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IntroductionProlonged droughts and lack of water resources, followed by the salinity of water and soil resources, have faced many limitations in the production of some conventional agricultural and garden plants, especially in arid and semi-arid regions of the country. Therefore, the introduction of new plants with high yield potential, which have suitable growth in saline soils, the threshold of their seed yield reduction is high, and the production product is of high quality has been considered in Iran. Quinoa with the scientific name Chenopodium quinoa Willd. It is an annual plant originating from Latin America, which, despite its high nutritional value, tolerates a wide range of abiotic stresses and can grow in marginal lands. For this reason, this experiment was conducted to investigate the performance of quinoa plant genotypes against different levels of salinity in the research field of the Gorgan Agricultural Meteorological Research Department.Materials and MethodsCultivation of seeds of nine genotypes Titicaca (control number), Giza1, RedCarina, Q18, Q21, Q22, Q26, Q29, and Q31 obtained from Karaj Seedling and Seed Breeding Research Institute in a factorial experiment based on a complete random block design. Plastic pots were made with a bed of sand and clay in a ratio of two to one on March 5, 2019. The application of NaCl salt solution treatments at the levels of zero, 10, 20, and 30 decisiemens/m started after the establishment of the plant and reached the six-leaf stage and lasted for 45 days. After salinity treatment, morphological traits including plant height, stem diameter, number of sub-branches, inflorescence length, inflorescence width, biomass, 1000 seed weight, and seed weight per plant were measured.Results and DiscussionAccording to this study, with the increase in NaCl salinity level, there was a significant decrease in all traits. Different genotypes also had significant differences in most traits in each salinity treatment. The RedCarina and Q12 genotypes consistently exhibited poor performance across all salinity levels in the examined traits, whereas the Giza1 and Q21 genotypes demonstrated high performance in most traits, indicating sensitivity and tolerance, respectively. These two groups of genotypes consistently clustered together in both cluster analysis and biplot tests across different salinity levels. However, some genotypes displayed relative performance variations at different salinity levels. For instance, the Titicaca cultivar excelled at high salinity levels of 20 and 30 dS.m-1, while the Q29 and Q31 genotypes exhibited high performance and tolerance to salinity stress at low salinity levels of zero and 10 dS.m-1. Genotypes that had high yield potential at low salinity levels had the highest yield in vegetative traits at salinity levels of 20 and 30 decisiemens, but had the lowest values in reproductive traits, especially in seed weight. In Principal Component Analysis, reproductive traits explained the most changes in high salinity levels. Salinity stress caused a significant decrease in most of the traits of the quinoa plant. The response of genotypes to different salinity levels was different. In addition, the genotypes showed different performance even in different growth phases. The high performance in traits related to the vegetative phase and weak response in the reproductive phase show that the granulation stage in the quinoa plant can be introduced as a salinity-sensitive stage. These results also show the high diversity of quinoa plant genotypes in each of the different salinity levels.AcknowledgmentThe authors are grateful for the unreserved help of Dr. Morteza Oladi and Engineer Hossein Shakeri and the cooperation of the Meteorological Department of Hashemabad, Gorgan..

Post-traumatic osteoarthritis in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ OA) is associated dysfunctional cellmatrix mediated signalling resulting from changes in the pericellular microenvironment after injury. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 is a critical enzyme in biomineralisation and the progression of OA that can both degrade the extracellular matrix and modify extracellular receptors. This study focused on MMP-13 mediated changes in a transmembrane proteoglycan, Neuron Glial antigen 2 (NG2/CSPG4). NG2/CSPG4 is a receptor for type VI collagen and a known substrate for MMP-13. In healthy articular layer chondrocytes, NG2/CSPG4 is membrane bound but becomes internalised during TMJ OA. The objective of this study was to determine if MMP-13 contributed to the cleavage and internalisation of NG2/CSPG4 during mechanical loading and OA progression. Using preclinical and clinical samples, it was shown that MMP-13 was present in a spatiotemporally consistent pattern with NG2/CSPG4 internalisation during TMJ OA. In vitro, it was illustrated that inhibiting MMP-13 prevented retention of the NG2/CSPG4 ectodomain in the extracellular matrix. Inhibiting MMP-13 promoted the accumulation of membrane-associated NG2/CSPG4 but did not affect the formation of mechanical-loading dependent variant specific fragments of the ectodomain. MMP- 13 mediated cleavage of NG2/CSPG4 is necessary to initiate clathrin-mediated internalisation of the NG2/ CSPG4 intracellular domain following mechanical loading. This mechanically sensitive MMP-13-NG2/CSPG4 axis affected the expression of key mineralisation and OA genes including bone morphogenetic protein 2, and parathyroid hormone-related protein. Together, these findings implicated MMP-13 mediated cleavage of NG2/CSPG4 in the mechanical homeostasis of mandibular condylar cartilage during the progression of degenerative arthropathies such as OA.

