Prioritization of the Aptitude of Archetypal Tourism Regions in the North East of Kermanshah Province, for Investment and

This research aims to prioritize the archetypaltourism regions situated on the Oramanat tourism pole in the North West of Kermanshah Province, based on their aptitude for investment. This study is an applied survey type research. Data were gathered through questionnaires and were analyzed using TOPSIS technique. Results indicate that archetypaltourism regions of Shamshir, Ghourighale, Noudeshe, Hajij and Veisolqarn are in the good level; Bouzinmarkhil with i SL 0.48 is in medium level; the areas of Nowsoudeh, Sarabemamishan, Shervineh, Sarabesefidbarg, Ozgolebamu, Bidmiri and Dalani with i SL of 0.2 to 0.4 are in the weak level, and Cheshmehrize region with i SL 0.2 is evaluated to be in the very weak level. Based on the research findings, yielding of the archetypal tourism regions with low level of investment suitability, to investors, is only a mere waste of resources. Therefore, tourism planners are supposed to improve the potentiality of these areas for investment first, and then offer them to investors

Microplastics contamination in the gastropod, Telescopium telescopium, from the mangrove area of Versova Creek, Mumbai, India: Microplastics in the gastropod

Microplastic (MP) content in the gastropod, Telescopium telescopium, collected from the mangrove forest of Versova Creek, Mumbai was investigated. In total, 60 specimens were collected and pooled into six groups of 10 animals, each according to their weight and size. The concentration of extracted MP was expressed as the number of MP particles g-1 soft tissue (wet weight) and Ind.-1 (individual). MP was detected in all six groups and ranged from ~1 to 4 MP/g soft tissue and ~4 to 23 MP/individual. The minimum number of MP both in soft tissue and in each individual were 1.12 MP/g and 3.6 MP/Ind, respectively, and were found to be present in the lowest wet weight group (3.21±0.33 g). The size of the longest dimension of MP varied from 21-435 µm, most of which were smaller than 100 µm. The majority of the MP found in each weight group were colorless and transparent fragments were the most prevalent shape (55.20%). FTIR analysis showed polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyurethane were the major polymer types. The study reports the microplastic content in a gastropod, Telescopium inhabiting the mangroves of Mumbai, India. As an algal feeder/detritivore, the presence of MP in its soft tissue suggests molluscans are prone to consuming MP, relative to the environmental availability. They had a higher proportion of MP than body weight, indicating the potential transfer of MP into higher trophic levels of the mangrove ecosystem. Irregular fragment MP dominance indicates Telescopium graze on weathered plastic items covered by fouling algae and contributes to MP formation

Tuberculosis: Past, Present and Future

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is the second-most common cause of death from infectious disease (after those due to HIV/AIDS). Roughly one-third of the world's population has been infected with M. tuberculosis, with new infections occurring in about 1% of the population each year. People with active TB can infect 10-15 other people through close contact over the course of a year. Materials and Methods The current study is a review survey which was conducted to evaluate of current status of TB prevalence by studying WHO website, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations (UN) websites. Results In 2014, 9.6 million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million (1.1 million HIV-negative and 0.4 million HIV-positive) died from the disease. Over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and it is among the top 5 causes of death for women aged 15 to 44. One million children (0-14 years) fell ill with TB, and 140 000 children died from the disease in 2014; also, about 80% of reported TB cases occurred in 22 countries. The 6 countries that stand out as having the largest number of incident cases in 2014 were: India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China and South Africa. The TB death rate dropped 47% between 1990 and 2015. Conclusion Despite the fact that nearly all patients can be cured, TB remains one of the world’s biggest threats. Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals

Effect of combination therapy with ceftizoxime and clotrimazole in the treatment of otomycosis

Background and Purpose: There are controversial findings regarding the efficacy of antifungal drugs in the treatment of a ruptured eardrum following fungal infections. Regarding this, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of the co-administration of antifungal and antibacterial agents in the treatment of otomycosis with tympanic membrane perforation. Materials and Methods: This analytical, clinical trial was conducted on 87 patients with otomycosis showing no bacterial elements in the direct observation and culture. The study population was assigned into two groups of intervention (n=45) and control (n=42). The demographic and clinical data, as well as the data related to the direct observation and culture of the ear samples were recorded in a checklist. All statistical analysis was performed in SPSS (version 24). Results: The most prevalent symptoms in both groups were hearing loss and itching, and the most common finding was secretion. Aspergillus and Candida were the most frequent fungi isolated from the samples. After the implementation of combination therapy, the intervention group demonstrated a significant decrease in symptoms and signs, compared to the control group (P=0.005). Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicated that the use combination therapy with ceftizoxime powder and clotrimazole ointment was effective the in treatment of the patients with tympanic membrane rupture showing no bacterial effects in direct examination and culture

Verification of the Accuracy of the Delivered Dose in Pelvic and Breast Cancer Radiotherapy by in-vivo Semi-Conductor Dosimetry

Introduction: Delivering maximum dose to tumor and minimum dose to normal tissues is the most important goal in radiotherapy. According to ICRU, the maximum acceptable uncertainty in the delivered dose compared to the prescribed dose should be lower than 5%, and this is because of the relationship between absorbed dose, tumor control and normal tissue damage. Absorbed dose accuracy is investigated by an in vivo dosimetry method. In this paper, we compared absorbed dose in the tumors of the breast and pelvic region against the calculated dose. The amount of deviations and the factors that cause this deviation in dose delivery to patients and some methods for decreasing them were evaluated. Materials and methods: The entrance and exit doses of 36 pelvic-region cancer patients and 38 breast cancer patients who were treated by cobalt-60 teletherapy were measured using p-type diodes. It should be noted that the transmission method was used to assess the dose at isocenter. Two ionization chambers (0.6 cc and 0.3 cc) were used for calibration and determination of the correction coefficients in water and slab phantoms. Deviations between calculated and measured doses of entrance, exit and midline points were calculated and the results were shown using histograms. Results: The average and standard deviation for entrance, exit and midline points for pelvis cancer were assessed to be about 0.10%, -1.86% and -1.35% for mean deviation and 5.03%, 7.32% and 5.86% for standard deviation, respectively. The corresponding data for breast cancer were 0.78%, 5.29% and 3.59% for mean deviation and 5.97%, 10.23% and 9.86%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the calculated and measured doses (p > 0.1), except exit dose in breast cancer (p < 0.05). The temperature and angle of incidence correction factors were neglected due to their less than 1% deviations. Discussion and Conclusions: Some error sources are patient setup error, patient motion and dose calculation algorithm error (due to ignoring inhomogeneity and patient curvature). As no significant deviations were found in midline dose, the method used has an acceptable accuracy. In vivo dosimetry can perform a basic role in the quality control of radiotherapy departments

Internal evaluation department of speech therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Background and Aim: Internal evaluation is an important part of organization monitoring. One of the Ministry of Health's policies is to encourage educational departments to conduct internal evaluations. The aim of internal evaluation of department of speech therapy was appraising its education, research and treatment qualities and determining its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOTs) to identify the ways of overcoming weakness and threats.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 phases to evaluate 10 factors. Participants were undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students, academic staff, director of the department along with the patients. The internal evaluation software for educational and research centers released by Center of Medical Education Studies and Development was modified and utilized. Data was analyzed by calculating mean of means.Results: Mean of means from highest to lowest scores were respectively as follows: the quality of diagnosis, treatment and dealing with patients 4.15 out of 5; as well as the quality of academic staff 3.5 were in the range of desirable category; qualities of management and organizational structure 3.34, graduate students 3.21, teaching and learning processes 3.1, missions and goals 3.09, instructional methods and curriculum models 2.99, educational and research equipments 2.9, students 2.76 and research 2.67 were within the range of rather desirable category. Total score was 3.17 (63.4%) which was within the range of rather desirable category.Conclusion: The department of speech therapy was in rather desirable state before merger. That result was appropriate according to the department's conditions and supplies