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Yousef D Alqurashi,1 Abdullah S Alqarni,1 Faisal Maher Albukhamsin,1 Abdullah Abdulaziz Alfaris,1 Bader Ibrahim Alhassan,1 Waleed Khalid Ghazwani,1 Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Altammar,1 Mutlaq Eid Aleid,1 Hayfa Almutary,2 Abdulelah M Aldhahir,3 Saleh A Alessy,4 Rayyan Almusally,5 Abir Alsaid,5 Mahmoud Ibrahim Mahmoud,5 Hatem Othman Qutub,5 Tunny Sebastian,6 Suliman Alghnam,7 Michael I Polkey8 1Respiratory Care Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 2Medical Surgical Nursing Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3Respiratory Therapy Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 5Internal Medicine Department, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia; 6Clinical Nutrition Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 7Population Health Section-King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 8Royal Brompton Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UKCorrespondence: Yousef D Alqurashi, Respiratory Care Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, 34221, Saudi Arabia, Email ydalqurashi@iau.edu.saIntroduction: Sleepy driving is associated with Motor Vehicles Accidents (MVAs). In Saudi Arabia, previous studies have addressed this association among men only. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of sleepy driving and associated factors between genders.Methods: In a cross-sectional study design, we offered a self-administered online questionnaire to 3272 participants from different regions of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included 46 questions covering sociodemographics, driving habits, sleeping habits, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and Berlin questionnaire to assess the risk of sleep apnea. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine the significant factors associated with self-reported sleepy driving, defined as operating a motor vehicle while feeling sleepy in the preceding six months.Results: Of the 3272 invitees, 2958 (90%) completed the questionnaire, of which 1414 (48%) were women. The prevalence of sleepy driving in the preceding six months was 42% (men: 50% and women 32%, p< 0.001). Specifically, participants reported the following: 12% had had to stop their vehicle due to sleepiness (men: 16.2% and women 7%, p< 0.001), 12.4% reported near-miss accidents (men: 16.2% and women: 8.2%, p< 0.001) and 4.2% reported an accident due to sleepiness (men: 4.3% and women: 4%, p=0.645). In multivariable analysis, being male, younger age, use of any type of medications, shift working, working more than 12 hours per day, driving duration of 3– 5 hours per day, driving experience of more than 2 years, excessive daytime sleepiness and risk of having obstructive sleep apnea were all associated with increased likelihood of falling asleep while driving in the preceding 6 months.Conclusion: Sleepy driving and MVA are prevalent in both gender but was higher in men. Future public health initiatives should particularly focus on men, since men reported a greater likelihood of both sleep-related MVA and “near miss” events.Keywords: sleepiness, driving, obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, gender differences

Mohammed Ibrahim Mahmoud,1 Maha Mirghani Maatoug,1 Abd Alkareem Ahmed Fadal Allah Jomaa,2 Mirghani Yousif1 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacy Practice, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Gezira State, Sudan; 2Department of Pharmacology, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Gezira State, SudanCorrespondence: Mohammed Ibrahim Mahmoud, Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, 6 Jabra Ave, Al Khartoum, 11111, Sudan, Tel +249118208439, Fax +249183526178, Email Mohammedjrt@gmail.comPurpose: Interprofessional collaboration between physicians and clinical pharmacists has been shown to improve patients’ outcome by reduce medical errors, costs and patient adherence. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the medical doctors’ perceptions, expectations, experiences, and perceived barriers regarding clinical pharmacists in Wad Medani.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at five major hospitals in Wad Medani, between April and June 2021 using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among 178 physicians. The questionnaire consists of four sections, in addition to a demographic section. These four sections measure physicians’ perceptions, expectations, experience, and perceived barriers.Results: A total of 178 physicians were enrolled in the study. Physicians were comfortable with clinical pharmacists detecting and preventing prescription errors (55.1%); providing patient education (56.3%). Generally, physicians had high expectations with agreement rate of all the items ranged from 51.7% to 85.4%. Most physicians (79.8%) agreed that clinical pharmacists were a reliable source of general and clinical drug information. 64.0% and 59.0% of physicians perceive the unclear responsibility of clinical pharmacists and the lack of physicians’ experience with clinical pharmacists were barriers that can hinder clinical pharmacists’ contributions, respectively.Conclusion: Physicians had positive perceptions, expectations, and experiences with clinical pharmacists, and pointed out some barriers clinical pharmacists face. It was suggested that hospitals should recruit more clinical pharmacists to cover each unit within the hospital with clear job description and provide them CPD.Keywords: physicians, clinical pharmacists, perceptions, expectations, experiences, barriers

Asphalt mixtures are widely used materials for paving roads, however, they need a significant amount of virgin materials, and their preparation process is environmentally unfriendly. In this regard, using less harmful production processes and using recycled materials can be beneficial. In the current study, the cracking resistance parameters (fracture toughness and fracture energy) of warm mix asphalt (WMA) mixtures, prepared with high contents of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) were investigated, while different contents of nano calcium carbonate (NC) were used as a modifier. The cracking resistance studies were done for the full range of mode I/II fracture conditions. From the results, it is seen, that the addition of RAP increases both fracture toughness and fracture energy, regardless of the mode mixity and NC contents (respectively by an average, of 30 % and 20 %). The NC also made the mixture more resistant to cracking, so the enhancement of fracture energy by up to 30 % and the enhancement of fracture toughness by up to 20 % is observed. The NC optimum content was calculated in the range of 2–4 % (in weight of binder), varied based on the considered variables. As a result of increasing the material’s brittleness by adding RAP and NC, the flexibility index showed a decrease. In separate evaluations, the effect of variables on strength parameters was studied statistically, showing that the fracture toughness in mode II, is about 1.2–1.5 times higher than fracture toughness in mode I. Also, theoretical frameworks were used to predict the trend of fracture data, showing the consistency of experimental results and theoretical predictions.