Introduction Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Wild) is native to the Andean region of South America. Various genotypes of quinoa have a high diversity regarding different traits such as sensitivity to daylength, seed size and color, nutritional and anti - nutritional value of seeds, tolerance to biological and non - nutritional stresses. Considering the development goals of the quinoa, the need for new genotypes is very tangible. Fortunately, new genotypes of quinoa have become available that have not been studied domestically. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of these genotypes and to study their compatibility with spring cultivation in Karaj region. The results of this study provide the basis for deciding the next steps of research and development on these genotypes. Materials and Methods In this study, 13 new genotypes of quinoa including Atlas, EQ 101, EQ 102, EQ103, EQ104, EQ105, EQ106, Amiralla Marangani, Amiralla Sacaca, Blanka Dejunine, Kancolla, Salsada Inia and Rosada De Huncaya, have been studied in a randomized complete block design with three replications for two years (2018-2019) at Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Karaj. Genotypes with the prefix EQ were obtained from Canada, Atlas genotype from the Netherlands and the rest of the genotypes from Peru. Each plot consisted of three rows with 500 cm length and 60 cm × 10 cm of plant density. The distances between replications and planting plots per replication were 180 cm and 200 cm. Data were analyzed using SAS software and means were compared using the least significant difference (LSD) at the 5% level (P = 0.05). Results and Discussion The results showed that all traits except days to germination were significantly affected by genotype. However, plant height, inflorescence length, stem diameter, oil percentage and days to maturity did not affect by genotype interaction per year. The effect of year was also significant for grain yield, days to pollination, saponin content and oil percentage. Different origin (from Peru, Canada and the Netherlands) and different morphological characteristics of the studied genotypes caused significant differences in different traits. The EQ101 genotype, showed the highest grain yield and plant height, highest protein content and the lowest amount of saponin. While Marangani genotype with an average yield of 796.78 kg ha-1 had the lowest yield. EQ103 was the earliest and Marangani, Kancolla, Rosada and Salsada genotype were the late genotypes, respectively. On the other hand, EQ105 genotype revealed the highest seed oil content. Marangani genotype had the thickest shoot among all genotypes. Canadian Genotypes have lower levels of saponin than Peruvian genotypes. EQ101 with saponin content of 0.48 mg g-1 (0.04%) had the lowest saponin content and among the studied genotypes in this study, it is the only genotype that belong to sweet quinoa cultivars. Conclusions The studied genotypes demonstrated significant diversity and differences in all studied traits. In some traits, the difference between the two groups of genotypes (Canadian or Peruvian) was quite obvious. In this study all quinoa genotypes were compatible with spring cultivation in Karaj region. Genotypes compatible with spring (long day) cultivation usually do not have a problem with summer and autumn cultivation and will most likely be cultivated in all seasons and regions of the country.

Background: Increased Gastric residual volume (GRV) is one of the common problems in ICU. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cumin extract on gastric residual volume in patients with traumatic episodes hospitalized in ICU. Method: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 patients traumatic hospitalized in ICU. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: cumin (n = 30) and distilled water (n = 30). In the intervention group, 6 grams of cumin extract in 3 divided doses were given 50 drops in 30 cc of urban water at 3 times every 8 hours after. The remaining volume was recorded for up to 4 consecutive days and the data were compared in two groups. (IRCT: 201610297494N24). Results: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the mean GRV in the cumin group and placebo group (P = 0.63). Comparing the two groups of placebo and placebo, there was no significant difference in the amount of residual stomach in hospitalized patients with ICU on the first day (P = 0.13), but on the second, third and fourth days, this difference was significant between the two groups (p = 0.001).Comparing the two groups of intervention and placebo, the average volume of residual stomach before and during 4 consecutive days after intervention was significant (P = 0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that cumin extract was effective in decreasing residual stomach volume in hospitalized patients with ICU in comparison with placebo.

