Ecological Assessment Of Plankton Community And Affects Of Alien Species In The Southwestern Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea ecosystem, with its high level of endemic taxa has suffered from anthropogenic pollution, changes in the quantity of nutrients, and the effects of invasive species since the 1980s. To study the temporal changes in phytoplankton and zooplankton communities, seasonal surveys were undertaken at 12 stations in the southwestern Caspian Sea from 1996 to 2010. Among 158 phytoplankton species identified, the dominant species were the diatoms Thalassionema nitzschioides, Dactyliosolen fragilissimus, the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum, and the cyanophyte of genus Oscillatoria

Economic Burden of Epidermolysis Bullosa Disease in Iran

Background: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is prevalent in Iran and incurs direct and indirect costs on the health care system and the patient.Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the economic burden of this disease in Iran. Methods: Tins study includes all patients with EB disease who had been referred to the medical centers of Iran in 2019-2020 for treatment of their disease, especially Hazrat Fatimah Hospital and their medical records are available in Iran EB Patients Association (IEBPA). In estimating the economic burden of diseases and costing studies. wre calculated the average direct and indirect costs for a patient and used it to estimate the costs of the patient population. In this study, a prevalence approach was used to calculate the economic burden of this disease. For this purpose, the existing cases of the disease in 2019-2020 were calculated. The data collected from the questionnaires that were completed through interviews with patients as well as the data extracted from the review of their files were entered into Excel software and analyzed. Results: The total direct medical costs of direct non-medical and indirect are equal to 7.319.428.315 & 5.390.440.775 and 45.875.654.514 Rials respectively, and the total economic burden of the disease and the average of each patient is 58.585.514.604 and 155.890.789 respectively. Conclusion: High indirect costs, especially informal care, represent the socio-economic burden of this disease and constitute more than half of the total indirect costs. Therefore, the obvious gap and hidden social costs of this disease are related to health policymakers, especially when they want to study the impact of this disease on different income classes of families

Therapeutic Options and Critical Care Strategies in COVID-19 Patients; Where Do We Stand in This Battle?

A pandemic of COVID-19 made an appearance in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019 and rapidly became a serious concern worldwide, with killing more than 238000 people until 3rd May 2020. Given the fact that a vaccine against the virus probably won’t be available anytime in the near future, the therapeutic strategies have become more prominent. Many supposedly effective drugs are under evaluation which may hinder the replication of SARS-CoV-2, and subsequently the infection. Lately on 1th may 2020, FDA authorized the use of experimental drug, Remdesivir for "emergency purpose" in COVID-19 cases. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, among the very first under-trial drugs, have been revealed to have promising impacts in treatment of SARS-CoV2. Broad-spectrum antivirals as well as HIV protease-inhibitors are still subject to assessment. Particularly angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) inhibitors are increasingly taken into consideration because of ACE2 being recognized as a host-cell receptor for COVID-19. Immune-Enhancement therapy by Interferons and Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been shown to be effective in some cases. Moreover, Convalescent Plasma Therapy and auxiliary blood purification were considered as the treatment of SARS-CoV2 infection. Among the critically ill patients, Oxygen-therapy, timely usage of inflammatory inhibitors, and controlling viral shedding by antivirals may reduce the mortality and morbidity of COVID-19

Single-mode 2.65 µm InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb laterally coupled distributed-feedback diode lasers for atmospheric gas detection.

We demonstrate index-coupled distributed-feedback diode lasers at 2.65 µm that are capable of tuning across strong absorption lines of HDO and other isotopologues of H2O. The lasers employ InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb multi-quantum-well structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb, and single-mode emission is generated using laterally coupled second-order Bragg gratings etched alongside narrow ridge waveguides. We verify near-critical coupling of the gratings by analyzing the modal characteristics of lasers of different length. With an emission facet anti-reflection coating, 2-mm-long lasers exhibit a typical current threshold of 150 mA at 20 °C and are capable of emitting more than 25 mW in a single longitudinal mode, which is significantly higher than the output power reported for loss-coupled distributed-feedback lasers operating at similar wavelengths

List of Zooplankton Taxa in the Caspian Sea Waters of Iran

A total of 61 zooplankton taxa were found in the southwestern Caspian Sea between 1996 and 2010. Thirteen of them were meroplankton taxa and forty-eight were holoplankton taxa. The occurrence of 14 freshwater taxa indicated the influence of the Anzali wetland and river inflows. The decrease in zooplankton taxa was detected since 1996-1997 and continued till 2010. Pleopis polyphemoides, the only one out of the nine recorded Cladocera species in 1996-1997, was found after 2001. Similarly, of the five Copepoda species recorded in 1996-1997, only one, Acartia tonsa, was found abundant during the 2001–2010 sampling period. It was striking that many species which were abundant in the Caspian Sea in 1996-1997 were not found after 2000. Many reasons could have contributed to the changes in the zooplankton composition of the southern Caspian Sea, notably the serious environmental degradation since the early 1990s. It is also possible that invasive species might play a role in wiping out some sensitive endemic species

Ecological study on the Persian Gulf Martyres Lake, Tehran

The ecological study of the Persian Gulf Martyres Lake carried out at the 5 stations between 2013 and 2014. This study identified 35 phytoplankton taxa. The diatoms taxa was dominated and their abundance recorded highest (2000 000 cell. L^-1) in the lake. The annual phytoplankton abundance was measured as 2500 000 cell. L^-1 during the study. The total nitrogen and water temperature were the significant a biotic parameters to increase cyanophytes abundance. Furthermore, 37 zooplankton taxa were identified. The Rotatoria abundance was dominated zooplankton. The annual zooplankton abundance was measured as 72 ind.l-1. Based on the CCA, there was no correlation between Rotatoria abundance and a biotic parameters. The study benthos showed Ephemeroptera and Diptera abundance were dominated; artificial bottom and lack of sediment and organic matters were the main reasons in decreasing of the benthos density. The Chitgar lake is the poorest lake in Iran due to low density of plankton and benthos organisms. The estimation of fish production was 123 kg/ha and for the lake was determaind 16 tonne. The finding display, invasive species was the main fish Chitgar lake that would be negative effect and increase eutriphication trend in the lake. Phosphorus parameter was limited parameters and trophy level recorded low due to high N/P ration in the lake. In overall the Chitgar lake situation is in Oligotrophic category with the low trophy level

Comprehensive study on probability of controlling Caspian Sea invasive ctenophora (Mnemiopsis leidyi) (Activity 2: Investigation on Mnemiopsis leidyi diet in the Caspian Sea)

Mnemiopsis leidyi is one the species of comb-jelly. It belongs to the Ctenophore phylum and Lobate order. It is a purely marine, free-swimming animal with a transparent jelly-like walnut-shaped body, which was transported from the Black Sea into Caspian possibly at the end of 1990s. This species is food rival of pelagic fish. It has been reported that the ctenophore caused the dramatic decrease of zooplankton and pelagic fish stock in the Black Sea. In this study, sampling on Mnemiopsis leidyi, zooplankton, phytoplankton was conducted from December 2003 to March 2005, from a total of 11 stations located along four transects (Anzali, Khazarabad, Tourkman and Gorgan Bay) by METU net in the Iranian coasts of the Caspian Sea. Clupeonella catch was done by light fishing with fishing vessel in Anzali region. The results showed that the biomass of M.leidyi had some fluctuation in different seasons and its maximum biomass was recorded in summer with a figure of 524.4±156.2 g.m^2 Tourkman region and the minimum biomass was observed in winter with a figure of 5.15±1.81 g.m^2 in Anzali region. Study of stomach of Mnemiopsis showed, that Acartia (belonged of Copepoda with 66 %), lamlibranchia (13 %) has the highest frequency and the lowest were Balanus nauplii, Rotatoria, Tintinnopsis and Podon polyphemoides. The maximum mean abundance of zooplankton was 29368±24318 n.m3 in winter (Anzali region) and the minimum was recorded 4170±5014 n.m3 in summer (Tourkman region). Copepoda was dominant zooplankton in the Iranian coasts of the Caspian Sea. Chrysophyta with 150000000±440000000 n.m3 and Euglenophyta with 260000±521000 n.m3 had the highest and the lowest frequency respectively in the Caspian Sea. The main foods of Clupeonella were Acartia with 80 %. The survey of stomach of Clupeonella showed that the feeding of these species was not good and the highest fullness index was recorded 220.95±314.67. These results showed, the main food item of Ctenophora and Clupeonella were Copepoda (Acartia). It seems, the impact of Mnemiopsis leidyi feeding has been the important factor in declining zooplankton populations, Clupeonella stocks, and also increasing of phytoplankton abundance

The study of some limnological study of the Kan river in the catchment area of the Persian Gulf Martyrs Lake (Chitgar), Tehran trophic index in Anzali lagoon

This study focused on identification phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthos, fishes and relationship between biotic and abiotic parameters at three stations in the Kan river during 2014. This study identified 19 phytoplankton taxa. The findings showed, the diatoms abundance were dominated in the river. The chlorophytes abundance were recorded the lowest abundance in this study. The nutrients and water temperature were the significant abiotic parameters to increase cyanophytes and chlorophytes abundance in the Kan river. This study identified 26 zooplankton taxa. The Rotatoria and Protozoa abundance were dominated in the Kan river. Based on CCA, there was no correlation between abundance zooplankton and abiotic parameters. The biodiversity index of plankton was between 1.8 and 2 and the lake situation is located in the mesotrophic category. The study of the Kan river fishes showed, only one endemic fish species Capoeta bohsei. The length (between 38 and 270 mm, average 144±86 mm) and weight (between 1.1 and 356 g, average 108.8±146.7 g) of the C. bohsei were varied during the study period. The 19 benthos taxa were identified. The Ephemeroptera was most abundant in the benthos groups. The classification of river based on biology indicator and environmental parameters confimed that water quality is located in the moderate category