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The aim of this report is to present a new two-piece thyroid-neck phantom produced by the concurrent use of epoxy resin and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA: plexiglass) soft tissue equivalent materials. Accordingly, mass attenuation coefficients of the epoxy resin and the plexiglass compounds were obtained from simulation (NIST XCOM 3.1) and measurements (practical dosimetry) and compared to those related to human soft tissue (ICRU 44). The thyroid-neck phantom and thyroid gland dimensions were derived from scientific references and the atlas of human anatomy, respectively. The thyroid phantom was designed by CATIA V5R16 software and produced by the epoxy resin compound by three-dimensional printer. Other organs were designed by ProNest software and made by the plexiglass sheets by CNC laser cutting machine. The mass attenuation coefficients for the epoxy resin (50 keV- 20 MeV) and the plexiglass (0-20 MeV) were comparable to human soft tissue (ICRU 44), all with standard relative deviation beneath 5%. In addition, the SPECT images indicated the similarity between human thyroid tissue and its phantom. In conclusion, this study proves the feasibility and reliability of epoxy resin application in the production of two-piece thyroid-neck phantom. This phantom can be applied in the calibration of gamma camera systems, dosimetry and gamma spectrometry in the nuclear medicine field.

"nBackground and Aim: The microbial cause of dental caries has been proved among its multifactorial etiologies. The prevention and control of dental caries is very critical because of high prevalence and cost especially in high risk patient such as xerostomia. Based on the world attraction to traditional treatment and importance of drug extraction of natural materials and plants, in this in vitro study effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Salvia officinalis and Pimpinella anisum which were very useful in traditional treatment of mouth and teeth disease has been determined against cariogenic bacteria. "nMaterials and Methods: In this experimental study, hydroalcoholic extracts have been prepared from Salvia officinalis and Pimpinella anisum with maceration method. Their antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Actinomyces viscosus have been evaluated with broth macrodilution method. Data were analyzed with Mann-Whitney test. "nResults: Minimum Inhibitory Concentration for Salvia officinalis and Pimpinella anisum for streptococcus mutans were respectively 6.25 and 12.5 µg/ml, for Lactobacillus rhamnosus were 1.56 and 12.5 µg/ml and for Actinomyces viscosus were 12.5 and 50 µg/ml. "nConclusion:Both extracts had growth inhibitory effect on all three bacteria. Salvia officinalis had significantly greater effect on inhibition of growth of all three bacteria. Both extracts had bactericidal effect in the range of concentration.

Background: The extracellular matrix is a complex three-dimensional network of proteins and glycosaminoglycans, which have important roles in cellular physiology and cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Any changes in the extracellular matrix of tumors may be implicated in cellular transformation and metastasis. The aim of the present study was to identify changes in the hyaluronic acid of the stroma of colonic carcinoma.Methods: Paraffin blocks of 30 patients with colon carcinoma (10 patients at each histological grade) were chosen from the pathology file of Khatam-Al-Anbia Hospital in Zahedan, Iran. Tissue sections (5-6 micrometers thick) were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and the alcian blue critical electrolyte concentration histochemical technique at pH=5.8. The intensity of the staining in each section was graded as 1, 2 or 3, referring to low, moderate or severe staining reactivities, respectively. Statistical data was analyzed with nonparametric tests by SPSS (ver. 10) and histopathological reports were prepared.Results: The results of this study showed that there is a good correlation between histopathological grading and staining intensity of tumoral stroma for hyaluronic acid (p