B Background: In young adults, multiple sclerosis is a prevalent chronic inflammatory demyelinating condition. It is characterized by white matter affection, but many individuals also have significant gray matter involvement. A double inversion recovery pulse pattern was recently proposed to improve the detectability of multiple sclerosis lesions. Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic value of double inversion recovery sequence in the detection of cortical and white matter multiple sclerosis plaques in different brain anatomical locations. Subjects and methods: A total of 37 patients with an established diagnosis of multiple sclerosis were included in this cross-sectional study. Brain MRI was done using double inversion recovery, T2 and FLAIR sequences. The number of lesions was counted and compared in the three sequences. Results: Dual Inversion Recovery sequence was highly significant and superior to both T2 and FLAIR sequences (P < 0.001) in depicting the lesions regardless of anatomical distribution. Dual Inversion Recovery was significantly superior to T2 (P =

Background: Hysterectomy is a gynecological surgical procedure that has been linked to raised women morbidity and mortality. The two most common problems related to hysterectomy are bleeding and pain. Hemostatic measures are constantly evolving, and LigaSure could be one of the significant milestones in this field.Aim of the work: To compare impacts of electrical bipolar vessel sealing clamp and conventional suturing method in woman undergoing vaginal hysterectomy.Patients and Methods: This was a prospective comparative randomized controlled trial, included 40 women diagnosed with benign lesions in uterus and scheduled for vaginal hysterectomy. Patients were separated into two groups; group [A]: Electrical bipolar clamp sealing method [20 patients], and group [B]: Traditional suturing ligation method [20 patient]. Groups were compared regarding operative duration, intra operative blood loss, post-operative pain and short-term complications from operation until postoperative day fourteen.Results: The LigaSure group had significant short operative duration [53.95 ± 6.94 min. vs. 62.90 ± 7.28 min.; P= < 0.001] and less blood loss [P= 0.002] compared to conventional method. Postoperative analgesia requirement at evening after surgery, day-1 and day-2 was significantly lower among vessel sealing than among conventional. Postoperative analgesia requirement at week-6 was not required in both groups.Conclusion: The use of LigaSure device can decrease operative time. When compared to traditional suture ligatures, it allows for faster, safer and more useful hemostasis while decreasing operative blood loss, pain status and hospital stay.

Background: Caesarean section rates continue to raise concerns due to their steady rise, especially in middle- and high-income countries.Aim of the work: The purse string double layer technique [Turan technique] and the conventional double layer method for closing the uterine incision following caesarean section were compared in the postoperative findings of this study.Patients and Methods: Eighty subjects divided randomly into two groups: Group [I]: pregnant women underwent uterine incision closure by classic double layer technique. Group [II]: pregnant women underwent uterine incision closure by purse string double layer [Turan] technique. Patients were examined and evaluated at the out -patient Gynecology Clinic in Al-Azhar University Hospital [Damietta].Results: The length of the uterine closure and the overall operation duration, which were greater in Group II, as well as the length of the Kerr incision after suturing [cm], which was shown to be longer in Group I, were both highly statistically significant differences between the two groups. Additionally, there were more statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of the length of the Kerr incision before suturing [cm], the number of patients who needed additional sutures for haemostasis, the levels of haemoglobin before and after surgery, the amount of blood lost during the procedure, and the level of pain after the procedure.Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, Turan technique associated with better cesarean scar healing as regard [RMT, incidence of CS defect, scar length] than classic double layer technique.

Background: Placenta accreta spectrum [PAS] is one of the most dangerous complications in pregnancy after cesarean section, with high perinatal mortality. The first-line imaging methods employed in the evaluation of placenta accrete include grey scale and Doppler scanning. Aim of the work: To evaluate the efficacy of grey-scale ultrasound, 2D color Doppler, and 3D power Doppler sonographic markers in predicting major intraoperative blood loss for cases diagnosed with placenta accreta spectrum [PAS] disorders.Patients and Methods: The day before an expected delivery and hysterectomy, 59 women with PAS were examined for several sonographic indicators of placental invasion. After that, the women were split into two groups, group A [small hemorrhage, less than 2000 ml], and group B [major hemorrhage, greater than 2000 ml], and the results were examined.Results: In major group participants had higher number of previous CS as well as Gravidity, while gestational age in both groups were insignificantly different. We found significant higher US finding in Major group in all US parameter. The mean PAS score was 13.3 ± 3.2. The minor group had a mean of 10.9 ± 3.7, while the major group had a mean of 16.9 ± 3.9, with a significant difference between the two groups.Conclusion: When there are PAS abnormalities present, the use of 2D color Doppler and 3D power Doppler can aid in the prediction of severe bleeding. Placental lacuna, hypoechoic regions, and bridging vessels were the key predictors.

Abstract Blood phenotypes are defined by the presence or absence of specific blood group antigens at the red blood cell (RBC) surface, due to genetic polymorphisms among individuals. The recent development of genomic and proteomic approaches enabled the characterization of several enigmatic antigens. The choline transporter‐like protein CTL2 encoded by the SLC44A2 gene plays an important role in platelet aggregation and neutrophil activation. By investigating alloantibodies to a high‐prevalence antigen of unknown specificity, found in patients with a rare blood type, we showed that SLC44A2 is also expressed in RBCs and carries a new blood group system. Furthermore, we identified three siblings homozygous for a large deletion in SLC44A2, resulting in complete SLC44A2 deficiency. Interestingly, the first‐ever reported SLC44A2‐deficient individuals suffer from progressive hearing impairment, recurrent arterial aneurysms, and epilepsy. Furthermore, SLC44A2null individuals showed no significant platelet aggregation changes and do not suffer from any apparent hematological disorders. Overall, our findings confirm the function of SLC44A2 in hearing preservation and provide new insights into the possible role of this protein in maintaining cerebrovascular homeostasis.

In this paper, Kruskal-Wallis test is extended to deal with neutrosophic data in single valued form using score, accuracy and certainty functions to calculate ranks of SVNNs, also MannWhitney test is extended to deal with same data type which makes it possible to do a post-hoc test after rejecting null hypothesis using Neutrosophic Statistics Kruskal-Wallis test. Numerical examples were successfully solved showing the power of this new idea to deal with SVNNs and make statistical decisions on them.

Intracellular uptake of adenosine is essential for optimal erythroid commitment and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. The role of adenosine signaling is well documented in the regulation of blood flow, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and stem cell regeneration. However, the role of adenosine signaling in hematopoiesis remains unclear. In this study, we show that adenosine signaling inhibits the proliferation of erythroid precursors by activating the p53 pathway and hampers the terminal erythroid maturation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the activation of specific adenosine receptors promotes myelopoiesis. Overall, our findings indicate that extracellular adenosine could be a new player in the regulation of hematopoiesis.

The best approach to avoid collisions between adjacent structures during earthquakes is to provide sufficient spacing between them. However, the existing formulas for calculating the optimum seismic gap preventing pounding were found to provide inaccurate results upon the consideration of different soil types. The aim of this paper is to propose new equations for the evaluation of the sufficient in-between separation gap for buildings founded on different soil conditions. The double-difference formula has been taken into account in this study. The seismic gap depends on the correlation factor and on the top displacements of adjacent buildings. The correlation factor depends on the ratio of the periods of adjacent buildings (smaller period to larger period). The modification of the correlation factor has been introduced for buildings founded on five different soil types. Five soil types were taken into account in this study, as defined in the ASCE 7-10 code, i.e., hard rock, rock, very dense soil and soft rock, stiff soil, and soft clay soil. The normalized root mean square errors have been calculated for the proposed equations. The results of the study indicate that the error ranges between 2% and 14%, confirming the accuracy of the approach. Therefore, the proposed equations can be effectively used for the determination of the optimum seismic gap preventing earthquake-induced pounding between buildings founded on different soil types.

Introduction : A large number of hospitals and medical healthcare centers catch fire every year. Nowadays, one of the most significant challenges that hospital designers and health providers faced with is fire safety. This study conducted to determine a comprehensive model for fire safety in hospitals by reviewing related studies. Method: This study was conducted using a comprehensive review to find a research paper published on fire in hospitals. Electronic databases such as PubMed Scopus google were searched using the proper search strategy. Results: Overall, 14 studies were obtained. The findings were analyzed qualitatively through thematic synthesis and divided into some main themes: essential sections and divisions of hospitals in the field of fire, emergency exit patterns, materials and construction status, Flammable consumables materials in hospitals, and appropriate firefighting equipment. Conclusion: The dangers of medical equipment and flammable material, the types of firefighting equipment in the hospital building, architectural safety issues regarding the degree of fire resistance of structures, roofs, doors, walls, and emergency exit stairs are crucial points To protect staff and patients in hospitals that should consider simultaneously.

In this study, durability properties of concrete samples including rapid chloride migration and electrical resistance as corrosion evaluation indicators were tested. The effects of some environmental parameters including humidity percentage, temperature, and chloride concentration were also examined on concrete electrical resistance. The prediction models for mechanical and durability parameters of concrete were obtained using the response surface method. These models were then evaluated using a metaheuristic optimization algorithm coupled with a simple and fast usability new method of reliability evaluation. Eventually, the probabilistic optimal values of using recycled aggregates were calculated for achieving environmentally friendly concrete. Probabilistic multiobjective optimization results revealed that, in an environment with humidity of 70%, temperature of 23°C, and chloride ion concentrations of 3%, 5%, and 8%, use of recycled aggregates for above different chloride ion concentrations was limited to (33.56%, 13.23%), (32.14%, 5.56%), and (13.23%, 2.86%), recycled coarse and fine aggregates, respectively. Furthermore, optimization procedures were performed for the environment or precontaminant recycled aggregate with the chloride concentration of 10%, but the analysis procedure did not converge to an optimum design point.

Background. Since the beginning of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disease outbreak, there has been an increasing interest in discovering potential therapeutic agents for this disease. In this regard, we conducted a systematic review through an overview of drug development (in silico, in vitro, and in vivo) for treating COVID-19. Methods. A systematic search was carried out in major databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar from December 2019 to March 2021. A combination of the following terms was used: coronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, drug design, drug development, In silico, In vitro, and In vivo. A narrative synthesis was performed as a qualitative method for the data synthesis of each outcome measure. Results. A total of 2168 articles were identified through searching databases. Finally, 315 studies (266 in silico, 34 in vitro, and 15 in vivo) were included. In studies with in silico approach, 98 article study repurposed drug and 91 studies evaluated herbal medicine on COVID-19. Among 260 drugs repurposed by the computational method, the best results were observed with saquinavir (n = 9), ritonavir (n = 8), and lopinavir (n = 6). Main protease (n = 154) following spike glycoprotein (n = 62) and other nonstructural protein of virus (n = 45) was among the most studied targets. Doxycycline, chlorpromazine, azithromycin, heparin, bepridil, and glycyrrhizic acid showed both in silico and in vitro inhibitory effects against SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion. The preclinical studies of novel drug design for COVID-19 focused on main protease and spike glycoprotein as targets for antiviral development. From evaluated structures, saquinavir, ritonavir, eucalyptus, Tinospora cordifolia, aloe, green tea, curcumin, pyrazole, and triazole derivatives in in silico studies and doxycycline, chlorpromazine, and heparin from in vitro and human monoclonal antibodies from in vivo studies showed promised results regarding efficacy. It seems that due to the nature of COVID-19 disease, finding some drugs with multitarget antiviral actions and anti-inflammatory potential is valuable and some herbal medicines have this potential.

في هذا البحث حصلنا على معلومات ساعدتنا على إتمامه وإظهاره بالمظهر الذي يرضي الجميع إن شاء الله تعالى، فضلاً عن المخطوطات التي حصلنا عليها من المكتبات وفهارس المخطوطات التي ساعدتنا للوصول إلى معرفة أماكن كتابة هذه المخطوطات ومعرفة علمائها وتلاميذهم وبعد إتمامنا لهذا البحث، نرى في حاجة إلى الوقوف مليًّا عند بعض النَّتائج المهمة في البحث والتي استخلصناها كما يلي: إنَّ الحوزة العلمية في الحلَّة منذ انطلاقها العلمي في القرن السادس على يد الشيخ محمد بن إدريس (543ﻫ/1148م) (ت 598ﻫ/1201م) () وإلى حين أفولها في منتصف القرن العاشر الهجري كانت مركز للدراسات العلمية في العالم الإسلامي، والسبب الرئيس لهذا الانطلاق العلمي يرجع إلى دور العلماء والمدارس في النهضة العلمية لهذه المدينة، فقد كان اعتماد علماء الحلّة في بداية التَّدريس على بيوتاتهم، ولم يكن عقبة أمام علماء الحلَّة بل كان البديل لها هو بيوت العلماء فكانت هذه البيوتات تقوم بدور المدرسة، فأصبحت معاهد علم يؤمّها طلبة العلم من داخل المدينة ومن خارجها، وبعد ظهور الازدهار والتَّوسع العلمي الذي بلغ القمَّة في العطاء في القرن السابع والثامن الهجري وأصبحت الحِلَّة مركز علمي كبير ولجميع العلوم مثل: النَّسب والأدب فضلاً عن الفقه وأصوله وغيرها من العلوم، الكلمات المفتاحية: الرحلات، البيوتات، المدارس العلمية، العلماء، المجالس العلمية، إدريس

إنَّ الفاطميين سعوا بما لديهم من سياسة وحنكه، لإثبات صحة نبسهم، وقد أفادهم كثيرًا في تثبيت سلطانهم في مصر، وتقبل المصريون لفكرهم وسياستهم، وذلك للمكانة المقدسة للرسول محمد k ، وآل بيته في نفوس المصريين، وفتح مصر يُعد حدثاً أكثر من مجرد تغيّر في الأسر الحاكمة، بل عُدَّ انقلاباً جذرياً دينياً ثقافياً، فلأول مرة في التاريخ حَكمتْ مصرَ دولة لا تدين ولو بالولاء ولو الاسمي لبغداد، واتخذ الفاطميون من العطايا وسيلة للتقرب من الشعوب التي حكموها وتأليفاً لقلوب عامة المصريين واستمالة رجالات دولتهم من القادة والجند والعلماء والشعراء، واهتم خلفاء الدولة الفاطمية وكبار رجالات الدولة بالجانب الثقافي(الفكري)؛ لنشر أفكارهم ووسيلة للدفاع ضد خصومهم، فضلاً عن استعمالهم وسيلةً من وسائل دعوتهم السياسية على نحو ما اتخذته الأحزاب السياسية في العصر الحديث.

Cracking of the concrete cover due to corrosion is defined as the serviceability limit state of reinforced concrete structures. This study evaluated the influence of a mineral admixture i.e. nano wollastonite on corrosion performance and serviceability of reinforced concrete structures by performing an accelerated corrosion test on ten reinforced concrete beams under a sustained load. To do so, five concrete beams were treated with nano wollastonite (NCW), while the others were normal concrete beams (NC). The results were discussed in terms of corrosion crack patterns, crack width, half-cell potentials, rebar mass loss, and rebar diameter degradation at different corrosion levels. The results showed that the incorporation of nano wollastonite in reinforced concrete beams increased the service life by increasing the initial cracking time, decreasing the corrosion crack growth rate and rebar mass loss. Given the maximum 0.3 mm corrosion crack width as limit state criteria, the lifetime of the NCW reinforced beams was 3.6 times longer than that of Group NC. The experimental results were compared with existing models. However, these models were unreliable in predicting the steel cross-section loss based on crack width. To solve this problem, a GMDH-type neural network model was developed and evaluated using obtained experimental data for NC and NCW beams.

According to lack of sufficient fine aggregate in some coastal area, using of other aggregate material are advisable. In this experimental study use of Lumachelle as a substitute of fine aggregates and replacement of lime and pozzolan as a part of cement are investigated on roller compacted concrete (RCC). RCC samples carried out and cured according to the related standard and compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, permeability and water absorption are examined. Totally, 9 different RCC mixtures include control mixture, 4 different mixtures include lime ( 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of cement weight) were used as partial replacement of cement, and 2 different mixtures include 10% and 20% of pozzolan , by cement weight, as partial replacement of cement, were tested. Based on the results, among 5, 10, 15 and 20% of the lime used in this study, the replacement of 5% lime lead 3% increase in compressive strength and 7 % increase of tensile strength and it could be advisable for using in RCC. Moreover, the use of 20% substitutive Taftan pozzolan in RCC mix design decreases 24% of compressive strength and 11% of tensile strength in the short time. Besides, it improves resistance to get equal resistance with control sample in long-term that lead in 22% decrease depth penetration and 5% decrease in water absorption compared to control sample. Therefore use of 15 to 20% of pozzolan are also advisable according to the obtained results.

Natural products have been always using for several types of applications by humankind for so many years. Food and medical applications have been seen very much important for such products in their original forms or reproduction in new forms. As a main resource for generating so many other compounds, synthetic derivatives have been evaluated for the essential extractions of natural products for more specified applications especially for medical core with controlled dosage medication and compounds. Therefore, recognition of potency of natural products for such specified application have been always seen as a dominant factor for undergoing further improvements in this case. Besides the original extracted essentials, modifying chemical structures could help for lead optimization of such important compounds for possible efficient cares. Indeed, lead optimization could be provided very well by employing in silico approach for potent chemical compounds up to reaching them to specified medication.

Diaryl urea derivatives have exhibited a broad spectrum of biochemical effects and pharmaceutical applications. Several diaryl urea derivatives such as sorafenib, regorafenib, linifanib, and tivozanib and lenvatinib are in clinical trial or clinical use. Therefore, development of small molecules within the diaryl urea scaffold with the ability of binding to variety of enzymes and receptors in the biological system are an interesting topic for researchers. Sorafenib as a diaryl urea derivative is a well-known anticancer agent. Corresponding to available information about biological activities of quinoxaline moieties, based on sorafenib scaffold, several structures were designed by replacement of pyridyl carboxamide group of sorafenib with quinoxalindione moiety. A total of 14 novel compounds in 7 synthetic steps were synthesized. Briefly, the amino group of p-aminophenol was first protected followed by O-arylation of 4-acetamidophenol with 5-chloro-2-nitroaniline to provide 5-(4-acetamidophenoxy)-2-nitroaniline. Reduction of the nitro group of 5-(4-acetamidophenoxy)-2-nitroaniline and cyclization of diamine N-(4-(3,4-diaminophenoxy) phenyl) acetamides with oxalic acid afforded compound N-(4-((2,3-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalin-6-yl)oxy)phenyl) acetamides which on deacetylation gave compounds 6-(4-aminophenoxy) quinoxaline-2,3 (1H, 4H)-diones. Then resultant compounds, 6-(4-aminophenoxy) quinoxaline-2,3 (1H, 4H)-diones were reacted by appropriate isocyanates/ carbamates to give the target compounds 1-(4-((2,3-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalin-6-yl)oxy)phenyl)-3-phenylureas. The structures of compounds confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), mass spectrum and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR).

In this paper the effect of different coating types of rebar on bars corrosion and durability of self-compacting concrete structures in Oman Sea (Chabahar port) are investigated. Self-compact concrete samples with three types of coating include 40 and 60 micron of zinc, epoxy and uncoated with 3,5 and 7 cm thickness of concrete cover were made and cured according to the related standards in tidal, submerged and atmospheric conditions for 14 months. Compressive strength test according to Standard BS 1881 part 116, water absorption according to Standard BS 1881 part 122, permeability test under water pressure according to Standard DIN 1048, permeability of chloride ion according to Standard ASTM C1152, electric resistance Cabera and corrosion potential according to ASTM G876 and bar weight loss were performed at different ages of samples. The results of weight loss and corrosion experiments indicate better performance of concrete with epoxy and zinc coated bar comparing to uncoated samples at different conditions. Also, 40 micron zinc coating decreased the weight loss of bars about 10 percent comparing with uncoated bars. The epoxy coating was decreased the weight loss about 4-8% on different samples. It should be noted that the increase of concrete cover from 3 to 5 and 7 cm decreased the weight loss from 34 to 27 and 21%.

With technology development and the market conditions getting more competitive in different production and service sectors, loyal customer is considered as main capital of every organization. The expansion of internet global network has brought many benefits to all organizations including banks which along with considerable issues arise. Special equity of services including investment which became an important concept in marketing since 1980 is in fact the added value generated for the organization by using that service. The purpose of this research is to explain the loyalty of customers to investment through using electronic banking services in order to participate in advancing the economic projects, and also to empirically test whether this is related to trust in investment and investment special equity. Statistical population consists of customers of Saman bank in Mashhad city who have substantial account balance and are able to invest in economic projects suggested by bank. And their satisfaction with electronic banking services was investigated through random sampling. Needed information was collected using a questionnaire and correlations of variables were tested by means of Pearson correlation test and multiple regression. Analysis of the study findings using SPSS 16 shows that there is a positive correlation between trust in investment and investment special equity with customers’ loyalty to investment in economic projects by bank through using electronic services. And trust in investment and investment special equity are significantly related to two types of loyalty (attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty).

A series of novel 4-anilinoquinazoline derivatives were designed and synthesized from benzoic acid through ring closure, chlorination or nucleophilic substitution. The structures of compounds were characterized by IR, 1H-NMR and mass spectroscopy. All synthesized derivatives were screened for their antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aurous, Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocitogenes) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella entritidis) bacteria and also for antifungal activities against Candida albicans using the conventional micro dilution method. Most of the compounds have shown good antibacterial activities, especially compound 4c having highest activities against E. coli at 32 μg/mL concentration while the tested compounds did not exhibited remarkable antifungal activities. The potential DNA gyrase inhibitory activity of these compounds was investigated in silico using molecular docking simulation method. All compounds showed good results especially compound 4c which showed the lowest ΔGbind results (-8.16 Kcal/mol).

A series of novel derivatives of quinazolinone Schiff bases were synthesized from benzoic acid starting material and evaluated for potential cytotoxic activities against the human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and the human colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cell lines. Compared to the reference drug, these compounds showed good cytotoxic activities against studied cell lines especially compounds 4d and 4e. The ground-state geometries of these compounds (4a-g) were optimized at the B3LYP/6–31G* density functional theory (DFT) level. Then maximum absorptions electron affinity, ionization potential, electronegativity (χ), energy gap (Egap), hardness (η), softness (S), electrophilicity (ω), and electrophilicity index (ωi) were calculated and discussed. The quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) properties including the physicochemical parameters were also evaluated and studied. The computed properties of our novel synthesized compounds were compared with erlotinib compound.

In this study a series of diarylurea derivatives containing quinoxalindione group were biologically evaluated for their cytotoxic activities using MTT assay against MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines. Antibacterial activities of these compounds were also evaluated by Microplate Alamar Blue Assay (MABA) against three Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi), three Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Listeria monocitogenes) and one yeast-like fungus (Candida albicans) strain. Furthermore, molecular docking was carried out to study the binding pattern of the compounds to the active site of B-RAF kinase (PDB code: 1UWH). Molecular dynamics simulation was performed on the best ligand (16e) to investigate the ligand binding dynamics in the physiological environment. Cytotoxic evaluation revealed the most prominent cytotoxicity for 6 compounds with IC50 values of 10-18 μM against two mentioned cell lines. None of the synthesized compounds showed significant antimicrobial activity. The obtained results of the molecular docking study showed that all compounds fitted in the binding site of enzyme with binding energy range of -11.22 to -12.69 kcal/mol vs sorafenib binding energy -11.74 kcal/mol as the lead compound. Molecular dynamic simulation indicated that the binding of ligand (16e) was stable in the active site of B-RAF during the simulation.

Introduction: Hyperlipidemia is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Each type of medication works differently and has different types of side effects. Flavonoids are a group of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant properties that help reducing the cardiovascular risk factors. Kelussia odoratissima is a flavonoid containing plant. Objectives: The aim of this study was investigating the effect of this herb on lipid and glucose profile in hyperlipidemia patients.Patients and Methods: This study performed on 61 hyperlipidemia patients. They assigned in control and intervention groups. The control group received 40 mg/day of lovastatin and intervention group received 40 mg/day of Lovastatin plus 2 g/day powder of Kelussia odoratissima. Before, two weeks and 1 month after the beginning of the study, cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were measured. Data were analyzed by variance analysis with repeated measures, chi-square and t tests. Results: The reduction rate of cholesterol, TG, VLDL-C and LDL-C was similar in the control and intervention groups. The HDL-C rate was higher in intervention group compared to control group (P < 0.05). The mean LDL/HDL ratio decreased during the study (P < 0.001); however, there was not any significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The mean of FBS did not change between and within groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Kelussia odoratissima did not have a desirable effect on serum lipid profile and FBS in hyperlipidemic patients that use lovastatin, but is able to increase HDL-C significantly

The current research aimed to study differences in Attitudes between individuals belonging to the social pattern. It studied the variable of the college to which the students of the three faculties of social pattern as one of the patterns of professional orientation, which are the faculties of education, literature and nursing from the Tishreen University colleges. The Strong Scale for Professional Trends he (social service axis) was used as a research tool and was applied to a sample of 300 students. The results showed that there are differences on the scale of social services among the students of the Faculty of Education and Nursing for the benefit of students of Education. The results also revealed differences on the scale of social services among the students of the Faculty of Education and literature for the benefit of students of Education. And the absence of statistically significant differences on the scale between students of literature and Nursing.

The aim of the current research is to explore the relationship between academic self-regulation and in a sample of students of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and the Faculty of Education at Damascus University, in addition to knowledge of the differences in both academic self-regulation and due to specialization and sex (males and females). The sample consisted of (115) male and female students with 62 students from the Faculty of Education and (53) males from the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The number of male and female students was( 59 females and 56 students. . For this purpose, the measure of academic self-regulation was used, after verifying their sincerity and persistence with the sample members of the current study. The results showed that the effect of both specialization and gender had a significant impact on academic self-regulation

Depression is a mood disorder which leads to sadness, emptiness, loss of interest and energy for the patient. Feeling, Thinking and behaving are all influenced by the effects of depression causing a variety of emotional and physical problems in considerable numbers of people all around the world. Herein, brain chemistry plays an important role in determination and also treatment of depression for individuals. During the last decade, so many researchers have dedicated their efforts to detect the most effective potent natural products with antidepressant activities, which reveal the importance of herbal natural products to be considered as psychoactive drugs.

