Association between generation gap in interest, familiarity and application of information and communication technology

Given the introduction of information and communication technology and its rapid progress in every society, its use and application is different between various social institutions in that it demonstrates the difference between previous and present generation. Hence, the research was conducted in the school year 2012-2013 with the aim of applying information technology among female high school students and their mothers in Gorgan Province. The research method is a descriptive-analytical method; using a cluster sampling, of 34 female schools 8 schools were randomly chosen and 260 students were included in the study out of 1625 students. Using collected questionnaires and information obtained from independent t-test the results indicated that there was a significant difference between the mean of familiarity, interest and mothers' and their children's use of information technology. © Medwell Journals, 2016

Operating Room Scheduling Optimization Based on a Fuzzy Uncertainty Approach and Metaheuristic Algorithms

Today, planning and scheduling problems are the most significant issues in the world and make a great impact on improving organizational productivity and serving systems such as medical and healthcare providers. Since operating room planning is a major problem in healthcare organizations, the optimization of medical staff and equipment plays an essential role. Thus, this study presents a multi-objective mathematical model with a new categorization (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative) to minimize operating room scheduling and the risk of using equipment. Time constraints in healthcare systems and medical equipment limited capacity are the most significant considered limitation in the present study. In this regard, since the duration of patient preparation and implementation of treatment processes occur in three states of optimistic, pessimistic, and normal, the introduced parameters are examined relying on a fuzzy uncertainty analysis of the problem. Hence, the model is measured in a real numerical solution sample in a medical center to evaluate and confirm the proposed mathematical model. Then, two meta-heuristic algorithms (NRGA and NSGAII) are implemented on the mathematical model to analyze the proposed model. Finally, the research results indicate that the NSGA-II is more efficient in the operating room scheduling problem

Controlador híbrido robusto basado en red neuronal fuzzy de intervalo tipo 2 y modo deslizante de alto orden para robots manipuladores

Industrial arms should be able to perform their duties in environments where unpredictable conditions and perturbations are present. In this paper, controlling a robotic manipulator is intended under significant external perturbations and parametric uncertainties. Type-2 fuzzy logic is an appropriate choice in the face of uncertain environments, for various reasons, including utilizing fuzzy membership functions. Also, using the neural network (NN) can increase robustness of the controller. Although neural network does not basically need to build its type-2 fuzzy rules, the initial rules based on sliding surface of higher order sliding mode controller (HOSMC) can improve the system's performance. In addition, self-regulation feature of the controller, which is based on the existence of the neural network in the central type-2 fuzzy controller block, increases the robustness of the method even more. Effective performance of the proposed controller (IT2FNN-HOSMC) is shown under various perturbations in numerical simulations.Los brazos industriale deben poder realizar sus tareas en entornos donde existen condiciones y perturbaciones impredecibles. En este artículo, el control de un manipulador robótico está bajo perturbaciones externas significativas e incertidumbres paramétricas. La lógica difusa de tipo 2 es una opción adecuada frente a entornos inciertos, por varias razones, incluida la utilización de funciones de membresía difusas. Además, el uso de la red neuronal (NN) puede aumentar la robustez del controlador. Aunque la red neuronal no necesita básicamente construir sus reglas difusas tipo 2, las reglas iniciales basadas en la superficie deslizante del controlador de modo deslizante de orden superior (HOSMC) pueden mejorar el rendimiento del sistema. Además, la función de autorregulación del controlador, que se basa en la existencia de la red neuronal en el bloque central del controlador difuso tipo 2, aumenta aún más la robustez del método. El rendimiento efectivo del controlador propuesto (IT2FNN-HOSMC) se muestra bajo varias perturbaciones en simulaciones numéricas

Chronological response of prostacyclin changes to moderately low doses of radiation in rat cervical spinal cord

Background: Study of vascular and its secretory profile changes is an important issue in pathogenesis of radiation myelopathy. This paper reports the prostacyclin concentration changes after low-moderate doses of X-irradiation within a short period of time. Materials and Methods: Cervical cords of Wistar rats were irradiated to doses of 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 6 Gy X-rays. After 24 hours, 2 and 13 weeks post-irradiation, prostacyclin contents were quantified and cords specimens were also stained routinely for histological studies. Results: Twenty four hours post-irradiation, showed a decrease in the content of prostacyclin after doses of 0.5 and 1 Gy 91.67±1.47 96.80±2.17 of respectively age-matched control group. After 2 weeks the concentration of prostacyclin showed significant decreases after 6 Gy. After 13 weeks irradiation shows marked differences even after a small dose of 2 Gy (p<0.001), and after doses of the low dose group. The differences between concentration values at doses of 4 Gy and 6 Gy were significant in comparison with the control (p<0.001 and p<0.002, respectively). Conclusion: Results suggested that the response of the vascular tissues to low and moderate doses of radiation occurs prior to that of the nervous tissue of the spinal cord. It means that the asymptomatic interval after radiation is characterized by sequential physiological changes which are imperfectly reflected in routine histological study and that even in the histologically unaffected spinal cord; severe impairment is present in substructures and biochemistry of irradiated spinal

