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Hypothesis: Chemical cross-linked shape memory polyurethanes (CSMPUs) can have various applications in different fields such as medicine, where mechanical behavior and shape memory are improved in these samples compared to linear shape memory polyurethanes. Shape memory polyurethanes consist of at least two different phases. The first phase, which is in the form of a net point, is responsible for maintaining the permanent shape of the shape memory polyurethane. In contrast, the second phase, also known as shape memory switches, temporarily fixes the temporary shape of the polyurethane by crystallinity. The aim of this research is the synthesis of linear and star polycaprolactones (PCLs) in the first step and the synthesis of CSMPUs using linear and star PCLs in the second step, as well as the investigation and comparison of hydrogen-bonding indices through -C=O groups and -NH CSMPU samples that were synthesized using glycerol as the initiator of the soft segment or the chain extender of the hard segment.Methods: Linear and star polycaprolactones (PCLs) were synthesized using ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of caprolactone, and shape memory polyurethanes with chemical cross-linking (CSMPU) were synthesized using a two-step pre-polymerization method. By changing the molar ratios of the functional groups, the weight percentage of the hard segment in polyurethane samples was kept constant at 10%.Findings: The hydrogen-bond index is decreased with the introduction of glycerol as a chain extender. Also, the degree of crystallinity in CSMPU samples is decreased compared to those of pure PCLs. With the increase of chemical cross-linking the crystallinity of CSMPU samples is decreased. In addition, in the studies of mechanical behavior no significant difference was observed in the presence of glycerol in the soft segment or the hard segment.

According to the historical and geographical resources of the Islamic period, the city of Borujerd has always been regarded as an urban center since at least the first centuries of the Islamic era. The old mosque of “Atiq”, which is the oldest monument of the Borujerd city, has been identified by archaeological findings and architectural characteristics, to bear evidence of existence from the earliest Islamic centuries to the present time. In several stages of archaeological explorations in this mosque, which have mostly been carried out with the aim of renewal, many pieces of clay have been discovered in the campus of this ancient building which mainly date back to the middle-Islamic centuries. In recent years, with the implementation of some reconstruction projects and excavations in the old site of Borujerd city, some evidences of cultural and historical layers have been discovered which are indicators for the study of pottery in Islamic period. The present research, through applying classification and typology of pottery and studying the role of the carvings under the enamels of the excavated finds, aims at introducing the technical and artistic characteristics of pottery carvings under the Atiq mosque. Highlighting similarities and differences between the studied samples and the findings of pottery centers is another purpose of this study. The results of this study show that underglaze carving was the most widely applied method in pottery clay since 4-7 centuries AH in Islamic era. In terms of shape, the themes and techniques of glazed motifs are of considerable diversity and have many shared technical and artistic characteristics with other pottery areas of the same period, especially those of west of Iran.Borujerd, has been identified elsewhere as early as the second half of the third century in the Islamic era. Of the many names that Borujerd has been referred to during history, “Nahavand” and “Moon of Basreh” are the two most common ones. Since the fourth century and the formation of local governments, an increase of the role of western parts of Iran in the political-military developments could be seen. In the meantime, the city of Borujerd, took root and left a defining rule in the social and historical developments of that period due to being in the neighborhood of important cities such as Isfahan, Karaj Abodelf, Hamedan, and finally, Baghdad, which all flourished during the reigns of the Buyid and the Seljuk dynasties. The old texture of the Borujerd city has about 280 hectares of area. The central and primary core of the city is located in a range surrounded by the old Razan square, the Jameh Mosque of Soltani, Bazaar and the Jameh Mosque of Atiq. Despite the many works and signs of the existence of Islamic-period pottery in the area of study, including those in the old urban texture, layers and pottery, the area of Jameh Mosque has never been seriously and scientifically studied. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of categorizing and classifying underglaze pottery carvings of the Jameh Mosque and the historical context of Borujerd, which count for a remarkable volume of glazed pottery and stained glass collection. It also intends to introduce the technical and artistic characteristics of this species in the study area. Therefore, this research is an attempt to answer questions such as: 1- What are the technical characteristics of the studied sgraffito pottery? 2. The artistic style of the studied samples is comparable to which well-known art patterns of this type of pottery? The present study was conducted by collecting information through library sources and field matching of field findings of this region with other regions.In the present research, the descriptive-analytical research method has been used. In this regard, after initial observation and through survey, the basis for sample classification was as follows: technical similarity, the subject of motifs, methods of glazing, and comparison with a variety of commonly studied species of this style in the first and the middle centuries which have been introduced, categorized and analyzed by researchers in the field and based on scientific research available in books and specialized publications. Therefore, the clay components of the index in terms of forms of dishes, diversity of enamels and the role of the classification and typology and their characteristics were analyzed.

