Overview of Process Modeling Software: Utilizing Alternative Fuels in Cement Plant for Air Pollution Reduction

The use of process systems engineering tools, such as process modeling software enable the alternative generation of more efficient and sustainable processes. This paper presents the simulation of cement process using alternative fuels to replace coal.  The process modeling is performed using Aspen HYSYS. Simulation results revealed that the substitution of fuel oil, natural gas and palm kernel shell for coal had a significant contribution for emission reduction in cement industry. The emissions for the base case scenario found to be 40,317 kg/h CO2, 806 kg/h NO2 and 146.8 kg/h SO2. Utilizing fuel oil mitigated 22% of CO2 and 92% of NO2 but increased 232% of SO2 emissions. Altering coal to palm kernel shell resulted in 46.16% of CO2, 73% of NO2 and 68% of SO2 emission reduction. In the best case 45.64 % reduction of CO2 emissions was achieved by replacing coal to natural gas and neither NO2 nor SO2 was generated.Key words: Cement plant; Process simulation; Aspen HYSYS; Alternative fuels; Air pollution reductio

Lack of Adverse Effects of Cold Physical Plasma-Treated Blood from Leukemia Patients: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common blood malignancy with multiple therapeutic challenges. Cold physical plasma has been considered a promising approach in cancer therapy in recent years. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of cold plasma or plasma-treated solutions (PTS) on hematologic parameters in the whole blood of CLL patients. The mean red blood cell count, white blood cell (WBC) count, platelet and hemoglobin counts, and peripheral blood smear images did not significantly differ between treated and untreated samples in either CLL or healthy individuals. However, both direct plasma and indirect PTS treatment increased lipid peroxidation and RNS deposition in the whole blood of CLL patients and in healthy subjects. In addition, the metabolic activity of WBCs was decreased with 120 s of cold plasma or PTS treatment after 24 h and 48 h. However, cold plasma and PTS treatment did not affect the prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, nor hemolysis in either CLL patients or in healthy individuals. The present study identifies the components of cold plasma to reach the blood without disturbing the basic parameters important in hematology, confirming the idea that the effect of cold plasma may not be limited to solid tumors and possibly extends to hematological disorders. Further cellular and molecular studies are needed to determine which cells in CLL patients are targeted by cold plasma or PTS

Clinical Characteristics and Mortality of a Hospitalized 13 Years Old Patient with Covid-19: A Case Report

The corona virus is a global problem that threatens human life. According to the latest data from different countries the mortality of this virus in children is less than adult. A 13-year-old girl was hospitalized for 6 months following a gunshot trauma and its complications. When her general condition was finally improving, she was diagnosed with the corona virus and passed away. Children who are suffering from underlying diseases and need medical care are at a higher risk of death from the corona virus

The Evaluation of the Effect of Hypothyroidism Treatment on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Introduction: There is still controversy over the existence of a relation between hypothyroidism and fatty liver disease. The scale by which hypothyroidism can affect fatty liver disease progression is also to be determined. Therefore, our study aims to contribute in the determination of this relation. Materials and methods: This observational analytical-before and after study with 53 patients was conducted. The subjects were categorized as having either primary or subclinical hypothyroidism. The serum levels of thyroid stimulation hormone (TSH), free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured and liver ultrasound was done to screen nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Results: The study consisted of 41 women and 12 men with the mean age of 48.3 years. The mean TSH levels decreased after hypothyroidism treatment in patients. The mean levels of FT4 did not have a significant increase after treatment, although in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism this increase was significant. T3 levels increased significantly after treatment. Statistical studies showed that there was a significant change in the degree of fatty liver before and after hypothyroidism treatment. Conclusion: There was an explicit relation between hypothyroidism and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as Hypothyroidism treatment can prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression

