The effect of Cornus mas in preventing recurrent urinary tract infections in women: A randomized controlled trial

Background and aims: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common and the second leading infections, after respiratory tract infections, in women. Currently, various chemical drugs are used to prevent the UTIs. Chemical drugs may cause antibiotic resistance and cause resistant strains likely grow in the long-term treatment with antibiotics. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Cornus mas in preventing recurrent UTIs in women aged 15-45 years referring to Ayatollah Kashani Hospital Clinic in Shahrekord. Methods: This experimental study (Parallel Design and Triple-blind) was conducted on 42 women aged 15-45 years referring to Ayatollah Kashani Hospital Clinic of Shahrekord and diagnosed with chronic cystitis. The exclusion criteria were neurogenic bladder, genitourinary system anatomical abnormalities (hydronephrosis, ureterocele stone, etc), and bacterial resistance. The women were randomly assigned to 2 groups. At baseline, the women were examined for any functional and anatomical disorders and if it was necessary, they underwent ultrasound. After the current UTIs were treated and the women clinically recovered, one group was administered with Cornus mas tablet 500 mg and another group administered with placebo for 6 months. All the women were followed up for 6 months. Every 2 months, the patients were clinically examined and their urine cultures were investigated for the clinical signs of cystitis. As the symptoms of the UTIs occur, the patients were recommended to refer for repeated urine culture. All patients (42 women) completed the study. Results: In our study, no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of recurrent UTI recurrence, although there were differences (P>0.005). Positive urine culture in Cornus mas group was 19 and in placebo was 33.4. In terms of dysuria in 6 months and the second time, there was a significant difference between placebo and Cornus mas (P=0.004) Dysuria in Cornus mas group was 14.2 and in placebo was 56.2. Conclusion: Cornus mas can decrease dysuria and frequent urination in patients with recurrent UTIs, so it can be used in the treatment of these patients

Morphological abnormality among regenerated shoots of banana and plantain (Musa spp.) after in vitro multiplication with TDZ and BAP from excised shoottips

Five cultivars of Musa spp (banana and plantain); ‘Berangan Intan’, ‘Berangan’ (AAA), ‘Rastali’, ‘Nangka’ (AAB) and ‘Baka Baling’ (ABB) were chosen to compare the effect of benzylaminopurine (BAP) and thidiazuron (TDZ) on multiplication efficiency in relation with frequency of abnormal shoot regeneration. Shoot tips of Musa spp. were cultured on MS medium supplemented with various concentrations (0.0, 11.1, 22.2, 33.3 and 44.4 ìM) of BAP and (0.0, 0.5, 2, 5 and 7.5 ìM) of TDZ. Increasing BAP above 22.2 ìM and 33.3 ìM increased the number of shoots in ‘Berangan Intan’,‘Berangan’, ‘Rastali’, ‘Nangka’ and ‘Baka Baling’ respectively, but above 33.3 ìM significantly caused higher gross of abnormal shoot regeneration. TDZ in the media up to 2 ìM for ‘Baka Baling’, ‘Nangka’ and ‘Rastali’ and 5 ìM for ‘Berangan Intan’ and ‘Berangan’ increased the number of shoots per explant,however TDZ at 5 ìM resulted in high number of abnormal shoots. In conclusion BAP at 22.2 ìM and TDZ at 2 ìM were assumed to be the most suitable for commercial micropropagation system with low frequency of abnormal shoot production for both banana and plantain

Modeling of micro flows using perturbation method

This paper was presented at the 3rd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2011), which was held at the Makedonia Palace Hotel, Thessaloniki in Greece. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Thessaly, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute.A new method for modeling micro flows is presented in this research. The basis of this method is the development of governing continuum equations on fluid dynamics using perturbation expansion of the velocity, pressure, density and temperature fields in dependence of Knudsen number. In the present work, we use three-term perturbation expansions and reach three order of equations O(1), O(Kn), O(Kn2). Required boundary conditions (BC) for solving each order of these equations are obtained by substitution of the perturbation expansions into the general boundary conditions for the velocity slip and temperature jump. This set of equations is discretized in two-dimensional state on a staggered grid using the finite volume method. A three-part computer program has been produced for solving the set of discretized equations. Each part of this code, solve one order of the equations with the SIMPLE algorithm. Incompressible slip micro Poiseuille and micro Couette flows are solved either analytically or numerically using the perturbation method (PM). Good agreement is found between analytical and numerical results in the low Knudsen numbers, whereas numerical results deviate from analytical results by increasing the Knudsen number. The results of perturbation method are also compared with the results obtained from different slip models

Accessibility to the public facilities: A mean to achieve civil rights of the people with disabilities in Iran

Objective: Civil rights may cover different aspects of citizens' lives. All the members of the society should have equal access to the public facilities and public transportation system. Barriers and obstacles in society may limit the accessibility of these facilities to the disabled people. Method: This article contains a part of the results in a phenomenological study of the Disability Rights. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe experiences of disability rights among 11 physically disabled that were living in Tehran, Iran. The study involves secondary analysis of in-depth transcribed interview data, using colazzi's method. Results:A total of 655 descriptive expressions were categorized in to 25 preliminary structural elements (sub themes). 7 essential structural elements (themes) emerged from an analysis of the sub themes. One of these themes was right to access which was emerged from an analysis of 6 sub themes. Conclusion: These sub themes that were obtained from an analysis of descriptive expressions of the participants, are: right to access to housing, right to access to education and information, right to access to job facilities, right to access to medical care and rehabilitation, right to access to rest, leisure and sport and right to access to places and transportation system. The right to access theme, was then categorized in to the civil rights field. In this article we will describe the right to access as it was experienced by those physically disabled people who participated in the interviews

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in psoriatic arthritis patients, a hospital-based cross-sectional study on Iranian population

Background: Psoriasis is a T-cell mediated chronic inflammatory disorder with multiple skin, nails and joints involvement. The reported prevalence of psoriatic arthritis varies from 5 to 42 cases per 100 psoriasis patients. Insulin resistance is believed to be central to the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome, a constellation of major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, including atherogenic dyslipidemia, truncal adiposity, hypertension and hyperglycemia. The association of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with metabolic syndrome is increasingly being reported. Although the literature relating psoriatic arthritis to metabolic syndrome is accumulating, there is still a paucity of evidence, especially from Asia. Here, we examined the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Methods: The study was performed among outpatients attending the specialty clinic and rheumatology ward of Rasoul-e-Akram general hospital between January 2014 and April 2015. A consecutive sample of 80 patients diagnosed as having psoriatic arthritis was studied. Age, gender, body mass index, blood pressure and waist circumference, and history of smoking of patients were measured and asked at the enrolment visit. Venous samples were taken after 8 h of overnight fasting for the estimation of serum lipid profile, glucose and uric acid levels. Also an ultrasonographic examination was done for detection of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Results: 46 patients (57.5) were male and 34 patients (42.5) were female. Mean age of the participants was 43 years (SD: 11.3). The prevalence of abnormal components of metabolic syndrome was 53.8 for BMI, 48.8 for TG level, 50 for HDL, 46.3 for LDL, 45 for Cholesterol, 23.8 for FBS, 46 for waist circumflex in men and 47.7 in women and 42.5 for uric acid. 40 of the patients had abnormal SBP and 41.2 had abnormal DBP. Thirty percent of the participants were current smokers and 43.8 had NAFLD on ultrasonographic examination. Conclusion: 51.3 of patients had metabolic syndrome according to the adult treatment panel III criteria for adult Asian patients. � 2016, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved