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In the present study, the influence of the electrochemical potential on the tribocorrosion behavior of X20Cr13 in 0.15 molar NaCl-solution was investigated with the aid of a universal-tribometer under potentiostatic control. The resulting material loss was determined through laser confocal microscopy, while the morphology of the wear tracks and the deformation of the material structure near the surface were observed using light and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed a clear dependence of the material loss and the wear mechanisms from the applied potential. Within the cathodic region, a small amount of the material degradation could be attributed to a strong adhesion and resulting strain hardening as a consequence of an electrochemical weakening and mechanical destruction of the passive layer. The maximum of wear during polarization at the free corrosion potential under friction was explained by galvanic coupling between the wear track and the passive surface near the stability threshold between Fe2+-Ion and Fe2O3development. Through increasing Polarization onto the free corrosion potential in the absence of friction and into the passive region, a decrease in material loss could be observed which is presumably attributed to the stable passive layer that inhibits electrochemical degradation and favors the formation of a grain refinement zone that slows down mechanical destruction.

Background: Electron beam irradiation is one of the effective ways to control food-borne pathogens. We evaluated the effect of electron beam irradiation on survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Thyphimurium in minced camel meat during refrigerated storage. Methods: The meat samples were inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and S. enterica serovar Thyphimurium and then irradiated with doses of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 5 kGy. The samples were stored at 4±1 °C and evaluated microbiologically up to 10 days. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 18. Results: The microbial loads of minced camel meat samples were significantly reduced (p

Measurement of residual stress in plasma-sprayed coating is of key importance to optimize their microstructure and mechanical properties. In this study, the x-ray diffraction analysis was carried out using the sin2ψ method to evaluate the residual stress distribution of hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings produced on titanium substrate by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) and vacuum plasma spraying (VPS). The sin2ψ method measured strains at different tilt ψ and rotating φ angles around the specimen surface normal. A non-uniform and inhomogeneous stress distribution was present in the both coatings. The measured strain eψφ is plotted versus sin2ψ, showing a nonlinear (elliptical) behavior, which indicates the presence of inhomogeneous triaxial stress distributions within coating, due to the crystalline anisotropy, inhomogeneous cooling rate or solidification of the molten particles. The normal stress values within both HAp coatings produced were found to be tensile in nature, but the values of tensile stresses are significantly higher in APS coating than those values obtained for VPS coating.

Halar®, an ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE) thermoplastic polymer, can be considered as an ideal protection coating material for medical application, because of its high purity and unique combination of the mechanical and chemical properties. In this study, Halar® polymer powder particles are deposited onto titanium substrate by the means of electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Differential scanning calorimetry was used to measure thermal characteristics of the raw Halar® powders including glass transition temperature (Tg), melting temperature (Tm) and melting enthalpy (∆Hm). A high crystallinity value was determined for the raw polymer powders by differential scanning calorimetry analysis. Additionally, the effect of heat treatment on Tg, Tm and crystallinity of the polymer are evaluated at different heating temperatures. It was found that heat-treatment of the Halar® powder at the temperature of 260 °C (above its melting temperature) results in increasing of Tg, Tm and crystallinity of this thermoplastic polymer. Thus, after deposition thermal treatment temperature was performed at 260 °C for 15 min which may improve the adhesion of the coating to the substrate and its mechanical properties. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to assess the quality and surface morphology of Ti coated with Halar® polymer. The deposited coating showed a high quality, smooth and homogenous microstructure without any cracks or holes. Nanomechanical properties (hardness and elastic modulus) of the deposited polymer coating were also determined using the nanoindentation technique. Moreover, a comparison is drawn between the fatigue behavior of uncoated and polymer coated Ti specimens by a three-point bend test. The results indicated a blunt crack tip and a higher fatigue strength of Halar® polymer coated Ti.

Introduction: Iran is the richest country in terms of distribution of medicinal plants. The antimicrobial effect of plant extracts and essential oils is well known and they are used as a good substitute in food industry to control food-borne pathogens. Due to the antibacterial activity of plant extracts and their efficacy against microorganisms, the aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of peppermint extract in order to control pathogenic bacteria. Methods: Piperita L., which is one of the species of mint; was used in this invitro-experimental study. The extraction was performed by percolation method. Well - agar method was used for antibacterial effects of extracts. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) were done for six standard bacteria using microdilution method. The test was performed 3 times for each bacterium. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 16 and t-test. Results: The lowest MIC of peppermint extract on examined microorganisms were observed for Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis (3.25 mg/ ml). Also the maximum diameter of inhibition zone, was related to Staphylococcus aureus (32 mm). Conclusion: Results of this study indicated that peppermint extract has a favorable control effect on the growth of food borne pathogens, which can be used as a perfect preservative for keeping food.