Background: Diabetic dermopathy is one of the most prevalent skin complications in diabetes patients. Some studies have pointed to association of diabetic dermopathy with retinopathy and nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes as microangiopathy presentations, but no rigorous study has been conducted to confirm this association. Objectives: This study investigated association of diabetic dermopathy with nephropathy and retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes referring specialty clinic of Shahrekord. Patients and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 102 type 2 diabetes patients with dermopathy referring clinic constantly or as outpatient. Dermatological and ophthalmological examinations and examination for nephropathy were done for all patients. Demographic data and results of examinations and patients history, and biochemical tests were gathered and recorded by researcher developed checklists. Results: Mean age of patients was 83.8 2.60 years, of whom 64 (63.7%) were female and 37.3% were male. Prevalence of retinopathy in patients was 4.31% and nephropathy 3.33%. In this study, significant associations of diabetic dermopathy with diabetic nephropathy (P = 0.001), with retinopathy (P < 0.001), age (P < 0.001), duration of diabetes (P = 0.001), and also with glycosylated hemoglobin (P < 0.01) was detected. No significant association between diabetic dermopathy and other studied variables was seen (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Results of this study confirm the association of diabetic dermopathy with retinopathy and nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Since dermopathy is usually developed before retinopathy and nephropathy, dermopathy could be used as a clinical finding in early diagnosis and prevention of retinopathy and nephropathy in diabetes patients.

Introduction: Cisplatin is one of the most potent chemotherapeutic antitumor drugs. Also, oxidative stress has been established to be involved in cisplatin-induced toxicity. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to examine the antioxidant and anti-inflammation potential of green tea hydroalcoholic extract (GTE) against the liver function of cisplatin in male rats. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats (180–250 g) were divided into 4 groups (n = 5) treated as follows: (1) control group (saline solution, 1 ml kg−1 body weight, i.p.), cisplatin group (7 mg kg−1 body weight, i.p.). Animals of Groups III received only green tea extract (30 mg/kg/day, by gavage). Group IV was given green tea extract+ cisplatin once daily for 24 hours. Liver function was evidenced in the cisplatin group by the increased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The mechanism of cisplatin induced liver function was considered as being decreased the total antioxidant power (TAP). Systemic inflammation was assessed by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels. Results: A decrease in TAP level in cisplatin group was observed compared with control group. GTE administration decreased TNF-α and increased TAP compared to cisplatin group, but showed no significant differences between groups. Conclusion: The results suggested that green tea could ameliorate cisplatin liver function in rats through reduction of oxidative toxic stress and inflammation.

Introduction: Organophosphorus (OPs) pesticides such as malathion intoxication has been shown to generate oxidative stress due to the production of free radicals and alteration of the antioxidant defense system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of extracts from green tea (GT) hydroalcoholic extract on liver function. Methods: Male Wistar rats were separated into 4 groups of 8 rats each. Group I (control), group II was given GT (10 mg/kg/day). Animals of groups III received only malathion, group IV was given GT+ malathion. Animals received malathion 150 mg/kg by gavage and GT 30 mg/kg for 1 week through intraperitoneal injection. Twenty-four hours after treatment, blood samples were collected. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations as well as biomarkers of oxidative stress such as lipid peroxidation (LPO), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total thiol groups (TTG) were measured. Results: A decrease in ALT and AST levels in GT group were observed compared with the ones in control group. Also, the results showed that malathion could increase liver toxicity in rats through reduction of ALT and AST. Conclusion: Amelioration of malathion toxicity through reduction of inflammation may suggest a prolonged therapeutic option against pesticides-induced hepatotoxicity.

Introduction: Hibiscus esculentus is capable to produce various molecules including phenolic and flavonoid compounds, phytosteroids with antioxidant property. Therefore, it has the potential to show antidiabetic activities. Objectives: This study was aimed to evaluate the impacts of Hibiscus esculentus extract on glucose and lipid profile of diabetic rats. The flavonoid, flavonol and phenolic components, as well as antioxidant activity of Hibiscus esculentus was also evaluated. Materials and Methods: In a preclinical study, 40 male Wistar rats were designated into four 10-member groups, i.e., control, diabetic control, diabetic Hibiscus esculentus, and diabetic glibenclamide. The Alloxan-induced diabetic rats received extracts orally for four weeks. Then, the serum biochemical factors were measured and compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Serum glucose, triglyceride (TG), cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly decreased and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) increased in diabetic Hibiscus esculentus rats compared to diabetic control ones (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Improving the blood glucose and lipid profile in diabetic rats indicates that Hibiscus esculentus extract might be beneficial in diabetic patients.

Introduction: Many plants with anti-oxidant properties proved to be effective on diabetes treatment. Brassica napus (turnip) is an anti-oxidant plant consumed raw or cooked. In this study, we examined and compared hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties of raw and cooked Brassica napus in diabetic rats. Objectives: Due to measuring bioactive component of Brassica napus as a rich source of flavonoid we investigate the hypoglycemic properties in raw and cooked type. Material and Methods: For this experimental study, 50 male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were designated into five groups of 10 consist of control, diabetic control, diabetic cooked turnip, diabetic raw turnip, and diabetic glibenclamide. The alloxan-induced diabetic rats received extracts orally for 4 weeks. Then, the serum biochemical factors were measured and compared statisticaly by analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Results: Serum glucose, triglyceride (TG), cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly decreased in cooked and raw turnip rats compared to control ones. Cooked and raw Brassica napus extracts both helped high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) increase; cooked turnip competency was superior in view of cholesterol and LDL-C decrease as well as HDL-C increase (P < 0.05). The mean difference in glucose and TG decrease was not significant between diabetic cooked turnip and diabetic raw turnip rats. Conclusion: Improving the blood glucose and lipid levels diabetic rats, in this study, may indicate that both raw and cooked Brassica napus extracts (especially the cooked one) may be beneficial in diabetic patients.

Background and Aims: Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is a valuable medicinal plant from Asteraceae family with various pharmacological and therapeutic properties. In this article we reviewed the various aspects of feverfew including botanical characteristics, cultivation and production and medicinal and clinical uses.Material and Methods: Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCO, Directory of open access journals (DOAJ), EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched using the keywords feverfew and parthenolide. Results: The essential oil of feverfew is frequently used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Parthenolide is the most important active component of feverfew that is used for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases such as fever, migraine headache, and rheumatoid arthritis.Conclusion: Feverfew has several positive clinical uses and has the potential to be considered as a new drug for the treatment of some diseases.

Introduction: Nowadays, traditional and herbal medicines have attracted the attention of researchers all around the world and despite the development of synthetic drugs, demand for plant-based medicines is growing. The main reason for this growing trend is increasing public concerns about the adverse effects of synthetic medicines. Traditional medicine and ethnobotany are two important issues that should be noted to achieve effective herbal medicines with considerable therapeutic effects. Traditional medicine is based on experience of people over centuries and ethno-botany is based on recognition of the native plants. Iran has very high plant diversity because of its different climate, ecosystems and soil conditions. Regarding increasing demand for medicinal plants, this study aimed to collect some native plant varieties growing in Dastena and to review some of local and folk application of these plants.Methods: In the present study, the plant species were collected during two consecutive years (2013-2014) and systematically identified. The traditional and local uses of collected plants were questioned through interviews with local people.Results: In this study, 90 plant species belonging to 30 families were collected and identified. They had various therapeutic effects. Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families had the highest use among the collected plants.Conclusion: Results of this study showed that herbal medicines in this area are mostly used to treat digestive and respiratory system disorders. They have economical values and should be studied and explored more detailed.

