Isfahan University of Technology (IUT): Towards a Green Campus Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development Initiatives at IUT

Today, many universities are trying to move towards sustainability by observing the principles of environment and green management. In this regard, the issue of green university has been considered by many countries in recent years, and many efforts have been made to join (UIGWURN (UI GreenMetric World University Rankings Network)). Isfahan University of Technology (IUT), as one of the top higher education universities in Iran, has taken fundamental steps to implement "Green Management" and has achieved honors in this regard. Some of the measures taken are extensive educational and research activities in the field of environment as well as executive measures for the university campus, including Xeriscaping, energy efficiency, clean energy use, water consumption management, waste and wastewater management, green buildings, and transportation. The implementation of these measures has led to significant results in reducing water and energy consumption, reduction of all types of pollutions following the use of clean energy, as well as saving consumption costs

Evaluation of the chlorpromazine effect on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in male rats

زمینه و هدف: در تحقیقات اخیر به افزایش سطح دوپامین در مغز موش های مبتلا به آنسفالومیلیت خود ایمن تجربی (EAE) اشاره شده است. همچنین مشخص شده است که دوپامین می تواند عملکرد سلول های ایمنی را تنظیم کند. در این مطالعه اثرات درمانی کلرپرومازین به عنوان یک آنتاگونیست دوپامین بر روند EAE (مدل حیوانی بیماری ام اس) بررسی شد، همچنین پاسخ های لنفوسیت های T کمکی مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفت. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه تجربی، آنسفالومیلیت خود ایمن تجربی توسط نخاع هموژنیزه شده خوکچه هندی و ادجوانت کامل فروند در موش های صحرایی نر نژاد ویستار القاء شد. حیوانات در دو گروه 7 سری قرار گرفتند. درمان با کلرپرومازین (10 میلی گرم بر کیلوگرم- روزانه و به صورت داخل صفاقی) از زمان بروز علائم ناتوانی در گروه درمانی (روز 12) آغاز گشت. گروه کنترل تنها حلال دارو (آب مقطر) را با همان برنامه دریافت نمودند. علائم بالینی تا زمان کشتار موش ها یعنی روز 36 روزانه ثبت گردید. میزان تکثیر به وسیله آزمون MTT و میزان تولید سیتوکین ‌ها به وسیله ELISA در سلول ‌های طحالی سنجیده شد. یافته ها: تجویز کلرپرومازین پس از بروز علائم به طور معنی داری موجب تخفیف شدت علائم بالینی گشت. همچنین کلرپرومازین موجب کاهش معنی دار (01/0P<) تولید سیتوکین پیش التهابی 17-IL همزمان با افزایش سطح سیتوکین ضد التهابی IL-10 (05/0P<) در موش های صحرایی گروه درمان نسبت به گروه شاهد شد. از سوی دیگر، شدت تکثیر لنفوسیتی نیز در موش های صحرایی گروه تیمار نسبت به گروه شاهد کاهش معنی داری (05/0>P) یافت. نتیجه گیری: نتایج این مطالعه نشان داد کلرپرومازین می تواند سیتوکین های التهابی را کاهش داده و بیماری ام اس را کنترل کند

Embodied energy of a UK office fit-out

This dissertation investigates the environmental impacts of interior office fit-outs in a specific office building in London namely the British Sky Broadcasting Limited, as a further detailed case study. The environmental categories are embodied energy and global warming potential which are two of the most important indicators of the overall environmental impact of buildings. The research has shown that selecting products and materials for interior office fit-outs can have a significant affect on environmental impacts for a building. The purposes are to influence design decisions and raising the awareness of occupants, interior designers and architects to consider the overall life cycle embodied energy and global warming potential, in relation to selecting more sustainable interior office fit-outs. This project aims to estimate the environmental performance of interior office fit-outs by promoting life cycle assessment as a tool to examine their overall environmental impacts. The total embodied energy of the building production was determined using the energy intensity figures of a full range of office fit-outs. Furthermore the environmental impacts were calculated during their manufacturing process, use and final disposal according to Green guide hand book and BRE research. Consequently this study has shown that the calculated embodied energy of office internal equipments could contribute to increase the overall embodied energy of a building by 35%