Evaluation of protective effects of non-selective cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 against the nitroglycerine-induced acute and chronic animal models of migraine: A mechanistic study

Aim: Migraine is a neurological debilitating disorder. Previous studies have shown that cannabinoid receptor agonists have analgesic effects in various models of pain. In this study, therefore, we investigated anti-nociceptive effects of WIN 55,212-2, and the role of either CB1 or CB2 receptors in nitroglycerine (NTG)-induced animal model of migraine. Methods: The present study was conducted on both male and female rats receiving NTG (10 mg/kg, i.p.) to induce acute (single dose of NTG) and chronic (repetitive doses of NTG) models of migraine. Additionally, three groups received WIN 55,212-2 (0.33, 1, 3 mg/kg, i.p.) 45 min before behavioral tests. Additionally, AM251 and AM630 (CB1 and CB2 receptor antagonist, respectively, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) were used to evaluate the possible involvement of CB1 and CB2 receptors during the protective effects of WIN 55,212-2. Key findings: We found that NTG (10 mg/kg, i.p.) in both acute and chronic models increased sensitivity to pain. In acute model, we found that WIN 55,212-2 (almost high doses) decreases the level of pain mainly through CB1 receptor due to CB1 antagonist abrogates its protective effects, however, in formalin test CB2 receptors also had crucial roles in both phases at 3 mg/kg of WIN 55,212-2. In chronic model, WIN 55,212-2 (0.33, 1 and 3 mg/kg) significantly attenuated NTG-induced hyperalgesia through both CB1 and CB2 receptors. Significance: Our data supported the argument that activation of CB1 and CB2 receptors by WIN 55,212-2 may be considered a new medication for migraine, however in lack of each receptor leads to different responses from deletion to the reduction of analgesic effects. © 2019 Elsevier Inc

A 10 Year Survey on Childhood CNS Tumors

AbstractObjectiveTumors of the central nervous system constitute the largest group of solid neoplasms in children and are second only to leukemia in their overall frequency during childhood. The main purpose of the present study is to determine the incidence, age, sex, location and histological diagnosis of CNS tumors in children, less than 15 years of age, in the Mofid Children's Hospital, in the past 10 years. Materials and MethodsIn this descriptive retrospective study we reviewed the medical records of 143 children with diagnosis of CNS tumors admitted during the past 10 years in neurology and surgery departments of Mofid Children's Hospital between the years 1996 and 2006.ResultsDuring the 10 year study period, CNS tumor was diagnosed in 143 patients; of these tumors, 119 were intracranial and 58 were intraspinal; 51.3% of brain tumors were located in the supratentorial and 48.7% in the infratentorial regions. The most common intracranial neoplasms were astrocytic tumors (36.8%), embryonal tumors (31.1%) and ependymal tumors (13.4%). Of the intraspinal neoplasms the most frequently noted were embryonal tumors(37.5%), mesenchymal meningothelial tumors (20.8%), followed by astrocytic tumors (16.7%). The median age at diagnosis was 8.9 ± 4.1 years with a male to female ratio of 1.4:1 (PConclusionBrain tumors in children constitute a diverse group in terms of incidence,distribution and histopathological diagnosis.

The effects of hydro-ethanolic extract of Capparis spinosa (C. spinosa) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and cognitive impairment: Evidence from in vivo and in vitro studies

