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Rosa canina L. (Rosaceae), commonly known as the rose hip, is originated from Europe, Africa, and Asia with a long history in medicinal applications. This study aimed to analyze the morphological traits, fatty acids profile, and content of phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, vitamin C, total carotenoid, total phenol, total flavonoid, and antioxidant activity of the fruits of eleven Iranian R. canina ecotypes (RCEs). The highest coefficient of variation was obtained in 1000 seed weight (46.57%). The seed oil varied from 8.08 ± 0.17% to 16.91 ± 0.35%. Linoleic (35.41 ± 0.78% to 49.59 ± 0.96%) and eicosanoic (17.67 ± 0.06% to 25.36 ± 0.54%) acids were the predominant fatty acids in the studied samples. The anthocyanin content in the fruits was ranged from 0.98 ± 0.03 to 4.41 ± 0.04 mg cyanidin 3-glucoside/100 g of dry weight (mg C3G/100 g DW). The high content of vitamin C (103.51 ± 1.24-419.70 ± 3.12 mg/100 g DW), total carotenoid (111.22 ± 0.78-206.98 ± 1.25 mg β-carotene equivalents per g of dry weight (mg β-CARE/g DW)), total phenol (52.87 ± 0.82-104.52 ± 0.23 mg GAE/g DW), and total flavonoid (14.20 ± 0.12-25.18 ± 0.47 mg RE/g DW) were observed in the studied samples. Catechin (20.42 ± 0.47-19.22 ± 0.13 µg/g DW) was the major phenolic compound. The high antioxidant activity in the fruits of the plant was recorded in the studied RCEs (IC 50  = 12.54 ± 0.18-26.33 ± 0.13 μg/ml). A significant correlation between some phytochemical compounds (dependent variable) and morphological features (independent variable) was found. Based on our findings, the fruit of the studied ecotypes can be used for future breeding programs and drug development., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Aging as a major challenge can affect the development and growth of countries all around the world. This study aimed to identify the subgroups of the elderly based on the quality of life (Qol), sleep quality, and common mental disorders and assess the role of demographic characteristics on the membership of participants in each latent class. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1064 people over the age of 60 years. The sample was selected through cluster sampling in northern Iran. All participants completed six sets of checklists and questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using latent class analysis. Three latent classes were identified; namely, (1) healthy (66.8%), (2) anxious and with poor sleep quality (28.6%), and unhealthy (4.6%). Being Female significantly increased the odds of membership in classes 2 and 3 compared to class 1. Furthermore, living in urban areas increased the odds of belonging to class 2 and class 3 compared to class 1. Illiteracy was also shown to increase the odds of being in class 3 in comparison to class 1. Results from the present indicate that the co-occurrence of health problems in 33.2% of the elderly was observed in various forms. The results of this study can be used in prioritizing health programs for the elderly and emphasizing high-risk groups., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Endemic plants of the Khorassan-Kopet Dagh (KK) floristic province in northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, and northwestern Afghanistan are often rare and range-restricted. Because of these ranges, plants in the KK are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Species distribution modelling (SDM) can be used to assess the vulnerability of species under climate change. Here, we evaluated range size changes for three (critically) endangered endemic species that grow at various elevations (Nepeta binaloudensis, Phlomoides binaludensis, and Euphorbia ferdowsiana) using species distribution modelling. Using the HadGEM2-ES general circulation model and two Representative Concentration Pathways Scenarios (RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5), we predicted potential current and future (2050 and 2070) suitable habitats for each species. The ensemble model of nine algorithms was used to perform this prediction. Our results indicate that while two of species investigated would benefit from range expansion in the future, P. binaludensis will experience range contraction. The range of E. ferdowsiana will remain limited to the Binalood mountains, but the other species will have suitable habitats in mountain ranges across the KK. Using management efforts (such as fencing) with a focus on providing elevational migration routes at local scales in the KK is necessary to conserve these species. Additionally, assisted migration among different mountains in the KK would be beneficial to conserve these plants. For E. ferdowsiana, genetic diversity storage employing seed banks and botanical garden preservation should be considered.