Multiple sclerosis epidemiology in Middle East and North Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological disorders and a leading cause of nontraumatic disability in young adults in many countries. Recent reports from the Middle East and North Africa have suggested a moderate to high risk of MS in these countries. Methods: A literature search was performed in August 2014 in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and IMEMR to retrieve original population-based studies on MS epidemiology in the Middle East and North African countries published between 1st January 1985 and 1st August 2014. We designed search strategies using the key words: MS, prevalence, incidence, and epidemiology. According to the inclusion criteria, 52 studies were included in this systematic review. Results: McDonald's criteria were the most widely used diagnostic criteria in the studies. Most studies were conducted in single hospitalbased centers with a defined catchment area. The female/male ratio ranged from 0.8 in Oman to 4.3 in Saudi Arabia. MS prevalence ranged from 14.77/100,000 population in Kuwait (2000) to 101.4/100,000 in Turkey (2006). The overall MS prevalence in the region was 51.52/100,000. The mean age at disease onset ranged from 25.2 years in Kuwait to 32.5 years in Northeastern Iran, with an overall estimate of 28.54 years. Conclusions: Recent advances in MS registries will allow nation-wide studies and temporal comparisons between countries, provided that age- and sex-standardized estimates are available. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel

Cloning, expression, purification and antigenicity of antigenic region of MOMP protein from chlamydia trachomatis

Introduction: Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular parasites, gram-negative bacteria and also is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Correspondingly, the MOMP protein contains more than 60 of the extra-membrane proteins, which indicates the importance of this protein for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis. The purpose of the study is to produce recombinant protein composed of antigenic regions of the MOMP protein and its antigenicity. Materials and Methods: In this study, the regions with the highest antigenic property of the omp1 gene, with a length of 674 bp, were obtained based on bioinformatics software's and linked with flexible linker. Then, it was cloned and expressed in plasmid vector pET32a. After purification of the recombinant protein, its antigenicity was evaluated using Western blot technique with serum of infected people with Chlamydia. Results: Based on the results, in all serum samples of patients with chlamydial infections, antibody response bands were observed in nitrocellulose paper. Anyway, no antibody response band was detected in the serum samples of healthy people. Conclusion: Data showed that antigenic region of MOMP protein can be expressed by in E. coli. This protein was recognized by sera patients suffering from Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Conclusively, the recombinant protein has similar epitopes and close antigenic properties to the natural form of this antigen. © 2017, Semnan University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Cloning, expression, purification and antigenicity of antigenic region of MOMP protein from chlamydia trachomatis

Introduction: Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular parasites, gram-negative bacteria and also is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Correspondingly, the MOMP protein contains more than 60 of the extra-membrane proteins, which indicates the importance of this protein for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis. The purpose of the study is to produce recombinant protein composed of antigenic regions of the MOMP protein and its antigenicity. Materials and Methods: In this study, the regions with the highest antigenic property of the omp1 gene, with a length of 674 bp, were obtained based on bioinformatics software's and linked with flexible linker. Then, it was cloned and expressed in plasmid vector pET32a. After purification of the recombinant protein, its antigenicity was evaluated using Western blot technique with serum of infected people with Chlamydia. Results: Based on the results, in all serum samples of patients with chlamydial infections, antibody response bands were observed in nitrocellulose paper. Anyway, no antibody response band was detected in the serum samples of healthy people. Conclusion: Data showed that antigenic region of MOMP protein can be expressed by in E. coli. This protein was recognized by sera patients suffering from Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Conclusively, the recombinant protein has similar epitopes and close antigenic properties to the natural form of this antigen. © 2017, Semnan University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved