Prevalence of Dementia Among Older Patients: A Hospital-Based Study in Iran

Background: Dementia constitutes a public health hazard in developing countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of dementia and its associated factors in older hospitalized patients. Methods: The participants of this cross-sectional study consisted of older patients admitted to medical wards in Rasoul-e Akram hospital in Tehran, Iran. Mini-Mental State Examination, Mini-Cog test, Geriatric Depression Scale, Activities of Daily Living-Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL-IADL) scale, and socioeconomic questionnaires were used. Results: A total of 205 elderly inpatients were included. The mean age was 71.33 ± 7.35 years; 63.4 of the participants had normal cognitive function, while 36.6 had some degree of cognitive impairment. There was a statistically significant relationship between gender, age, number of children, and occupation and the prevalence of dementia. Conclusion: Appropriate cognitive screening of older patients upon admission to hospitals could help identify potential adverse events and enhance the quality of care for patients with comorbid dementia. © The Author(s) 2019

Analgesic Activity of the Extract of Aerial Parts of Colza (Brassica Napus) in Mice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: It has been reported that Cruciferous family plants such as Brassica napus (Colza) are abundant sources of flavonoid compounds that involve in prostaglandin synthesis and may show analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the analgesic effect of hydroalcoholic extract of aerial parts of Colza in comparison with morphine, with or without naloxone in mice. METHODS: The male mice weighing 18-26 g were divided into experimental groups (6 mice in each group) and received i.p. injections of 50, 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg of the hydroalcoholic extract of colza and morphine with or without naloxone, respectively. Normal saline was used as control. The hot-plate test was performed to evaluate the analgesic effects of all treatments and pain latency was measured at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 minutes after injection of the drugs. FINDINGS: Pain tolerance of the mice receiving various doses of colza extract was significantly increased compared to the control. Moreover, simultaneous injection of morphine (20 mg/kg) and colza extract (250 mg/kg) increased pain tolerance compared to morphine alone. Also, simultaneous injection of colza extract and morphine at 10 minutes after naloxone (1 mg/kg), increased analgesia in the animals. The highest analgesia was observed after treatment with morphine and colza extract (250 mg/kg) at 30 minutes after the injection (32±2 seconds). CONCLUSION: According to the results, the hydroalcoholic extract of the aerial parts of colza induced analgesia In mice during the hot-plate test. This effect may be attributed to the presence of flavonoid compounds in the extract, which confirms the analgesic properties of colza

Performance Evaluation of Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) in Forecasting Precipitation in two Arid and Hyper arid Regions

One of the most important problems in the management and planning of water resources is to forecast long-term precipitation in arid region and hyper arid regions. In this study, statistical downscaling model (SDSM) is used for study of climate change effects on precipitation. The data used as input to the Model are daily precipitation of Kerman and Bam synoptic stations, NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) data and the A2 and B2 emission scenarios HadCM3 for the reference period (1971-2001). Using HadCM3 A2, B2 data the precipitation for three period (2010-2039), (2040-2069) and (2070-2099) are predicted and compared with the reference period. We used the first 15 years data (1971-1985) for the calibration and the second 15 years data (1986-2001) for model validation. Research results showed that the precipitation will change and Change directions are positive in some months and negative in other months. After the examination function Indexes results from SDSM model shown that this model has better accuracy and a high ability to predict precipitation in arid region than hyper arid region

An update on lead poisoning

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Lead poisoning have been reported from many parts of the world. They are one of global clinical problem that effect all body organs and many deaths every year. This review was done to survey toxicological aspects of lead compounds METHODS: The data bank used in this study is web of science, scopus, pubmed, pubmed central, SID. The keywords are Alzheimer�s Disease, medical plants, acetylcholine, antioxidant. FINDINGS: Metallic lead is used industrial, organic lead eg., tetraethyl and tetramethyl lead in gasoline additives to prevent engine knock, and inorganic lead salts combined with other elements. Majority of absorptive lead through the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Lead compounds can lead to clinical manifestation in neurologic system, hematopoietic, kidneys, cardiovascular, reproduction, bones. There are tests available to diagnose poisoning by measuring lead in blood, urine, hair and fingernails. Patients of lead toxicity need to decontamination (GI tract irrigation), supportive cares, use traditional and new chelating agents to combination therapy, also antioxidants, vitamins, and nanoparticle. CONCLUSION: Based on the survey, it is recommended to detect contaminated areas and consider an educational plan for the exposed people to prevention of lead poisoning. © 2015, Babol University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Assessment of drought risk index using drought hazard and vulnerability indices

