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A 25 m long sediment core from hypersaline Urmia Lake (north‐west Iran) was studied for the Late Quaternary depositional history and palaeoclimate variations using the abundance and compositional characteristics of Artemia faecal pellets. Sediment analysis is supported by scanning electron microscopy – energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, organic and inorganic carbon content measurements, and stable isotopes (δ13C and δ18O) from faecal pellet carbonates. The imprecise chronology of the core back to 50 kyr bp is supported by ten radiocarbon ages from faecal pellets and bulk sediments. The palaeoenvironmental record is subdivided into four periods: (i) During much of Marine Isotope Stage 3, a period of lake level lowering is characterized by a decreasing amount of faecal pellets, and an increasing amount of coated grains, sulphate minerals and reworked shell fragments. (ii) During late Marine Isotope Stage 3 and early Marine Isotope Stage 2 a lake level lowstand and a lake floor exposure is interpreted based on the relatively low abundance of pellets, which are multicoloured and appear together with volcanic lithics and rounded sulphate minerals. (iii) During late Marine Isotope Stage 2 the record is devoid of pellets but dominated by large sulphate crystals suggesting a prolonged low lake level. (iv) During Marine Isotope Stage 1 a relative lake level highstand is rapidly established with sediments that are highly abundant in fresh pellets. The modern lake level lowstand is represented by a salt crust. The δ13C and δ18O records measured from faecal pellet carbonates suggest a link with the precipitation versus evaporation balance in the lake over time. From bottom to top the linear trend towards more negative delta values illustrates the increasing amount of precipitation arriving at the lake from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene. Two prominent isotope minima during the Late Pleistocene and one prominent minimum in the early Holocene mark relative high lake levels, which can also be linked to Lake Van in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the Tethyan belt, the NW-Iranian block is bound by two sutures, the Sevan-Akera suture in the north, and the Zagros suture in the south, where the pre-Cambrian geology is poorly constrained. Lower-Middle Cambrian sandstone in NW Iran is represented by quartz and feldspar dominated sub-arkose and sub-litharenite with well-developed cross bedding structures. They are interlayered with shale and limestone and overlain unconformably by Middle Cambrian dolomite. Here we describe and present U–Pb ages of the detrital zircon and rutile together with in-situ ε-Hf data from Lower to Middle Cambrian sandstones. Some zircons are characterized by oscillatory zoning and Th/U ratios of 0.3 to 2.0, pointing to an igneous provenance. Ages of the detrital zircons range from 481 to 2762 Ma, whereby the majority of zircons have ages between 524 and 1000 Ma (Neoproterozoic), and small peaks at 1800–2000 and 2400–2600 Ma. Late Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic zircons (1100–1750 Ma) are absent in the detrital record which is a distinctive feature of Gondwana-related detrital zircons. Detrital rutile has elevated Cr contents and variable Zr content (88 to 1087 ppm), suggesting derivation mainly from amphibolite-facies meta-basic rocks. U–Pb rutile ages range from 561 to 1253 Ma. Initial ε-Hf values of the Neo-Proterozoic zircons range from -10 to 20, suggesting an association of highly depleted mantle and crustal magmas. Thus, the Lower-Middle Cambrian sandstones in Iranian Azerbaijan were supplied from a Neoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic provenance. Sandstone whole-rock major and trace elements are in accordance with a detrital material provenance from continental granitoids and Precambrian recycled sediments. These results support the hypothesis that Iranian Azerbaijan Cambrian detritus was supplied from repetitive recycling of the crystalline basement and related sedimentary cover of the Saharides and the Arabian-Nubian Shield and deposited in a passive-margin setting in northern Gondwana land. Our results show a close geological tie between Iranian Azerbaijan, Sanandaj-Sirjan, Zagros, Alborz, and other Gondwana-Land-derived units in terms of Early Paleozoic detritus sources. Northwest Iranian Block was probably a passive continental margin in Late Ediacaran-Cambrian after the so-called Cadomian orogeny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The N–S-trending Sistan Suture Zone in East Iran results from the collision of the Lut and Afghan continental blocks. The southern Sistan Basin hosts Eocene terrigenous deep-marine turbiditic sequences with carbonate olistoliths, debris-flow sheets and calcareous turbidites. These carbonates represent one or several early to middle Eocene carbonate platforms fragmented and redeposited in a deep-marine environment. Palaeocurrent measurements on the terrigenous and calcareous turbidites show that the source carbonate platform was located on the Afghan active margin. Volcanic debris in the limestone and surrounding turbidites corroborate an active magmatic margin on the Afghan side. The formation of limestone debris-flow sheets is attributed to increased erosion and retreat of the carbonate platform, potentially triggered by the closure of the Sistan Basin and continental collisions in the late middle Eocene, after subduction of the Sistan Ocean beneath the Afghan Block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hormuz Strait and Makran coastal plains in southeast Iran are significant sources of dust storms in south Asia due to an arid climate with a strong wind regime, low topography, poor vegetation cover, and large watersheds with available loose fine-grained sediments. However, their sedimentology, mineralogy, and geomorphic landforms are poorly studied. Granulometry and mineralogy analyses are performed on 46 samples of the coastal plains to explore the influence of aeolian and fluvial processes on the surface sediment properties of the coastal plains. The geomorphic landforms are mapped based on field observations, geological-geomorphological maps, and satellite images. The results show that the main sources of fine-grained dust are distal alluvial fans and flood plains, supratidal plains, and badlands. Calcite, quartz, and feldspar are major, and dolomite and halite are minor minerals. Calcite displays a positive relationship with grain size and eastward subtractive distribution pattern, while quartz exhibits a negative correlation with grain size and eastward additive distribution pattern. Feldspar shows almost a scatter distribution. The monotonous distribution pattern of chlorite, illite, and kaolinite as the main clay minerals is controlled by fluvial and alluvial processes. Aeolian processes influenced the eastward subtractive distribution of montmorillonite and palygorskite as minor clay minerals. The surface sediment texture and mineralogy of the Hormuz Strait coast are strongly affected by northwesterly wind and dust storms. Aeolian processes are dominated on the western Makran coast with large terrestrial and coastal sand dunes, while fluvial and alluvial processes are dominant on the eastern Makran coast with large distal alluvial fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over time, river networks achieve a specific pattern as determined by the function of several factors such as climate, tectonic, geological structures, topography, lithology, and base-level fluctuations. The relative importance of mentioned factors on drainage systems was studied to determine the controlling factors of their heterogeneity across the tectono-stratigraphic zones of onshore Iranian Makran. We applied structural, geomorphological, and climate analysis. Results indicate that the dendritic patterns of N-S flowing rivers in the western part of Iranian Makran are mostly controlled by the Minab-Zendan Fault activity and distribution of olistostrome cover, whereas the dominant trellis patterns in the eastern part are controlled by the well-developed thrust fault-related fold systems. The channel steepness pattern demonstrates that the high values are mostly localized in the hanging wall of thrust and normal faults. Accordingly, the topographic profiles of the steep rivers show the old stages of incision in the Inner and Outer Makran. However, some rivers of the Coastal Makran are in the young stage of incision, where the normal faults are located and active. The sediment connectivity index shows that the Inner Makran has a high potential of sediment supplies, while the Outer Makran intra-mountain basins and the Coastal-plain are more prone to sediments accumulation. Our findings reveal that the river patterns and landscape evolution in the Inner and Outer Makran are controlled by thrust faults, olistostrome and related mini-basins, while rivers in the Coastal Makran are governed by activity of Pliocene–Pleistocene normal faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentrations of arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) and the human health risk of the metals were estimated through drinking water consumption. Totally, 48 samples of groundwater were collected and analyzed during 2019. Health risk indices were estimated using chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ) and, hazard index (HI), as well as cancer risk (CR). Except for As (66.6% of the areas were above permissible limits), the concentrations of other three heavy metals were within the US EPA and WHO permissible limits. ∑ HI values in 100% and 75% of the areas were above 1 for children and adults, implying non-carcinogenic risk from sum of heavy metals. Children total cancer risk (CRt) in all areas (except one area with acceptable risk) fell within unacceptable risk. Adults CRt in all areas (except one area with unacceptable risk) were in acceptable risk category. As was the highest contributor to non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks both for children and adults. Our results showed that children were more exposed to health risks, due to intake of drinking water containing As, Cr, and Pb in the study areas. The study can provide a basis for local governments to properly manage drinking water quality and provide a reference for water quality management in neighborhood areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: This study aims to estimate and compare the parameters of some univariate and bivariate count models to identify the factors affecting the number of mortality and the number of