Effect of mother’s position in active phase of labour on length of labour

زمینه و هدف: استفاده از روشهایی که بتواند الگوی انقباضات رحمی را نظم بخشیده و به تسریع لیبر کمک کند، همیشه مدنظر بوده است. یکی از این روشها استفاده از پوزیشن‌های مختلف در طی لیبر می‌باشد. هدف از این مطالعه بررسی وضعیت قرار گرفتن مادر در مرحله فعال زایمان بر طول مدت فاز فعال، آپگار نوزاد و نوع زایمان بود. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه کارآزمایی بالینی 200 نفر از زنان باردار که برای انجام زایمان طبیعی به زایشگاه بیمارستان امام خمینی فلاورجان مراجعه و بستری شده بودند به روش در دسترس انتخاب و به صورت تصادفی در چهار گروه: وضعیت خوابیده به پهلو، نشسته، در حرکت و آزاد (هر گروه 50 نفر) تقسیم بندی شدند. اطلاعات با استفاده از پرسشنامه شامل اطلاعات دموگرافیک و اطلاعات مربوط به زایمان و نوزاد جمع آوری و به کمک آزمون های آماری کای دو و آنالیز واریانس تجزیه و تحلیل گردید. یافته‌ها: میانگین طول مدت مرحله فعال زایمان در گروه خوابیده به پهلو، نشسته، در حرکت و گروه آزاد به ترتیب 52/0±57/3، 31/0±23/2، 25/0±46/2 و 16/0±25/2 ساعت بود. در گروه خوابیده به پهلو طول مدت مرحله فعال زایمان بیشتر از سه گروه دیگر بود (01/0

Cell Culture of Spirulina Microalgae (Spirulina platensis) and Comparison the Efficiency of Enzymatic, Ultrasound, Freeze-defrosting and Mineral Solvent Methods in Extraction of Phycocyanin Pigment

Introduction  Phycocyanin is one of the pigments used in the food industry due to its antioxidant and antibacterial as well as coloring properties. This pigment is commercially produced from Spirulina platensis microalgae, in the form of photoautotrophic cultures and in open environments in large ponds or pools in tropical or subtropical areas at the edges of oceans. Different techniques are used in order to extract phycocyanin from spirulina microalgae.. Each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages besides different efficiency. These methods include freezing-defrosting, enzymatic, ultrasound, high hydrostatic pressure, ultracentrifuge, ultra homogenization, extraction using water and various solvents. Of course recently, the production of recombinant phycocyanin has been considered as a suitable option for the production of heterotrophic phycocyanin. The purpose of the current research was to cultivate Spirulina platensis, evaluation of the microalgae growth process, and comparison of the efficiency of different methods in the extraction of phycocyanin pigment.   Materials and Methods  The pure sample of Spirulina platensis microalgae was prepared from Algaeology Laboratory, Biology Department of Tarbiat Modares University. For the cultivation of spirulina, Zarrouk culture medium with different compositions was used, and after cultivation in smaller scales (100 and 500 ml), the final cultivation was carried out in volumes of 5 and 50 liters. After cultivating the microalgae and exposing them to fluorescent light with appropriate light lux intensity (3500 to 8000) and a period of 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of light, the samples were placed at 29 °C for 16 days. In order to evaluate the growth process of the algal mass, the absorbance of the solution containing the algal cells was read at a wavelength of 540 nm. After preparing the dry mass of spirulina microalgae, four methods of ultrasound, freezing-defrosting, enzymatic and mineral solvent technique were used to extract phycocyanin. In the next steps, the efficiency of each method was evaluated by measuring the concentration and purity of phycocyanin. In addition, the effect of applying the purification process by ammonium sulfate on the concentration and purity of the extracted pigment was also evaluated. This research was conducted in a completely randomized design and SPSS and EXCEL softwares were used for statistical analysis and drawing of diagram, respectively. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and the difference between the means was evaluated by Duncan's test at 95% confidence level.   Results and Discussion  The results showed that microalgae growth from day 0 to 14 had an upward trend and the resulting changes were significant at all times, except days 14 and 16 (p0.05) and was at a higher level than the other two methods (p<0.05); In addition, the pigment concentration was higher in the freezing-defrosting technique (1.535 mg/ml) than in the mineral solvent method (1.121 mg/ml). After purification of the pigment using ammonium sulfate, the pigment concentration and purity increased significantly in each method (p<0.05). The results of this research showed that by choosing the optimal method and applying the purification process using ammonium sulfate, the extraction efficiency of phycocyanin from Spirulina microalgae (Spirulina platensis) could be increased.   Conclusion  Based on the results of this research, the growth trend of Spirulina platensis in Zarrouk culture medium was  ascending first and then constant (during 16 days). Ultrasound technique and enzymatic method (lysozyme enzyme) to extract phycocyanin pigment from Spirulina platensis microalgae have more efficiency than freezing-defrosting and inorganic solvent (hydrochloric acid) methods. Also, purification of the extracted pigment using 40% ammonium sulfate increases the concentration and purity of phycocyanin in each method