Background: Disability due to headache in migraine and being chronic of it can lead to sadness and depression. Objective: This study was aimed to determine the effect of lavender aromatherapy on depression and headache disability. Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted on 60 migraine patients referred to Toba Clinic of Sari (Mazandaran, Iran) during 2016-2017. Patients in the experimental group inhaled 2-3 drops of lavender essence for 15 min, three times a week for 4 consecutive weeks. The dose, duration and inhalation method of paraffin (as placebo) in control group were similar to those in the experimental group. Before the intervention, at the end of the second and fourth weeks, the intensity of depression and headache disability were measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13) and Jacobson questionnaire. For analyzing in each group and groups, repeated measure tests and Boneforeni were used. Results: In experimental group, depression (P

Background: One of the most important aspects of research is the evaluation of scientific production, and this is important in traditional medicine due to its specific application in the treatment of diseases today. Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the scientific products of faculty members of Traditional Medicine in Iranian Medical Sciences Universities indexed in Scopus Citation Database between 2005 and 2015. Methods: This study is a descriptive survey with scientometric approach. Required data were extracted from Scopus Citation Database by September 21, 2015 and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: Scientific production of the faculty members of the traditional medicine had a sustained upward trend, Tehran University has been known as the best in production (95 certificates) and the best in citation (369 citations).Iranian Journal of Public Health and Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal have both published the largest scientific publications of the faculty members of traditional medicine in the country (each 16 certificates). Articles of journals (58.4%) and books (15.4%) were the most used sources by traditional faculty members. 8 magazines were selected as the core journals in the field of traditional medicine; the Journal of Ethnopharmacology was the first journal in this field. The maximum rate of citations is related to the references since 2007 to 2015. Conclusion: Access of researchers to core journals in the field of traditional medicine through valid databases, increase the research budgets, apply incentive programs, facilitation for sabbatical leaves, and the provision of research laboratories are some ways to Improve the quality and quantity of scientific production in this field.

Background & Aims: Patient safety is considered to be an inherent element of healthcare quality. Unsafe attitudes of healthcare employees are a major issue for healthcare providers in promoting the quality of care, which is closely correlated with the occurrence of hospital errors and incidents. On the other hand, development of optimal patient safety is not possible without establishing safety attitudes in healthcare facilities. The present study aimed to investigate the attitudes of healthcare providers toward patient safety in the operating room in the teaching hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 217 healthcare practitioners in the teaching hospitals in Isfahan, Iran in 2018. The research units were selected via quota sampling. Data were collected using the standard safety attitude questionnaire (SAQ). Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 18 using descriptive and inferential statistics (independent t-test and Pearson's correlation-coefficient). Results: The mean score of the total safety attitude of the healthcare providers was 59.06±11.84 (total: 100). The highest score belonged to the dimension of stress recognition, with the mean score of 79.93±17.46, and the lowest score belonged to the dimension of working conditions, with the mean score of 48.01±18.07. Accordingly, 49.3% of the participants described their patient safety attitude to be good/excellent, while 50.7% described their attitude to be average/poor. Conclusion: According to the results, the average safety attitude was not ideal in the operating room personnel. Therefore, it is recommended that hospital managers and staff attempt to implement effective interventions in order to promote the culture and attitude of patient safety in the operating room personnel.