injured in road accidents.Methods: The accident data used in this study are related to Kermanshah province in march2020 to march2021. Accidents areas were divided into 125 areas based on density characteristics. In a one-year period, 3090 accidents happened on the suburban roads of Kermanshah province, which resulted in 398 deaths and 4805 injuries. Accident information, including longitude and latitude of accident location, type of accident (fatal and injury), number of deaths, number of injuries, accident type, the reason of the accident, and the kind of accident were all included as population-level variables in the regression models. We investigated four frequently used bivariate count regression models for accident data in the literature.Results: In bivariate analysis, except for the DNM model, there is a reasonable decrease in the AIC measures of the saturated model compared to the reduced model for the other three models. For the injury models, MSE is lowest, respectively for DIBP (137.87), BNB (289.46), BP (412.36) and DNM (3640.89) models. These results are also established for death models. But, in univariate analysis, only injury models almost present reasonable results.Conclusions: Our findings show that the IDBP model is better suitable for evaluating accident datasets than other models. Motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, left turn deviance, and dangerous speeding were all significant variables in the IDBP death model, and these parameters were linked to accident mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provenance analysis including sandstone modal compositions, heavy mineral assemblages, and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating with in-situ Hf isotopic compositions of detrital zircons defines two types of Late Cretaceous-Eocene turbiditic sequences separated by the Siah Cheshmeh-Khoy-Misho-Tabriz Fault in the Azerbaijan Province, Northwest Iran: (1) Volcaniclastic turbidites to the southwest and (2) terrigenous turbidites to the northeast. The first appearance of Cr-spinel in Upper Cretaceous sandstones of both sequences indicates the erosion of ophiolites at that time. The southwestern volcaniclastic sandstones contain few Late Triassic and dominantly Late Cretaceous zircon grains whose Hf isotopic compositions suggest a continental magmatic arc provenance. In the northeastern terrigenous sandstones, detrital zircon U-Pb ages cluster in five main age groups from Paleoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic with Hf isotopic compositions typical of continental crust to Late Cretaceous-Palaeocene zircon grains with Hf isotopic compositions similar to those of the southwest turbidites. The provenance characteristics define, along with sedimentary structures, two separate basins, a marginal basin to the northeast, and a deep oceanic basin to the southwest. We conclude that the Siah Cheshmeh-Khoy-Misho-Tabriz Fault overprints a boundary between two lithospheres separated by ophiolite outcrops; therefore, the Siah Cheshmeh-Khoy-Misho-Tabriz Fault is a reworked suture. The Cretaceous arc, witnessed by clastic material, has been largely eroded and/or subducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to evaluate the rate of infection by endoparasites amongst rodents in the western regions of Iran to enhance the level of knowledge amongst health authorities in this entity. Methods: This study was conducted in the west and southwest of Kurdistan Province, including the cities of Sanandaj, Marivan, and Sarvabad. The field mission of this work was performed in three seasons' spring, summer, and autumn. The rodents were captured alive and their gastrointestinal tracts were evaluated for the worm endoparasites. Results: Herein, 208 rodents from 15 types of seven species, including Apodemus, Meriones, Mus, Sciurus, Cricetulus, Microtus, and Dryomys, were captured. In addition, 67 (32.21%) rodents were infected with endoparasites and 10 types of worms endoparasites, including Syphacia muris, Streptophagus spp., Mastophorus muris, Skrjabinema spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Trichuris muris, Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis dimimuta, Heligmosomoide spp., and other oxiuros were isolated from their gastrointestinal tracts. Most of these parasites (60%) were isolated from their small intestine whereas they were least (10%) found in their stomach and cecum. Conclusion: Having compared the results of this study with other studies in different regions of Iran, there is a higher variety of rodents and worm parasites in these regions of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth trend of publications in the field of nanoparticles biosynthesis by bacteria was analyzed using bibliometric techniques to the identification of the areas with significant development and the orientations that have guided the research on bacteria. This study extracted data from the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus between 2000 and 2020 to compare results. The number of articles published annually, participating countries, resource growth rate, most used keywords and research collaborations were obtained from bibliometric analysis. The results showed that nanoparticle documents in materials science, biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology have improved citation rates as the authors researched in multidisciplinary areas. Although these keywords have the most sites, they are not emerging keywords, and their most common use was in the years 2014–2018. The results showed the upward trend of articles published from 2000 to 2020, most of which were related to the last 10 years. The 5 countries that had the most articles published in this field were China, USA, India, Germany and Iran. The top sources that had the most published documents in this field had a similar scope to our research. The results of each section had a significant relationship with other sections of this study. VOS viewer program was used for quantitative analysis. It seems that bibliometric methods will complement meta-analysis and qualitative structured literature reviews as a method for reviewing and evaluating scientific literature. The advantage of the bibliographic analysis was the awareness of trends in a study area. Documents by subject area of Nanoparticle Biosynthesis by Bacteria that related to material science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present zircon U-Pb crystallization ages combined with bulk rock major and trace element geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb and zircon in-situ Hf isotopic compositions of the Amand and Moro granitoid intrusions in northwest Iran. The Amand and Moro plutons include granite and syeno-diorite with LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon ages of 367 ± 6.8 Ma and 351 ± 1.3 Ma, respectively, representative of Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous magmatic activity in NW Iran. Geochemical characteristics such as typical enrichments in alkalis, Nb, Zr, Ga and Y, depletion in P and Sr and fractionated REE patterns with high Ga/Al ratios and Eu negative anomalies are consistent with A-type magmatic signatures. The granitoids are classified as A2-type and within-plate granitoids. The bulk rock geochemistry (enrichments in Th, Nb and, high Th/Yb, Zr/Y ratios) along with low variation of 143Nd/144Nd(i) and 87Sr/86Sr(i) ratios and positive zircon εHf(t) support the role of a mantle plume component for the evolution of the Amand and Moro A-type granitoids in an extensional tectonic environment. In fitting with wider regional knowledge, this magmatism occurred during Paleo-Tethys opening in northern Gondwana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

So far, there have been no studies on the distribution of viral white spot syndrome in wild Indian white shrimp (Fenneropenaeus indicus) brooders at Iranian capture sites. This study was conducted to investigate the presence of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in wild Indian white shrimps in Iran, using PCR, histopathologic, and electron microscopic surveys. The samples were collected within two seasons (autumn and spring) and from two provinces (six capture sites), from the major hatcheries providing spawners. Eight hundred thirty-three samples were collected and analyzed first by PCR, after which the positive samples were examined using histological tests, and if inclusion bodies were observed, electron microscopy was also used. White spot syndrome virus was detected only at the capture sites in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, where the mean infection rate was significantly higher in the spring (8.7%) than in the autumn (2.03%). At the Chabahar, Pasabandar, and Govater capture sites, the mean infection rate was significantly higher (4.9%, 2.1%, and 9.2%, respectively), than in Hormozgan Province. The results showed that there was no significant difference in infection rate between the two different sizes and sexes of shrimps (P < 0.05). Phylogeny analysis revealed a close relationship between the viruses from this study and those in other Asian countries, including China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Taiwan, and South Korea. It is possible that the virus has spread across the Indian Ocean to other countries. Therefore, the spawners in this study, particularly those collected during the spring and those from capture sites in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, were found to be more susceptible to WSSV infection, and the virus might have been transmitted vertically from WSSV-infected brooders to post-larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical toxicology is not recognized as a clinical speciality in Iran. After the chemical war gas attack by the Iraqi army against the Iranian troops in the 1980s, health professionals and Iranian authorities noticed the importance of this field in clinical medicine. Collaboration between the clinical toxicologists and toxicologists of pharmacy schools resulted in the establishment of the Iranian Society of Toxicology and Poisonings in 1991 and the National Board of Toxicology in 1993. Clinical toxicology fellowship was also formed as a joint collaboration between the toxicology and internal medicine boards in 2010. Medical doctors who specialized in clinical medicine are eligible to take the entrance examination of the fellowship. In spite of the advancement of clinical toxicology and increased number of acute poisonings and drug abuse, undergraduate teaching in this field is still lacking and being taught as part of the forensic medicine curriculum