Cold Physical Plasma in Cancer Therapy: Mechanisms, Signaling, and Immunity

Despite recent advances in therapy, cancer still is a devastating and life-threatening disease, motivating novel research lines in oncology. Cold physical plasma, a partially ionized gas, is a new modality in cancer research. Physical plasma produces various physicochemical factors, primarily reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), causing cancer cell death when supplied at supraphysiological concentrations. This review outlines the biomedical consequences of plasma treatment in experimental cancer therapy, including cell death modalities. It also summarizes current knowledge on intracellular signaling pathways triggered by plasma treatment to induce cancer cell death. Besides the inactivation of tumor cells, an equally important aspect is the inflammatory context in which cell death occurs to suppress or promote the responses of immune cells. This is mainly governed by the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) to provoke immunogenic cancer cell death (ICD) that, in turn, activates cells of the innate immune system to promote adaptive antitumor immunity. The pivotal role of the immune system in cancer treatment, in general, is highlighted by many clinical trials and success stories on using checkpoint immunotherapy. Hence, the potential of plasma treatment to induce ICD in tumor cells to promote immunity targeting cancer lesions systemically is also discussed

Association between mandibular second molars calcification stages in the panoramic images and cervical vertebral maturity in the lateral cephalometric images

Determination of maturation and evaluation of growth potential is extremely important in clinical orthodontics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the mandibular second molar calcification stages for identification of growth phases. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, samples were derived from panoramic radiographs and lateral cephalograms of 125 subjects (61 males and 64 females) with age ranging from 8 to 17 years and estimates of dental maturity (Demirjian Index [DI]) and skeletal maturity (Cervical vertebral maturation indicators CVMI]) were made. Correlations between DI and CVMI were shown by Spearman?s correlation. The diagnostic performance of the DI for the identification of the growth phase were evaluated using positive likelihood ratios (LHRs), with a threshold of ?10 for satisfactory performance. Correlations between second molar calcification and growth phase were 0.819 for females and 0.805 for males (P-value< 0.0001). LHR ?10 was only observed for the identification of the post-pubertal growth phase for the H stage of the second molar. In spite of the high correlation coefficients between mandibular second molar calcification stages and skeletal maturity, these stages are reliable only for the identification of the post pubertal growth phase

Cold atmospheric plasma is a potent tool to improve chemotherapy in melanoma in vitro and in vivo

Malignant melanoma is a devastating disease. Because of its aggressiveness, it also serves as a model tumor for investigating novel therapeutic avenues. In recent years, scientific evidence has shown that cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) might be a promising modality in cancer therapy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of CAP generated by an argon plasma jet alone or in combination with dacarbazine (DAC) on melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. The effects of the CAP on inducing lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide production were higher in B16 melanoma cells in comparison to non-malignant L929 cells. Assays on cell growth, apoptosis, and expression of genes related to, e.g., autophagic processes, showed CAP to have a substantial impact in melanoma cells while there were only minoreffects in L929 cells. In vivo, both CAP monotherapy and combination with DAC significantly decreased tumor growth. These results suggest that CAP not only selectively induces cell death in melanoma but also holds promises in combination with chemotherapy that might lead to improved tumor control. © 2020 by the authors

Intranasal versus Intramuscular/Intravenous Naloxone for Pre-hospital Opioid Overdose: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context: The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to perform an extensive search in databases to compare the efficacy of the intranasal administration of naloxone with its intramuscular/intravenous administration in the pre-hospital management of opioid overdose.&nbsp;Evidence acquisition: This meta-analysis included controlled trials conducted on the efficacy of naloxone administration in the pre-hospital management of opioid overdose. A search was carried out in electronic databases on relevant articles published by the end of 2018. After data collection, analyses were performed in STATA 14.0 software and the efficacy and side-effects of the two administration routes of naloxone, i.e. intranasal and intramuscular/intravenous, were compared. An overall effect size with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was provided for each section.&nbsp;Results: Eventually, data from six studies were included in this meta-analysis. The success rate of the intranasal and intramuscular/intravenous administration of naloxone in the management of opioid overdose in pre-hospital settings was 82.54% (95% CI: 57.97 to 97.89%) and 80.39% (95% CI: 57.38 to 96.04%), respectively. There was no difference between injectable (intramuscular/intravenous) naloxone and intranasal naloxone in the pre-hospital management of opioid overdose (Odds Ratio=1.01; 95% CI: 0.42 to 2.43; P=0.98). The onset of action of intranasal naloxone, however, was slightly longer than injectable naloxone (Standardized Mean Difference=0.63; 95% CI: 0.07 to 1.19; P=0.03). Additionally, the odds of needing a rescue dose was 2.17 times higher for intranasal naloxone than intramuscular/intravenous naloxone (OR=2.17; 95% CI: 1.53 to 3.09; P&lt;0.0001). The prevalence of major side-effects was non-significant for both intranasal (0.00%) and intramuscular/intravenous (0.05%) routes of naloxone administration and there was no difference in the prevalence of major (OR=1.18; 95% CI: 0.38 to 3.69; P=0.777) and minor (OR=0.64; 95% CI: 0.17 to 2.34; P=0.497) side-effects between the two routes.&nbsp;Conclusion: The present meta-analysis demonstrated that intranasal naloxone is as effective as injectable naloxone in the pre-hospital management of opioid overdose complications. Consequently, intranasal naloxone may be an appropriate alternative to injectable naloxone