Introduction:In patients with phenylketonuria protein rich-foods are restricted. Milk, dairy products, meat and fish are replaced by phenylalanine-free (phe-free) metabolic formula. Therefore patients with phenylketonuria may be at risk for protein deficiency and zinc deficiency. Aim of this study was to assess Plasma zinc status, and zinc intake in Patients with phenylketonuria Undergoing Therapy metabolic formula compared to healthy control. Methods: This study was case-control. 29 Patients with phenylketonuria and 29 healthy as control group took part in this study aged 0.5–42 years in Yazd and Bushehr provinces. Dietary intake data were collected by the 3-day food-record questionnaire. Plasma zinc levels were determinedby flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant statistically. Results: Median Plasma zinc levels in the case group and the control group was 5.86 and 8.34 µmol/L (p=0/11). Median Plasma zinc level was less than the normal range in two groups. Zinc intake in the case group was more than the control group significantly (p

Introduction: Dyslipidemia and oxidative stress are commonly seen in the patients undergoing hemodialysis. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of oral L-carnitine supplementation on lipid profiles and total antioxidant capacity of the patients were treated with hemodialysis. Methods: This study was a randomized, controlled clinical trial. The participants of this study consisted of 50 hemodialysis patients in dialysis centers of Yazd between 2013 and 2014. The patients randomly divided into two groups; L-carnitine (LG) and control group (CG). The patients in the LG were instructed to use daily 1g L-carnitine oral supplementation, as syrup for 12 weeks. The patients in the CG did not receive any supplement containing L-carnitine. At the baseline and the end of 12 weeks, triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), LDLc, and total antioxidant capacity of serum (TAC) were evaluated in both groups. Results: The mean of triglyceride and TC between and within groups were not significantly different. The mean of LDLc did not change in LG whereas a significant increase was seen in CG (p=0.02). The mean differences of LDLc between groups was statistically significant (p=0.05). No Significant changes were observed in serum levels of TAC in LG compared with CG (p=0.76). TAC was increased in both groups, but these changes were not statistically significant (p=0.62). Conclusions: This study showed that oral supplementation of L-carnitine as syrup (1g per day) for 12 weeks among the hemodialysis patients would have no effect on triglyceride, TC, and TAC, but it would decrease the LDLc.

Introduction: Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of renal failure. High blood pressure, specially its glomerular type is one of the dominant factors in the development of nephropathy in diabetic patients. The present study evaluates the effects of Hibiscus Subdariffa on blood pressure and urinary albumin in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Methods: Current study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial on 41 patients with diabetic nephropathy (15 males, 26 females). Patients were divided in two randomly chosen groups. The first group received herbal supplements of Hibiscus Subdariffa (tablets, 425 mg twice daily) while the other one received placebo. At baseline and at the end of an eighth weeks period, systolic, diastolic blood pressure and urinary albumin were measured. Results: At the end of the study period, Systolic blood pressure in the Hibiscus group dropped of 135 to 119.5 compared to the baseline. The level of reduction was statistically significant (p

Introduction: Aflatoxins are usually produced from Aspergillus Flavus and Aspergillus Parasiticus. This toxin is found in the most of foods, such as rice. The aim of this study was to survey the relation between rice consumption with Aflatoxin M1 excretion rate in women of Yazd using biomarkers. Methods: This was a cross sectional-descriptive study that was done in 2014. Eighty five women were selected among women who referred to health centers of Yazd. ELISA method was used to measure Aflatoxin M1 in urine samples. Results: The results show that from total number of 85 women, 94% were excreted Aflatoxin M1. There was a significant difference between rice consumption (p=0.015) and type of consumed rice (p= 0.023) with excretion of Aflatoxin M1. Conclusion: According to the results it can be concluded that with increasing rice consumption, daily intake of Aflatoxin increases. Therefore the amount of Aflatoxin in rice consumption by women of Yazd is high and a lot of people are exposed to high concentration of Aflatoxin and health hazards related to it.