When calling computers, we quickly remember a complex of hardware and software to do some types of zero-one calculations through processing in the silicon hearts. In addition to several public operations, the computers could very much help the scientists and engineers to extend the borders of science and technology. From earth to space, several applications are carried out by the computers and related computational tools for various purposes. In the case of complicated biological systems, computers are also very much helpful, in which so many scientists have dedicated considerable efforts to simulate these systems to obtain more knowledge and information about the mystery of human life. There are also significant advantages of computations for the medical and medicinal applications. By developments of computational chemistry theories and softwares in recent years, computer-aided drug design (CADD) has become a favorite technique for chemists and biochemists to design new chemical structures with higher potency of pharmaceutical applications. Besides very well known in vitro and in vivo environments, in silico is now a very much helpful environment for those scientists working with computer based research and development purposes of pharmaceutical laboratories and industries. The main advantage of in silico pharmacy is the capability of considering and examining so many chemical structures to find the lead compounds with possible pharmaceutical applications. Furthermore, lead optimizations could be very well done with various aspects of ligand based approaches to evaluate pharmacokinetic parameters. In the following, pharmacodynamic parameters of designed ligands could be evaluated by structure based approaches to find new receptors or to examine the targeted receptors for more interacting efficacy. Herein, among millions of raw chemical structures, lead compounds could be screened, evaluated and proposed for the pharmaceutical applications by in silico pharmacy approach. The dominant atomic and molecular scales investigations could be performed on ligand – receptor interactions to introduce new drugs for medicine. Avoiding too much use of chemicals and animals in the laboratories for in vitro and in vivo experiments and trials, in silico pharmacy could do all the jobs in the clean silicon heart of high performance computers to convey the new drug from computations to clinics.

Background: It has been established that hyperlipidemia increases the incidence and mortality associated with coronary heart disease. In this study, the effects of Dill (Anethum graveolens) were evaluated on lipid profile of hypercholesterolemic patients. Materials and Methods: In this clinical study, 91 hyperlipidemic patients were randomly designated into two groups. One group received gemfibrozil (900 mg daily) and the other group received Dill tablet (six tablets daily) for 2 months. The blood lipids including total cholesterol, triglyceride and high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol from each group were assessed at the beginning and end of the trial. Results: Use of gemfibrozil brought about increased HDL-cholesterol by 3.91% (P < 0.05) and reduced triglyceride and total cholesterol by 32.7% (P < 0.05) and 9.41% (P < 0.05), respectively. Applying Dill tablet for 2 months resulted in reduction of total cholesterol up to 18% (P < 0.05) and triglyceride by 7.38% (P < 0.05). However, circulating HDL-cholesterol was not affected by this treatment. In this study, gemfibrozil decreased triglyceride and increased HDL-cholesterol more than anethum (P < 0.05). Anethum decreased total cholesterol more than gemfibrozil (P < 0.05). Patients treated with anethum did not report any side effects. Conclusion: The results of this trial indicate that Dill might be beneficial for hypercholesterolemic and hypertriglycemic patients.

The computation of structural failure probability is vital importance in the reliability analysis and may be carried out on the basis of the first-order reliability method using various mathematical iterative approaches such as Hasofer-Lind and Rackwitz-Fiessler (HL-RF). This method may not converge in complicated problems and nonlinear limit state functions, which usually shows itself in the form of periodic, bifurcation and chaos solution. In this paper, the HL-RF method has been improved based on the relaxed method to overcome these numerical instabilities. An appropriate relaxed coefficient has been defined, ranging between 0 and 1, to enhance the HL-RF method. This coefficient can be computed using the information from the new and previous iterations of the HL-RF algorithm based on second-order fitting. Capability, robustness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm have been studied by results of several examples compared to the HL-RF. Results illustrated that the proposed method is more efficient and robust in the computation of the failure probability compared to the HL-RF method.

Background and Aim: Spontaneous abortion is the most common pregnancy complication with no reasonable causes in most cases. Some research imply the role of antithyroid antibodies ( e.g.AntiTPO-Ab and AntiTG-Ab) that can cause spontaneous abortion. In the present study, the association between abortion and presence of antthyroid antibodies in mother’s serum was assessed. Materials and Methods: In this case control study, 102 women aged 15-45 years, who referred to Hajar hospital of Shahrekord or the clinic affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences were selected. Out of 102 women, 51 who had had abortion selected as the cases and 51 pregnant women with gestational age less than 20 weeks were include as the controls. .In order to assess antithyroid antibodies level, blood samples were taken from every participant with normal TSH level.. Anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (Anti-TPO-Ab)>50 IU/ml and anti-thyroglobulin antibody (Anti-TG-Abs)>75 IU/ml were defined as Positive. The obtained results were analyzed by means of t-test and χ2 ,using statistical SPSS software. Results: Out of 51 subjects, 18 had positive Anti-TPO-Ab, of which -10 were among the cases and 8 belonged to the controls. Out of 18 women with positive AntiTG-Ab, 11 cases were in the control group and 7 were in the cases. The differences between the control group and the amounts of Anti-TPO-Abs (P=0.468) and Anti-TG-Abs (P=0.675) were not swignificant. Conclusion: The results revealed that there is no association between abortion and presence of antithyroid antibodies in mother’s serum. Other abortion causes such as various kinds of infections and smoking might be involved which requires more research.

In this study prediction of the steady-state flow of branched polymer melts in pipe geometry with finite volume method is presented. Our analysis in this study revealed that;for normal-stress tqq , the XPP model can predict this tensor unlike the other viscoelastic models such as PTT or Gieskus which can not predict tqq for viscoelastic fluid in two dimensional pipe flows. The fluid is modelled using a modification of the Pom-Pom model known as the single eXtended Pom-Pom (XPP) where viscoelastic fluid is typically a commercial low-density polyethylene.In finite volume method, the operator-integration is used to discretize the governing equations in space or control volume. An iterative solution algorithm that decouples the computation of momentum from that of stress is used to solve the discrete equations. Numerical results are presented, including the profiles of all relevant stresses, the axial velocity, stretch and the viscosity across the gap, demonstrating the performance of the model predictions. The influence of elasticity parameter on flow behaviour is studied, which demonstrates in particular, the dependence of velocity and stresses distribution as a function of Weissenberg number is analyzed. Also, the effect of Weissenberg number on pressure gradient has been considered. Finally, verification of the present model was made by comparing to the Generalized Newtonian Fluid (GNF) model.

