Population dynamics of Barbus grypus (Heckel, 1843) and Barbus barbulus (Heckel, 1847) in Karoon River, south-west Iran

Barbus sp. fish samples were collected during November 2007 to October 2008 from five landing stations in Karoon River: Gotvand, Shoshtar, Molasani, Ahwaz, and Darkhoin. During one year of study, more than 2000 specimens of B. grypus and B. barbulus were measured, mean±SD length values for this species were 37.94±8.18 and 43.62±10.27, respectively and maximum and minimum total length were 20-76cm and 20-94cm, respectively. Mean±SD of weight values for this species were 873.2±1092.45 grams and 778.59±725.97 grams, respectively and maximum and minimum weight were 52-11170 grams and 52-4675 grams, respectively. Growth and mortality parameters were calculated for B. grypus and B. barbulus as L∞: 86.64, 132.9 and K: 0.27, 0.17 and t0: -0.46, -0.66, M: 0.50, 0.33, F: 1.22, 1.04, Z: 1.72, 2.72, 'Ф: 3.31, 3.48, E: 0.71, 0.76, respectively. According to the exploitation coefficient, B. grypus and B. barbulus stocks are overfished; hence we suggest a decrease in exploitation coefficient. Based on results and their comparison with the American Fisheries Society (AFS) indices, these species are classified in moderate to high vulnerable group fishes

Comments on “Association of excessive mobile phone use during pregnancy with birth weight: an adjunct study in Kumamoto of Japan Environment and Children’s Study”

Abstract We have read with interest the article by Lu et al. entitled “Association of excessive mobile phone use during pregnancy with birth weight: an adjunct study in Kumamoto of Japan Environment and Children’s Study” published recently in the Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. Although this paper addresses a very challenging issue, it has some shortcomings. Mortazavi et al. have previously studied the effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation on birth weight of newborns and found no statistical significant differences between the mean weight of newborns whose mothers had been exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) generated by mobile phones and those of non-exposed mothers. The study performed by Lu et al. cannot answer this very key question that whether ordinary use of mobile phone during pregnancy can lead to low birth weight. The origin of the controversy between the findings of these two studies and the shortcomings of the article by Lu et al. are discussed

Evaluation of the physicochemical characteristics of a formulated liquid soap containing lavender (Lavandula Officinalis) essence

Background : Today the use of hygienic products with a natural source is of high interest among consumers. Lavender essence (Lavandula Officinalis) owing to its pleasant odor and also its antibacterial, antifugal, and antiviral effects can be used in dermatological preparations. Hence, the aim of this study is to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of a formulated liquid soap from this essence as a new hygienic/therapeutic product. Materials and methods : 0.5 of the essence was extracted from the lavender plant and added to a liquid soap base prepared in preliminary studies, then the prepared product was evaluated in terms of the visual characteristics, color, odor, cleansing and foaming ability, ease of washing from the skin, skin softening ability, compatibility with the skin, PH, and total active determination of the product, determination of the volume and durability of the foam and mechanical and thermal stability. Results : The prepared product had a clear appearance. It was homogenous, with a suitable viscosity and free of suspended particles or sedimentation and possess a pleasant odor. It had a good cleansing ability and could produce an appropriate amount of stable and durable foam and could be easily washed away with water after use. Consumption of the formulated liquid soap softens the skin and causes no side effects such as skin dryness, rash, sensitivity, etc. PH and the total active (total amount of surfactants present in the formulation) of the products were 7.21±0.02 and 18.15±0.04 respectively. Finally, the product was found to have desirable mechanical and thermal stability. Conclusion : Results have revealed that the formulated liquid soap containing lavender essence is acceptable as a new fragment product with cleansing and hygienic ability

Phytochemical study of Euphorbia microsciada

Background: Euphorbiaceae family is a large family of medical plants, containing over 800 species. This rather important family of plants could be used in the treatment of various diseases such as cancer and neuralgia. Euphorbia microsciada has not yet undergone phytochemical studies, thus, the present study was achieved. Materials and methods: It was an exploratory study. The plant was obtained form Kohak region in Qom-Kashan road. Extraction was performed by maceration in methanol. Extracts was finally dried and using silica gel column chromatography and various solvents, separation and then identification of constitutes were carried out. Techniques of NMR, Mass, IR and UV were employed for this purpose. Results: Four fractions were obtained from the extract, which were Ma7, MgIII, MgIV, and Md70. Structural determination showed the presence of linear alkane, nonacosane in fraction Ma7. In fraction MgIII, the terpenoid ß-sitosterol was identified and in fraction MgIV, cycloclarkeanol was isolated. Nothing was identified from Md70 fraction. Conclusion: For the first time nonacosane, terpenoid ß-sitosterol, and cycloclarkeanol were isolated from Euphorbia microsciada

Radium deposition in human brain tissue: A Geant4-DNA Monte Carlo toolkit study

NASA has encouraged studies on 226Ra deposition in the human brain to investigate the effects of exposure to alpha particles with high linear energy transfer, which could mimic some of the exposure astronauts face during space travel. However, this approach was criticized, noting that radium is a bone-seeker and accumulates in the skull, which means that the radiation dose from alpha particles emitted by 226Ra would be heavily concentrated in areas close to cranial bones rather than uniformly distributed throughout the brain. In the high background radiation areas of Ramsar, Iran, extremely high levels of 226Ra in soil contribute to a large proportion of the inhabitants' radiation exposure. A prospective study on Ramsar residents with a calcium-rich diet was conducted to improve the dose uniformity due to 226Ra throughout the cerebral and cerebellar parenchyma. The study found that exposure of the human brain to alpha particles did not significantly affect working memory but was significantly associated with increased reaction times. This finding is crucial because astronauts on deep space missions may face similar cognitive impairments due to exposure to high charge and energy particles. The current study was aimed to evaluate the validity of the terrestrial model using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit to simulate the interactions of alpha particles and representative cosmic ray particles, acknowledging that these radiation types are only a subset of the complete space radiation environment

Health care policy makers� response to COVID-19 pandemic; pros and cons of �flattening the curve� from the �selective pressure� point of view: A review

COVID-19, a respiratory infection caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, causes a variety of symptoms in infected people. We have recently addressed our concerns over unintentional �Directed Accelerated Evolution� of the SARS-CoV-2 and introduced a modified treatment method for ARDS associated with COVID-19. COVID-19 outbreak could last for a long time in communities. Due to growing requests for medical equipment such as ventilators and ICU beds, �flattening the epidemic curve� has been considered as an effective strategy to adjust the level of health care demand to potential capacity of the system. In this paper, we compare possible outcomes of �Without Precaution� and �With Precaution� epidemic models. When there are no precautions, a higher number of people would be infected. RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 have extremely high mutation rates. Accordingly, the combination of a higher number of infected people and any effort for inactivation of the viruses is expected to exert a strong selective pressure on SARS-CoV-2 that can lead to more mutations. These mutations can be either pathogenicity attenuating mutations (PAMs) or pathogenicity promoting mutations (PPMs). On the other hand, when flattening strategy is used, the number of infected people will be lower than the previous model, but both type of mutations may occur, although with lower frequency. Although the occurrence of PAMs helps the development of herd immunity, possible occurrence of PPMs needs serious tracking, especially in patients with severe COVID-19, to prevent new endemic with more virulent mutant viruses. © 2020, Iranian Journal of Public Health. All rights reserved

Development and evaluation of thymol microparticles using cellulose derivatives as controlled release dosage form

Thymol, an important and advantageous component of many essential oils, has been applied as an antimicrobial agent in animals. To increase the duration of action of this compound in ruminants, it was decided here to prepare a controlled release carrier for thymol. Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and ethyl cellulose (EC) were used as the matrix polymer here. Mixtures of thymol with eight different ratios of these polymers were then prepared using emulsion solvent evaporation method (F1to F8). The prepared microparticles were evaluated for production yield, entrapment efficiency, drug content, particle size, drug release behavior, release kinetics (zero order, first order and Fickian matrix diffusion for spheres) and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mean particle size of microparticles was 1.03 ± 0.02 mm. SEM study revealed that the microparticles were slightly irregular, rough and porous. The formulation with HPMC: EC ratio of 5:1 (F6) showed the highest drug loading (38.8) and entrapment efficiency (61.2). This formulation also showed optimum in-vitro drug release. The best fit of release kinetics was achieved with Fickian matrix diffusion for spheres (linear amount released vs t0.43). The FTIR spectroscopic and DSC studies show possible interaction between drug and polymers. In this study, thymol was successfully loaded in microparticles prepared from HPMC and EC. These microparticles can be used in further trials to evaluate the effect of slow release thymol on rumen fermentation parameters in ruminants. © 2015 by School of Pharmacy Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services