Introduction: Diabetes, as one of the most common endocrine disorders, has many different complications and outcomes. Some pieces of evidence proposed that garlic can be useful for diabetic patients due to its various compounds. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of garlic tablet supplement on fasting blood sugar (FBS), Glycated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) and lipid profile levels in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: This double-blind randomized placebo controlled trial was carried out at Imam Khomeini hospital in Tehran. The study sample consisted of 50 diabetic patients, who were randomly divided into two groups of 25 participants: placebo (PG) and garlic group (GG). The GG took three 400mg-garlic tablets and the PG group took 3 tablets similar to the garlic tablets per day after every main meal for 3 months. Lipid profile, HbA1c and FBS concentrations were measured before and after the intervention. Results: There were not any significant differences in regard with age, gender and disease history between the two groups. After 3 months, the mean of FBS (from 155.23±36.47 to 140.57±44.18 mg/dl,pv=0.05) and HbA1c(from 8.6 %±1.04 to 7.27%±1.21,pv

Introduction: Evaluation of grow this particularly important in children. It has to use the standard data necessarily. Due to genetic difference sand patterns of people living in different areas, national or local needs are better to be considered rather than the international ones. The aim of this study was to determine the height, weight and BMI of the children6-11 years old in the city of Yazd Methods: In this cross-sectional study,2592 student (6-11 years old)were selected by cluster sampling in 26 schools and all students in one class from each grade in the academic year2010-2011 in Yazd–Iran. Height, weight and body mass index of the children were measured. Using the SPSS curve, the height, weight and body mass index by age and sex were calculated and compared with the WHO and CDC standards. Results: Height-for-age percentile curves of girls were below CDC standard features. The 5 and 15 percentiles of weight-for-age of male in most age groups were also below CDC data. The 95 and 97 percentiles of body mass index of male and female children aged over 10 years were higher than foreign standards. Conclusion: Due to the differences seen between the curves for height, weight and body mass index in Yazdian children and foreign standards, it is better to use the norms of this study for Yazdi children 6-11 years old.

The fatigue strength of polycrystalline cp-Ti depends on a variety of different factors especially its plastic deformation mechanism. Deformation twinning is activated as a major deformation mechanism in cp-Ti during cyclic deformation. The fatigue-induced twin transformation developing on the surface of the cp-Ti specimens is accompanied with the microstructure irregularities, which affect the cohesive properties of grain boundaries and thus its fatigue cracking. The twinned grains serve as preferential sites for the localized shear and act as preferred path for crack propagation. The texture evolution was observed during cyclic deformation in cp-Ti which can be explained by the high twinning activity. The residual stress relaxation takes place significantly by imposing a mechanical loading.

Introduction: There is limited evidence that ginger (Zingiber Officinale) powder consumption is effective to relieve the pain and inflammation due to special phytichemicals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ginger powder supplementation in pain improvement in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 120 outpatients with knee osteoarthritis of moderate pain. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: receiving ginger powder supplement and placebo. Ginger and placebo groups received two identical capsules per day for 12 weeks. Each capsule contained 500 mg ginger powder or starch. Pain severity was measured by VAS (Visual Analog Scale) at first and after 3 months. A responder was defined as a reduction in pain of > 1.5 cm on a visual analog scale (VAS). Results: Before intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups in severity of pain. However, after ginger supplementation, pain score decreased in ginger group. After 12 weeks, Pain reduction was more significant in ginger group than placebo. Response to intervention was 88% and 14% in ginger and placebo groups, respectively. There was statistically significant difference between both groups in response to intervention (p

Introduction: Nowadays there is an uprising trend toward new approaches in type 2 diabetes management. In this study the effect of ginger supplementation on blood glucose, lipid and lipoproteins was examined in diabetic patients. Methods: 81 patients with type 2 diabetes participated in this randomized clinical trial study within two-month interval. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: Placebo (PG) and supplemented (SG). SG group were supplemented with 3 capsules (1g ginger powder in each capsule) and PG group received 3 microcrystalline cellulose capsules each day. Fasting blood glucose(FBS), fructose-amine, HbA1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, HDL-c and Apolipoproteins (Apo) A1 and B100 were measured before and eight weeks after intervention. Results: Mean of LDL-c in SG before and after supplementation were 112.52 ± 22.09 and 106.10±20.78mg/dl(P=0.03), respectively. Also the results showed significant difference in levels of Apo A1 in SG and PG in the beginning and end of trial(P‹0.005). However no significant differences between groups were observed. Moreover no significant disparities were observed in level of Apo B100, total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL-c at the same period in studied groups. Mean FBS level after intervention in SG showed a 10.5% decrease(P=0.003), meanwhile a 21% increase in PG (P=0.01) was reported. Changes in mean HbA1c had a similar trend with mean FBS. Conclusion: This study indicates that ginger supplementation for type 2 diabetic patients would improve LDL-c, APO A1, fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c parameters

