A survey on the consumption, knowledge and attitude of pregnant women toward the efects of folic acid on pregnancy outcome in Tabriz

ObjectiveWhile the effects of folic acid are well established in prevention of Neural Tube Defects (NTDs), these diseases have a high prevalence in Iran. In order to encourage folic acid supplement use in pregnancy, it is important to promote the awareness of women of childbearing age regarding folic acid importance in preventing NTDs. The aim of the present study was to study the knowledge and attitude of pregnant women on the effect of folic acid on pregnancy outcome and its use during pregnancy.Materials and MethodsA questionnaire was completed by 400 women from postnatal and prenatal wards/clinics using random sampling. The questionnaire included questions regarding demographic information, folic acid consumption in pregnancy and the attitude and knowledge of the participants on folic acid  supplementation and the source of information on folic acid supplementation.The questions were aimed at subjects' knowledge of folic acid effects on fetal growth and development and prevention of NTDs and not prevention of anemia. Data was analyzed by SPSS software (ver. 13.5).ResultsAbout 89.9% used folic acid supplements at some point of the pregnancy and 53.7% knew it was beneficial for the fetus. Approximately, 25% and 34.8% of those who used folic acid believed that it was most useful when taken preconception and during the first trimester, respectively. Only 15.4% knew itcould prevent NTDs. The most common information sources for folic acid use were physicians.ConclusionAwareness and use of folic acid were most prevalent among Iranian women, especially among educated ones. The results showed areas in which further work could be helpful to improve awareness regarding the benefits of folic acid.Key words: Folic acid;pregnancy; knowledge; neural tube defects (NTD

Use Of Fuzzy Logic For Risk/Benefit Assessment In Medical/Biological Cases

In recent decade safety of medical and biological products has been concerned in the light of benefit/risks and risk assessment. For new medical products and new drugs, unanticipated side effects that rise after consuming the new product is a dominant factor in decision making. The aim of this project is to design a fuzzy inference system for risk assessment of medical cases. Classical risk assessment in the crisp space precisely determines boundary sharply dissevers safe state from unsafe one. In contrary, fuzzy set shows smooth change from safe to unsafe state. It indicates that safety can be considered as a fuzzy issue because plant safety cannot be strictly classified as safe or unsafe, as inherent hazards always occur. Hafshejani M K, Sattari Naeini M, Mohammadsharifi A, Yahiapoor M. Use of Fuzzy Logic for Risk/Benefit Assessment in Medical/Biological Cases. Life Sci J 2012; 9(3): 2270-2273] (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 40

Evaluation of CD26/DPPIV level in the serum of lupus nephritis patients

Abstract Background: Lupus is one of the most common autoimmune diseases. IFN-α as an important factor in the pathogenesis of lupus has been introduced. Also, CD26 with its enzymatic activity has many roles in the regulation of immune responses. In the current study, we investigated the level of CD26 and IFN-α in the serum of SLE patients. Materials and methods: In this case-control study, 46 SLE patients and 44 sex and age-matched controls enrolled. Patients were grouped into subgroups of active patients (n=24) and inactive (n=22), or nephritis patients (n=17) and non-nephritis patients (n=29). Serum level of sCD26 and IFN-α were measured by ELISA and the Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Difference between patients and controls in serum levels of CD26 (438.96±137 vs. 579.66±409 ng/mL) and IFN-α (73.93±31.7 vs. 62.36±7.5 pg/mL) was not significant. Additionally, the concentration of sCD26 between active and inactive patients was not significant. A significant elevated level of sCD26 was observed in patients with nephritis vs. non-nephritis patients (771.4±553 vs. 467.26±243 ng/mL, p<0.05). Conclusion: In regards to the roles of sCD26, significant elevation in sCD26 level in lupus nephritis patients could be considered as a sign of anti-inflammatory responses. Therefore, measurement of serum sCD26 as a biomarker can define new criterion for measuring anti-inflammatory responses

Body shape variation of Garra rufa (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) populations in the Tigris basin in Iran using geometric morphometric analysis

Geometric morphometric method was used to examine the body shape variations among the six populations of Garra rufa, in Iranian part of Tigris basin. A total of 15 landmark-points was used for 170 specimens to hypothesize population differentiation of G. rufa in the six rivers and reservoir. In discriminant function analysis, 85.9% of original grouped cases correctly classified. Principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical variates analysis (CVA) confirmed the significant difference between the populations. The results revealed that the studied populations are divided into three clades based on differences in body depth, caudal peduncle length, backward moving of anal fin. Caudal peduncle showed shortening trend in five populations. Narrower body shape was dominated among specimens of four regions. Studies on body shape provide supporting data on fisheries, stock management, and conservative programs

Study of the mercury removal for health care and the effect of PH in mercury removal from aqueous solutions by activated carbons