Abstract Background & aim: Non-alcoholic liver disease is the main liver disease associated with malnourished diet and overweight habits. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 8 weeks of intense intolerant training (HIIT) and low intensity endurance training (LIET) on Hig2 gene expression and liver triglyceride content in fatty liver (NAFLD) rats. Methods: In the present experimental study, 40 male wistar rats were randomly divided into four equal groups. The control group, LIET and HIIT, who consumed high fatty foods for the first sixteen weeks with the aim of developing fatty liver, and the sham group that used standard food during this period. The HIIT group's practice consisted of stages of extreme riding based on a percentage of maximum speed, which was separated by low-intensity running as active rest. The practice of the LIET group was also matched according to the distance traveled by the HIIT group. At the end of 8 weeks of training, the expression of Hig2 gene and liver fat content were measured. The collected data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests. Results: A significant difference was seen between the two groups in the expression of Hig2 (P = 0.026) and IHL (K2 = 32.84, p = 0.001). Significant differences were observed in Hig2 between the control group and the HIIT group (p = 0.031) and the control group with PID (p = 0.012), but no significant differences were observed in Hig2 between the HIIT group and the IR group (453/0 = p). Also, there were significant differences in IHL between control group and HIIT (p = 0.001) and control group with PID (p = 0.001). Also, there were significant differences in IHL between HIIT group and IR group (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Severe periodic exercises and low-intensity continuous exercises by reducing the expression of Hig2 gene reduce the content of liver fat and improve NAFLD. Also, the reduction of liver fat in the severe periodic exercise group occurs independently of weight loss.

Introduction: Textile industries, due to a high volume of wastewater and harmful environmental factors such as a variety of dyes, are significant industries in industrial wastewaters treatment. So, the aim of this study was to examine the efficiency of dye removal from the textile industry wastewater using the titanium dioxide photocatalytic process under UV-LED light irradiation (UV-LED/TiO2) in the treatment of the Nakh Rang factory wastewater in Hamadan City, Iran. Methods: In this experimental study, in every experiment, 100 mL sample was placed inside the LED reactor to expose to the UV light and TiO2. The effects of some parameters such as contact time, pH and dosage of TiO2 were examined, and decomposition kinetics and the synergistic effects were also determined for each process. Results: The results of the experiments showed that the UV-LED/TiO2 process can remove the dye from textile wastewater with the efficiency of 80.23% and can also remove the chemical oxygen demand (COD) with the efficiency of 64.75% under the optimum conditions and during 120 minutes. Also, the reaction of dye decomposition in this wastewater was a first-order kinetic function. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the UV-LED/TiO2 can be used effectively to remove the dye and reduce the COD of the textile industry wastewater under optimal operating conditions.

Abstract Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the most and common cause of death and debilitation worldwide. Psychological factors compose more than 50 percent of the factors affecting heart diseases. Therefore, this research has been performed aiming to investigate the relationship between religiosity, humor styles and Type- D Personality with general health in the patients with heart disease. Methods: This study is descriptive of correlation type. The statistical population of this research includes all patients with heart disease is the city of Yazd in the years 2016. The study sample consisted of 210 patients with heart failure who were selected by means of verge criteria and were selected by purposeful sampling and based on the Kerjesy and Morgan tables. Research variables Measurement tools are included Serajzadeh questionnaire with 24 items of religiosity (DS-14), Martin’s 32-items questionnaire of humor (HSQ-R), Denollet’s type D personality questionnaire, and Goldberg28 items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Data was analyzed Using SPSS and AMOS Statistical softwares and path analysis within the framework of structural modeling. Results: The results of data analysis showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the affective religiosity (b=0.08; P0.05). Affiliative humor had positive and significant relationship with general health (b=0.18; P0.05). Finally, two component of type D personality including social inhibition (b=-0.20; P

In this work, we investigated generating argon cold plasma jet at atmospheric pressure based on dielectric barrier discharge configuration using three electrical power supplies of sinusoidal, pulsed and saw tooth high voltage shapes at 8 KHZ. At first; we describe the electronic circuit features for generating high voltage (HV) wave forms including saw tooth, sinusoidal and pulsed forms. Then, we consider the effect of voltage shape on the electrical breakdown. Relative concentrations of chemical reactive species such as Oxygen, atomic Nitrogen and OH were measured using optical emission spectroscopy. Using a simple numerical model, we showed a HV with less rise time increases electron density, therefore a cold plasma jet can be produced with a minimal consumption electrical power

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Gastric residual volume is considered as an important parameter for gastric emptying and feeding tolerance. This volume is measured before each time of feeding and it has direct effect on the volume and time of the next feeding. Ginger is one of the medicinal plants that have effect on gastric emptying rate. This study aims to compare the effect of erythromycin and ginger extract on gastric residual volume in patients receiving enteral nutrition order in the intensive care unit. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted among 74 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit. Patients were fed with similar nutrition formula every 3 hours for 24 hours. Before each gavage feeding, the gastric residual volume of patients was aspirated and recorded. The gastric residual volume of 28 patients (more than 200 cc) was allocated to one of the groups of erythromycin (n = 13) and ginger (n = 15). Patients were fed with 2.5 mg/kg erythromycin in 4 divided doses or 2 grams per day ginger extract in 4 divided doses. The gastric residual volume was recorded for 4 consecutive days and the data obtained from the two groups were compared (IRCT: 201505257494N13). FINDINGS: The mean difference of gastric residual volume in erythromycin group was 111.71±7.04 cc before the intervention and 4 days after that, which was not statistically significant. This difference was 108.61±11.47 cc in ginger group. Results demonstrated that mean gastric residual volume in erythromycin and ginger groups were 98.52±27.88 cc and 95.71±18.91 cc, respectively during the first 4 days and there was not a statistically significant difference between these two groups. CONCLUSION: Results of the study demonstrated that the effect of ginger is very similar to erythromycin. Therefore, ginger can be a proper substitute for erythromycin to prevent increased gastric residual volume in patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

Water quality of the Samsami and Dinaran rivers of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province were assessed in year 1393. For each river, 7 stations were determined. Water sampling has been done monthly (May to October) and samples, under standard situation, were sent to laboratory for assessing: Nitrite, Ammonium, Soluble Phosphate, BOD5, COD, TSS, TDS, Cu, Zn, Hg, Cl-, Organophosphate toxins, pH, Malachite green and EC. Soluble phosphate was higher than standard in studied rivers (p

Introduction: 99mTc–Dimercaptosuccinic Acid (DMSA) as evaluation of pediatric genitourinary abnormalities has an important role in pediatric nuclear medicine. The aim of this study was to estimate organs absorbed dose for children injected by 99mTc DMSA using MIRDOSE software and hybrid planar/SPECT method. Methods: After injection of 99mTc-DMSA, ten children with genitourinary abnormalities underwent 3-5 planar scans and single SPECT scan (at 1 to 20 h post injection). Also for anatomical reference of patients’ organs, MRI scans were performed for each patient. A hybrid planar/SPECT method was used to plot time activity curves for obtain source organs cumulated activity and then to calculate obserbed doses of organs MIRDOSE software was used. Results: Mean absorbed dose due to 99mTc-DMSA in pediatric for kidneys (200 ± 160), adrenals (15.1 ± 9.5), urinary bladder wall (14.7 ± 9.8), spleen (12.7 ± 7.8), gonads (12.4 ± 11.2), pancreas (10.5 ± 6.2), gall bladder wall (9.8 ± 5.7) , , , , , micro Sivert per MegaBequrel, respectively. Also, the mean effective doses was 10.01 ± 6.03 µSv/MBq. Conclusion: The difference between the radiation doses received by the various organs of the patients caused by different amounts of radiopharmaceutical uptake in organs for different patients. Image quantities practical method using planar/SPECT hybrid method can be utilized with acceptable accuracy in determination of cumulative activity.

Electronic transport has been investigated in four-quantum-dot combination coupled to metal electrodes using the non-equilibrium Green’s function method, and curves I-V and conductance (dI/dV) were analyzed for special combination. We have showed that the emergence of negative differential conductivity is due to asymmetric distribution of quantum dots in the central region, existence of non-coupled dots (side quantum dots), and the interference effect. We found that more side quantum dots lead to more negative differential conductance.