since 1952. There is a lack of an efficient national poison information and control centre (s) in Iran, and no action plan and practical efforts have been done for poisoning prevention. Therefore, the number of drug abuse and acute poisonings has increased over the past four decades and induced cultural, social and health problems. According to Iranian legal medicine organization reports, poisoning is the second‐most occurring cause of unnatural death. The suicidal attempt is the most common method of acute poisoning in adults. Suicidal attempt including self‐poisoning is not accepted in the Islamic point of view, and thus self‐poisoning is mostly neglected and may not be treated appropriately in time in some regions of Iran. Accidental poisoning in children is also common in Iran and estimated to be between 20 000 and 25 000 cases annually over the recent years. In addition, social, cultural and economic problems have induced more health problems such as drug abuse and addiction even in children. Adulterated opium to lead for economic gaining has produced thousands of cases of lead poisoning over the past few years in nearly all opium addicts, which is still a major health problem in Iran. Ban on alcoholic beverages leads some people to make their own home‐made spirits, which is unfortunately contaminated with methanol. Thousands of cases of methanol poisoning and even some epidemics have occurred over the past four decades in some parts of the country. Lack of availability of essential antidotes such as succimer and fomepizole has been a major problem for the effective treatment of poisoned patients. Despite the well‐known fact that cases of poisoning and drug overdose constitute a significant proportion of hospital admissions in some developing countries, clinical toxicology education and medical care of the poisoned patients are lacking. Therefore, policymakers and health authorities should realize the importance of toxicology in clinical medicine. The Iranian Ministry of Health, medical care and Medical Education should implement clinical toxicology courses for medical students; establish effective national poisons information and control centres and advance clinical toxicology services for appropriate management of poisoned patients to improve public health and the overall health policy goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Entomological surveys of ectoparasites and their hosts are an essential tool for assessing the risks of rodent-borne diseases transmitted to humans by arthropod vectors. Objectives: This study was carried out to update the epidemiological data of plague with respect to species compositions of the rodents and their ectoparasites at enzootic foci located in Kurdistan Province, Iran. Methods: The rodents' habitats were selected based on past records of plague and subclimates in each study district with especial attention to the vegetation type. The trapped rodents were anesthetized using a chloroform chamber, and the animals were then examined for ectoparasites by brushing their hair over a pan containing water. The ectoparasites were collected with a fine brush and preserved in 70% ethanol in screw cap tubes. Results: A total of 208 rodents were trapped from three districts. Taxonomic ranking of the rodents indicated that the specimens belonged to 2 suborders of Myomorpha and Sciuromorpha, 4 families (Muridae, Muscardinidae, Cricetidae, and Sciuridae), 7 genera, including Meriones, Apodemus, Mus, Sciurus, Microtus, and Dryomys, and 15 species. Out of 208 rodents, only 56 (26.9%) were infested with 22 species of ectoparasites. Totally, 312 ectoparasites were isolated from 56 rodents, including 12 flea species (54.5%), 6 mite species (27.3%), 3 tick species (13.6%), and one louse species (4.6%). Five species of fleas were recorded for the first time in Kurdistan Province, including Ctenophthalmus iranus persicus, Paraceras melis melis, Nosopsyllus iranus iranus, Paraceras sp., and Ctenophyllus spp. Conclusion: The finding revealed new records for rodents and ectoparasites in Kurdistan Province, as well as changes in dominant rodent species and their ectoparasites compared to previous studies. This phenomenon can influence the changes in the incidence of plague and its epidemiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the genetic parameters of autosomal and sexlinked effects for birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), average daily gain from birth to weaning (ADG) and kleiber ratio (KR) of Makuie sheep. The data set used in this study was collected at Makuie sheep breeding station in West Azerbaijan province, Iran, between 1994 and 2011. The fixed effects included herd-year, sex (male or female), birth type (single or twin), and age of dam (five classes, 2-6 years old). The three multivariate linear animal models including direct (autosomal and sex-linked) and maternal effects were used to analyze data. The 2nd model (including direct additive genetic effects of animal (autosomal and sex-linked) and permanent environmental effects), with the lowest AIC value was considered as the most appropriate model. Based on the most appropriate fitted model, direct autosomal and sex-linked heritabilities of BW, WW, ADG and KR were 0.12±0.04 and 0.03±0.03, 0.18±0.04 and 0.05±0.03, 0.37±0.04 and 0.04±0.03, and 0.52±0.05 and 0.07±0.04, respectively. The magnitude of sex-linked variances as a proportion of phenotypic variance obtained by the best model were 4%, 4.5%, 3% and 5.7% for BW, WW, ADG and KR, respectively. Also, the autosomal and sex-linked chromosomes, maternal permanent environmental and phenotypic correlations were ranged from -0.20 to 0.96, 0.11 to 0.84, -0.34 to 0.89 and -0.20 to 0.91, respectively. The results of this study indicated that the sex-linked chromosomes have an affect like maternal effects, and it could contribute to a more accurate estimation of the direct autosomal heritability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northwest-southeast-trending Zagros Fold-and Thrust Belt in south Iran resulted from the late Oligocene to the early Miocene collision of the Arabian and Central Iran blocks. The Zagros Palaeozoic basin holds the key to reveal the tectonic setting of the earlier stages in the development of the Tethyan realm. We aim to document the Palaeozoic tectonic environment of the Zagros Basin and provide critical constraints on the progressive closure of the Palaeo-Tethys. This work presents a combined detrital zircon U Pb age and Hf isotopic composition from the Zagros and Alborz basins in an attempt to identify and date major geologic events along the southern margin of the Palaeo-Tethys and reconstruct the regional tectonic history of the northern margin of Gondwana-Land during the Ediacaran-early Palaeozoic interval. Detrital zircons U Pb age and Hf-isotope ratio from Zagros second-cycle Devonian and third-cycle Permian sandstones and Alborz Palaeozoic strata indicate main magmatic flare-ups in the Arabian-Nubian Shield including the Tonian island arc magmatism, the Ediacaran post-orocline-tightening magmatism, the late Ediacaran-early Cambrian Protogonos continental arc magmatism. In addition, detrital zircons recorded the Ordovician continuation of the arc activity in the Protogonos during the early Palaeozoic. Therefore, repetitive recycling of the Neoproterozoic crystalline basement and related sedimentary cover of the Arabian-Nubian Shield, i.e., the Saharides, is a plausible source of the Devonian and Permian strata in Zagros. Our results show a close geological tie between Alborz and other Gondwana-Land-derived units in terms of Palaeozoic detritus sources which is in concordance with the location of the suture along the northern margin of the Alborz Mountains. Separation of the Alborz from the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone is accomplished by inserting from the east, the Central Iranian Blocks (Yazd, Posht-e Badam, Tabas, Lut) by strike-slip stacking and anti-clockwise rotation. This created the extensional zone of Northwest Iran. • Tonian and Ediacaran zircons represent island arc and continental arc magmatism. • Devonian second cycle sandstones were supplied from Neoproterozoic-Cambrian sediments. • Permian third cycle sandstones were sourced from reworked Devonian sediments. • Devonian and Permian was a wide magmatic quiescent period in Arabia. • Rotational stacking of Central Iran created the extensional zone of Northwest Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was estimation of genetic parameter using random regression model (RRM) with various error variance in Iranian Kordi sheep. The data (consisting of 7875 weight records from birth to 360 days of age) were collected during the period 2000 to 2013 from the rearing and breeding station of Kordi sheep in Shirvan, Iran. The independent variables were Legendre polynomials (LP) of age at weighing and orders of fit from 2 to 5 were considered. Analyses were carried out fitting sets of random regression coefficients due to direct additive genetic, direct and maternal permanent environmental effects, with heterogeneous and homogeneous error variances. To compare the model were used different criteria such as LogL, AIC, BIC and LRT. The best fitting RRM among homogeneous error variance was the model with a LP of fourth order for fixed effect, fourth order for direct additive genetic and fifth order for direct and maternal permanent environmental effects (model 4455). Among the models with heterogeneous error variances different, model 7 (Heterogeneous error variances of 72 various classes), was selected as the best model. The variances increased along the trajectory from 3.75 to 12.81, 4.43 to 30.28 and 1.49 to 8.49; 0.25 to 27.94, 0.03 to 12.32 and 0.15 to 22.66 for direct additive genetic, direct and maternal permanent environmental effect by homogeneous and heterogeneous error variances, respectively. The direct heritability ranged from 0.15 to 0.41 and 0.11 to 0.56 by homogeneous and heterogeneous error variances, respectively. Genetic correlation between adjacent test days was more than between distant test days. This research has demonstrated the possibility of application of RRM with heterogeneous error variance for genetic evaluation of Iranian Kordi Sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthohantaviruses are a group of zoonotic pathogens that can cause severe and potentially fatal syndromes in humans. Although orthohantaviruses have been documented in Iran, little is known about their potential reservoirs in the country. The present study constitutes the first attempt to detect orthohantavirus infections in rodents in Iran. Sampling was performed in the East Azerbaijan province, during October 2017 and June 2018. To detect orthohantavirus infection, we performed a Pan-hantavirus nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction targeting the large segment of the viral genome using consensus primers on lung tissue samples. We identified Tula orthohantavirus for the first time in Iran and from Dryomys nitedula sensu lato (s.l.) (Gliridae), a non-muroid host. There are two possible interpretations for this finding: an interspecies spillover or the presence of a broader primary host/reservoir list. However, at present, we do not advocate for either interpretation, but instead, argue for further accumulation of relevant data. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between the Tula orthohantavirus identified in this study and those detected in Turkey. Nevertheless, comprehensive field studies, as well as full-length sequence analyses, are required to gain a better understanding of the potential reservoirs, ecology, and epidemiological cycle of the virus in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to compare different polynomial functions including Legendre polynomials (LP), Wilmink (WRR) and Ali-Schaeffer (ARR) functions, in random regression model (RRM) for estimation of genetic parameters for milk production traits of Iranian Holstein dairy cattle. For this purpose the performance records obtained from test-day (TD) regarding milk yield, fat and protein contents of the cows calving for the first time were used. The numbers of records for the above mentioned traits were 701212, 657004, and 560775, respectively. These records were collected from the years 2006 to 2010 by the National Breeding Center of Iran. The genetic parameters were estimated using Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) method by applying RRM. Residual variances were considered homogeneous over the lactation period. To compare the model, different criteria (-2Logl, AIC, BIC and RV) were used for considered traits. Based on the results obtained, for all traits, RRM with LP function (2,5) were chosen as the best model. Considering residual variance (RV), LP (2,2) was proved to be a model which has the lowest performance, while using -2Logl, AIC, BIC criteria, RRM with ARR function was the worst model. According to the results, it is recommended to use LP with low orders for the additive genetic effects and with more orders for the permanent environment effects in the RRM for Iranian Holstein cattle. Permanent environment variance was higher in early lactation than during lactation and additive genetic variance in the early lactation was lower than at the end of lactation. Heritability range of milk yield, fat and protein contents was estimated to be from 0.08 to 0.23, 0.05 to 0.20 and 0.08 to 0.14, respectively. Phenotypic variance of the considered traits during lactation was not constant and it was higher at the beginning and the end of lactation. The additive genetic correlation between adjacent test days was higher than between distant test days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Efficient use of energy resources in crop production is an important goal in sustainable agriculture. This study compares the energy flow in farming systems across farm size with their corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - presented in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq.) - in the north of Iran. To reach this aim, primary data were collected by survey with farmers whose main activity was major crops production in the region that included wheat, barley, canola, soybean, paddy and corn silage. The results showed that total energy input for corn silage (52.1GJha−1) is greater than other systems. The results also revealed that yield and output energy of crops were not significantly affected by field size, whereas energy use efficiency of systems increased significantly as field size increased. Study shows that the cultivation of paddy emits the highest CO2 eq. emission (6094kg CO2 eq. ha−1) among crops, in which around 60% is contributed by methane (CH4). The efficient use of fertilizers, optimized pumping facilities for irrigation, stopping of crop residue burning in the field and use them for energy supply could be among the options to improve energy use efficiency and mitigate GHG emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The prospects of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and for carbon income, up to and beyond 2012, in the industrial sectors of Iran and five other Asian countries are investigated. The attractiveness and suitability of each host country, the status of their industrial sectors (based on four post-2012 scenarios), and the post-2012 potential of the CDM (or similar carbon projects) in these sectors are all examined. A multi-criteria analysis of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, China, and India, based on seven sets of criteria (institutional, regulatory, economic, political, social, CDM experience, and energy production/consumption), is conducted, and the post-2012 potential carbon incomes of each country – based on CO2e emissions of industrial processes – are calculated. Finally, the Iranian industrial sector and the impact of deregulation of energy prices are examined. The post-2012 potential savings in the Iranian industrial sector are calculated based on energy savings, carbon income, and environmental savings. The results indicate that there is strong demand for investment and new technology in this sector to combat several-fold energy price increases. Moreover, high-priced carbon credits could play a meaningful role in post-2012 energy policies in this sector. Policy relevance This research is the first study to quantify the carbon market potentials in the industrial sectors of the selected Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members. The Kyoto Protocol is considered by most OPEC countries to be a mixed bag of threats and opportunities and they have shown ambivalence towards it, mainly due to the threat a reduction of fossil fuel consumption poses to their economies. On the other hand, energy efficiency is a desirable goal for their industrial sectors. Iran, as an OPEC member country with vast energy resources, has mostly ignored the CDM during the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and has performed poorly on CDM implementation. However, the current deregulation of energy prices in Iran, with profound cuts in energy subsidies, would definitely alter the perspective of its industrial decision makers on the post-2012 carbon potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study was conducted to detect the serotypes Arkansas, Connecticut, Beaudette and Florida in broiler chicken farms in Fars province of Iran. The samples were obtained from 32 broiler chicken farms experiencing respiratory signs with high mortality and clinically diagnosed as avian infectious bronchitis. Total RNAs were extracted from the scrapped mucosa of tracheas and RT-PCR tests were performed using different types of primers including Del1 (F, R), (XCE-1, 2), (XCE-3 & BCE- 1), (XCE-3 & MCE-1), S1 OLIGO (F, R) and S1 OLIGO NEW (F, R). Infectious bronchitis virus was detected in 72% poultry farms. The serotypes 4/91 and Massachusetts were detected in 47.9 and 21.8% farms, respectively, but the serotypes in 7 farms remained unclear. The results showed that there is no evidence for the presence of serotypes Arkansas, Connecticut, Beaudette and Florida in broiler chicken farms in Fars province of Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: Early excision and grafting (E&G) of burn wounds has been reported to decrease hospital stay, hospital costs and septic complications, and some purport reduced mortality while decreasing hospital costs. In today''s practice, all burn wounds unlikely to achieve spontaneous closure within 3 weeks are excised and grafted. Early studies did not demonstrate dramatic differences in cosmetic or functional results. This is particularly true with burns of the face, hands and feet. In this study, early excision and skin grafting was compared with delayed skin grafting in deep hand burns. Materials and methods: From September 2006 to February 2008, 50 patients with hand burns and average burn size less than 30% total body surface area (TBSA) deep second- and third-degree were randomly divided into early E&G group (group I) and delayed grafting group (group II). Gradual and careful limb and digit range of motion was started on about 10th–14th postoperative day. We used a questionnaire based on the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire to evaluate final functional outcome. Further, hypertrophic scar formation, contracture and deformities were followed and managed accordingly. Results: The most common site of involvement was the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint with frequency of 39% and 40% in groups I and II, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between both groups regarding deformity severity, scar formation, sensation, major activities and overall satisfaction. Discussion: In treating burns of the hand, the primary goal should always be to restore the functionality of the hand. Although early surgery shortens the healing time and lessens the hospital stay, our results did not show any significant difference between these two methods regarding the function, scar formation, daily activity limitation and overall satisfaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study examines energy consumption of inputs and output used in kiwifruit production, and to find relationship between energy inputs and yield in Mazandaran, Iran. For this purpose, the data were collected from 86 kiwifruit orchards which were selected based on random sampling method. The results indicated that total energy inputs were 30285.62MJha−1. About 47% of this was generated by total fertilizer including farmyard manure, 28% from diesel fuel and machinery. About 70% of the total energy inputs used in kiwifruit production was indirect while only about 30% was direct. Econometric estimation results revealed that energy inputs of human labour, water for irrigation, total fertilizer and machinery contributed significantly to the yield. The impact of human labour energy (0.17) was found the highest among the other inputs in kiwifruit production. The results also showed that direct, indirect and renewable and non-renewable, energy forms had a positive impact on output level. Cost analysis showed that total cost of kiwifruit production was obtained as 6063.81$ha−1. The productivity (4.05kg$−1) was obtained by dividing kiwifruit yield by total production cost. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper studies the energy balance between the input and the output per unit area for greenhouse cucumber production. For this purpose, the data on 43 cucumber production greenhouses in the Tehran province, Iran, were collected and analyzed. The results indicated that a total energy input of 148836.76MJha−1 was consumed for cucumber production. Diesel fuel (with 41.94%) and chemical fertilizers (with 19.69%) were amongst the highest energy inputs for cucumber production. The energy productivity was estimated as 0.80kgMJ−1. The ratio of energy output to energy input was approximately 0.64. Results indicate 10.93% and 89.07% of total energy input was in renewable and non-renewable forms, respectively. The regression results revealed that the contribution of energy inputs on crop yield (except for fertilizers and seeds energies) was significant. The human labour energy had the highest impact (0.35) among the other inputs in greenhouse cucumber production. Econometric analysis indicated that the total cost of production for one hectare of cucumber production was around 33425.70$. Accordingly, the benefit–cost ratio was estimated as 2.58. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine energy consumption of input and output used in potato production, and making an economical analysis in Ardabil, Iran. For this purpose, the data were collected from 100 potato farms in Ardabil, Iran. Inquiries were conducted in a face-to-face interviewing November–December 2006 period. Farms were selected based on random sampling method. The results indicated that total energy inputs were 81624.96MJha−1. About 40% of this was generated by chemical fertilizers, 20% from diesel oil and machinery. About 82% of the total energy inputs used in potato production was indirect (seeds, fertilizers, manure, chemicals, machinery) and 18% was direct (human labor, diesel). Mean potato yield was about 28453.61kgha−1, it obtained under normal conditions on irrigated farming, and taking into account the energy value of the seed, the net energy and energy productivity value was estimated to be 20808.03MJha−1 and 0.35, respectively, and the ratio of energy outputs to energy inputs was found to be 1.25. This indicated an intensive use of inputs in potato production not accompanied by increase in the final product. Cost analysis revealed that total cost of production for one hectare of potato production was 3267.17$. Benefit–cost ratio was calculated as 1.88. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article reports on the increase of methanol poisoning outbreaks in Iran which started in March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics covered include the spread of fake news about the efficacy of various substances for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19, which includes alcohol, the factors attributed to the methanol poisoning and the prohibition of the production, distribution and drinking of alcoholic beverages in the country.

Based on the high rates of burn injuries in patients with epilepsy, it is crucial to evaluate the epidemiological factors, etiology, types of burns, and outcome of these certain individuals and to enhance knowledge about the possible risks of epilepsy-related burns by preventive actions and programs. Our retrospective study was carried out from September 2013 to February 2017 in Amir-al Momenin Hospital, a tertiary referral burns and plastic surgery healthcare center. Because of the fact that a number of patients with burns had experienced their trauma at the time of convulsion or in postconvulsion phase, it is necessary to evaluate the outcome, burn patterns, etiology of injury, and related epidemiological factors in order to develop a greater understanding of possible risks of epilepsy-related burns by preventive actions and programs. In our study, 2715 patients who referred to burn centers and hospitalized with a mean age of 26.838 (standard deviation (SD) = 21.186) were enrolled, in which 29 patients were involved in burn accidents due to epilepsy and seizure, resulting in a 1.1% epilepsy incidence in these individuals. In patients with seizure disorder, there was a mean rate of 5.8 (SD = 1.923) cases per year. Eighteen (62.1%) were male, and 11 (37.9%) were female. There were no cases of seizure-induced burn injury in pediatrics (< 15 years) in our study. Among the patients with seizure-induced burns, 11 (out of 1101; 37.9%) were from rural areas, while 18 (out of 1570; 62.1%) were from urban locations. The occurrence of accidents due to seizure was also categorized based on the season, with the highest occurrence during winter (12 out of 683; 41.4%) and lowest during spring (3 out of 659; 10.3%). The mechanism of burn in patients with seizures was also documented, in which 12 (41.4%) were due to liquid, 12 (41.4%) due to fire, 1 (3.4%) due to explosion, and 1 (3.4%) due to other objects. Out of patients with seizure-induced burns, 21 (72.4%) were discharged, 2 released with their own will, 1 was transferred, and 5 (17.2%) died in the course of hospitalization. This study demonstrates that burn injuries by epilepsy are a public health concern in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, we suggest the execution of a strong national epilepsy preventive actions and programs, as well as proper education for both medical practitioners and patients of the possible dangers as part of an injury control program. • 1.1% of burn incidents were due to epilepsy and seizure. • Among the epilepsy-induced burn injuries, a mortality of 17.2% was observed. • Children are at a lower risk of developing epilepsy-induced burn injuries. • Preventive programs are required to reduce burn injuries in patients with epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lumpy skin disease was first reported in the western provinces of Iran in 2014, and this was followed by several outbreaks throughout the country. In this study, 10 Iranian lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) samples collected during the period of 2014-2018 were characterized by sequence analysis of the GPCR, LSDV142, and IL10LP genes. Sequence comparison of the respective genes revealed a close relationship between Iranian LSDV isolates and viruses from Asia and Europe. Interestingly, some nucleotide sequence diversity was also observed in the IL10LP genes of the Iranian field isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kopet Dagh is a thick-skinned, tectonically inverted mountain range situated along the Iran-Turkmenistan border. It comprises clastic and carbonate sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Jurassic to Neogene. We determine the provenance of Middle Jurassic deep marine turbiditic sandstones, Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous deltaic-shelf sandstones and Paleocene continental conglomerate by describing sandstone modal framework, heavy minerals, detrital zircon U-Pb ages and in-situ Hf isotopic analyses. This work aims to determine the assemblages of source rocks of the investigated sediments and to reconstruct the tectonic setting of clastic sediment deposition. Modal sandstone framework compositions indicate that a magmatic arc and recycled deformed sediments were the main sources of Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous sandstones and Paleogene conglomerate, respectively. Heavy mineral assemblages including ultra-stable and meta-stable minerals indicate magmatic rocks and recycled sediments as a main source of clastic rocks. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages (2478 measured ages) cluster in six main age groups: The oldest zircon grains in the Kopet Dagh belong to two populations peaking at 1833 Ma (Paleoproterozoic) and 643 Ma (Neoproterozoic). These grains suggest a continental crust provenance within the Central Iranian and Eurasian blocks. Detrital zircon grains of Silurian (437 Ma), Lower Carboniferous (340 Ma), Triassic (233 Ma) and Lower Cretaceous (132 Ma) are the major age population in the Kopet Dagh. Hafnium isotopic compositions in Zircons (175 measurements) indicate their origin: Silurian and Triassic zircons show a magmatic provenance, preferentially related to intracontinental rifting. Hafnium isotopic compositions of Lower Carboniferous and Lower Cretaceous zircons indicate a continental magmatic arc source. Our results indicate that Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous detritus have been supplied from Silurian and Triassic rifting-related magmatic rocks and Lower Carboniferous / Lower Cretaceous continental magmatic arcs. The variety of source rocks is in concordance with rifting and an extensional regime in Kopet Dagh during Middle Jurassic time. Paleocene clastic sediments result from erosion of deformed older sedimentary rocks within the basin. This indicates that the first stage of deformation in Kopet Dagh basin took place in Paleocene time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Gouda Cheese is regarded as a high quality and one of the most popular cheeses in the world. The defining characteristics of Gouda cheese are its yellow color, great aroma and taste of caramel sweetness. The cheese should be well chilled before waxing, to get better seal. The seal is very important to prevent contamination with molds and putrefactive bacteria. Cheese wax is made from paraffin with additional microcrystalline to make pliable for better seal. The aim of this study was to investigate antibacterial effects of Gouda cheese wax. Methods: Gouda cheese wax samples were collected from four different manufacturers in Iran. The total count of coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, coagulasepositive Staphylococcus and mold and yeast on the samples was determined. The antimicrobial activities of Gouda cheese wax against E. coli, S. aureus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus brazilissis and Salmonella enterica were investigated by determining minimum bactericidal concentration and minimum inhibitory concentration. Results: The results indicated that all Gouda cheese wax samples were prepared in accordance with the national standards. In addition, the examined wax samples had no antimicrobial properties against the tested microorganisms. Conclusions: The wax used in production of Gouda cheese in Iran has no antimicrobial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The causative agent of plague, Yersinia pestis, is maintained in nature via a flea-rodent cycle. Western Iran is an old focus for plague, and recent data indicate that rodents and dogs in this region have