Chemical-free lysis and fractionation of cells by use of surface acoustic waves for sensitive protein assays

We exploit the mechanical action of surface acoustic waves (SAW) to differentially lyse human cancer cells in a chemical-free manner. The extent to which cells were disrupted is reported for a range of SAW parameters, and we show that the presence of 10 μm polystyrene beads is required to fully rupture cells and their nuclei. We show that SAW is capable of subcellular fractionation through the chemical-free isolation of nuclei from whole cells. The concentration of protein was assessed in lysates with a sensitive microfluidic antibody capture (MAC) chip. An antibody-based sandwich assay in a microfluidic microarray format was used to detect unlabeled human tumor suppressor protein p53 in crude lysates, without any purification step, with single-molecule resolution. The results are digital, enabling sensitive quantification of proteins with a dynamic range &gt;4 orders of magnitude. For the conditions used, the efficiency of SAW-induced mechanical lysis was determined to be 12.9% ± 0.7% of that for conventional detergent-based lysis in yielding detectable protein. A range of possible loss mechanisms that could lead to the drop in protein yield are discussed. Our results show that the methods described here are amenable to an integrated point-of-care device for the assessment of tumor protein expression in fine needle aspirate biopsies

A Novel, All-Optical Tool for Controllable and Non- Destructive Poration of Cells with Single-Micron Resolution

We demonstrate controllable poration within ≈1 µm regions of individual cells, mediated by a near-IR laser interacting with thin-layer amorphous silicon substrates. This technique will allow new experiments in single-cell biology, particularly in neuroscience. As our understanding of the fundamental mechanistic processes underpinning biology expands, so does the need for high-precision tools to allow the dissection of the heterogeneity and stochastic processes that dominate at the single- and sub-cellular level. Here, we demonstrate a highly controllable and reproducible optical technique for inducing poration within specific regions of a target cell’s plasma membrane, permitting localized delivery of payloads, depolarization and lysis experiments to be conducted in unprecedented detail. Experiments support a novel mechanism for the process, based upon a thermally-induced change triggered by the interactions of a near-IR laser with a biocompatible thin film substrate at powers substantially below that used in standard optoporation experiments

Implementing Grover Oracles for Quantum Key Search on AES and LowMC

Grover's search algorithm gives a quantum attack against block ciphers by searching for a key that matches a small number of plaintext-ciphertext pairs. This attack uses $O(\sqrt{N})$ calls to the cipher to search a key space of size $N$. Previous work in the specific case of AES derived the full gate cost by analyzing quantum circuits for the cipher, but focused on minimizing the number of qubits. In contrast, we study the cost of quantum key search attacks under a depth restriction and introduce techniques that reduce the oracle depth, even if it requires more qubits. As cases in point, we design quantum circuits for the block ciphers AES and LowMC. Our circuits give a lower overall attack cost in both the gate count and depth-times-width cost models. In NIST's post-quantum cryptography standardization process, security categories are defined based on the concrete cost of quantum key search against AES. We present new, lower cost estimates for each category, so our work has immediate implications for the security assessment of post-quantum cryptography. As part of this work, we release Q# implementations of the full Grover oracle for AES-128, -192, -256 and for the three LowMC instantiations used in Picnic, including unit tests and code to reproduce our quantum resource estimates. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first two such full implementations and automatic resource estimations.Comment: 36 pages, 8 figures, 14 table