A serious environmental threat from heavy metal ion pollution, especially mercury, has generated a great deal of attention in recent years. Mercury is one of the priority pollutant listed by USEPA as it can easily pass the blood-brain barrier and affect the fetal brain. High concentration of Hg (II) causes impairment of pulmonary function and kidney, chest pain and dyspnoea. Consequently, removal of mercury in water and wastewater assumes importance. In this review paper, we have evaluated the efforts which have been done for controlling the mercury emissions from aqueous solutions. According to the EPA agency, the tolerance limit for Hg (II) for discharge into inland surface water is 10 mu g/l and for drinking water is 1 mu g/l. Mercury (Hg) is one of the heavy metals of concern and has been found in the waste waters coming from manufacturing industry, and natural sources. Among several types of technology for removing of Hg in water (chemical precipitation, reverse osmosis, ion-exchange, etc.), adsorption is one of most frequently used. It is a complex process involving physical, chemical, and electrical interactions at sorbent surfaces. Therefore, in this study will investigate effective parameters such as pH, initial concentration and surface characteristic. Hafshejani MK, Vahdati A, Vahdati M, Kheradmand AB, Sattari M, Arad A. Study of the mercury removal for health care and the effect of PH in mercury removal from aqueous solutions by activated carbons. Life Sci J 2012;9(4):1846-1848] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 28

Breastfeeding History and Risk of Stroke Among Parous Postmenopausal Women in the Women\u27s Health Initiative

Background: Stroke is the third leading cause of death among US Hispanic and non-Hispanic black women aged 65 and older. One factor that may protect against stroke is breastfeeding. Few studies have assessed the association between breastfeeding and stroke and whether this association differs by race and ethnicity. Methods and Results: Data were taken from the Women\u27s Health Initiative Observational Study with follow-up through 2010; adjusted hazard ratios for stroke subsequent to childbirth were estimated with Cox regression models accounting for left and right censoring, overall and stratified by race/ethnicity. Of the 80 191 parous women in the Women\u27s Health Initiative Observational Study, 2699 (3.4%) had experienced a stroke within a follow-up period of 12.6 years. The average age was 63.7 years at baseline. Fifty-eight percent (n=46 699) reported ever breastfeeding; 83% were non-Hispanic white, 8% were non-Hispanic black, 4% were Hispanic, and 5% were of other race/ethnicity. After adjustment for nonmodifiable potential confounders, compared with women who had never breastfed, women who reported ever breastfeeding had a 23% lower risk of stroke (adjusted hazard ratio=0.77; 95% confidence interval 0.70-0.83). This association was strongest for non-Hispanic black women (adjusted hazard ratio=0.52; 95% confidence interval 0.37-0.71). Further, breastfeeding for a relatively short duration (1-6 months) was associated with a 19% lower risk of stroke (adjusted hazard ratios=0.81; 95% confidence interval 0.74-0.89). This association appeared stronger with longer breastfeeding duration and among non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black women (test for trend P \u3c 0.01). Conclusions: Study results show an association and dose-response relationship between breastfeeding and lower risk of stroke among postmenopausal women after adjustment for multiple stroke risk factors and lifestyle variables. Further investigation is warranted

Determining the Onset of Asphaltene Flocculation in Solvent-Diluted Bitumen Systems

The past several decades have seen conventional oil resources reaching plateau which triggered a shift in oil exploration towards heavier crudes such as heavy oil and bitumen. Light hydrocarbons, mainly consisting of light paraffins, are widely used as diluents in the production and upgrading of heavy crudes. The addition of a diluent to heavy oil or bitumen alters the chemical forces within the mixture initiating the aggregation of asphaltene particles. Temperature and pressure may also vary during reservoir depletion operations. A crucial and challenging side effect of such thermodynamic changes is solid deposition, which can significantly diminish production, damage the reservoir, or even necessitate early reservoir abandonment. Solid deposition in reservoirs, production wells, and top-side facilities is mainly composed of asphaltenic materials, sand, clay, and corroded metals. Asphaltene is the deposition material of interest in this study. In order to avoid asphaltene precipitation or develop a remedial action plan for the associated problems, it is essential to understand the fundamental variables driving asphaltene precipitation in oil. The first step is to determine the conditions under which asphaltene dispersed in crude oil flocculates out to form an asphaltene-rich solid phase. The current study was designed to locate the onset of asphaltene flocculation with respect to changes in the thermodynamic conditions. Extensive experimental work and mathematical modelling were conducted to predict the incompatibility region of solvent-diluted bitumens. The precipitants in this study, n-pentane, n-hexane, and n-heptane, were chosen from the most common hydrocarbon cuts used in solvent-assisted heavy oil recovery methods in Alberta. Two Alberta bitumens were considered in this study. The effects of temperature, pressure, and composition on the onset of flocculation were investigated for various systems of solvent-diluted bitumens. Experimental values for the viscosity and density of the n-alkane-bitumen mixtures produced a pattern from which the onset of asphaltene flocculation could be accurately determined. In the modelling section, a CPA-EOS model was successfully tuned to predict asphaltene precipitation from solvent-diluted bitumens