Background and aims: Low Back Pain is the most common type of musculoskeletal disorders among nurses. The high prevalence of low back pain in nurses is a result of activities such as patient handling, improper postures, sudden movements, bending, turning and lifting the load. The aim of this study was Comparison of risk assessment methods related to the patientchr('39')s transfer and its relationship with prevalence of low back pain among hospital nursing personnel Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The present analytic study was done on 243 nursing personnel in 3 hospitals under the supervision of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2014.the data was gathered by Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) related to low back region, a questionnaire containing individuals’ demographic information, and MAPO and PTAI check lists. The data was analyzed by SPSS.22 software and Analytical statistics of Pearsonchr('39')s and Chi-square analyses. Results: prevalence of low back pain in subjects was 69.5 percent. Based on chi-square test, a significant correlation was observed between the prevalence of Low Back Pain and levels of risk by MAPO and PTAI (p

The experiment for evaluate the effect of drought and salinity stresses on the morphological behaviours of Afghan redbud seedlings was done in Torogh nursery in Iran country. This study was conducted in a completely randomized design; without stress (tap common water in the nursery- EC 0.8 dS m-1), drought stress (four days a time irrigation) and salt treatment (EC 12.03 dS m-1). During the summer, morphological traits were measured and calculated. Result showed that height seedling after 60th until 70th day significant at the (p

Abstract Background & Aim: Promoting students’ critical thinking (CT) skills has been an essential goal of higher education, especially in nursing education. Unstable clinical situation requires nurses with proper ability of decision making which needs critical thinking. Accordingly this study was conducted to evaluate the critical thinking skills of nursing students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Material & Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 169 nursing students who were recruited by stratified proportion to size sampling. The Data was collected by “California Critical Thinking Skills Test B” and analyzed by spearman correlation, Pearson correlation, T test and ANOVA using SPSS-PC (v. 16). Results: Critical thinking skills in nursing students in all three levels was less than 50 percent (%32/8) and There was no significant correlation between educational levels of students and the mean score of critical thinking skills and its subscales by ANOVA test ( p>0/05). Conclusion: Despite the emphasis on the necessity of students’ critical thinking in higher education, the existent context does not have the required efficacy and needs some revision.

In this paper, construction of triplet atmospheric plasma jet using argon, air, oxygen and nitrogen gases is reported. Bactericidal effect of the plasma jet is also investigated. To that end, longitudinal geometric configuration for the electrodes was chosen because it would increase the jet length. Electrical characteristics, jet length dependencies on the applied voltage and gas flow rate were decided, experimentally. Relative concentrations of chemical reactive species such as ozone, atomic oxygen, NOx compounds and hydroxyl were measured using optical emission spectroscopy. It was seen that atomic oxygen and ozone concentrations with triplet plasma jet are more than the concentration of single plasma jet. Triplet plasma jet was also used for sterilization of solid and liquid surfaces to disinfect gram-negative and gram-positive Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. The results verified the effectiveness of the triplet plasma jet for killing bacteria.

Introduction: Nowadays using herbal products as an alternative or supplement to contraceptive synthetic drugs is common. There are reports of anti-estrogenic effects of nettle resulting in sterility in mammals. We asked if hydro-alcoholic extract of the nettle root (Urtica diocia) could alter serum concentrations of hormones gandotropins and testosterone, in adult male rats. Materials and Methods: 80 adult male rats were randomly divided into 8 groups of 10. Three groups received 300, 600 and 1000 mg/ kg body weight of hydro-alcoholic extract of nettle root intraperitoneally for 3 days to lethal dose.In remaing groups, one as control, another as sham, and three others received 75, 150, 300 mg/kg body weight for 20 days. The rats were then sacrificed and FSH and LH serum concentrations were determined by ELISA. Results: The nettle extract increased LH significantly (P

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Viola odorata is an important medicinal plant that used for the treatment of bronchitis, common cold and digestive diseases. Nowadays, due to the spread of bacterial resistance to antibiotics more attention is given to the activity of antimicrobial medicinal plants. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of environment temperature on the antibacterial activity of aqueous extracts of different organs at different stages of viola odorata growth.METHODS: In this experimental-laboratory study, plant after growth in three temperatures (10, 20 and 30 degree) was collected. Extraction was performed by percolation method, and antibacterial activity of extracts was investigated on three bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa with disk-diffusion and macrodilution methods. FINDINGS: Aqueous extract has antibacterial activity on all three bacteria so that has maximum effect on Staphylococcus aureus (concentration of 1µgr/ml) and minimum effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (concentration of 8µgr/ml). Evaluation of antibacterial activity of organs showed that cold treatment has more effect than warm and control treatment. With plant growth, antibacterial activity decreases in leaf and root, but in flowering stage it increases in flower organ.CONCLUSION: Results of study showed that water extract of the plant organs in two different temperatures on three bacteria has effective antibacterial activity. So, more effective components can be collected by creating optimal conditions for growth and using specious organs.