Hypothesis: Production of polyethylene (PE) of a relatively high molecular weight with improved properties and acceptable processability has been allocated to many research efforts. In the slurry polymerization, immobilization of homogeneous metallocene catalyst on a nano-sized support leads to improved mechanical and thermal properties in addition to controlled morphology and appropriate particle size distribution of product. Specific surface area of support particles can be an effective parameter affecting the immobilization process of catalyst and product properties. In this research the main purpose was to produce PE/nanosilica nanocomposite, using an in-situ polymerization technique, in a disentangled state.Methods: A metallocene catalyst, such as zirconocene dichloride (Cp2ZrCl2), was immobilized on the surface of modified nano-fumed silica particles. Three grades of nano-fumed silica having specific surface areas of 380, 200 and 50 m2/g were used. First the surface of thermally pretreated nanosilica was chemically modified using methylaluminoxane. Then, by adding the catalyst, Cp2ZrCl2, immobilization reaction and activation of the catalyst were performed simultaneously. Finally ethylene polymerization was conducted using the prepared catalyst under the atmospheric pressure of monomer at 30°C.Findings: The maximum polymerization yield was related to the heterogenized catalyst on nanosilica with a specific surface area of 200 m2/g. The results of solid state drawability and buildup of modulus in time sweep rheometry exhibited that the synthesized polyethylene is in the less entangled state. Reducing the concentration and density of the active sites on the heterogenized catalyst resulted in the reduced number of chain entanglements. Tensile test results showed that nanocomposite samples possess better mechanical properties compared to the pure polyethylene, an indication of appropriate distribution of silica nanoparticles into the polyethylene matrix which was evidenced using SEM images.

Background and purpose: Muscular atrophy is a condition derived from different diseases and aging. Molecular study of the disease condition can help in developing diagnostic methods and treatment approaches. In this study, protein interaction network was analyzed to understand molecular events at protein levels. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, the network was constructed and analyzed using Cytoscape and its plug-in STRING. In addition, Network Analyzer and MCODE were applied to analyze the centrality and clustering, respectively. Bingo explored the gene ontology of the determined protein complexes. Results: The findings showed five key genes in the network of atrophy including AKT1, ALB, DMD, SMN1, and SMN2. Furthermore, six clusters of proteins were obtained from which two significant ones were considered for gene ontology analysis. Conclusion: All the central proteins, AKT1, ALB, DMD, SMN1, and SMN2 are present in the clusters of our interests. It can be concluded that the panel of biomarkers introduced could be of great help in understanding the pathology of muscular atrophy.

Leishmania is a protozoan parasite responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Protozoan parasites of the genus leishmania are found as promastigotes in the sandfly vector and as amastigotes in mammalian macrophages. Mechanisms controlling stage-regulated gene expression in these organisms are poorly understood. Gene regulation in leishmania, like other trypanosomatides, performs in posttranscriptional and posttranslational levels. However, the correlation between mRNA content and protein contents is poor in these parasites. The completion of the genome sequence of several species of Leishmania has had a significant effect on the pathogenesis researches of Leishmaniasis. The prevalence of parasites becoming resistant to anti- leishmania drugs is increasing in several parts of the world including Iran. As protein is the most important target for drugs in response to a variety of signals including drugs, so, it seems protein profiles in both of the sensitive and resistant leishmania parasites could greatly promise about the mechanisms of responses to antileishmanial drugs. Also, many studies have been carried out to determine the factors associated with leishmania infection as well as their molecular mechanisms. In such studies, the new proteomics technology has been of great value. In fact one of the main objectives of proteomics is to identify and discover the disease-related pathologies and novel drug targets. In the current review article, proteomics- based studies investigating leishmania spp. are introduced.