serological evidence of Y. pestis infection. The purpose of this study was to conduct a large-scale investigation of Y. pestis infection in shepherd dogs, rodents, and their fleas in old foci for plague in Western Iran. Materials and methods: This study was conducted in Hamadan province from 2014 to 2020. Rodents and fleas were collected from various locations throughout this region. Y. pestis was investigated in rodent spleen samples and fleas using culture, serology, and real-time PCR methods. Additionally, sera samples were collected from carnivores and hares in this region, and the IgG antibody against the Y. pestis F1 antigen was assessed using an ELISA. Results: In this study, 927 rodents were captured, with Meriones spp. (91.8%) and Microtus qazvinensis (2.6%) being the most prevalent. A total of 6051 fleas were collected from rodents and carnivores, most of which were isolated from Meriones persicus. None of the rodents or fleas examined tested positive for Y. pestis using real-time PCR and culture methods. Meanwhile, IgG antibodies were detected in 0.32% of rodents. All serologically positive rodents belonged to M. persicus. Furthermore, none of the sera from the 138 carnivores (129 sheepdogs, five Vulpes vulpes, four Canis aureus), and nine hares tested positive in the ELISA test. Conclusion: This primary survey of rodent reservoirs shows serological evidence of Y. pestis infection. Western Iran is an endemic plague focus, and as such, it requires ongoing surveillance. Author summary: This article investigates the ongoing presence of the plague in Iran and stresses the importance of continuous monitoring in the western region, a major area for endemic plague. Rodents are the primary carriers of diseases in their natural habitats and contribute significantly to the ongoing presence of infectious cycles. The study focuses on the presence of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria responsible for the plague, in guard dogs, rodents, and fleas in the historical center of western Iran. The research confirms the presence of Y. pestis infection in rodents, specifically Meriones persicus, in western Iran through serological evidence. Given the new discoveries in Iran and the resurgence of the plague in neighboring countries, ongoing monitoring of plague infections in wildlife across various regions of the country is crucial for public health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Dried Black Curd (DBC), also known as Gharahghorut (Persian), is a dairy product produced from curd of yogurt or doogh. The aim of this study was to evaluate microbial contamination of industrially and traditionally produced DBC in Iran. Methods: Four DBC brands holding certification of the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI), Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education (IMHME) and ISO were purchased from a market in Tehran, Iran. Microbial monitoring for presence of coliform, Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus, mold and yeast was performed using different basic, enriched, selective and differential media including peptone water agar, MacCankey agar, blood agar and brain heart infusion agar, etc. according to the ISIRI standards (No.13299). Results: None of the tested samples had microbial contamination. However, in one traditional DBC sample, the population of mold and yeast was higher than the acceptable level defined by the ISIRI standard. Conclusion: We found no contamination with coagulase-positive S. aureus, E. coli and coliforms in four brands of traditionally and industrially produced DBC in Iran. This indicates that the hygienic practices designated by the IMHME are well-implemented in the industrial sector. However, the mold and yeast contamination in traditionally produced DBC should be prevented by applying hygienic practices during the process of manufacturing and distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study aimed to adapt the strategic plans of medical science universities to the components of the third millennium universities. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included all the faculty members of 5 top universities of Tehran Province in Iran. To collect data, a reliable and valid researcher-made questionnaire was developed based on the characteristics of higher education institutions in the third millennium (content validity index >0.79, content validity ratio > 0.62, α = 0.88). Statistical analysis was conducted by SPSS. Results: The highest mean score of the population's attitude was related to the visions of the universities (mean =3.44). Moreover, the highest mean score (the components of university headquarters) of the attitude belonged to environmental indicators (3.53) while the lowest mean score was related to administrative and financial indicators (3.4). Based on the results, there was a significant difference between the attitudes of faculty members (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Concerning the accordance between mission and headquarter activities, medical sciences universities were somewhat far from the third millennium universities and should be accountable for the quality of their actions. Finally, they need to show their merits and should work to promote themselves by acquiring necessary certificates and quality assurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic property of hydroalcoholic extract of Fenugreek seeds in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adult patients. METHODS: This randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel trial was conducted from November 2014 to June 2017. Patients aged between 18 and 70 years old with confirmed NAFLD were recruited from the Motahhari clinic, affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Participants either received 1 g hydroalcoholic extract of Fenugreek seeds or placebo daily for 3 months. The primary outcomes were changes in serum alanine transaminase and FibroScan controlled attenuation parameter score. Secondary outcome measures were changes in other laboratory data, liver stiffness measure, liver steatosis percent, and anthropometric variables. Participants were randomly assigned to the groups using blocked randomization method. Participants, investigators, and statistician were blinded to treatments allocation. RESULTS: After screening eighty patients, thirty patients met the inclusion criteria and were divided into two groups (1:1). After 3 months, two and four patients did not complete the trial in Fenugreek and placebo group, respectively. The changes in the anthropometrics, laboratories and FibroScan measurements were not statistically significant between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The evidence to prove the efficacy of the Fenugreek seeds' hydroalcoholic extract in NAFLD was not strong enough; hence, further experiments are still needed to assess the possible efficacy of Fenugreek on the treatment of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tularemia and Q fever are endemic diseases in Iran; however, little information is available on the prevalence of the causative agents, Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis, in Iranian ticks. This study investigated C. burnetii and F. tularensis among hard ticks in this country. We collected ticks from livestock and other mammals in Guilan, Mazandaran, Golestan (northern Iran), Kurdistan (western Iran), and West Azerbaijan (northwestern Iran) provinces. Genomic DNA from collected ticks was extracted and screened for C. burnetii and F. tularensis using Real-time PCR. A total of 4,197 ticks (belonging to 12 different species) were collected, and Ixodes ricinus (46.4%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (25%), and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (19.1%) were the most collected species. Of 708 pooled tick samples, 11.3% and 7.20% were positive for C. burnetii and F. tularensis, respectively. The genus of Rhipicephalus had the highest (18.3%) C. burnetii infection among the collected tick pools (P<0.001). Furthermore, the most positive pools for F. tularensis belonged to Haemaphysalis spp. (44.4%). Kurdistan had the most significant percentage of C. burnetii-infected ticks (92.5%), and there was a meaningful relationship between the provinces and the infection (P< 0.001). The ticks from Golestan exhibited the highest F. tularensis infection rate (10. 9%), and the infection showed no significant relationship with the provinces (P = 0.19). Ticks collected from grasslands had a higher Coxiella burnetii infection rate than those collected from animals (39.4% vs. 7.9%; p<0.01). However, ticks collected from animal surfaces had a slightly higher rate of Francisella tularensis infection than those collected from grasslands (7.6% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.24). Here, we demonstrated the presence of both pathogens in the north (Guilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan provinces), the west (Kurdistan province), and the northwest (West Azerbaijan province) of Iran. The public health system should pay particular attention to tick bites in veterinary medicine and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Burn wounds rank among the most serious healthcare issues. Many studies reported the effectiveness of natural products in the wound-healing process. The present study compared the effects of a standardized herbal formulation derived from Boswellia carteri (B. carteri) and silver sulfadiazine (SSD) cream 1% on the healing of burn wounds. Methods: This randomized double-blind clinical trial was conducted at Shiraz Burn Hospital (Shiraz, Iran) between July 2012 to August 2013. A sterilized formulation comprising B. carteri 40% was prepared. 54 second-degree burn patients of both sexes with age ranges of 20 to 60 were invited to participate in this double-blind, randomized clinical trial. They were randomly divided into two groups and given either the Boswellia formulation or SSD cream. The healing index was determined based on the wound area assessment using the planimetry technique. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to assess the primary outcome, which was the amount of time until complete healing. Results: The trial was completed by 17 patients from the SSD group and 15 patients from the Boswellia group. During the study period, both groups showed a progressive healing trend. The mean (95% CI) healing time in the SSD group was 10.94 (9.03-12.85) days and 10.73 (9.23-12.23) days in the Boswellia group (P=0.71), indicating no significant difference. On the 17th day, the healing index of all patients in the Boswellia group reached 1. Conclusion: Boswellia topical formulation had a burn wound healing effect comparable to that of the standard SSD 1% treatment. Based on the findings of this study, the likelihood of contact dermatitis with Boswellia should be taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plague may recur after several decades in its endemic regions; therefore, the continuous monitoring of wildlife is essential, even when no human cases are reported in the old foci. The present study was conducted to monitor rodents and their ectoparasites as well as carnivores to learn about the epidemiology of plague infection in an old focus of Iran. Methodology: The present study was conducted from 2019 to 2020 in Takestan county of Qazvin Province in northwestern Iran. Rodents were caught using live traps, and their fleas were separated. Blood and spleen specimens were taken from the captured rodents. Serum samples were also collected from sheepdogs and wild carnivores. The collected samples were tested by culture, serology (ELISA), and molecular methods to detect Yersinia pestis infection. Findings: A total of 399 small mammals were caught, of which 68.6% were Meriones persicus. A total of 2438 fleas were collected from the rodents, 95.3% of which were Xenopsylla buxtoni. Overall, 23 out of 377 tested rodents (5.7%, CI 95%, 3.9–9.0) had IgG antibodies against the F1 antigen of Y. pestis, and all the positive samples belonged to M. persicus. Nine (4.8%) out of 186 collected sera from the sheepdogs' serum and one serum from the Canis aureus had specific IgG antibodies against the F1 antigen of Y. pestis. There were no positive cases of Y. pestis in the rodents and fleas based on the culture and real-time PCR. Conclusion: Serological evidence of Y. pestis circulation was observed in rodents and carnivores (sheepdogs and C. aureus). The presence of potential plague vectors and serological evidence of Y. pestis infection in the surveyed animals could probably raise the risk of infection and clinical cases of plague in the studied region. Training health personnel is therefore essential to encourage their detection of possible human cases of the disease. Author summary: Plague is a zoonotic disease caused by the gram-negative and rod-shaped Yersinia pestis bacterium. This disease has caused severe economic, social, and political crises throughout history. Rodents are known as the main plague reservoirs in nature and play a major role in the continued existence of enzootic cycles in natural foci. Nowadays, plague is a re-emerging disease that continues to be a serious health problem. Iran is regarded as an old endemic country for plague, from which several cases of epidemics have been reported throughout history. Given the recent findings in Iran and the re-emergence of plague in countries closer to Iran, the continuous surveillance of plague infection in wildlife seems necessary in different regions of the country. The present study was conducted to monitor rodents and their ectoparasites as well as carnivores to learn about the epidemiology of plague infection in old foci of Iran. Serological evidence of Y. pestis circulation was observed in rodents and carnivores (sheepdogs and C. aureus). The presence of potential plague vectors and serological evidence of Y. pestis infection in the surveyed animals could probably raise the risk of infection and clinical cases of plague in the studied region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcohol poisoning causes several clinical signs and symptoms. The present study was carry out to examine the epidemiology and characteristics of poisoned patients with alcohol, who were treated at the Sina hospital Tabriz in Iran. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the c linical features and laboratory tests in alcohol poisoning. Methods: In the current expressive cross-sectional report, during 2018-2020 details were obtained over referring to all 91 alcohol poisoned patients' files. The data were obtained based on the time interval between poisoning and time of admission to hospital. The data were then analyzed through SPSS software and descriptive statistics. Results: All over this period, 91 cases of alcohol-poisoned patients were hospitalized, out of which 81 patients (90%) were male and 9 patients (10%) were female. Mostly ethanol was used in poisoning (68.7%) and methanol (28%). 56% of alcohol poisoned patients used alcohol for euphoria, 33.3% used it for suicide, and 10.7% used it recreationally. Most poisoning symptoms occurred between 6 to 12 hours after poisoning. Neurological symptoms occurred among 70 patients (76.9%), 52 cases (57%) had gastrointestinal symptoms, and 19 patients (20.8%) had visual symptoms. Conclusion: Most of poisoned patients were men below the age of 30 years and unemployed. Alcohol consumption for euphoria were more common among people with higher education occasionally for recreation and those with high school education level were for suicide to get rid of problems from living environment. Particular attention of health authorities should be directed towards alcohol drinking prevention measures as well as production and availability of surrogate alcohols in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Associations between the COVID-19 pandemic and hospitalizations have not been studied Iran. This study aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions for nine categories of disease in seven public hospitals in Kermsnahah city, the capital of Kermsnahah province, in the west of Iran. Methods: Data on monthly hospitalization rates (number of hospitalizations per 100,000 population) were collected for nine categories of disease for a period of 40 months (23 months before and 17 months after the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran) from the health information systems of all seven public hospitals in Kermanshah city. Categories of disease included those related to pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium period, neoplasms, diseases of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory, genitourinary and nervous systems, mental and behavioural disorders, and infectious and parasitic diseases. Population data were extracted from the Statistics Centre of Iran. An interrupted time series analysis with segmented regression was used to examine the impact of COVID-19 on hospital admissions. Findings: Average monthly hospitalization rates fell for all nine categories of disease included in the study after the onset of the pandemic, with overall rates of 85.5 per 100,000 population in the period before the COVID-19 outbreak and 50.4 per 100,000 population after the outbreak began. The relative reduction in hospitalizations for the nine diseases was 56.4%. Regression analysis of monthly data indicated a sharp decrease in hospitalisations during the first month after the COVID-19 outbreak, which was statistically significant for all diseases (p < 0.001). After the initial reduction following onset of the pandemic, significant increases were observed for some diseases, including neoplasms (increase of 3.17 per 100,000 population; p < 0.001), diseases of the digestive system (increase of 1.17 per 100,000 population; p < 0.001) and diseases related to pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium period (increase of 1.73 per 100,000 population). For other categories of disease, rates significantly declined, including infectious and parasitic diseases (decrease of 2.46 per 100,000 population; p < 0.001). Hospitalization rates did not increase to pre-pandemic levels for any disease, with the exception of those related to pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium period. Conclusions: Our study indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significantly negative effect on hospitalizations in Iran. Although use of hospital care has gradually increased post-outbreak, it has yet to return to normal levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contamination of surface and groundwater resources to heavy metal due to mining activities is a worldwide major issue because of its probable health risks to local residents. In the present research, we measured the concentrations of As, Cd and Cr in 26 water samples collected from 13 rural areas in the vicinity of mines in Sabzevar, Iran, during January 2019 and estimated potential health risks among local residents. Heavy metal concentrations were analysed using an atomic absorption spectrometer and compared with guidelines set by the WHO. The results showed that As and Cr concentration in drinking water of rural areas in the vicinity of mines were estimated to be in the range of 0.0152 to 0.0220 and 0.0194 to 0.1806 mg/L, respectively, which exceeded the drinking water guidelines recommended by WHO. For cadmium, the concentrations ranged from 0.0003 to 0.0018 mg/L. Total HI (hazard index) values were above one in drinking water of all villages and generally, total HI values for children were much higher than those of adults in each studied area. The total cancer risk values of metals (sum of As, Cd and Cr) for children and adults in all the villages were above the USEPA limit. The CR (carcinogenic risk) values for both children and adults through the oral pathway were found in order of As>Cr>Cd. The findings of health risk assessment of groundwater near the mining area could be valuable for proper management of water resources in the rural areas in particular and to the other mining areas in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine energy use efficiency in greenhouse cucumber production using a non-parametric production function. The method used to quantify energy use efficiency or, more specifically, excess input energy used, is data envelopment analysis (DEA). DEA creates a ‘‘best practice’’ production frontier based on the growers that produce their level of cucumber yield with the least amount of input energy. These greenhouses then serve as benchmarks against which the energy use inefficiency of all other growers can be measured. The data used in this study was obtained through a face-to-face questionnaire method in the surveyed region – Yazd province of Iran. The total energy input and energy output were calculated to be 1168023 and 124663MJha−1, respectively. According to this information, the energy productivity was 0.14kgMJ−1, and net energy value was estimated to be –1043360MJha−1 indicating energy has been lost in greenhouse cucumber production. Basic DEA models (CCR and BCC) were used to measure the technical efficiency of the growers based on seven energy inputs human labor, diesel fuel, FYM, fertilizers, chemicals, water for irrigation and electricity, and a single output included yield of cucumber (kgha−1). The CCR and BCC models indicated 10 and 25growers were efficient, respectively. The average values of overall technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency of growers were found to be 0.8235, 0.9273 and 0.8880, respectively. The results also revealed that about 21% of the total input resources could be saved if the growers follow the input package recommended by the DEA. The maximum contribution to the total energy savings is 53% from diesel fuel, followed by electricity (27%). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study a non-parametric method of data envelopment analysis (DEA) was applied to analyze the efficiency of farmers, discriminate efficient farmers from inefficient ones and to identify wasteful uses of energy in order to optimize the energy inputs for apple production in Tehran province, Iran. From this study the following results were obtained: from the total of 56 farmers, considered for the analysis, 34% and 54% were found to be technically and pure technically efficient, respectively. The technical, pure technical and scale efficiency scores of farmers were 0.7857, 0.8982 and 0.8666, respectively. Optimum energy requirement was found to be 37993.15MJha−1; indicating that 11.29% of total energy input could be saved if the recommendations of this study are followed. From total energy saving, the contribution of electrical energy was the highest; it followed by chemicals energy inputs; implying that there was a great scope for saving energy inputs by improving the use pattern of these inputs. The results of economical analysis showed that the total costs of production could decreased from 8227.70 to 7570.01 $ha−1; also the benefit to cost ratio and productivity improved from 1.24 to 1.34 and 2.52 to 2.74, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and Aim: Main feature of auditory processing abilities is temporal processing including temporal resolution, temporal ordering, temporal integration and temporal masking. Many studies have shown the superiority of musicians in temporal discrimination over non-musicians. In this study we compared temporal processing in musicians and non-musician controls via Gap in Noise (GIN) test. Methods: This cohort study was conducted on 24 musicians with mean age of 25.3 years and 24 normal hearing non-musician controls with mean age of 24.5 years, in Faculty of Rehabilitation of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. GIN test results (approximate threshold and percent of corrected answers) obtained and analyzed by Mann-Whitney non-parametric statistical test. Results: There was significant difference between approximate threshold and percent of corrected answers between musicians and non-musician group (p<0.001), while no sex difference was observed between both groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: the lower approximate threshold and the more corrected answers in GIN test by musician group indicate rapid auditory temporal processing ability of this group rather than non-musicians group. This might be related to effects of musical training on central auditory processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was conducted to determine the energy balance between the energy inputs and yield for apple production in Tehran, Iran. For this purpose the data were collected from 56 apple orchards. The following results were obtained from this study: The total energy input of 42819.25MJha−1 was required for apple production. The share of diesel fuel by 21.88% of the total energy inputs was the highest energy input. This was followed by farmyard manure (17.66%) and electricity (13.09%), respectively. The energy use efficiency, energy productivity, Specific energy, and net energy were found as 1.16, 0.49kgMJ−1, 2.06MJkg−1 and 7038.18MJha−1, respectively. According to the research results, the contribution of direct energy was higher than that of indirect energy; also the share of non-renewable energy was more than that of renewable energy. The results of econometric model estimation revealed that the impact of farmyard manure, water for irrigation, electricity, chemical fertilizer and human labour energy inputs were significantly positive on yield. The results of sensitivity analysis of the energy inputs showed that the MPP value of water for irrigation was the highest, followed by human labour and chemicals energy inputs, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to determine the energy consumption and evaluation of inputs sensitivity for barley production in Hamedan Province, Iran. The sensitivity of energy inputs was estimated using the marginal physical productivity (MPP) method and partial regression coefficients on barley yield. The results revealed that total energy input for barley production was ∼25,027MJha−1; the non-renewable energy shared about 66% while the renewable energy did 34%. Energy use efficiency, energy productivity, and net energy were 2.86, 0.19kgMJ−1, and ∼46,498MJha−1, respectively. Econometric model evaluation showed that machinery energy was the most significant input which affects the output level. Sensitivity analysis indicates that with an additional use of 1MJof each of the human labour, machinery and electricity energy would lead to an increase in yield by 7.37, 1.66 and 0.33kg, respectively. Also, the MPP of biocides energy was calculated to be −1.97 implying that the use of biocides energy is in excess for barley production, causing an environmental risk problem in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Colorectal cancer has increased in Middle Eastern countries and exposure to environmental pollutants such as heavy metals has been implicated. However, data linking them to this disease are generally lacking. This study aimed to explore the spatial pattern of age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) of colon cancer and its potential association with the exposure level of the amount of heavy metals existing in rice produced in north-eastern Iran.Methods: Cancer data were drawn from the Iranian population-based cancer registry of Golestan Province, north-eastern Iran. Samples of 69 rice milling factories were analysed for the concentration levels of cadmium, nickel, cobalt, copper, selenium, lead and zinc. The inverse distance weighting (IDW) algorithm was used to interpolate the concentration of this kind of heavy metals on the surface of the study area. Exploratory regression analysis was conducted to build ordinary least squares (OLS) models including every possible combination of the candidate explanatory variables and chose the most useful ones to show the association between heavy metals and the ASR of colon cancer.Results: The highest concentrations of heavy metals were found in the central part of the province and particularly counties with higher amount of cobalt were shown to be associated with higher ASR of men with colon cancer. In contrast, selenium concentrations were higher in areas with lower ASR of colon cancer in men. A significant regression equation for men with colon cancer was found (F(4,137) = 38.304, P < .000) with an adjusted R2 of 0.77. The predicted ASR of men colon cancer was - 58.36 with the coefficients for cobalt = 120.33; cadmium = 80.60; selenium = - 6.07; nickel = - 3.09; and zinc = - 0.41. The association of copper and lead with colon cancer in men was not significant. We did not find a significant outcome for colon cancer in women.Conclusion: Increased amounts of heavy metals in consumed rice may impact colon cancer incidence, both positively and negatively. While there were indications of an association between high cobalt concentrations and an increased risk for colon cancer, we found that high selenium concentrations might instead decrease the risk. Further investigations are needed to clarify if there are ecological or other reasons for these discrepancies. Regular monitoring of the amount of heavy metals in consumed rice is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) differs between different regions of Iran. This study aimed to investigate changes in prevalence and incidence rates of MS in ten ethnic and cultural zones of Iran set by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Materials and Methods: Information on MS incidence and prevalence was obtained from the national registry of MS during the study period 2006–2013. Demographic data were acquired from the Statistical Centre of Iran. Results: A rising trend of MS prevalence was observed in Iran, and overall, the prevalence of MS increased by 3.67% per year. The highest prevalence rates of MS, and the most dramatic increase in MS prevalence, occurred in the central areas of Iran. However, during the 7-year period, the prevalence gradually increased also in southern and western areas. Conclusion: The prevalence and incidence of MS have been rapidly increasing in all regions of Iran, especially from central to western and southern regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antibiotic residues were investigated in raw and pasteurized milk produced in Neyshabur region, Iran. To this end, 82 milk samples, including raw and pasteurized milk of different brands and local raw milk samples of collection centers, were collected from Neyshabur region in two seasons during 2016. The antibiotic four-plate test (FPT) was performed to examine the presence of tetracycline, flomocaine, sulfonamide, enrofloxacin, aminoglycoside, and macrolide in the samples. The data were analyzed by the chi-squared test and logistic regression analysis to determine significant differences among variables at the significance level of p < .05. The results revealed that, among the 82 milk samples, 16 (47.2%) collected raw milk, 10 (41.6%) raw milk in the factories, and 6 (25%) pasteurized milk samples were positive. The findings showed that the most positive antibiotics belonged to the flomocaine, tetracycline, sulfonamide, and enrofloxacin groups, respectively. However, no aminoglycoside or macrolide was found in the samples. Analysis of milk samples performed in two seasons and the site of the sample collection showed a significant difference in the antibiotic residue content (p < .05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of contamination in winter were 3.73 times that of fall (p = .006). Positive antibiotic residues were present in a large number of milk samples. This study highlights the need for special measures and effective monitoring programs to reduce the hazard of chemical contamination in the Neyshabur region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]