13 research outputs found
Comparison of prevalence, mean intensity and abundance of metazoan parasites of Otolithes ruber (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae) in Khozestan, Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchestan Provinces
Get PDFThis study was carried out to comparison and survey on metazoan parasites of Otolithes ruber in coastal waters of Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman. Totally 318 fish specimens were seasonally caught by gill net, bottom trawl and hook in Khozestan, Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchestan Provinces from summer 2013 to spring 2014. Specimens immediately were frozen and transferred to laboratory and after measuring fish weight and length, parasitological survey conducted on external and internal organs. Totally, 20 different parasites species were observed from O. ruber in mentioned areas that some of them occurred in all three regions and the others were only in one or two areas. The results of this study showed that monogeneans and digeneans had the highest occurrence in three regions while other groups were less abundant in each area. The results of statistical analyses showed significant differences among parasites abundance in different seasons. As well as a significant differences were found between male and female and parasites abundance of Digenea in Khozestan, Monogenea and Cestoda in Hormozgan and Nematoda in Sistan and Baluchesta Provinces. The prevalence of parasites depends on environmental conditions and presence of intermediate hosts that these factors are likely to be different in the three regions
Spatial variation of symbiotic dinoflagellates on coral reefs of the northern Persian Gulf
Get PDFDensity, mitotic index, Chlorophyll-a content and cell size of symbiotic dinoflagellates of dominant reef-building corals were measured at two different depths in Kish Island and from one depth of Larak Island in the Persian Gulf. The higher densities of symbionts were found in shallow waters of Kish Island. However, ANOVA analyses of the mitotic index yielded mixed results. The cell sizes of symbionts did not significantly differ among depths, except for Porites corals at one site in Kish Island which displayed the larger cells in deeper water. The comparison of symbiont attributes between islands exhibited intraspecific variability. Density of zooxanthellae was only different in Porites and Favia corals between islands. Chlorophyll-a density (cm-2) was significantly different between islands in all species, with higher values for Kish corals. Chlorophyll a cell-1 was only significantly different in Porites and Platygyra corals, with higher values for Larak Island. The symbiont cell sizes usually exhibited no variability, except for Porites corals with larger sizes in Kish Island
Reproductive biology of blue swimming crab, Portunus segnis (Forskal, 1775) in coastal waters of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, Iran
Get PDFA reproductive biology study of blue swimming crab, Portunus segnis (Forskal, 1775) in the northern Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, was conducted from May 2010 to October 2011. The results showed that the annual sex ratio is not M:F=1:1, with 51.9 % female. All the five stages of ovarian development of P. segnis were observed throughout the year. The size of ovigerous crabs varied from 103 to 155 mm carapace width. This crab can spawn all year round with a spawning peak in mid-winter to early of spring season. The fecundity of ovigerous crabs ranged from 521027 to 6656599 eggs, with average fecundity of 2397967 eggs. The minimum carapace width (CW) of female crabs that reach sexual maturity was 92-138 mm and the length at which 50% of all ovigerous females was 113 mm carapace width
Identification of Cypraeidae in southern intertidal zones of Qeshm Island, the Persian Gulf
Get PDFGastropod communities were investigated along two intertidal sandy and rocky shores in Qeshm Island, the northern Persian Gulf, IR Iran to identify the species of the family Cypraeidae. Monthly sampling was undertaken from May 2007 to April 2008 by haphazardly placing eighteen 0.25 m2 quadrates along two 30m wide transects located approximately 300m apart, perpendicular to the sea, in each sandy and rocky shore. Four species and subspecies belonging to the family Cypraeidae were identified including Cypraea feline fabula, Cypraea grayana, Cypraea nebrites and Cypraea turdus winckworthi. All species occurred on rocky shores. Identifications were verified by Dr. Robert G. Moolenbeek, from Natural History Museum of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Disulfide-induced self-assembled targets: A novel strategy for the label free colorimetric detection of DNAs/RNAs via unmodified gold nanoparticles
Get PDFA modified non-cross-linking gold-nanoparticles (Au-NPs) aggregation strategy has been developed for the label free colorimetric detection of DNAs/RNAs based on self-assembling target species in the presence of thiolated probes. Two complementary thiol- modified probes, each of which specifically binds at one half of the target introduced SH groups at both ends of dsDNA. Continuous disulfide bond formation at 3′ and 5′ terminals of targets leads to the self-assembly of dsDNAs into the sulfur- rich and flexible products with different lengths. These products have a high affinity for the surface of Au-NPs and efficiently protect the surface from salt induced aggregation. To evaluate the assay efficacy, a small part of the citrus tristeza virus (CTV) genome was targeted, leading to a detection limit of about 5 × 10-9 mol.L-1 over a linear ranged from 20 × 10-9 to 10 × 10-7 mol.L-1. This approach also exhibits good reproducibility and recovery levels in the presence of plant total RNA or human plasma total circulating RNA extracts. Self-assembled targets can be then sensitively distinguished from non-assembled or mismatched targets after gel electrophoresis. The disulfide reaction method and integrating self-assembled DNAs/RNAs targets with bare AuNPs as a sensitive indicator provide us a powerful and simple visual detection tool for a wide range of applications
The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden
MODIFIED APPLICATION OF MODIFIED ELEMENTAL ELEMENTS, BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF ENERGY, FOR ANALYZING STRUCTURES, IN THE RANGE OF SMALL DEFORMATIONS
No full textIn this paper, applied element method for linear analysis of structures based
on energy concept in the range of small deformations has been developed and
introduced as modified applied element method. This method considers the
structure as a set of rigid elements and connecting springs. Both elements of
the structure are connected by a single spring with normal, shear and rotary
stiffness. Springs stiffness can be calculate according to the properties of
the materials. Considering principle of minimum total potential energy for the
structure, deformation in the structure can be calculated. This method
estimates the linear behavior of the structure with a very good accuracy and
low analytical time in the range of small deformations. In this paper, first,
the formulation of the modified applied elements method for the analysis of the
behavior of linear structures in the small range of deformation is expressed,
then, compare the accuracy and speed of this method with applied element method and theoretical values. The results show that in analyzing a cantilever beam with the proposed method, even with a model that includes the minimum number of elements, the error rate is less than 2 percent. This comparison was also used to analyze a one-story frame with simple supports, in this case the rate of error was less than 0.15 percent. However, solving this two problems by applied
element method with the same dimensions of element, has more than 31\% and
32\% of the error rate in case of cantilever beam and one-span frame respectively.