Completion of the human genome project revealed that the molecular mechanisms of cellular responses to different situations cannot be predicted from the sequence of their genes. Hence, most biological researches are focused on the roles of proteins which are much more challenging tasks. Omics technologies, instead of analyzing individual components of an organism by conventional biochemical methods such as the function of a gene, protein or biochemical reaction, study all the components and their interactions within a global site. In the past two decades, omics technologies have been used as efficient and powerful tools in almost all aspects of clinical and pharmaceutical researches, including biomarker discovery, drug target discovery, evaluation of the efficacy of drugs, safety assessment, and personalized medicine. In this article, omics technologies such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, and their advances are reviewed and their applications in clinical and pharmaceutical researches, particularly in the areas of drug targets, biomarkers, and personalized medicine are discussed.

Background and purpose: Among different cancers, breast cancer has a high prevalence among women and radiotherapy is used as a treatment modality in which radio sensitizers are used to increase its efficiency. Nanoparticles are such sensitizers that enhance the efficiency of radiotherapy via creation of free radicals and induction of oxidative stress. This study aimed at evaluating the synergistic effect of radiation therapy and TiO2 nanoparticles on animal models of breast cancer. Materials and methods: After induction of breast adenocarcinoma tumors in Balb/C, the animals were divided into several groups as control, rutile and anatase injections at 5mg/kg and 10mg/kg doses/with and without radiotherapy. Then, the efficiency of treatment was evaluated. Results: In groups receiving anatase nanoparticles with and without radiation, the values for tumor volume, relative volume and relative volume percentage showed a small increase and a considerable reduction, respectively. In rutile groups with and without radiation, these values showed a small increase and a considerable increase, respectively. IR value reduced to negative value and then increased to zero and positive in anatase groups with and without radiation. This parameter had little changes in rutile groups with and without radiation. Conclusion: Titanium dioxide nanoparticles increased sensitivity of tumor cells to radiation therapy due to ROS production. Compared with rutile crystals, anatase crystals have intense effect because of having a larger surface area and higher photocatalytic activity.

Introduction: Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) is an aromatic evergreen of laminacea family with some medicinal characteristics. The effect of lavender aqueous extract on improving learning and memory in Alzheimeric model of animals has been proved. Reduced acetylcholine due to increased activity of acetylcholine esterase is one of the main symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. This research was accomplished in order to evaluate the anti-acetylcholine esterase activity of the aqueous extract of lavender. Meanwhile, the toxic effect of the herbal medicine on hepatic HepG2 cell line was considered. Materials and Methods: The dried flowers of lavender were mixed with boiled water and then evaporated. In this experimental study the acetylcholine esterase inhibitory activity of lavender was assessed using Ellman’s colorimetric method in 96 well microplates at 405 nm. Also the toxicity effect of lavender was evaluated on HepG2 cell line. Results: Comparing the results taken from the treated and untreated solutions showed that the aqueous extract of lavender did not affect efficiently the acetylcholine esterase inhibitory activity. Also the microscopic evaluation of the HepG2 cells indicated no granulation of the treated cells compared with the untreated cells; confirming that the aqueous extract of lavender has no toxic effect on the HepG2 cell line. Conclusion: The aqueous extract of lavender is not affected impressively the acetylcholine esterase activity and also is not toxic to the hepatic cells

Background and Aim: Heterogeneous insertion of Organizational affiliations can cause loss of ranking points in the national and international levels. So, we decided to investigate the different affiliations of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in scientific publications that indexed in Web of Science and their effect on the result of research activities evaluation in the year 2012. Materials and Methods: Methodology of this study is bibliometric approach with descriptive survey. The study included 1139 scientific production of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences that indexed in Web of Science in the first one in April 2011 to April 2012. Results: 1139 articles indexed in the Web of Science, 94/38% in the evaluation of the research activities of the ministry of health have been scored and 5/61% failed. Among the unsuccessful papers 1/01%, had been inserted affiliation incorrectly. One-sample t-test showed that the mean score of 1/01% has no significant statistical impact on the total average rating of products indexed in Web of Science. Conclusion: Investigation showed that standard insertion of affiliation has impact on enterprise University Ranked and University status at the international level.