Background & Objectives: The aim of this study was carried out to compare knowledge, attitude and practice of urban and rural households towards osteopenia and osteoporosis in Golestan, Sistan & Balouchestan and Boushehr provinces in Iran. Methods: single-stage cluster sampling was used. The questions about knowledge about, attitude toward and practice of nutritional factors related to osteopenia and osteoporosis were asked by a structured interview. Results: A total of 2306 households have been selected as overall sample size. Knowledge level of urban households about calcium as a preventive factor of osteoporosis & osteopenia was more in Sistan & Balouchestan, Golestan and Boushehr provinces. Knowledge level of urban households about calcium food courses: (Milk, Yogurt, Cheese and Dairy alternatives) was also better than that of rural habitants (P

"nBackground: Lack of nutritional knowledge is one of the most important reasons of nutritional problems and consequently im­proper practice, which can lead to several complications. This study has been designed in order to compare knowledge, at­ti­tude and practices of the urban and rural households regarding iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in Boushehr, Golestan and Sis­tan & Balouchestan provinces in 2004."nMethods: The sampling method at household's level in each province was the single-stage cluster sampling with equal size clus­ters. The necessary data were gathered with a structured questionnaire and via the interviews between the questioners and the eligible people in each household. Comparison of frequency of variables between urban and rural areas were tested by chi square test."nResults: A total of 2306 households were selected as overall sample size. In urban areas, people recognized iron food sources better than rural areas. Knowledge level of respondents about vulnerable group for IDA and the favorite attitude of house­holds toward IDA were better in urban areas of Sistan & Blouchestan and Golestan provinces. In Sistan & Ba­louchestan and Golestan, rural households who drank tea immediately before or after meal was more than urban ones. The ma­jor­ity of preg­nant and lactating mothers (except for rural areas of Bushehr) did not take iron supplement regularly. Less than 60 percent of children used iron drop regularly."nConclusion: Knowledge, attitude, and practice levels of households toward IDA were not acceptable. One of the best ways of improving nutritional practice is nutritional education with focus on applying available food resources.

Introduction: Though incarcerated populations are at a high risk of developing hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, prisoners are not routinely screened for HCV infection. Approximately, 1 in 4 of the nearly 2 million prisoners in the U.S. is infected with HCV. Injection drug abusers are currently the main risk group. Among intravenous drug abusers over the world, the prevalence of HCV varies from 50-90% with an annual incidence of 10-30%. Prisons are a high risk environment for hepatitis C infection because of high incidence of drug abuse and high risk sexual activities. Serologic evidences show that HCV infection is present in one out of every three prisoners. The purpose of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Hepatitis C infection and its associated factors among addicted prisoners in Khezrabad prison of Sari. Methodss: This was a cross – sectional study done in September 2001 at the Khezrabad prison for addicts in Sari. 312 addicts participated in the study and were selected by simple random sampling method. Their blood samples were tested by third generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA-3: sensitivity 100%, specificity 100%) at Sari's blood transfusion center. The data was collected via a questionnaire and interview. 230 prisoners (74%) completed the questionnaires. Associated factors of Hepatitis C infection were compared in 82 anti-HCV positive addicts (the affected group) and 148 anti-HCV negative addicts (the unaffected group). There were no significant differences about confounding variables between the two groups. Statistical analysis was done by , t test and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the 312 addicted prisoners, 96 (30.8%) were anti-HCV positive. Major associated factors with Hepatitis C infection in the affected group included; duration of addiction (mean 174 months), duration of imprisonment (mean 48 months), methods of drug usage (injection 82% and intranasal 44%), length of alcohol consumption for more than five years (60%), tattooing (66%) , shared usage of needles (31%) and razors (53%), multiple sexual partners (>74%) and the type of drugs (especially heroin 90% and hashish. 64%) (p

