Somatic embryogenesis in two Iranian date palm cultivars

Shoot tips were removed from 3 to 4 year-old offshoots of adult date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L. cv. Khanizi and Mordarsing) and were cultured on medium that consisted of Murashige and Skoog basal salts medium. After 12 months they were transferred to three different treatments of growth regulators. Five months later, cv. Khanizi produced embryogenic callus on a medium containing 453 ìM 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 15 ìM N2-(2-isopentenyl)adenine (2ip), and 13 ìM 6-benzyl amino purine. This callus was subcultured to another medium that was supplemented with 54 ìM NAA and 148 ìM 2ip. At this stage the embryos grew into plantlets. The cv. Mordarsing explants, on a medium containing 679 ìM 2,4-D and 15 ìM 2ip, produced embryogenic callus but the embryos remained in the globular stage

Alcohol, cannabinoids, and opioids abuse and dependence among psychiatric inpatients

Background: While substance abuse among psychiatric patients is a widely known problem in clinical practice, there is no local study about prevalence and co-occurrence of substance abuse in north of Iran. Objectives: The present study was designed to determine the frequency of smoking, alcohol, opioid and cannabinoid substances, and prescription medicines abuse or dependence among Psychiatric Inpatients. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional 2-year case register study was conducted on all (n = 492) psychiatric inpatients of Zare Psychiatric Hospital in Sari located in north of Iran. The data were obtained by using a standardized and validated questionnaire that contained demographic information along with information on co-morbid psychiatric problems and alcohol, cannabinoids, opioids, and cigarette usage. Results: The mean (± SD) age of samples was 39.9 (± 11.9) years and male:female ratio was 3.6. Opium with or without using other illicit substances was the most frequently abused substance (67). Significant association were found between illicit substance abuse and demographic variables of male gender, a low level of literacy, living in the urban area, unemployment, cigarette smoking, and young age. There were statistically significant association between schizophrenia and substance abuse (P < 0.001). Conclusion: High prevalence of dual diagnosis warrants attention to the management of substance misuse while treating mental disorders, and should be incorporated in the holistic treatment plan of psychiatric inpatients. © 2015, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences

The Possible Impact of Obesity on Androgen, Progesterone and Estrogen Receptors (ERα and ERβ) Gene Expression in Breast Cancer Patients

Background Obesity has been associated with increased mortality from hormone dependant cancers such as breast cancer which is the most prevalent cancer in women. The link between obesity and breast cancer can be attributed to excess estrogen produced through aromatization in adipose tissue. The role of steroid hormone receptors in breast cancer development is well studied but how obesity can affect the expression pattern of steroid hormones in patients with different grades of breast cancer was the aim of this study. Methods In this case-control study, 70 women with breast cancer participated with different grades of obesity (36 none obese, BMI < 25 kg/m 2 and 34 obese, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 ). The mean age of participants was 44.53 ± 1.79 yr (21–70 yr). The serum level of estrogen, progesterone and androgen determined by ELISA. Following quantitative expression of steroid hormone receptors mRNA in tumor tissues evaluated by Real-time PCR. Patients with previous history of radiotherapy or chemotherapy were excluded. SPSS 16 was used for data analysis and P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results The difference in ERα, ERβ and PR mRNA level between normal and obese patients was significant ( P < 0.001). In addition, the expression of AR mRNA was found to be higher than other steroid receptors. There was no significant relation between ERβ gene expression in two groups ( P = 0.68). We observed a significant relationship between ERα and AR mRNA with tumor stage and tumor grade, respectively ( P = 0.023, P = 0.015). Conclusion According to the obtained results, it is speculated that obesity could paly a significant role in estrogen receptors gene expression and also could affect progression and proliferation of breast cancer cells

Treniranje u uvjetima kontinuuma otežavajućega kontekstualnog utjecaja: usporedba triju različitih načina vježbanja na satovima tjelesne i zdravstvene kulture u osnovnim školama

Few studies have explored the contextual interference effect with children. The findings from these investigations have produced inconsistent results. The purpose of this study was to investigate further how the contextual interference effect influenced children learning a fundamental motor skill in a physical education class. Elementary students (N=36) practiced overarm throwing following traditional blocked or random scheduling. They were compared to a third group of participants practicing the same tasks following a schedule with systematic increases in contextual interference. Analysis revealed that all three groups improved during practice. Post-test results revealed performance differences in favor of the group that practiced with systematic increases in contextual interference. The findings reported here extend the results of previous studies by demonstrating that children can learn a motor skill by practicing with systematic increases in contextual interference. Theoretical considerations are discussed, as well as the relevance of the findings for practitioners and avenues for future research.Premalo je istraživanja koja su ispitivala učinke kontekstualnog utjecaja na učenje motoričkih znanja u djece. Rezultati tih istraživanja bili su proturječni. Cilj ovog istraživanja bilo je daljnje istraživanje učinaka kontekstualnog utjecaja na djecu koja uče osnovna motorička znanja na nastavi tjelesne i zdravstvene kulture. Učenici osnovnih škola (N=36) vježbali su osnovno bacanja loptice jednom rukom iznad glave u uvjetima tradicionalne, blokirane ili nasumične strukture kontekstualnog utjecaja. Rezultati tih učenika uspoređeni su s rezultatima treće grupe ispitanika koji su izvodili/vježbali isti motorički zadatak u uvjetima sustavnog povećanja otežavajućega kontekstualnog utjecaja. Rezultati su pokazali da su sve tri grupe ispitanika napredovale tijekom vježbanja. Rezultati finalnog mjerenja pokazali su također da je veći napredak zabilježen u grupi koja je vježbala u uvjetima sustavnog povećanja otežavajućega kontekstualnog utjecaja. Rezultati ovog istraživanja proširuju spoznaje dosadašnjih znanstvenih istraživanja ukazivanjem na činjenicu da djeca mogu učiti motorička znanja u uvjetima sustavnog povećanja otežavajućega kontekstualnog utjecaja. U članku su raspravljene teorijske osnove eksperimenta i praktičan doprinos dobivenih znanstvenih spoznaja te su predstavljene preporuke za daljnja znanstvena istraživanja