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in pancreatic islets of Langerhans. To develop efficient treatments for T1D, it is required to identify suitable therapeutic markers. Systems biology offers approaches to better understanding of functional elements in the disease. Our aim was to investigate larger number of candidate markers in T1D by topological analysis of constructed PPI based on gene expression. Materials and Methods: In this study, gene expression profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic children was prepared from Gene Expression Omnibus and analyzed to get differentially expressed genes. Then, these genes were mapped to PPIs data to construct related subnetwork. Five topological features were calculated by Cytoscape software. Finally, degree, betweenness and closeness centrality features were utilized to identify candidate markers. Results: 2467 differentially expression genes were obtained by statistical analyzing of gene expression profile in which 1024 were upregulated and 1443 were downregulated. After mapping these genes on PPI network, there was constructed subnetwork with 949 nodes and 1776 edges. By topological analysis of the subnetwork, we determined high degree nodes (hub) and high betweenness nodes (bottleneck). Then, 9 hub-bottleneck proteins that were more central (high closeness centrality) in the subnetwork were identified and introduced as candidate markers. Conclusion: The obtained markers from network via systemic view can be considered as new diagnostic markers and potential therapeutic targets for T1D

Introduction: Studies show that ethanol can induce changes in proteomic profile of human fibroblast cells. Some of these proteins are important in promoting cancer. Thus, analyzing function and interaction networks of these proteins are essential for better understanding the carcinogenesis mechanism of ethanol. Materials and Methods: In this study the protein-protein interaction network (PPI) of six significant down-regulated proteins in human fibroblast cells (HFFF2) treated with ethanol were analyzed by using Cytoscape software and its algorithms. Results: PPI network analysis showed that the constructed network consisted of 756 nodes and 1166 edges. Results indicated that Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 with degree = 528 and Betweenness Centrality = 0.74 is a hub protein that ethanol can alter its expression. In addition, module evaluation showed that the hub protein has a key role in different overlapped complexes. On the other hand, annotation studies by using DAVID program indicated that this protein is involved in different important biological processes in the cell. Conclusion: The six down-regulated proteins treated with ethanol may become carcinogenic and can impose vast alterations in other vital biological processes of the cell. Among them, Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 is the most important one

Background & Objective: Ginkgo biloba is an herbal medicine that has a positive effect on improving memory. It prevents oxidative damage in mitochondria and cell death in a variety of Neuropathies. Besides, baclofen is prescribed for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects but has negative impact on memory. The objective of this study is to investigate the interaction of ginkgo with GABA b receptor agonist (baclofen) by passive avoidance behavior in mice. Materials & Methods: Passive avoidance learning and memory method was used to evaluate memory by I maze shuttle box. The rats were divided into six groups. The first group were fed with only oral Ginkgo. The second and the third groups received different dosages of intraperitoneal baclofen. Groups four and five received both ginkgo and baclofen. The sixth group, as the control group, received only saline. All the injections were performed at a certain time in a day. Result: The injection of ginkgo alone, compared with control group, didn’t create any significant change in memory. The injection of different dosages of baclofen decreased the memory significantly . The injection of both ginkgo and baclofen improved memory . Conclusion: Administration of baclofen reduces and impairs memory. Ginkgo improved baclofen induced amnesia. It seems that this operation is done by interference with GABA neurotransmitters. Ginkgo biloba can possibly be used as an adjuvant drug to decrease the side effects of baclofen.