This study attempts to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of drought hazard and risk in Semnan province, Iran. Drought risk assessment has been conducted in eight counties of Semnan province using a conceptual framework which emphasizes on the combined role of hazard and vulnerability in defining droughts. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) at synoptic stations at 3 and 12-month time step for period 1985–2011 were used to provide drought hazard index (DHI) map using kriging interpolation and natural break methods by ArcGIS 9.3 software. Eight obtainable/quantifiable socioeconomic and physical indicators including population density, rural ratio, agricultural occupation, irrigated land, food production, and municipal, industrial, and agricultural water consumption were used to provide the map of drought vulnerability index (DVI). Finally, the map of drought risk index (DRI) was provided through the integration of DHI and DVI maps. The overall results showed that at 3-month timescale Shahroud and Damghan and at 12-month timescale Shahroud, Damghan, and Semnan are the most susceptible regions to drought in central Iran. Therefore, consideration of virtual water, cultivation of products with less water requirement and use of appropriate irrigation methods can be two important factors in water demand management which should be addressed by water resource managers

Conformational study of human serum albumin in pre-denaturation temperatures by differential scanning calorimetry, circular dichroism and UV spectroscopy

Thermal conformational changes of human serum albumin (HSA) in phosphate buffer, 10 mM at pH = 7 are investigated using differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), circular dichroism (CD) and UV spectroscopic methods. The results indicate that temperature increment from 25°C to 55°C induces reversible conformational changes in the structure of HSA. Conformational change of HSA are shown to be a three-step process. Interestingly, melting temperature of the last domain is equal to the maximum value of fever in pathological conditions, i.e. 42°C. These conformational alterations are accompanied by a mild alteration of secondary structures. Study of HSA-SDS (sodium dodecyl sulphate) interaction at 45°C and 35°C reveals that SDS affects the HSA structure at least in three steps: the first two steps result in more stabilization and compactness of HSA structure, while the last one induces the unfolding of HSA. Since HSA has a more affinity for SDS at 45°C compared to 35°C, It is suggested that the net negative charge of HSA is decreased in fever, which results in the decrease of HSA-associated cations and plasma osmolarity, and consequently, heat removal via the increase in urine volume

The Comparison of Antifungal Effects of Methylene Chloride and Methanol Extracts of Green and Black Tea on Candida Albicans

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Background: Candidiasis is the most common fungal infection. Nystatin is often used to treating of candidiasis that creates the problem of drug resistance and side effects. Study was performed to determine the antifungal properties of black and green tea extracts against Candida albicans. METHODS: To do this basic study, at first methylene chloride and methanolic extracts of green and black tea were prepared. Disk diffusion method and measuring the diameter of inhibition zone was used to determine anti-fungal extracts against Candida albicans. The methanolic extract at doses of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 mg and methylene chloride extracts with concentrations of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1 mg per disk were used and the results compared in 24 and 48 hours. FINDINGS: Methylene chloride extracts of both type of tea create antifungal activity more than methanol extracts. The maximum antifungal activity 24 hours by a concentration of 1 mg hard methylene chloride extract was obtained and in this concentration with formation of zone inhibition 30.57±4.4 and 34.25±2.7 mm, respectively, for the methylene chloride extract of green tea and black more antifungal effect compared to Nystatin (20±1.06 mm) was established (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The results have shown that green and black tea leaf extract can create antifungal activity effects against Candida albicans as dose -dependent manner and is more effective in the first 24 hours than the 48 hours <xm </x