Intranasal versus Intramuscular/Intravenous Naloxone for Pre-hospital Opioid Overdose: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context: The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to perform an extensive search in databases to compare the efficacy of the intranasal administration of naloxone with its intramuscular/intravenous administration in the pre-hospital management of opioid overdose.&nbsp;Evidence acquisition: This meta-analysis included controlled trials conducted on the efficacy of naloxone administration in the pre-hospital management of opioid overdose. A search was carried out in electronic databases on relevant articles published by the end of 2018. After data collection, analyses were performed in STATA 14.0 software and the efficacy and side-effects of the two administration routes of naloxone, i.e. intranasal and intramuscular/intravenous, were compared. An overall effect size with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was provided for each section.&nbsp;Results: Eventually, data from six studies were included in this meta-analysis. The success rate of the intranasal and intramuscular/intravenous administration of naloxone in the management of opioid overdose in pre-hospital settings was 82.54% (95% CI: 57.97 to 97.89%) and 80.39% (95% CI: 57.38 to 96.04%), respectively. There was no difference between injectable (intramuscular/intravenous) naloxone and intranasal naloxone in the pre-hospital management of opioid overdose (Odds Ratio=1.01; 95% CI: 0.42 to 2.43; P=0.98). The onset of action of intranasal naloxone, however, was slightly longer than injectable naloxone (Standardized Mean Difference=0.63; 95% CI: 0.07 to 1.19; P=0.03). Additionally, the odds of needing a rescue dose was 2.17 times higher for intranasal naloxone than intramuscular/intravenous naloxone (OR=2.17; 95% CI: 1.53 to 3.09; P&lt;0.0001). The prevalence of major side-effects was non-significant for both intranasal (0.00%) and intramuscular/intravenous (0.05%) routes of naloxone administration and there was no difference in the prevalence of major (OR=1.18; 95% CI: 0.38 to 3.69; P=0.777) and minor (OR=0.64; 95% CI: 0.17 to 2.34; P=0.497) side-effects between the two routes.&nbsp;Conclusion: The present meta-analysis demonstrated that intranasal naloxone is as effective as injectable naloxone in the pre-hospital management of opioid overdose complications. Consequently, intranasal naloxone may be an appropriate alternative to injectable naloxone

Comparison of Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Citalopram on Depression and Anxiety among Women with Breast Cancer: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

There has been evidence supporting the reduction of depression and anxiety by religious psychotherapy in cancer patients,however, there have been scarce randomized controlled trials. Therefore, there is a need for replication in a well-designedstudy to investigate the efficacy of these interventions among depressed women with breast cancer. A randomizedcontrolled trial is designed to be conducted on 160 women with breast cancer. Participants will be screened for anxietyand depression diagnosed by clinical interview based on the DSM-IV criteria and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale.Golriz and Baraheni’s Religious Attitude Questionnaire will be used to assess the religious attitude. Individuals meetingthe prerequisites will be randomly allocated to four groups, each containing 40 participants, including three interventiongroups (RCBT, CBT, and citalopram) and one control group (usual breast cancer treatment). An instrument by theEORTCQLQ-C30 and BR-23 will be used to measure the quality of life. Blood tests will be taken to assess biomarkers withthe (ELISA) method. The results will determine whether RCBT is more effective than other treatments. If so, the outcomesof the study will have implications not only for the management of similar problems in cancer patients but also for themanagement of other chronic diseases