The association of genes polymorphism of DGAT1 and SCD1 has proved with milk nutritive value. The aim of the present study was the comparison of genetic structure of DGAT1 and SCD1 loci between Holstein and Simmental population. 102 Mazandaran Simmental and Holstein cows were randomly selected and done blooding of neck vein. In digestion of SCD1 PCR products (725bp) with AluI enzyme, two alleles V and A were revealed with the frequency of 79 and 21 percent and 92 and 8 percent in Holstein and Simmental breeds, respectively. In digestion of the 325bp fragment of this gene with NcoI enzyme, two alleles of C and T were detected with the frequency of 40 and 60 percent and 45 and 55 percent in Holstein and Simmental breed, respectively. Two alleles of A and K were detected from amplification of DGAT1 locus with the frequency of 60 and 40 percent and 57 and 43 percent in Holstein and Simmental population, respectively. The result of statistical comparison of genotype and allele frequency in studied loci between two breeds indicates that DGAT1locus and second locus of SCD1 gene are same as gene frequency between two breeds and are different as genotype frequency in DGAT1 locus and are same as genotype frequency in SCD1 locus. According to observed polymorphisms, we can result that studied loci are fit for selection of animals with favorite genotype for increasing of production of milk useful fatty acids

Introduction: Gene-set analysis of microarray data determines biological pathways or gene setswith differential expression in a phenotype of interest. In contrast to the analysis of individual genes, gene-set analysis utilizes existing biological knowledge of genes in assessing differential expression. This paper compared the biological performance of two gene-set analysis methods.Materials and Methods: To determinegene sets, which are differentially expressed between acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with BCR/ABL and those with no observed cytogenetic abnormalities, the real microarray data come from a clinical trial in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia were used in this study. For this reason, we used two GSA methods; GSEA-category and Global test and then the data were analyzedusing by R software.Results: Globaltest identified 114 out of 200 gene sets introduced in KEGG with differentially expressed on comparing the group with BCR/ABL to those with no observed cytogenetic abnormalities. While Category could identify just 30 gene sets of this set.Conclusion: Both of used methods include number of gene sets affecting ALL. So the more thorough study is needed to identify the more metric method. Evaluation of common gene sets among the two methods could identify the latest findings of biologists only by the used statistical methods.

Forecasting the product demand is one of the most important activities of every organization for planning the sale and finally making a comprehensive plan. It in fact determines the amount of the activities an organization carries out in the future and also provides the managers with a clear understanding of the amount and quality of the respected activities. In this article, a model based on Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining algorithms is proposed for predicting the amount of sale in tile and ceramic industry. The proposed model is a hybrid model consisting of dimensionality reduction, clustering and forecasting. In order to construct the model, this research uses independent component analysis, Manifold learning, K-means clustering and support vector regression. The present research studies 50 cases of Irana Tile Company's past 3 years of monthly sales. Because of the decrease in generic and sampling errors, the results obtained from this model show a superior precision compared to other traditional forecasting methods.

Introduction: Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is a purine catabolic enzyme that removes amino group of adenosine or 2' deoxyadenosine irreversibly. ADA enhances immune system and also intervenes the inflammation process. In this study, the effect of ibuprofen as an anti- inflammatory drug has been studied on the ADA activity in the physiologic and pathologic temperatures. Materials and Methods: ADA was assessed in the presence of 3 different doses of ibuprofen at 37oC and 42oC via spectrometry in 265 nm. Results: Ibuprofen at high and low doses had an activation effect on the ADA activity at 37oC and moderated the sensitivity of enzyme activity to its substrate. It also decreased the anti-inflammatory effect of adenosine via decrease of its concentration and had a positive effect on immune system as well. The activation of the enzyme by Ibuprofen was decreased at 42oC and also Ibuprofen moderated the effect of temperature on dependency of enzyme activity to its substrate. Ibuprofen effects on immune system and anti-inflammatory effects of adenosine decreased at 42oC. Conclusion: Ibuprofen is a putative activator for adenosine deaminase and administration of this drug could be useful for immune deficiency. Since there is no activator for ADA so far, this drug is important. Ibuprofen decreases anti-inflammatory effect of adenosine. In-vivo studies would be needed .