Background: Currently, traditional medicine has received much attention. Accumulating evidence in Iranian folk medicine shows Parkinsonia aculeate are used as a folk remedy in scorpion envenomation. Objective: Based on this and search for an alternative treatment in scorpion sting, the pharmacologic and immunologic effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Parkinsonia aculeate leaves were studied in scorpion sting through in vivo and in vitro methods. Results: Obtained results from in vitro pharmacological study using chick biventer cerivicies (CBC) preparation, show that hydroalcoholic extract of plant has a partial agonistic properties on cholinergic receptors and act as competitive antagonist in presence of exogenous acetylcholine. Furthermore, the pharmacologic results revealed extract has not significant effects on neutralization of neuro-muscular transmission outwards due to Buthotus saulcyi scorpion venom effects. These results were confirmed by in vivo study which plant extract has not significant consequences to delay death time mean of one LD50 scorpion venom vein injection or block death of mice. As well, Gel diffusion study shows no immunologic reaction between plant extract and 4 known hazardous scorpion species of Iran. Conclusions: As a consequence, this study indicates that the use of Parkinsonia aculeate not to be considered as protective antidote or a true remedy for clinical outwards following scorpion bites.

Background and Objective: Among all occupation, the highest rate of musculoskeletal injuries especially back pain is seen in nurses. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of back injuries in nursing personnel and to study how individual and occupational characteristics affect it. Methods: Following ethical approval, 1226 nurses were randomly selected from 13 hospitals in Mazandaran province in the north of Iran. Data were gathered by questionnaires included individual and occupational characteristics, prevalence of back pain, probable causes and its effects on nursing activities. Findings: Point, one month, 6 month, one year and lifetime prevalence of LBP (Low back pain) in nurses reported 51.5%, 56.3%, 58.9%, 59.6% and 62%, respectively. Lifting heavy things was the most common cause of back injury (30.4%). Prolonged standing and rest were found to be the significant aggravating and relieving factors, respectively (57.6% and 59.2%). Absence from work because of LBP during the last month was reported 33.7% of the sample. There was a significant correlation between the type of ward and LBP (P

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has emerged over the past decades as a major health problem. The challenge of antibiotic resistance has generally been met in two ways: through the discovery of completely novel antibiotics and by the use of derivatives of known antibiotics frequently prepared by semisynthetic methods to overcome existing resistance mechanisms. An alternative to these two pathways towards new therapies as a response to antimicrobial resistance is the development of inhibitors of resistance mechanisms. In this approach, the antibiotic is co-administered with an inhibitor that neutralizes the resistance mechanism and allows the antibiotic to affect microbial growth, even in resistant organisms. We have screened some plant extracts and essential oils for their nitrofurantoin breaker activity. In our investigation the ethanolic diluted essential oil of the aerial parts of Mentha longifolia were found to have nitrofurantoin resistance breaker activity against numerous nitrofurantoin resistances Entherobacteriaceae. To the best of our knowledge, the Present study is the first finding of antibacterial activity of nitrofurantoin against Enterobacteria resistant to it in the presence of essential oil of Mentha longifolia .

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a favored topology in the industry, but its reliability is at risk with an increase in the number of sub-modules (SMs) due to a rise in switching components. The essential need for maintaining capacitor voltage balance in each arm leads to increased complexity and cost, as numerous voltage sensors are required. This study introduces an innovative approach to minimize the number of voltage sensors by employing an enhanced algorithm for open-circuit fault detection in switches. The proposed scheme organizes each arm into groups, each containing two SMs and one voltage sensor, aiming to reduce the overall sensor count. A novel fault detection mechanism is presented, identifying open-circuit faults by comparing group output voltages in healthy and defective conditions. The capacitor voltage estimation algorithm in the sensor reduction scheme is noted for its simplicity compared to other methods. The effectiveness of these methods is validated through simulations and experimental implementations across diverse scenarios, affirming their reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]