risk factors in developing or increasing the relapses of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) may help health and preventive systems to launch new programs. Up to 90% of normal population changes to seropositive for BK virus by the age of 10 years. Whether this oncogenic virus is responsible for evolving ALL is unclear. In this study, we evaluated the excretion of urinary BK virus in newly diagnosed children with ALL compared with normal population. Methods: This case-control study was carried out on 62 participants (32 ALL patients and 32 normal subjects), aged 1-18 years, in Saint Al-Zahra and Sayyed-Al-Shohada University Hospitals, Isfahan, Iran. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to detect the BK virus in specimens. PCR amplification was performed using specific primers of PEP-1 (5′-AGTCTTTAGGGTCTTCTACC-3′) and PEP-2 (5′-GGTGCCAACCTATGGAACAG-3′). Results: Thirty-five out of 62 participants (54.8%) were males and the remaining were females. The mean duration of disease was 9.6 ± 9.69 months. Central nervous system (CNS) relapse was seen in 29% of the patients. Positive PCR for urine BK virus was seen in three children with ALL (9.7%). No positive result for urine BKV was achieved in the control group. However, Fisher′s exact test did not show any significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). In addition, there was no significant correlation between BKV positivity and frequency of relapses. Conclusion: To demonstrate the role of BK virus in inducing ALL or increasing the number of relapses, prospective studies on larger scale of population and evaluating both serum and urine for BK virus are recommended

Exploring perceptions of instructors about childbirth preparation training courses: A qualitative study

Background: Childbirth preparation training courses on maternal and neonatal health increase awareness, and capability of pregnant women in overcoming fear and anxiety and managing labor pains. Objective: To identify the affecting factors and barriers of these courses from the perspective of their instructors. Methods: This qualitative study of the content analysis type, has been conducted on 16 certified teachers of the training courses of the Hamadan city in 2015. Data were collected by semi-structured in-depth interviews and were then analyzed by using MAXQDA10 application. Results: Participants' experiences are indicated on three main themes including the objectives of the course, facilitators and barriers. The main objectives of the course were reported as to improve maternal and newborn health, promote natural childbirth and preparedness for parenting and breastfeeding. The main facilitators of the successful implementation include observing educational standards, strengthening the communication and relationship between mothers and staff, mobilization, and the role of instructor. The major barriers are reported as inadequate support from management system, insufficient intra-sector collaboration, poor attitude of obstetricians and physicians, inadequate access, theory-practice gap and not intended to labor naturally. Conclusion: The results of our study show that multiple factors are involved in the participation of pregnant women in antenatal classes. Promoting natural childbirth requires intra-sector and inter-sectoral collaboration, as well as the community participation