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Introduction: Because of producing large amount of proteomics data and requiring new proceduresfor analyzing them, collective analysis of proteins can help us in identifying new annotation patterns indataset. Furthermore, this type of analysis is a time- consuming process too. Cluster analysis, as a suitablestatistic procedure, can be used for analyzing these datasets. This paper's objective was evaluating theefficiency of fuzzy clustering method in recognizing new patterns within proteins which are related togastric cancers.Materials and Methods: Fuzzy clustering procedure has been used to analyze the identified includedproteins in esophagus, stomach and colon cancers. Proteins were clustered based on three aspects of GeneOntology (GO) and results were compared.Results: Fuzzy clustering was implemented and non-fuzziness indexes based on biological process,cellular component and molecular function were obtained equal to 0.41, 0.55 and 0.35, respectively.Obtained index based on molecular function showed the efficiency of fuzzy clustering method. Despite ofnon-substantial silhouette widths for the entire dataset, most of the proteins in each cluster hadremarkable biological communions. Using Term Enrichment software to determine statistically enrichedGO terms in the entire dataset and clusters, it was cleared that the fuzzy clustering has revealed novelannotation patterns within dataset that would not have been identified otherwise.Conclusion: Considering fuzzy clustering outputs, the efficiency of this method for better and flexibleproteins analysis was cleared. As fuzzy clustering method has placed proteins, that have more similarities,with high probabilities together. Therefore, it can be used for the situations that some of proteins haveunknown characteristics. Furthermore it seems that the proteins clustered via their cellular componentsimilarities, have also biological and functional similarities which this requires more investigations.

About two centuries have passed since the first deaths due to traffic accidents. Recent research shows that 38% of unnatural deaths in Iran are because of road accidents. According to statistics published by Iran forensics, from 2000 to 2010, 235587 people have been killed in traffic accidents and 2281810 people have been injured. [1] Given that planners and policy makers are concerned with decreasing accidents and also because information forms the fundamental part of preventive programs, lack of sufficient information regarding the causes of accidents will be an obstacle to fulfill such programs. Collection of appropriate data and access to sufficient information regarding the causes of traffic accidents such as the type of accident (traffic or non-traffic), compliance with safety regulations and standards (such as fastening seatbelt, no cell-phone use, no drinking or eating, use of helmet by motor cyclists, and etc.), vehicles involved, rate and type of injury, time and location of accident can help organizations in implementation of preventive programs. In this regard, Minimum Data Set (MDS) plays a fundamental role in meeting policy makers' needs. MDS make data comparison possible and allows medical institutions to identify patients and meet governmental requirements, institutional needs and medical society's ideals. [2, 3] Tee (2012) in his study entitled "Inception of an Australian Spine Trauma Registry: The Minimum Data Set" showed that there is a need to comprehensive registry of collected data associated with spinal cord trauma both regarding spinal column and spinal cord injuries in order to inform policy makers properly and create preventive strategies for future patients. [4] Shaban (2009) in his study "The Long Term Effects of early Analysis of a Trauma Registry in United Arab Emirates" concluded that creating a registry system is a challenging issue in developing countries; however, it is feasible and leads to development of nationwide data bases. [5] Coats (2009) in his study "Beyond the Trauma Registry" stated that the first step toward a high quality trauma registry system is a proper information center or MDS. [6] Executive regulations associated with mandatory use of seat belt and helmet which was a joint proposal by interior, justice, industries and mines, and road and transport ministries was passed in cabinet meeting dated on March 17, 2001and was delivered on April 10, 2001; however, it wasn’t forced until 2005. According to the study, the rate of deaths due to accidents has been 13% a year before the law enforcement and 9.7% a year after it. [7] Conclusion: Obviously, without reflection and dissemination of information and statistics on the causes of traffic accidents, organizations, responsible authorities, and policy makers wouldn’t pass the above regulations. Since information is the basis of decision making, it would be better to establish a Minimum Data Set for local and national accidents so that stemming and designing preventive programs is possible.

Compulsive buying is described as a chronic and repeatable purchase, which is an initial and primary response to negative events or feelings. The current research is an applied type in terms of its purpose and a descriptive survey in terms of nature. It aims to identify the individual, family and environmental factors affecting the behavior of compulsive buying among women in the city of Khorram Abad. The statistical sample of the study consisted of 384 people who were selected through the random sampling method. In order to identify the main factors affecting purchasing insanity, previous studies were reviewed and questionnaires were designed and analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (LISREL) software. According to the results, all three main factors, namely personal, family and environmental factors, affect the behavior of compulsive buying. Also, all the studied variables except for age have an effect on shopping insanity. The corresponding hypotheses were, thus, confirmed.