The calculation time of the proposed method is less than 40\% of the calculation time in the applied element method with 10 series of connection springs. Also, in this method, the value of the frame ductility was estimated with an error of about 3\%, while the corresponding error value in the applied element method was as much as 41\% in the same element size
Adsorption of lead, zinc and cadmium ions from contaminated water onto Peganum harmala seeds as biosorbent
No full textPeganum harmala seeds were assessed as biosorbent for removing Pb2+,
Zn2+and Cd2+ ions from aqueous solutions. The effects of various
parameters such as the aqueous solution pH, the contact time, the
initial metal concentration and the amount of adsorbent in the process
were investigated. The adsorption efficiencies increased with pH. It
was found that about 95 % of lead, 75 % of zinc and 90 % of cadmium
ions could be removed from 45 ml of aqueous solution containing 20 mg
l-1 of each cation with 2 g of adsorbent at pH 4.5 after 15 min. The
quantitative desorption of cadmium from adsorbent surface was achieved
using 10 ml of a 0.5 M nitric acid solution. This condition was
attained for lead and zinc ions with 10 ml of 1 M hydrochloric acid
solution. Kinetic investigation of the process was performed by
considering a pseudo-second-order model. This model predicts the
chemisorption mechanism of the process. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin
and Dubinin–Radushkevich models were tested for describing the
equilibrium data. It was found that the Freundlich model describes the
experimental data resulting from the adsorption of lead ions. However
for cadmium and zinc ions, the adsorption equilibria were interpreted
with the Langmuir model
Defective T-cell proliferation and IL-2 production in a subgroup of patients with coronary artery disease
No full textAtherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall characterized by innate and adaptive immune responses to a variety of microbial and self-antigens. Given the crucial role of adaptive immunity in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, this study was performed to investigate the proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and interleukin (IL)-2 production in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study, 25 patients with chronic stable CAD and 25 healthy individuals were investigated. The PBMCs were separated and stimulated with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). MTT assay was performed to measure cell viability and proliferation. IL-2 concentrations in cell culture supernatants were determined by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. PHA-stimulated cells revealed a significantly increased optical density (OD) in both groups of patients (p=0.004) and controls (p<0.001). However, the patient group showed a significantly lower Stimulation index (SI) (p=0.001). Upon in vitro stimulation with PHA, IL-2 levels were significantly increased in both groups of patients and controls (p<0.001). However, IL-2 concentrations were significantly lower in the patient group (p=0.018). Six patients showed defective IL-2 production, whereas similar finding was not observed in the normal control subjects (p=0.022). PBMCs from patients with coronary artery disease showed defective PHA-induced mitogenesis and IL-2 production. Considering the autoimmune nature of atherosclerosis, decreased IL-2 production may potentially enhance the atherogenic process, leading to spontaneous activation of autoreactive T lymphocytes. Copyright© 2010, Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. All rights reserved
Vitamin A decreases cytotoxicity of oxidized low-density lipoprotein in patients with atherosclerosis
No full textBackground: Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is implicated in initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Previously, we found that ox-LDL increases vulnerability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in atherosclerotic patients compared to controls. Vitamin A induces proliferation of PBMCs. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Vitamin A supplementation on PBMC survival against LDL and different doses of ox-LDL.Method: In this double-blind placebo-controlled trial, we recruited 35 atherosclerotic patients and 38 healthy controls and randomly allocated them into placebo and Vitamin A groups, which received either placebo or 25,000 IU/day of Vitamin A for 3 months. PBMCs were isolated, cultured, and stimulated by 1 μg/mL LDL as well as 1 μg/mL and 50 μg/mL ox-LDL. The stimulation indexes (SIs) of PBMCs were calculated to identify cell viability. Additionally, the circulating ox-LDL levels were measured by ELISA.Results: Viability of PBMCs stimulated by 50 μg/mL ox-LDL significantly increased following Vitamin A supplementation in patients (p < 0.01). The levels of circulating ox-LDL were not changed by Vitamin A treatment. Ox-LDL levels were strongly and positively correlated to SI of PBMCs stimulated by 1 μg/mL LDL and1 μg/mL ox-LDL in all groups.Conclusion: Vitamin A decreases cytotoxicity of high-dose ox-LDL and improves PBMC viability. The protective effect of Vitamin A is not mediated by an antioxidative mechanism, but may instead have been due to intracellular protection of the apoptotic machinery or induction of proliferation of the cells. Higher levels of ox-LDL increase PBMC irritability in all participants. © 2015 Taylor & Francis
