Sonicated date syrup media preparation for microbial culture

20% of the world’s date exports are produced by Iran and much of these fruits are either damaged or has insufficient quality for human  consumption. The proportion of the crop (35% of the total crops) thatcurrently goes to waste can be turned into useful byproducts. Because of the high cost of commercial prepared culture media in Iran, it is envisioned that date waste can be used in the preparation of microbial culture media. In this study, various solidified date syrups were produced as culture media and the effect of date constituents with/without ultrasound waves irradiation were investigated using selected natural micro flora of date by agar dilution method and the results were compared with classical culture media containing PDA for fungi and PCA for bacterial cultures. The results showed that, extracted date syrup by ultrasound waves is an ideal media  for enriching Aspergillus spp. and Mucor spp growth. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that date syrup containing media can also be used as a selective media due to its inhibition to certain bacteria and fungi. Hence, there is an economical benefit from the use of date syrup in the preparation of certain enrichment and selective microbiological media.Key words: Date syrup, culture media, ultrasound, microbial

DRD1-DRD5 Expression Profiles in Arthritis Rheumatoid

Objectives The cause of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease is still unknown. It appears that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in its pathogenesis. Recent studies reveal that in addition to the CNS, immune cells synthesis neurotransmitters so that these catecholamines can regulate immune functions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the dopamine receptor gene expression profiles on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of rheumatoid arthritis patients in comparison with normal individuals. Material & Methods In the present study, we investigated dopamine receptor gene expression in PBMCs of 40 RA patients and 40 healthy individuals using Real Time-PCR.The specificities of the obtained Real time PCR products for the respective dopamine receptors fragments were confirmed by sequenced analysis capillary system Results We found that DRD1-DRD5 types of dopamine receptors genes expression profiles of rheumatoid arthritis patients differ compared to healthy individuals. Moreover, a significant difference of DR2 and DR4 gene expression was seen in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Conclusion This study showed that some types of dopamine receptors genes expression profiles alter in rheumatoid arthritis patients with comparison to healthy individuals Moreover, this alteration possibly could result in dysfunction of dopaminergic system in immune cells and finally lead to rheumatoid arthritis

Interventions based on PRECEDE-PROCEED for promoting safety behaviors in Primary school boys

Introduction & Objective: Pedestrian injuries are a significant source of morbidity, mortality and disability among children. Prevention of these injuries is thus a major priority for public health and requires a comprehensive approach and educational strategies. The purpose of this study was designing and evaluation of an educational program, based on the PRECEED-PROCEED model for improvement of safety behavior in primary school boys. Materials & Methods: This study is a field trial carried out in 6th areas of Tehran in 2007. Participants (n=88) were 10 – 11 year old who followed by items measuring the PRECEED-PROCEED model before and after two months of intervention. The collected data were analyzed with T test, X2 and pair T test using SPSS software. Results: After participating in educational program, significant improvements were found in knowledge, attitude, behavior, enabling and reinforcing factors of the components of PRECEEDPROCEED model. Conclusion: The findings suggest the beneficial effects of educational intervention based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model on improving the safety behavior. It can be recommended that health education plan be used on educational models

Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma

ObjectivePrimary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is an extremely rare condition in childhood. We report the first case of PCNSL in a child in Iran.Clinical presentationA nine-year-old boy was referred to Mofid Hospital with the history of headache of four months and seizure of 2 months duration. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a hyper-intense lesion in left fronto-parietal area with secondary satellite lesions. Biopsy of the brain mass was performed. Pathologic findings showed brain lymphoma and immunohistochemistry confirmed this diagnosis. The treatment started with intrathecal and systemic chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy

Breeding and reproduction of grey mullet (Mugil cephalus L.)