The purpose of this study was to gather ethnopharmacological information on plants used by the pastorals of southeastern Iran. The relationships between ecological value of the plant species and ethnobotanical indices were investigated. The loss of medicinal plants and its effective factors were also determined under nomadism and sedentary pastoralism. Ethnopharmacological information of plants was collected through interviews with 85 local people including nomads (43%) and sedentary pastorals (57%). Ethnobotanical indices including relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance (RI), cultural value (CV), and use value (UV) were estimated. Canopy cover and density of plant species were measured at 60 sampling plots in the exclosure, nomadic rangelands and sedentary pastorals rangelands. The Importance Value Index (IVI) and Relative Loss Index (RL) were estimated for both nomadic and sedentary pastoral rangelands. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to investigate the relationship between ethnobotanical indices and IVI of plant species. The Bayesian networks was used to investigate the relationship between ethnobotanical indices and plant species loss. In total, 156 medicinal plant species of 50 families were identified in the region by locals. Positive correlation was observed between ethnobotanical indices (RFC and RI) and ecological index (IVI). The mean decline of the ecological importance of medicinal species in sedentary pastoral rangelands was approximately three times higher than in nomadic rangelands. Bayesian networks showed that cultural value, seed exploitation and aerial parts exploitation had direct relationships with species loss in both nomadic and sedentary pastoral rangelands. Bunium persicum, an ecologically and socially important species, had been extensively harvested (more than 60%) in the both nomadic and sedentary pastoral rangelands, making it a priority species in future conservation programs. Medicinal plants had high ecological value and were severely exploited, threatening sustainability of arid and semiarid ecosystems. Local pastorals not only use medicinal plants as herbal remedies but also consider them as a source of income. Popular plants with multiple medicinal uses were more susceptible to loss. Higher medicinal knowledge of pastorals did not help to mitigate medicinal plant loss, requesting new plans to aware them to the circumstances that often leads to species removal from community. Given the importance, abundance and widespread use of medicinal plants, further studies can provide a basis for their conservation and for identifying new therapeutic effects of plants in the region.

Osteoporosis (OP) is characterized by diminished bone mass and deteriorating bone structure that increases the chance of fractures in the spine, hips, and wrists. In this paper, a novel data processing method of artificial intelligence (AI) is used for evaluating, predicting, and classifying OP risk factors in clinical data of men and women separately. Additionally, artificial intelligence was used to suggest the most appropriate sports programs for treatment. Data was obtained from dual-energy x-ray absorption scanning center of Ayatollah Kashani, Milad, and Khatam al-Anbia hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The subjects included 1224 men and women. Models were developed using decision tree, random forest (RF), k-nearest neighbor, support vector machine, gradient boosting (GB), Extra trees, Ada Boost (AB), and artificial neural network multilayer perceptron analysis to predict osteoporosis and to recommend sports programs. Data was divided into training (80%) and test dataset (20%). The results were obtained on a 20% test dataset. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to compare the performance of the models. To predict healthy individuals, osteopenia and osteoporosis, the FR algorithm with AUROC 0.91 performed best in men and the GB algorithm with AUROC 0.95 performed best in women compared to other classification algorithms. Prediction of RF algorithm in women and men with AUROC 0.96 and 0.99, respectively, showed the highest performance in diagnosing the type of exercise for healthy individuals and those with osteopenia and OP. Eight AI algorithms were developed and compared to accurately predict osteoporosis risk factors and classify individuals into three categories: healthy, osteopenia, and OP. In addition, the AI algorithms were developed to recommend the most appropriate sports programs as part of treatment. Applying the AI algorithms in a clinical setting could help primary care providers classify patients with osteoporosis and improve treatment by recommending appropriate exercise programs., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The Anemone genus is a tuberous geophyte which undergoes a dormancy period during unfavorable environmental conditions for growth. Five species of the Anemone genus naturally grow in several regions of Iran. The diverse uses of Anemone in gardens for landscaping, cut flowers, and potted plants indicate its high ornamental potential. Its dormancy and flowering are influenced by various factors. The present paper was conducted to explore the flowering behavior of Anemone accessions in response to different pre-treatments. For this purpose, tubers of 18 Anemone accessions (A. coronaria and A. biflora) were collected from natural regions of six provinces in Iran. These tubers were subjected to different conditions of non-chilling (20 °C, 90 days), chilling (4 °C, 90 days), GA 3 (150 mgL -1 ; 24 h), and 5-azaCitidine (5-azaC; 40 µM; 24 h) prior to the cultivation. Most of the accessions were able to enter the flowering stage without chilling. The shortest period for the sprouting of tubers (16.89 ± 7.83 days) belonged to 5-azaC pre-treatment. In addition, this treatment accelerated the flowering time (about 30 days earlier) and diameter of the stem, bud, and flower. Morphological characteristics, such as stem height, number of leaves, bud, and petal and the longevity of flowers on the plant were significantly affected by GA 3 pre-treatment. Our results indicated a positive correlation between flower length, stem height, and stem diameter with flower longevity under different pre-treatment conditions. The present study demonstrated that accessions Anm3, Anm12, and Anm18 had ornamental values higher than the population mean across four conditions.

Snakebite envenoming is an important public health problem in Iran, despite its risk not being quantified. This study aims to use venomous snakes' habitat suitability as an indicator of snakebite risk, to identify high-priority areas for snakebite management across the country. Thus, an ensemble approach using five distribution modelling methods: Generalized Boosted Models, Generalized Additive Models, Maximum Entropy Modelling, Generalized Linear Models, and Random Forest was applied to produce a spatial snakebite risk model for Iran. To achieve this, four venomous snakes' habitat suitability (Macrovipera lebetinus, Echis carinatus, Pseudocerastes persicus and Naja oxiana) were modelled and then multiplied. These medically important snakes are responsible for the most snakebite incidents in Iran. Multiplying habitat suitability models of the four snakes showed that the northeast of Iran (west of Khorasan-e-Razavi province) has the highest snakebite risk in the country. In addition, villages that were at risk of envenoming from the four snakes were identified. Results revealed that 51,112 villages are at risk of envenoming from M. lebetinus, 30,339 from E. carinatus, 51,657 from P. persicus and 12,124 from N. oxiana. Precipitation seasonality was identified as the most important variable influencing distribution of the P. persicus, E. carinatus and M. lebetinus in Iran. Precipitation of the driest quarter was the most important predictor of suitable habitats of the N. oxiana. Since climatic variables play an important role in shaping the distribution of the four venomous snakes in Iran, thus their distribution may alter with changing climate. This paper demonstrates application of species distribution modelling in public health research and identified potential snakebite risk areas in Iran by using venomous snakes' habitat suitability models as an indicating factor. Results of this study can be used in snakebite and human-snake conflict management in Iran. We recommend increasing public awareness of snakebite envenoming and education of local people in areas which identified with the highest snakebite risk.

Plasma treatment is recognized as a suitable technology to improve germination efficiency of numerous seeds. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate whether cold air plasma can change the quality and quantity of wheat yield. Effects of cold plasma treatment on wheat (Pishgam variety) yield were studied by a randomized complete block design experiment at the Faculty of Agriculture of Tarbiat Modarres University, Iran, during 2015-17. Seeds were pre-treated with 80 W of cold plasma at four levels of time, 60, 120, 180 and 240 seconds. Plasma effects on yield and quality of wheat were determined by measuring plant photosynthesis, grain yield, biological yield, 1000-grain weight, total chlorophyll, carotenoid, anthocyanin, protein and starch content. Results showed that plasma treatments had positive effects on wheat characteristics, and treatment of 180 s had the highest stimulatory effect. In both years, cold plasma increased grain yield at 180 s, but decreased it at 240 s compared with control. The rate of plant photosynthesis, grain yield, 1000-grain weight, carotenoid and anthocyanin were enhanced at 180 s. The starch content and grain protein were enhanced at 120 s cold plasma application compared with control.