Introduction: Ghrelin hormone is a polypeptide with 28 amino acids that is secreted along the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in fundus of stomach. Some physiological functions of ghrelin include increase of appetite and food intake, energy balance, stimulation of growth hormone secretion and heart output and decrease in blood pressure. Recently, relation of ghrelin and bone mineral density has been considered. Methods: This descriptive study included 33 adult persons above 20 years of age. Bone mineral density was determined with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry in femur and lumbar regions. T-score over than -1 was considered as normal case. Ghrelin levels were determined by ELISA method. Results: The mean of age, body mass index and serum ghrelin were 40±10.6years, 27±3.6 kg/m² and 100.5±128 pg/ml, respectively. Correlation of ghrelin and variables was not statistically significant except weight (p=0.05). Conclusion: Range of serum ghrelin levels varies with age. In the present research, there was no relationship between ghrelin levels and bone mineral density in femur and lumbar regions. More studies with larger number of samples are proposed.

Introduction: With recent identification of vitamin D receptors in various tissues, including immune System the importance of this vitamin has been realized. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a single mega dose of 300,000 IU of vitamin D after delivery in women with gestational diabetes after 3 months follow-up on the status of inflammatory factors influencing insulin resistance Methods: This randomized clinical trial study with the follow-up period of 3 months included 45 women who had been diagnosed for the first time in their recent pregnancy as diabetics and were randomly divided into intervention group(IG) and control group(CG). The IG group received an IM dose of 300,000 units of vitamin D. Glycosylated hemoglobin A1C (HBA1C), 25-OH vitamin D, and two-hour glucose, TNF-α, IL-1, CRP, and adiponectin levels were measured. Results: Mean adiponectin levels before and after intervention showed no significant difference, but only in IG group, the levels were significantly increased. Median concentration of 25-OH vitamin D levels in the study group before and after intervention was 24.25 and 62.1 nmol/L, respectively (P-value

SummaryWe compared sequence variations in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of five Lens species, including cultivated lentil (Lens culinaris subsp. culinaris) and its four wild relatives distributed in Iran and Turkey, in order to clarify their genetic relationships. Cluster analysis based on the neighbour-joining algorithm and Jukes-Cantor distances revealed a phenetic tree with a topology congruent with patterns derived by previous studies using ITS sequence analysis. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the divergence of L. nigricans from all other species. In this study, we found that some accessions of L. culinaris subsp. orientalis were very similar to L. culinaris subsp. culinaris, the cultivated lentil, but several others were not.

Introduction: Hot flashes are common and discomfortable signs of menopause that present with blazing sweatiness, sense of hotness, tachycardia and agitation. Hot flashes cause disturbances in daily activity and quality of night sleep. In spite of the effect of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) on hot flashes, nowadays, there are diverse opinions about HRT and the reason is that it has chronic complications. In addition, the acceptance of HRT by Iranian women is very low. Study of numerous texts has shown that isofliavone present in soybean is a phytoestrogen that could be effective in control of hot flashes. The purpose of the study is to examine the changes in time periods of hot flashes in response to consumption of 74 mg Isoflavone/day present in 60 grams soybeans in menopausal women. Methods: This study was a clinical trial with before and after design that included 31 postmenopausal women. The participants were assessed with respect to daily hot flashes at baseline and after one, two and three months of intervention. Participants consumed daily 60 grams soybeans for 3 months. Blood samples were taken at the start and end of intervention for determining levels of gonadotropins and estradiol. Data was analyzed by SPSS software. Results: There was a decrease in time period of hot flashes from baseline of 5.88±2.61 to 3.45±1.82 after one month, 2.73±1.57 after two months and 2.16±1.48 after three months of consumption of soybeans (P

