Assessment of breast cancer risk factors in asymptomatic hospital staff women aged 32-59: A descriptive report

Objective: Iranian breast cancer patients are relatively younger than their Western counterparts. The objective of the present study was to investigate risk factors for breast cancer in Iranian women and compare it with other data driven from other studies. Methods: A study was conducted in April 2008 in Tehran, Iran. Demographical data and risk factor related information, including data from their mammograms were collected using a questionnaire. Results: In all, 109 participants were interviewed. The mean age of participants was 40.48 ± 0.56 years. 1.8 of women were unmarried, while 78 were married and 20.2 were divorced/widowed. The mean age for menarche was 13.34 ±1.47 years and 46.89±4.98 for the menopause, respectively. The mean parity time was 2.36±1.13 and breastfeeding in women was 23.27±14.16 months. About 5.5 of the participants used oral contraceptive as a method for contraception. 8.3 of women experienced menopause, at the mean age of 46.89±4.98. 33.3 of menopaused women, used Hormone Replace Therapy (HRT).Moreover, 8.3 of women had a positive history of breast cancer in their family. Of those women on whom mammography was done, 10.1 had breast mass in radiological findings, mostly in favour of fibrocystic change. In 20.2 of participants, further investigation was advised. Conclusion: The findings of the present study were in accordance with other studies done in Iran and in some aspects in tune with other studies about breast cancer in other countries. However, more multicentric larger scale studies should be conducted in Iran to determine a pattern for breast cancer in Iranian women

Heat transfer of water-based carbon nanotube nanofluids in the shell and tube cooling heat exchangers of the gasoline product of the residue fluid catalytic cracking unit

International audienceIn this study, a series of low-concentration carbon nanotubes (CNT) water-based nanofluids (0.0055, 0.055, 0.111 and 0.278 vol%) were used as coolants in a shell and tube cooler of the residue fluid catalytic cracking gasoline product to analyze their effects on heat performance of the heat exchanger. The coolants and gasoline flow in tube side and shell side, respectively. This work was performed through simulating the heat exchanger by ASPEN HTFS+ 7.3 software. The performance of the nanofluids to heat transfer was analyzed in comparison with cooling water. Results illustrated that 0.055% CNT concentration could enhance heat transfer properties of the heat exchanger such as Nusselt number, total heat transfer coefficient and heat transfer rate more than other concentrations. Therefore, the lowest temperature of outlet shell-side fluid was also observed at this concentration. Moreover, increment in mass flow rates of both the tube-side and shell-side fluids caused enhancement of the heat transfer, especially with 0.055 vol% CNT. Although there is an optimum concentration among the studied CNT volume fractions, all nanofluids exhibit better thermal performance of the heat exchanger than cooling water, whereas pressure drop increases with CNT loading

The effect of saffron on weight and lipid profile:A systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose–response of randomized clinical trials

Plant derivatives such as carotenoids and phytosterols enrich foods have been shown to reduce plasma triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and cholesterol concentrations. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analyses study was to investigate the effects of saffron on lipid profiles, reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We performed a systematic electronic search in PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, and SCOPUS to identify RCTs and screening of relevant articles references up to October 12, 2018. There were no language restrictions. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis according to the Preferred Items for Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We identified and analyzed 14 eligible studies in this meta-analysis. Our study found a significant reduction in cholesterol and TG following saffron intervention (weighted mean difference [WMD]: −6.36 mg/dl, 95% confidence interval, CI, [−10.58, −2.18] and WMD: −5.37 mg/dl, 95% CI [−10.25, −0.48], respectively). There was no significant effect on weight and LDL concentration. A meta-regression analysis showed that long-term saffron intervention can increase the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. In conclusions, our study findings indicate some benefits of saffron on cholesterol, HDL, and TG compared with placebo. However, we recommend the conduct of adequately powered, high-quality RCTs with short- and long-term follow-up, evaluating relevant clinical outcomes to allow for making definitive recommendations.</p