Mazandaran and Gorgan provinces have temperate climate, thus they have more potential for aquatic animal culture. There are thousands hectare of salt and useless lands in adjacent to Caspian Sea. As these areas have provided a favorable back ground for aquatic animal culture. As a result, the successful results obtained from imported gray mullet (Mugil cephalus) culture project in north climate, it has demonstrated that the gray mullet has a good biocharacteristic for culturing in pond enclosure environment and in different aquatic conditions (fresh water, brackish water and salt water). From 1998 until 2001, the broodstock yield and gray mullet artificial propagation projects were performed by fisheries research center of Mazandaran in Ghomishan prawn culture station in adjacent to Caspian Sea (East north of Mazandaran Province). This investigation executed during two stages (phases). At first stage, the goal of this project included the survey of possibility available about matured fish as well as induction of final maturation and artificial propagation for producing of broodstock and larva. In addition, in this way, we will obtain new information about gray mullet propagation and culture as marine species. We introduce mass production in aquaculture. At present research, the possibility of broodstock yield and artificial propagation of gray mullet have investigated by gray mullet fingerlings imported from Hong kong and then they have cultured in earth ponds of Ghomishan areas during five years (1994-1998). In order to broodstock production in spring 1998, two earth ponds (0.5 hectare) were prepared. 100 specimens of fish stock (1-2.5 kg weight average and 5 years of age) placed in each pond. For providing of suitable water and nutrition, fish were fed by food containing rich protein (40%) with 3-5% body weight and maintained in water with 30-35 ppt salinity. The survey of sexual maturation was performed by sampling of sexual glands through year. There were four stages in dominant female broodstocks. This survey indicated that oocytes have emerged stage 1 (immature) from March to June, stage 2 (yolk vesicle) in September and stage 4 (yolk globule) in October. Three stages (first, second and third) of yolk formation in oocytes will occur but these stages take place in October, December and January respectively. It's obvious that oocytes will progress into the end of third stage (yolk formation) and then their growth was arrested. Ovum with 600 m diameter was observed when the water temperature declined less than 18 c and day time was short (from middle autumn to middle winter), on that time, fish were induced by hormone because lack of final maturation and ovulation, therefore, natural spawning was not occurred in pond condition. Furthermore, artificial propagation of mugil cephalus was occurred by hormonal induction. Hormonal induction was utilized by inject of many hormones (LHRH, Cph, HCG). Using different components of hormones and also their different doses obtained the best results from broodstock that the average ovum diameter was about 600 m. Several types hormones which were injected into gray mullet with two or several intermittent (24 h intervals) along with 20-25 c temperature and 30-35 ppt salinity. This condition can provide stage 4 maturity for fertilization. Totally (as whole), three intermittent fertilization was necessary for exiting of larva, larva production in first, second and third intermittents that were 2000, 2500 and 300 specimens respectively. Larva fed on chlorella algae and rotifera and they have maintained for 14-15 days. The results of obtainable research indicated the possibility of gray mullet broodstock production in cultural condition, artificial propagation and larva production. This research took place for the first time in north climate of Iran

Monitoring, isolation and identification of bacterial and parasitic agents in specific pathogen free shrimp production

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food industry in the world. Shrimp culture industry is also part of it, unfortunately, like other marine animal culture economic losses caused by the disease has been one of the major challenges of this industry. The major cause of mortality in shrimp hatcheries and rearing centers is related to water quality and the presence of pathogenic bacteria and parasites. These are common opportunistic microorganisms in the hatchery, rearing centers, flora and living food but poor conditions of culture are caused diseases. Since the development of aquaculture in the countries need health management, one of the important additional rings in the shrimp strategic plan is specific pathogen free shrimp production, which has been addressed in this plan. Specific pathogen free shrimp define as the shrimps which are free of the specific pathogens listed in world organization for animal health (OIE). These factors should be conclusively diagnosed and can be isolated from shrimp hatcheries and culture system. Therefore in this project screening and surveillance of shrimp in several generations according to the list of OIE were done and they were monitored for of bacterial pathogens (Necrosis Hepatopancreas Bacteria) and parasites (Microsporidian and Gregarines). At total 756 pieces of shrimp, 6 sample of dry food and 97 samples of live foods were controlled and tested. 1.35 percent of live foods were positive for NHPB and 5.6 percent of pre broodstocks have epicommensal and microsporidia which were disposed in quarantine phase. Because of biosecurity and surveillance system establishment, there were no bacterial or parasitic isolation or diagnosis during SPF shrimp production

Comparison of the marginal adaptation of direct and indirect composite inlay restorations with optical coherence tomography

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to use the photonic imaging modality of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to compare the marginal adaptation of composite inlays fabricated by direct and indirect techniques. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Class II cavities were prepared on 34 extracted human molar teeth. The cavities were randomly divided into two groups according to the inlay fabrication technique. The first group was directly restored on cavities with a composite (Esthet X HD, Dentsply, Germany) after isolating. The second group was indirectly restored with the same composite material. Marginal adaptations were scanned before cementation with an invisible infrared light beam of OCT (Thorlabs), allowing measurement in 200 µm intervals. Restorations were cemented with a self-adhesive cement resin (SmartCem2, Dentsply), and then marginal adaptations were again measured with OCT. Mean values were statistically compared by using independent-samples t-test and paired samples t-test (p<0.05), before and after cementation. RESULTS: Direct inlays presented statistically smaller marginal discrepancy values than indirect inlays, before (p=0.00001442) and after (p=0.00001466) cementation. Marginal discrepancy values were increased for all restorations after cementation (p=0.00008839, p=0.000000952 for direct and indirect inlays, respectively). The mean marginal discrepancy value of the direct group increased from 56.88±20.04 µm to 91.88±31.7 µm, whereas the indirect group increased from 107.54±35.63 µm to 170.29±54.83 µm. Different techniques are available to detect marginal adaptation of restorations, but the OCT system can give quantitative information about resin cement thickness and its interaction between tooth and restoration in a nondestructive manner. CONCLUSIONS: Direct inlays presented smaller marginal discrepancy than indirect inlays. The marginal discrepancy values were increased for all restorations that refer to cement thickness after cementation

Development gene data bank of cultured shrimp species in Iran

DNA barcode is a short, standard well known sequence of cytochrome oxidase І gene. By using this DNA sequence can be realized that each animal, plant or fungus belongs to which species. in this research, samples were collected from imported cultured shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and and 6 Persian Gulf and Oman Sea shrimp species which classified based on traditional systematically as: Penaeus semisulcatus, Fenneropenaeus merguiensis, Metapenaeus affinis, Parapenaeopsis Stylifera and Fenneropenaeus indicus. After examination of DNA barcode sequence, molecular and bioinformatics operations of each sequence in the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), phylogenetic analysis of each sample was determined and similarity of each sample with NCBI and CBOL database was checked and the closest species to each sample were specified. According to the results different samples of L. vannamei, . banded P.semisulcatus, F. merguiensis and F. indicus have more than 97% similarity to the same species of other countries. non banded P.semisulcatus had 80.07% similarity to banded P.semisulcatus, M. affinis samples had 90.3% similarity to Metapenaeus ensis and Parap. Stylifera had 93.44% similarity to Parapenaeopsis coromandelica in the CBOL. This funding confirmed the need for further investigation and possible announcement of new species

Microbial agents of water (bacterial, viral and fungi) in specific pathogen free shrimps producing

Shrimp aquaculture as one of the most important activities in the world and Iran is expanding. Bacteria and fungi of the most common infectious agents causing diseases are in the hatchery and shrimp. The most important bacteria causing diseases in the hatcheries and shrimp Farms, bacteria are Vibrionaceae family. The fungi can be identified as Fusarium, Mucor, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Penicillium and yeast. Utilized of water supply system in this project for breeding and reproduction of shrimp is a controlled system. The purpose of this action, control and stabilization of water quality during the breeding period and in all sectors. This system act as a part of biological security. Incoming water before the utilization was monitored for the total bacteria count, fungi and as well as Vibrionaceae family, each 15 days. If contamination is too predictable, additional tests and necessary treatments were carried out to improve the quality of the water. The water, after use in the system and after passing through the filtration system, was guided out

Targeted emission reductions from global super-polluting power plant units

There are more than 30,000 biomass- and fossil-fuel-burning power plants now operating worldwide, reflecting a tremendously diverse infrastructure, which ranges in capacity from less than a megawatt to more than a gigawatt. In 2010, 68.7% of electricity generated globally came from these power plants, compared with 64.2% in 1990. Although the electricity generated by this infrastructure is vital to economic activity worldwide, it also produces more CO2 and air pollutant emissions than infrastructure from any other industrial sector. Here, we assess fuel- and region-specific opportunities for reducing undesirable air pollutant emissions using a newly developed emission dataset at the level of individual generating units. For example, we find that retiring or installing emission control technologies on units representing 0.8% of the global coal-fired power plant capacity could reduce levels of PM2.5 emissions by 7.7–14.2%. In India and China, retiring coal-fired plants representing 1.8% and 0.8% of total capacity can reduce total PM2.5 emissions from coal-fired plants by 13.2% and 16.0%, respectively. Our results therefore suggest that policies targeting a relatively small number of ‘super-polluting’ units could substantially reduce pollutant emissions and thus the related impacts on both human health and global climate