Evaluation of sesamum gum as an excipient in matrix tablets

In developing countries modern medicines are often beyond the affordability of the majority of the population. This is due to the reliance on expensive imported raw materials despite the abundance of natural resources which could provide an equivalent or even an improved function. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of sesamum gum (SG) extracted from the leaves of Sesamum radiatum (readily cultivated in sub-Saharan Africa) as a matrix former. Directly compressed matrix tablets were prepared from the extract and compared with similar matrices of HPMC (K4M) using theophylline as a model water soluble drug. The compaction, swelling, erosion and drug release from the matrices were studied in deionized water, 0.1 N HCl (pH 1.2) and phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) using USP apparatus II. The data from the swelling, erosion and drug release studies were also fitted into the respective mathematical models. Results showed that the matrices underwent a combination of swelling and erosion, with the swelling action being controlled by the rate of hydration in the medium. SG also controlled the release of theophylline similar to the HPMC and therefore may have use as an alternative excipient in regions where Sesamum radiatum can be easily cultivated

Intraperitoneal drain placement and outcomes after elective colorectal surgery: international matched, prospective, cohort study

Despite current guidelines, intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery remains widespread. Drains were not associated with earlier detection of intraperitoneal collections, but were associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased risk of surgical-site infections.Background Many surgeons routinely place intraperitoneal drains after elective colorectal surgery. However, enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines recommend against their routine use owing to a lack of clear clinical benefit. This study aimed to describe international variation in intraperitoneal drain placement and the safety of this practice. Methods COMPASS (COMPlicAted intra-abdominal collectionS after colorectal Surgery) was a prospective, international, cohort study which enrolled consecutive adults undergoing elective colorectal surgery (February to March 2020). The primary outcome was the rate of intraperitoneal drain placement. Secondary outcomes included: rate and time to diagnosis of postoperative intraperitoneal collections; rate of surgical site infections (SSIs); time to discharge; and 30-day major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade at least III). After propensity score matching, multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate the independent association of the secondary outcomes with drain placement. Results Overall, 1805 patients from 22 countries were included (798 women, 44.2 per cent; median age 67.0 years). The drain insertion rate was 51.9 per cent (937 patients). After matching, drains were not associated with reduced rates (odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95 per cent c.i. 0.79 to 2.23; P = 0.287) or earlier detection (hazard ratio (HR) 0.87, 0.33 to 2.31; P = 0.780) of collections. Although not associated with worse major postoperative complications (OR 1.09, 0.68 to 1.75; P = 0.709), drains were associated with delayed hospital discharge (HR 0.58, 0.52 to 0.66; P &lt; 0.001) and an increased risk of SSIs (OR 2.47, 1.50 to 4.05; P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion Intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery is not associated with earlier detection of postoperative collections, but prolongs hospital stay and increases SSI risk

Screening out irrelevant cell-based models of disease

The common and persistent failures to translate promising preclinical drug candidates into clinical success highlight the limited effectiveness of disease models currently used in drug discovery. An apparent reluctance to explore and adopt alternative cell-and tissue-based model systems, coupled with a detachment from clinical practice during assay validation, contributes to ineffective translational research. To help address these issues and stimulate debate, here we propose a set of principles to facilitate the definition and development of disease-relevant assays, and we discuss new opportunities for exploiting the latest advances in cell-based assay technologies in drug discovery, including induced pluripotent stem cells, three-dimensional (3D) co-culture and organ-on-a-chip systems, complemented by advances in single-cell imaging and gene editing technologies. Funding to support precompetitive, multidisciplinary collaborations to develop novel preclinical models and cell-based screening technologies could have a key role in improving their clinical relevance, and ultimately increase clinical success rates