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Capparis spinose (C. spinosa) belonging to Capparaeae, originates from dry areas in the west or central Asia and Mediterranean basin. For thousands of years, C. spinosa has been reported to be used as a therapeutic traditional medicine to relieve various ailments including rheumatism, pain and inflammatory diseases. Aim of the study: There are several studies mentioning that systemic inflammation results in learning and memory impairments through the activation of microglia. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of C. spinosa on both in vivo and in vitro models of neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment using lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Materials and methods: In vivo: 40 male rats were used in the present study. Cognitive impairment was induced using LPS (1 mg/kg/d; i.p.) for 4 weeks. Treatment with C. spinosa (100 and 300 mg/kg/d; p.o.) was performed 1 h before LPS administration. At the end of the experiment, rats were undergone for behavioral and biochemical analysis. In vitro: Primary microglia isolated from mouse was used in the present study. The cells were pretreated with C. spinosa extract (10�300 μg/ml) and then stimulated with LPS (1 μg/ml). The expression levels of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were elucidated using Real-Time PCR and ELISA methods. Results: The escape latency in the Morris water maze test in the LPS group was significantly greater than the control group (p < 0.001), while, in extract-treated groups, it was less than the LPS group (p < 0.001). Additionally, we found that the levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and iNOS/Arg-1 ratio was also significantly lower in extract-treated groups than the LPS group (p < 0.001). The results revealed that C. spinosa extract significantly reduced the levels of TNF-α, iNOS, COX-2, IL-1β, IL-6, NO and PGE2, and the ratios of iNOS/Arg-1 and NO/urea, following the LPS-induced inflammation in microglia (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our finding provides evidence that C. spinosa has a neuroprotective effect, and might be considered as an effective therapeutic agent for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases that are accompanied by microglial activation, such as AD. © 202

Curcumin: A new candidate for melanoma therapy?

Melanoma remains among the most lethal cancers and, in spite of great attempts that have been made to increase the life span of patients with metastatic disease, durable and complete remissions are rare. Plants and plant extracts have long been used to treat a variety of human conditions; however, in many cases, effective doses of herbal remedies are associated with serious adverse effects. Curcumin is a natural polyphenol that shows a variety of pharmacological activities including anti-cancer effects, and only minimal adverse effects have been reported for this phytochemical. The anti-cancer effects of curcumin are the result of its anti-angiogenic, pro-apoptotic and immunomodulatory properties. At the molecular and cellular level, curcumin can blunt epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and affect many targets that are involved in melanoma initiation and progression (e.g., BCl2, MAPKS, p21 and some microRNAs). However, curcumin has a low oral bioavailability that may limit its maximal benefits. The emergence of tailored formulations of curcumin and new delivery systems such as nanoparticles, liposomes, micelles and phospholipid complexes has led to the enhancement of curcumin bioavailability. Although in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that curcumin and its analogues can be used as novel therapeutic agents in melanoma, curcumin has not yet been tested against melanoma in clinical practice. In this review, we summarized reported anti-melanoma effects of curcumin as well as studies on new curcumin formulations and delivery systems that show increased bioavailability. Such tailored delivery systems could pave the way for enhancement of the anti-melanoma effects of curcumin. © 2016 UIC

The role of fibromodulin in cancer pathogenesis: Implications for diagnosis and therapy

Fibromodulin (FMOD) is known as one of very important extracellular matrix small leucine-rich proteoglycans. This small leucine-rich proteoglycan has critical roles in the extracellular matrix organization and necessary for repairing of tissue in many organs. Given that the major task of FMOD is the modulation of collagen fibrillogenesis. However, recently observed that FMOD plays very important roles in the modulation of a variety of pivotal biological processes including angiogenesis, regulation of TGF-β activity, and differentiation of human fibroblasts into pluripotent cells, inflammatory mechanisms, apoptosis and metastatic related phenotypes. Besides these roles, FMOD has been considered as a new tumor-related antigen in some malignancies such as lymphoma, leukemia, and leiomyoma. Taken together, these findings proposed that FMOD could be introduced as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in treatment of various cancers. Herein, for first time, we highlighted the various roles of FMOD in the cancerous conditions. Moreover, we summarized the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of FMOD in cancer therapy. © 2019 The Author(s)

The effects of water temperature on weight and length growth in Bester

Hybrid Bester sturgeon (female Beluga x male Sterlet) was produced for the first time in Iran using sperm from a male Acipenser ruthenus and eggs of a female Huso huso in Shahid Marjani Sturgeon Porpagation Center (Agh Ghala, Golestan province). Bester fries and those of Beluga as control treatment weighed 490mg and 377mg respectively after about one month and were transported to International Sturgeon Research Institute (Rasht). All fishes were fed by artificial concentrated food (48-50% protein and 1547% fat) after a period of feeding on Artemia and Daphnia. Sorting was carried out according to weight increase for both fishes. Results showed that the weight increase in warmer months (water temperature 18-28°C) was higher than the colder months and ceased at 6-12°C. The trend in weight increase was of the same pattern for both fishes. There were no significant differences between fish length up to 5 months of rearing but afterwards, Bester showed a higher rate of length increase compared to that of the Beluga. The length increase rate for both fishes was sharper during the first year than the second year. Fish length increase was ceased at 6.841.4°C which coincided with the increase in fish weight