Introduction: It is generally assumed that 50% of the cases of anemia are due to iron deficiency. The most severe consequence of iron depletion is iron deficiency anemia (IDA), and it is still considered the most common nutrition deficiency worldwide. The main risk factors for IDA include: inadequate iron intake, impaired absorption or transport, physiologic losses associated with chronological or reproductive age, or acute or chronic blood loss, parasite infections such as hookworms, acute and chronic infections, including malaria, cancer, tuberculosis, HIV and other micronutrient deficiencies, including vitamins A and B12, folate, riboflavin, and copper deficiency. Methods: This work as a cross-sectional study was done in 2007-2008 in Yazd. Two hundred girls who participated in the study were selected randomly from eight girl high schools. Five ml venous blood was collected for determination of serum ferritin and cell blood count (CBC). Serum ferritin was determined by using ECLIA method and CBC by cell counter SYSMEX KX21N. Iron deficiency was defined as having serum ferritin values below 12 μ/l. Anemia was defined as having Hemoglobin levels below12 g/dl. Iron-deficiency anemia was considered to be the combination of both. Results: The3 mean age)years) and body mass index (kg/m2) were 15.19±0.7years and 21.5±4.2, respectively. Distribution in the 14, 15 and 16 years and more age groups were 13, 58.5 and 28.5 percent, respectively. Mean of Hemoglobin(g/dl), Hematocrit(%), MCV (fl), MCH (pg), MCHC (g/dl) and ferritin(μ/l) were 12.8±0.9, 38.9±3.0, 80.7±4.3, 26.6±1.8, 33.2±3.6 and 23±18.2, respectively. Of the total, 13.5% were anemic, 68% of which had Iron Deficiency Anemia (9.3% of the total). Iron deficiency was present in 34.7% of the population under study. Conclusion: According to world health organization criteria, anemia is a mild public health problem in this region, but iron deficiency is a significant problem and suitable measures for control and prevention of it should be undertaken.

Introduction: Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) are the most common epidemiological problems in the world, including our country. In order to prevent IDD and its consequences, iodized table salt is being used in our country since 1989. At present, this program is 18 years old. The surveillance of IDD may be implemented to assess the prevalence of IDD, identify high risk areas for intervention and monitor and evaluate IDD control programs. Aim of this study was to determine prevalence of goiter and urinary iodine rate in 6-11 year old primary school children in Chahak area of Yazd. Methods: In this prevalence study, 530 primary school students aged 6-11 were selected by census. Thyroid examination and goiter classification was done according to WHO standards by one trained physician. From one–fourth of the total population, urine samples were taken and the household salt consumed by them was tested for iodine. Urinary iodine was determined by digestion method. Iodine of salt was determined by rapid test kit. Total goiter rate (TGR) was defined as sum of goiter grade I and II. Data was analyzed by SPSS software. Results: TGR, goiter 2 and grade 1 in Chahak areas were 29.1%, 25.1 and 4%, respectively. Prevalence of goiter grade2 in girls and boys was 3.3 and 4.7%, respectively (PV=0.6).TGR in 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 age groups was 15, 26.5, 27.5, 21.7, 31.1 and 37.9 (PV=0.93), respectively. TGR in Chahak, Shahriyary and Bakhtyary villages was 20.8, 36.9 and 68.7 (PV