Anovel series of C-, N-, and F-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were fabricated using a simple sol-gel method, utilizing 4-(trifluoromethyl)nicotinic acid (TFNA) as a precursor for carbon, nitrogen, and fluorine doping. The resulting materials were characterized using different advanced techniques such as X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The synthesis approach involved the creation of nanoparticles with varying weights of TFNA, ranging from 0.3 to 1.6 wt. %, followed by calcination at 400 °C for 120 min in the presence of air. The resulting nanostructures were tested for their efficiency in degrading rhodamine B (RhB) dye under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. The experimental findings revealed that the 1.6 wt. % TFNA/TiO2 composite exhibited exceptional photocatalytic activity, with approximately 87.0 % degradation efficiency towards RhB dye in aqueous solutions under UV light. This remarkable performance can be attributed to the increased lifetime of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and accelerated interfacial charge transfer rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to comply with criteria of green energy concepts and sustainability, a multi-objective analysis was performed for the transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) using immobilized lipase. Response surface methodology and artificial neural networks, followed by multiple response optimization through a desirability function approach were applied to individually and simultaneously evaluate the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) content and the exergy efficiency. Reaction time and concentrations of methanol, immobilized lipase and water were considered as the design variables in maximizing FAME content and exergy efficiency. The maximum individual desirability of FAME content was predicted to be 95.7% corresponding to a methanol to WCO molar ratio of 6.7, catalyst concentration of 45%, water content of 9% and reaction time of 25 h. However, based on the simultaneously optimization of both the FAME content and the exergy efficiency, the maximum overall desirability was found at a methanol to WCO molar ratio of 6.7, catalyst concentration of 35%, water content of 12% and reaction time of 20 h to achieve FAME content of 88.6% and exergy efficiency of 80.1%, respectively. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hossein Zare,1,2 Sepideh Ahmadi,3,4 Amir Ghasemi,5 Mohammad Ghanbari,6 Navid Rabiee,7 Mojtaba Bagherzadeh,7 Mahdi Karimi,8– 11 Thomas J Webster,12 Michael R Hamblin,13 Ebrahim Mostafavi12,14,15 1Advances Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine Research Group (ANNRG), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Biomaterials Group, Materials Science and Engineering Department, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran; 3Student Research Committee, Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 5Department of Engineering, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom; 6School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; 7Department of Chemistry, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran; 8Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 9Department of Medical Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 10Oncopathology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 11Research Center for Science and Technology in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, MA, Iran; 12Applied Biotechnology Research Centre, Tehran Medical Science, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, MA, Iran; 13Laser Research Centre, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa; 14Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford, CA, USA; 15Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USACorrespondence: Ebrahim MostafaviStanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Biomedical Innovation Building, 240 Pasteur Dr, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USAEmail ebimsv@stanford.eduMichael R HamblinLaser Research Centre, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028, South AfricaEmail hamblin.lab@gmail.comAbstract: The unique properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (such as their high surface to volume ratios, enhanced conductivity and strength, biocompatibility, ease of functionalization, optical properties, etc.) have led to their consideration to serve as novel drug and gene delivery carriers. CNTs are effectively taken up by many different cell types through several mechanisms. CNTs have acted as carriers of anticancer molecules (including docetaxel (DTX), doxorubicin (DOX), methotrexate (MTX), paclitaxel (PTX), and gemcitabine (GEM)), anti-inflammatory drugs, osteogenic dexamethasone (DEX) steroids, etc. In addition, the unique optical properties of CNTs have led to their use in a number of platforms for improved photo-therapy. Further, the easy surface functionalization of CNTs has prompted their use to deliver different genes, such as plasmid DNA (PDNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), and small interfering RNA (siRNA) as gene delivery vectors for various diseases such as cancers. However, despite all of these promises, the most important continuous concerns raised by scientists reside in CNT nanotoxicology and the environmental effects of CNTs, mostly because of their non-biodegradable state. Despite a lack of widespread FDA approval, CNTs have been studied for decades and plenty of in vivo and in vitro reports have been published, which are reviewed here. Lastly, this review covers the future research necessary for the field of CNT medicine to grow even further.Keywords: drug delivery, gene delivery, carbon nanotube, precision medicine

In this research, a multiple-band-gap photocatalyst based on TiO2, Bi2MoO6, and MnSe2 was synthesized to extend the spectral response range of TiO2-anatase as a wide-band-gap semiconductor for the dye degradation under visible irradiation. Its structure was confirmed by various identification methods including XRD, FT-IR, EIS, PL, SEM, TEM, and EDX. The photocatalytic properties of the composites were also confirmed by the DRS, PL, and COD investigations. Nyquist and Tauc plots showed superconductivity, and a long life time of excited electron. Also, flat band energy and donor density of nanocomposite were evaluated from Mott-Schottky plot which confirmed its photoactivity. The photocurrent jumps immediately when light was turned on which indicating a good photoelectric response. After four times recovery, the recovered catalyst can still decompose Rh.B with 92% efficiency. The effects of different factors such as the initial pH, amount of the photocatalyst loading, the initial concentration of the dye, and irradiation time, besides the photocatalyst composition, were also studied. Mechanism investigation showed holes and °OH play considerable effect on the mechanism of photocatalytic degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mojtaba Hoseini-Ghahfarokhi,1,2 Soroush Mirkiani,3 Naeimeh Mozaffari,4 Mohamad Amin Abdolahi Sadatlu,5 Amir Ghasemi,6,7 Somayeh Abbaspour,6 Mohsen Akbarian,8 Fatemeh Farjadain,8 Mahdi Karimi9 1Nano Drug Delivery Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran; 2Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Department, School of Paramedical Sciences, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran; 3Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; 4Research School of Electrical, Energy and Materials Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia; 5Department of Engineering and Science, Sharif University of Technology-International Campus, Kish, Iran; 6Department of Engineering, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom; 7Advanced Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine Research Group (ANNRG), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 8Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; 9Iran Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranCorrespondence: Fatemeh FarjadainPharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.o. Box 71345-1583, Shiraz, IranTel +987132424127 (302)Fax +987132424126Email farjadian_f@sums.ac.irMahdi KarimiDepartment of Medical Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranEmail m_karimy2006@yahoo.comAbstract: Graphene, a wonder material, has made far-reaching developments in many different fields such as materials science, electronics, condensed physics, quantum physics, energy systems, etc. Since its discovery in 2004, extensive studies have been done for understanding its physical and chemical properties. Owing to its unique characteristics, it has rapidly became a potential candidate for nano-bio researchers to explore its usage in biomedical applications. In the last decade, remarkable efforts have been devoted to investigating the biomedical utilization of graphene and graphene-based materials, especially in smart drug and gene delivery as well as cancer therapy. Inspired by a great number of successful graphene-based materials integrations into the biomedical area, here we summarize the most recent developments made about graphene applications in biomedicine. In this paper, we review the up-to-date advances of graphene-based materials in drug delivery applications, specifically targeted drug/ gene delivery, delivery of antitumor drugs, controlled and stimuli-responsive drug release, photodynamic therapy applications and optical imaging and theranostics, as well as investigating the future trends and succeeding challenges in this topic to provide an outlook for future researches.Keywords: graphene, graphene oxide, drug delivery, gene delivery, cancer therapy, photodynamic therapy