Hyperlipidemia is a prevalent disease and a major component of the metabolic syndrome resulting from various factors. This disease increases morbidity and mortality when combined with other prevalent diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. The side effects of the current lipid-lowering drugs have increased the tendency to move toward traditional and alternative treatments. Epidemiological observations indicate that using alternative treatments, consumption of medicinal plants, diet, and consumption of fruits have had satisfactory results on the effects of hyperlipidemia in many societies. It should be noted that in majority of societies, even developed countries, the tendency toward eating lipid-lowering medicinal plants has increased extensively. Using these plants especially when common remedies cannot control the disease is significant. Although consumption of medicinal plants by hyperlipidemic patients may show improvement in disease state, drug interaction and side effects may cause complications in disease control. Therefore, in this review, apart from introducing some of the reliable plants effective in inhibition and decrease of hyperlipidemia, the possibility of their intoxication and drug interaction is also presented.

"nObjective: The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validityof the Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 in a sample of opioidsubstance use disordered patients."n"nMethods: 321 substance dependent patients (287 male, 34 female)participated in this study. All of the participants were asked to complete theFarsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (FTAS-20), the EmotionalIntelligence Scale (EIS-41), and The Mental Health Inventory (MHI). In orderto examine the internal consistency of the FTAS-20, Cronbach's alphacoefficients were calculated for the entire sample. Pearson's correlationcoefficient was used to estimate the test-retest reliability of the alexithymiadimensions. To examine the concurrent validity of the FTAS-20, a series ofzero-order correlations were conducted between the FTAS-20 subscales,emotional intelligence and mental health variables. Confirmatory FactorAnalysis (CFA) was utilized to test the three-factor structure of the FTAS-20. "n"nResults: The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity,and the three-factor structure of the Farsi version of the TAS-20 forsubstance users were supported by findings. "nConclusions: The factors found in the Farsi version of the TAS-20, aresimilar to the three factors found in a study conducted by Bagby, Parker andTaylor; the factors were accordingly labeled as Difficulty Identifying Feelings(DIF), Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF) and Externally-Oriented Thinking(EOT). The results provide evidence for applicability of the TAS-20 and itscross-cultural validity.

Bearing in mind the growing trend of drug abuse in societies, the application of appropriate tools for identifying drug abusers and those who are exposed to the high risk of drug abuse is one of the basic requirements of the current Iranian society. At the moment, the only way for identifying drug addicts is the use of morphine- detecting kits that examine the person’s urine and is based on a medical model. It only indicates the existence of morphine in urine and cannot be relied upon as a certain method for detecting the person’s addiction. Within this framework, it seems necessary to use psychological tests for identifying individuals that are exposed to the risk of drug abuse. Based on this necessity and with the aim of normalization and preparation of three sub-scales of addiction acknowledgement scale (AAS), addiction potential (APS) and Mac Andrew Alcoholism Scale Revised (MAC.R) from the Minnesota Multi-Phasic Personality Inventory a questionnaire is prepared comprising 90 questions. The plan was conducted among 1000 male high school students of Tehran using the random sample-taking from 4 districts (7,5,3,18) as well as 200 volunteers who seek to give up addiction. The following questions were raised: 1. Does the addiction test for identifying students exposed to addiction risk enjoy reliability? 2. Does the AAS scale aimed at identifying students that suffer from drug abuse enjoy reliability? and indirect observations. The statistical grouping of the research includes the admitted students and eventually 483 female and 53 male students in seven provinces constituted the statistical samples of the study. It was concluded that the separation plan is facing numerous problems at the current juncture. The relevant procedures and the manner of inter-organizational cooperation are not sufficient and the admission process has to undergo changes. Welfare facilities at the centers are not sufficient and keeping the students at the dorms for a long time will bring about many problems for them. Hence, the existence of a strong observation system as well as social workers are among the requisites for keeping up the implementation of the plan. Moreover, attention must be paid to other substitute methods so that the student would be able to study in his normal living environment and in this way reduce possible risks.

Objective: The present research investigates the state of psychological health in women who are heads of household and are under welfare protection by the Welfare Organization in Tehran province. The basic research question was whether or not the level of psychological health and its nine indicators according to SCL-90-R are different in women heads of house hold that are under welfare protection compared to women heads of house hold that are not under welfare protection. Materials & Methods: Subjects were over 180 women who were chosen randomly from four different areas in Greater Tehran. The instruments used in this study were SCL-90-R and a demographic questionnaire. A case-control cross sectional method was employed in the present study. Data were analyzed using single-case t-test, independent t-test, and multi-variant regression and Friedman test. Results: Results show that the mean score for psychological health and its nine indicators in the experimental group were significantly higher than the mean score for normal Iranian population (p=0.0009). This indicates that women who are heads of households in Iran are at a higher risk for psychological disorders. The strongest indicators of psychological disorder in these women were depression and psychosomatic complaints. Furthermore, women who are not under welfare protection are significantly more depressed than women who are under welfare protection (p=0.016). Conclusion: Factors which reliably predict women's psychological health are women's income, the income of family members and their own physical health. These results support previous in the field reiterating the fact special attention should be paid to the economical welfare and standards of living in these women.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validityof the Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 in a sample of opioidsubstance use disordered patients. Methods: 321 substance dependent patients (287 male, 34 female)participated in this study. All of the participants were asked to complete theFarsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (FTAS-20), the EmotionalIntelligence Scale (EIS-41), and The Mental Health Inventory (MHI). In orderto examine the internal consistency of the FTAS-20, Cronbach's alphacoefficients were calculated for the entire sample. Pearson's correlationcoefficient was used to estimate the test-retest reliability of the alexithymiadimensions. To examine the concurrent validity of the FTAS-20, a series ofzero-order correlations were conducted between the FTAS-20 subscales,emotional intelligence and mental health variables. Confirmatory FactorAnalysis (CFA) was utilized to test the three-factor structure of the FTAS-20. Results: The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity,and the three-factor structure of the Farsi version of the TAS-20 forsubstance users were supported by findings. Conclusions: The factors found in the Farsi version of the TAS-20, aresimilar to the three factors found in a study conducted by Bagby, Parker andTaylor; the factors were accordingly labeled as Difficulty Identifying Feelings(DIF), Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF) and Externally-Oriented Thinking(EOT). The results provide evidence for applicability of the TAS-20 and itscross-cultural validity.