Information Security from a Scientometric Perspective

During recent years, Information societies are continually confronted with security threats and information vulnerabilities. Literature analysis of major disciplines is one of the key tools available to policymakers of research institutions and organizations. Scientometrics is the field of study which concerns itself with measuring and analyzing scientific literature. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the research trends of information security in the Middle-East and the world from a scientometric perspective. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used in this study. The Scopus citation database was used to collect the publication data, as the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature. Therefore, all documents related to "information security" were retrieved and analyzed. The results showed that the majority of scientific publications in the field of information security were produced in the United States of America and China. Among the Middle-Eastern countries, Iran ranked the first in terms of scientific publications in the field of information security while ranked 23th among the countries of the world. It is apparent that paying special attention to the field of information and data security in terms of international scientific collaborations, using knowledge and experiences of the leading, and supporting research and development in this field can improve the quality and quantity of scientific publications in this field. The expertise gathered during the process will prove invaluable and effective in confronting the security threats and vulnerabilities posed to information societies

The effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Artemisia aucheri on bleomycin induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats

Background and aim: Pulmonary fibrosis is one of common side effect of bleomycin, which is administered as a chemotherapeutic agent. Current evidence suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) may play a key role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. This study was designed to investigate the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Artemisia aucheri with some antioxidant effects on bleomycin induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Methods: In this experimental study, thirty five Sprague Dawley rats were semi randomly divide into five groups of seven. In four groups of animals bleomycin sulfate (5 mg/Kg) was used for intra-trachea instillation. Two groups of animals received 100 and 200 mg/kg (i.p) Artemisia aucheri extracts (AAE) and one group received vitamin E (10mg/kg, i.p.) for two weeks. Same amount of saline was administered to the control group. At the end of experimental period, malondialdehyde (MAD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) serum levels were determined. Lung tissue samples from the all animals were collected for histological investigation. Results: Treatment by AAE and Vitamin E caused decrease in the serum levels of malondialdehyde (MAD) which were not significant, whereas a significant increase was observed in the serum level of total antioxidant capacity. Discussion: The findings of this study suggest that antioxidant compounds of AAE may have therapeutic effect for pulmonary fibrosis

Studies on Dissolution Enhancement of Prednisolone, a Poorly Water-Soluble Drug by Solid Dispersion Technique

Introduction: Prednisolone is a class II substance according to the Biopharmaceutics Classification System. It is a poorly water soluble agent. The aim of the present study was to improve dissolution rate of a poorly water-soluble drug, prednisolone, by a solid dispersion technique. Methods: Solid dispersion of prednisolone was prepared with PEG 6000 or different carbohydrates such as lactose and dextrin with various ratios of the drug to carrier i.e., 1:10, 1:20 and 1:40. Solid dispersions were prepared by coevaporation method. The evaluation of the properties of the dispersions was performed using dissolution studies, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray powder diffractometery. Results: The results indicated that lactose is suitable carriers to enhance the in vitro dissolution rate of prednisolone. The data from the x-ray diffraction showed that the drug was still detectable in its solid state in all solid dispersions except solid dispersions prepared by dextrin as carrier. The results from infrared spectroscopy showed no well-defined drug–carrier interactions for coevaporates. Conclusion: Solid dispersion of a poorly water-soluble drug, prednisolone may alleviate the problems of delayed and inconsistent rate of dissolution of the drug

Information Security from a Scientometric Perspective

During recent years, Information societies are continually confronted with security threats and information vulnerabilities. Literature analysis of major disciplines is one of the key tools available to policymakers of research institutions and organizations. Scientometrics is the field of study which concerns itself with measuring and analyzing scientific literature. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the research trends of information security in the Middle-East and the world from a scientometric perspective. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used in this study. The Scopus citation database was used to collect the publication data, as the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature. Therefore, all documents related to "information security" were retrieved and analyzed. The results showed that the majority of scientific publications in the field of information security were produced in the United States of America and China. Among the Middle-Eastern countries, Iran ranked the first in terms of scientific publications in the field of information security while ranked 23th among the countries of the world. It is apparent that paying special attention to the field of information and data security in terms of international scientific collaborations, using knowledge and experiences of the leading, and supporting research and development in this field can improve the quality and quantity of scientific publications in this field. The expertise gathered during the process will prove invaluable and effective in confronting the security threats and vulnerabilities posed to information societies

Combined effect of unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids on the metabolic syndrome: tehran lipid and glucose study

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the background intakes of total dietary fat, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) modulate the effects of dietary saturated fatty acids (SFA) on metabolic syndrome (MetS). Material and Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample of 4 677 adults, aged 19 to 84 years. MetS was defined according to the ATP III criteria. Results: Median intakes of SFA, MUFA and PUFA were 9.5, 9.6 and 5.6% of total energy. High SFA intakes were associated with higher prevalence of MetS, in both individuals with higher and lower median intakes of total fat, MUFA and PUFA. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that SFA intakes were positively associated with the prevalence of MetS, independent of total dietary fat, MUFA and PUFA intake

Prevalence of Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma hominis isolates among Women with Cervicitis Referred to Karaj Health Care Centers

Background and Objectives: Mycoplasma is a genus of bacteria often found in the normal flora of the mouth, respiratory system and urogenital tract; but potentially pathogenic species also exist which can cause serious respiratory and genital diseases in human including postpartum fever, pelvic inflammatory infections, and pyelonephritis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma hominis in women who referred to the health centers in Karaj and investigate the susceptibility of M. genitalium strains against Fluoroquinolone antibiotics.Materials & Methods: Endocervical swabs were taken from 200 women with cervicitis. Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs) were performed for detecting Mgpa gene in M. genitalium and RNH gene in M. hominis. Mutations in parC and gyrA genes, as well as antibiotic resistance, were studied in positive samples of M. genitalium.Results: 9 M. genitalium and 11 M. hominis positive samples were found among samples obtained from women with cervicitis. Positive samples of M.genitalium were examined for isolating the parC and gyrA genes. Six sequences of these genes were analyzed by MEGA5 software. Mutation in parC gene was observed in one sequence which %16 shows resistance.Conclusion: M. hominis and M. genitalium were detected in 5.5% and 4.5% of samples, respectively. Our findings showed a relatively medium prevalence of M. hominis and M. genitalium in women with cervicitis in Alborz province. The sequencing results of gyrA and parC genes in this study represent the occurrence of mutations which drive fluoroquinolones resistance. Therefore, further studies are necessary in this area and to overcome this problem irregular prescribing limited and antibiotic sensitivity patterns in treatment to be considered

Investigating the Effect of Basic Amino Acids and Glucosamine on the Solubility of Ibuprofen and Piroxicam

Purpose: Poor aqueous solubility hampers the development of several compounds as pharmacological agents. Hence, preparing novel formulations with augmented absorption is a challenge in pharmaceutical industries. In this paper, we have examined the effect of basic amino acids including arginine (ARG), lysine (LYS), and glucosamine (GlucN) on the solubility of ibuprofen (IBU) and piroxicam (PXM) as drugs with limited solubility. We have also studied the effect of the dissolution media with the pH values 1.2 to 7.4. Methods: The saturation shake-flask method was used for solubility studies in the presence of amino acids. Briefly, buffer solutions containing different concentrations of amino acids were prepared. Then, an excess amount of each drug with these buffers was shaken to reach equilibrium. After 48 hours, the upper phase was separated, and solubility was calculated by reading their UV-Vis absorbance. Results: The results illustrated that amino acids increased solubility of both drugs with different ratios, which were pH and concentration-dependent. Solubility improved as the amount of amino acids went up, and this upward pattern was more robust with ARG than LYS. The presence of GlucN in citrate buffer significantly enhanced IBU solubility. The solubility of PXM in accompany of GlucN in water did not change significantly while in citrate buffer solubility enhanced specially at pH 6. Conclusion: Overall, GlucN in citrate buffer and ARG in phosphate buffer could be introduced as the most suitable media for IBU and PXM solubility improvement, respectively

DFNB59 gene mutations screening in non syndromic deaf subjects in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province

زمینه و هدف: وقوع ناشنوایی پیش زبانی حدود 1 در 1000 تولد است که بیش از 60 موارد آن ارثی هستند. ناشنوایی اختلالی هتروژن محسوب می شود و ممکن است به علل محیطی، ژنتیکی یا هر دو رخ دهد. اخیراً جهش های ژن DFNB59 که رمز کننده پروتئین پژواکین است به عنوان عامل ناشنوایی نوع عصبی معرفی شده اند. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی نوع و فراوانی جهش های ژن DFNB59 در 100 ناشنوای غیرسندرومی، در استان چهارمحال و بختیاری انجام شد. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه توصیفی- آزمایشگاهی، فراوانی جهش های ژنDFNB59 در کل اگزون های کد کننده این ژن بررسی گردید. DNA از نمونه های خون محیطی به روش استاندارد فنل کلروفرم استخراج شد. وجود جهش های DFNB59 با روش غربالگری /Heteroduplex Analysis (HA) PCR- SSCP بررسی گردید. سپس جهش های مشاهده شده در اگزون های 2 و 4 با استفاده از روش PCR- RFlP اگزون شماره 6 با استفاده ار تکنیک Nested PCR و اگزون شماره 7 به کمک تعیین توالی تایید گردید. یافته ها: در این تحقیق 3 نوع پلی مورفیسم ژنی (793C>T 793C>G و 874G>A) و یک نوع جهش 988delG به ترتیب با فراوانی 7، 5، 2 و 1 شناسایی شد. نتیجه گیری: مطالعه حاضر و تحقیقات قبلی حاکی از نقش اندک جهش های ژن پژواکین در ایجاد ناشنوایی در استان چهارمحال و بختیاری است و نتیجه اینکه از نظر بالینی جهش های ژن DFNB59 اهمیت چندانی در این منطقه ندارند