Introduction : Writing the thesis is one of the first experiences of university students. It is usually conducted satisfactorily under the advice an advisor. Yet, there are some problems in this regard. Objectives : The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the quality of the medical and dental theses at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences. Methods and Materials : This was a qualitative observational study conducted on 30% of medical theses and all the dental theses at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences during 1992-2002. The characteristics and features of the different parts of the theses were recorded in a questionnaire. Then, the quality score was calculated for each thesis. Results : In this study, 215 (76.2%) volumes of theses of medical students and 67 (23.8%) volumes of theses of dentistry students were studied and reviewed. Most of the theses studied (13.8%) related to internal medicine, and least of them (1.8%) related to pathology. The majority of the theses (92.7%) were of experimental research type, and 2.5% included case studies.95.7% of the theses were appropriate regarding title characteristics. Almost 19% of them lacked the part "Statement of the Problem" and 43.2% were deficient in this part. 40.7% of the theses (52% of medical theses and 6% of dental theses) lacked "Review of Literature". Only 51.6% of them (40.7% of medical theses and 86.4% of dental theses) possessed a "Review of Literature" that was quite related to the thesis topic. In approximately 5.8% of the theses, there was no direct reference to the objectives. For 12.4% of theses, the objectives have been stated accurately while for 81.8% of them this was not the case. Regarding objectives, the medical theses were in a better state and showed a statistically significant correlation with the dental theses. Regarding the part "Results", in 6.9% of the theses, specific objectives have not been stated clearly. 82.6% reached completely to the preset goals, 9.1% achieved some of the objectives, and 1.4% of results were irrelevant to the objectives. Regarding the presentation of thesis results as an article in magazines or in national or international gatherings, summits, conferences, or a congress, 1.1% were presented in conferences abroad, 9.6% in national seminars, and 28.8% as an article. Also, 46.3% were not published at all. For 14.2% of the theses, no information was available regarding their publication. The average mean of the number of references was 21.8. Also, 6.6% of the references were 3 years older than the thesis. Four references were 4-5 years older than the thesis and twelve references were more than 5 years older than the thesis. Totally, the average mean of time interval between the thesis and the references publication date was 5.8 years. Generally speaking, 14.9% of the theses had a poor quality, 44.35 had a moderate quality, and 4.8 % possessed a high quality. In this regard, the dental theses had a better status. There was no statistically significant correlation between thesis quality and the obtained score on the thesis. Conclusion : Considerable percent of theses had weak quality, but dentistry students' theses had the better quality than the medical students' theses. Therefore, to improvement of thesis quality, it's necessary to carry out various workshops on the research methodology, scientific article writing and writing reports.

The present research was conduted to examine the relationship between thyroid function and body mass index. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Lar province and its' vicinity in south of Iran. By stepwise random sampling from all public girls' high schools, 227 high school participants (aged 12-21) were selected. Serum samples were collected and assayed for Triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), reverse triiodothyronine (rT3), free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3). Weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) were calculated (weight (kg)/height2 (m)). Subgroup analysis was done according to body mass index. TSH, T4 and rT3 were correlated with BMI (r = 0.66, p = 0.001 and r = 0.12, p = 0.05 and r = 0.65, p = 0.001, respectively). Adolescent girls with BMI > or = 25 kg m(-2) showed higher serum TSH, T4 and rT 3 than subjects with BMI < 25 kg m(-2) (p = 0.001, p = 0.05 and p = 0.001, respectively). Present results showed that, although thyroid function was normal in the studied participants TSH and rT3 were positively correlated to BMI. TSH and rT3 could present a marker of altered energy balance in overweight and obese adolescent girls.

In this paper, a highly reliable microgrid formed by a single-stage high frequency ac (HFAC) link converter is proposed. This single-stage hybrid converter introduces several advantages over conventional hybrid converters that are commonly used in microgrids. The proposed converter is capable of interfacing any number of sources and loads with any forms/number of phases/ frequencies/voltage levels. Galvanic isolation in the proposed microgrid can be provided by adding a single-phase high frequency ac transformer. In this converter, soft-switching can be realized by a small modification in the configuration. Accordingly, the zero-voltage turn-on and soft turn-off of the switches result in negligible switching losses and minimum voltage stress on the switches. The proposed microgrid has a fast response due to the high frequency of the operation. The other major advantage of the proposed hybrid system is that no bulky electrolytic capacitor is needed at the link to decouple different converters. In a dc microgrid or even in a low frequency ac (LFAC) microgrid, several converters are cascaded, and large electrolytic capacitors are required for decoupling different power converters. Electrolytic capacitors are the most unreliable components in a power converter and are responsible for most of the failures, particularly at high temperature. Thus, eliminating the dc electrolytic capacitors will significantly increase the reliability of the microgrid. One limiting factor in adopting the HFAC microgrid is that the voltage drop and losses are increased by increasing the frequency; thus, this system is more suitable when sources and loads are relatively close. This paper evaluates the performance of the proposed microgrid.