Transdiagnostic treatment of co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive disorders based on repetitive negative thinking: A case series

Objective: The transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral treatments for treating the coexistence of anxiety and mood disorders received useful empirical supports in the recent years. However, these treatments still have moderate efficacy. Following the improvements and developments in transdiagnostic protocols and considering the importance of repetitive negative thinking as a core transdiagnostic factor in emotional disorders, this study examined a new form of transdiagnostic treatment based on Repetitive Negative Thinking (TTRNT) of co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive disorders. Methods: Treatment efficacy was assessed using single case series with multiple baselines. Three patients meeting the criteria for co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive disorders were selected using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV. The patients were treated individually for 12 weekly sessions. Participants completed the standardized outcome measures during the baseline, treatment and one-month follow-up. Results: At post-treatment, all participants showed significant clinical changes on a range of standardized outcome measures, and these gains were largely maintained through the one-month follow-up both in the principle and co-principal diagnosis. Conclusions: Although the results of this preliminary investigation indicated that TTRNT could be a time effective and efficient treatment for individuals with co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive disorders, further controlled clinical trials are necessary to examine this new treatment approach

The study of reproductive behavior and growth of Caspian Sea Amphipod: (Pontogammarus maeoticus)

Amphipods collected from the southern coasts of Caspian Sea (Jefrood beach) were transferred to laboratory along with sediment from the same area. Samples were maintained in controlled laboratory condition at temperature of 2510oC, salinity of 9± 0.5 ppt and a 12 hrs. light - dark regime. The average period spent in precopula stage was about 2.6±0.91 days and embryonic development took about 8.5 ±1.05 days. The fecundity was estimated as the number of fertilized eggs existing in brood pouch of each female (14.125). First precopula was observed after about 40 days of birth. To study the effect of feed composition on growth, Gammarus of similar size were fed by composite food of (fish-potato), (fish-bread) , (fish-leaf), (leaf-potato), (leaf-bread) and (breadpotato). At the end of 6th week the head of all specimens were measured. The result of statistical analysis showed significant difference between the treatments (p0.05). The combination of potato-bread was found to be the most suitable food for Gammarus

Research paper: Characteristics of an online HIV education program for iranian female methadone patients: The first study

Objectives: Female methadone patients need specific education on HIV. However, few studies have been conducted on the essential characteristics of designing an online HIV education program for this population. Therefore, the current qualitative study aimed at addressing this research gap. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 female patients and 19 methadone treatment providers in 11 methadone treatment centres in Tehran, Mashhad and Sari, Iran. Both focus group discussions and individual interviews were conducted and a narrative analysis approach was implemented. The NVivo 9 software was used for data analysis. Results: The qualitative analyses of the data revealed three major themes and six minor themes as follows: a. information for focused action (knowing the epidemic response) using the effective visual presentation and audio presentation; b. interventions for impact evaluation (covering the needed services) by short-term documentary movies and animations; and c. program delivery for understanding (covering the population in need of services) using problem-solving and taking quizzes. Discussion: Audio and visual components, as well as the role of documentary movies and animations, should be considered in HIV education. The active role of women in learning using problem-solving and taking quizzes was highlighted. The findings of this study can be used in designing women-specific HIV education programs in Iran. Randomized controlled trials are suggested to evaluate the effectiveness of such programs. © 2020 University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences

Creatine kinase BB isoenzyme levels in tumour cytosols and survival of breast cancer patients.

Creatinine kinase BB (CK-BB) is elevated in many tumours including those of the breast. We have recently described a new, highly sensitive and specific method for measuring CK-BB, based on monoclonal antibodies and time-resolved fluorometry. Using this method, we quantitated CK-BB in 172 breast tumour cytosols and examined the associations between CK-BB and other clinicopathological variables and patient survival. High CK-BB levels were seen more frequently in tumours from patients who were younger (age < 50 years), patients who qualified for chemotherapy and patients with oestrogen receptor-positive tumours. No association was seen between CK-BB and tumour stage, grade, size, histological type or the progesterone receptor. In univariate analysis, the risk of relapse or death was higher in the group with tumours containing high CK-BB levels but the difference did not reach statistical significance. In multivariate analysis, the risk of death was statistically significantly higher in the high-CK-BB group. Analysis of subsets of patients revealed that patients with oestrogen receptor-negative cancer have higher risk of death if their tumours contain high levels of CK-BB. Our data suggest that, in general, CK-BB is associated with more aggressive tumours but its value as a prognostic indicator is limited. CK-BB content of breast tumours may be more useful as an aid in selecting therapy directed at inhibiting this enzyme activity and thus depriving tumour cells of their energy source