This cross-sectional study was designed to estimate the frequency of asthma in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), and its related factors.The study population consisted of 236 patients with AD who were referred to Children Medical Center in 1997-2002 and their diagnosis was based on HanifinRajka criteria. Severity of AD was categorized based on Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. Asthma was diagnosed with medical history and clinical examination (three or more episodes of wheezing and/or dyspnea and/or cough after 1 year old). The patients were divided in two groups according to having or not having asthma.The mean age of patients with AD was 38.67+/-2.68 month and the mean age at onset of asthma was 20+/-2.5 month. The frequency of asthma in AD patients was 27.5%. The mean of SCORAD in nonasthmatic patients was 52.27 +/- 2.52 and in asthmatic patients was 56.2+/- 4.2 (P= 0.4). The mean of duration of breastfeeding in asthmatic patients was 12.2+/-1.6 month and in non-asthmatic patients was 11.16+/-6.3 month (P = 0.87). There was no significant difference between asthmatic patients and others in serum IgE levels (P = 0.65) and blood eosinophil count. (P = 0.49).These results confirmed that development of asthma in patients with AD is more than normal population and AD can be a significant predisposing factor to developing asthma but the causative factors are not clear.

Data-mining is a branch of science which tends to extract a series of futures and some meaningful information from a huge database in proper time and cost. Clustering is one of the popular methods in this field. The purpose of clustering is to use a database and group together its items with similar characteristics. Application of clustering in many fields of science and engineering problems like Pattern recognition, data retrieval, bio-informatics, machine learning and the Internet cause to have significantly developed in the last decades. A rapid growth in the volume of information in databases revealed weakness of traditional methods like K-means in facing with huge data. In this paper a new clustering method based on the Inclined Planes system Optimization algorithm was proposed and evaluate on a series of standard datasets. Comparison study revealed a significant superiority over other similar clustering algorithms.

The present study was designed to compare two methods of vitamin D supplementation in infants: every two months as a routine vaccination versus a daily dose.A randomised clinical trial was performed on 120 healthy breastfed infants between January and September 2007 in Yazd, Iran. The infants were randomly divided into three groups with different doses of vitamin D3 supplementation: 200 IU daily, 400 IU daily and a bolus of 50,000 IU every two months. A blood sample was taken and evaluated for 25-hydroxy vitamin D and calcium levels when the infants were six months old. The data was reported as the mean and standard deviation.No significant differences were observed between the serum level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D in the groups administered with 200 IU and 400 IU vitamin D daily. However, the serum level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D reached significance in the third group (p is less than 0.001). All the blood calcium measured was below 11 mg/dl in the bolus group. A few complications such as diarrhoea and agitation, all of which were self-limited, were seen in the bolus group. No other significant side effects were reported in the other groups.This study demonstrates that a bolus of 50,000 IU of vitamin D every two months with a routine child vaccination program provides the ideal serum level of vitamin D. This method produces no serious side effects and offers a highly convenient way to supply vitamin D, especially among non-compliant parents.

Motor evoked potential (MEP) monitoring is a complementary approach to directly monitor the integrity of the motor pathway and is another modality designed to ensure the integrity of the spinal cord during surgery. However, conventional interpretation of MEP signal based on amplitude and latency tracking is subjective and not always accurate, and usually a significant learning curve has been demonstrated. Hence, we proposed a quantitative time frequency analysis method, window energy index, for monitoring spinal cord surgery. The preliminary results suggest the proposed analysis has better sensitivity than conventional amplitude analysis

Introduction: Hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Nuts such as almonds are high in unsaturated lipids and antioxidants. Some studies indicate that nuts have beneficial effects on cardiovascular system. Therefore, the aim of this study was evaluation of the effectiveness of shelled almonds on reduction of blood lipid and lipoprotein levels in hyperlipidemic patients. Methods: This study was a clinical trial (before and after) and was done on 30 men volunteering for the study. They consumed 60 grams shelled almonds per day for four weeks. Their blood lipid, lipoprotein, apolipoprotein and lipoprotein (a) levels were measured after and before almond consumption. Results: Shelled almond consumption caused significant decrease in serum cholesterol 36.1 mg/dl, triglyceride 45.94 mg/dl, LDL-cholesterol 28.68 mg/dl and increase in HDL-cholesterol 10.64 mg/dl(p

Studies were carried out on antibody appearance to parainfluenza-3 virus in cattle in Iran. The micro-system of HI test has been used for determination of the antibody level. Total percentage of sera with positive titers was 72.67% (336 out of 600). The picture of antibody levels in our results was as follows: 164 sera (27.33%) were negative; 147 (42.50%) had low titers; 168 (28%) showed an average titer and 21 sera (20.17%) were found to possess high antibody titers.