The present research was conducted on the typology of mental models of rural women for rural entrepreneurship development in Ilam province. The study deals with the subjective opinions of the participants based on Q methodology. It is applied in terms of goal as well as exploratory and mixed in terms of data collection. The participants of the study consisted of 26 successful female rural entrepreneurs selected by the targeted judgment method. The data were obtained through interviews and a literature review. As many as 49 phrases were selected as Q statements. The SPSS software was applied for data analysis. According to the results obtained from the exploratory factor analysis, the mentality of the participating rural women about promoting rural entrepreneurship was classified into six types including entrepreneurial, market-driven educational, economy-centered, environment-centered, participatory, and supportive types.

Background: Skin-derived precursors (SKPs) are a type of progenitor cells extracted from mammalian dermal tissue and can be differentiate to neural and mesodermal lineage in vitro. These cells can introduce an accessible autologos source of neural precursor cells for treatment of different neurodegenerative diseases. This research was done in order to set up isolation, culture, proliferation and differentiation of human skin derived precursors (hSKPs). Methods: Human foreskin samples were cut into smaller pieces and cultured in proliferation medium after enzymatic digestion. To induce neural differentiation, cells were cultured in neural differentiation medium after fifth passage. We used immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR for characterization of the cells. Neuron and glial cell differentiation potential was assessed by immunofloresence using specific antibodies. The experiments were carried out in triplicate. Results: After differentiation, βIII- tubulin and neurofilament-M positive cells were observed that are specific markers for neurons. Moreover, glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) and S100 positive cells were identified that are markers specifically express in glial cells. Detected neurons and glials were also confirmed by their morphologic characterizations. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that skin-derived precursors obtained from human foreskin can exhibit neuronal and glial differentiation potential in vitro, depending on the protocols of induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Giardiasis is the most common pathogenic gastrointestinal parasite worldwide and transmitted by ingesting parasite cyst, through water and food and person-to-person contact. Therefore in food handlers and child care workers it is of high importance. In this study we surveyed the job of individuals with giardiasis. Materials and Methods: This study was a pilot descriptive-analytic study. Hundred and nine stool samples were collected from individuals referred to medical centers affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences for health certificate. Samples were examined with wet mount smear and formol-ether concentration methods. Also a questionnaire was given to each individual. Results: Sixty nine samples were infected with Giardia lamblia. among positive samples for Giardia lamblia 25 (36.23%) were related to food handlers and occupations which are most frequently associated with food, one (1.44%) nurse, one (1.44%) managing director of the nursery, two (2.89%) housekeepers and one servant (1.44%). Conclusion: Person-to-person Giardia lamblia transmission is often associated with poor hygiene and sanitation, most commonly by food handlers. Also, day- care workers have a higher risk of infecting children attending day-care centers. Therefore particular attention should be paid to health of this workers as well as three times stool examination.

Background & Objective: As far as no study has been done on the prevalence of parasitic infections in Saveh, Markazi Province, Iran, the current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in rural areas of Saveh during 2005-2006. Materials & Methods: 755 people were selected and examined randomly through systematic cluster sampling for intestinal parasites using formalin ether sedimentation technique, as well as direct smear for the diarrheic samples. Results: In general, 14% of individuals were infected with intestinal parasites. The rate of infection with protozoa and helminth parasites were 13.3% and 0.7%, respectively. The infection rate of each parasite species were as follows: Entamoeba coli 5.9%, Giardia lamblia 5.6%, Blastocystis hominis 1.6%, Iodamoeba butchli 0.1%, Chilomastix mesnili 0.1%, Hymenolepis nana 0.3%, Enterobius vermicularis 0.3% and Taenia 0.1%. Conclusion: Comparing the prevalence of intestinal parasites in other parts of the country, especially the rural areas, it is found that the prevalence was lower in Saveh, which is prominent for helminthes parasites. Considering that Saveh is known as a healthy city, the efficient health services in this area is concluded from the obtained results. Therefore, providing treated safe water and sanitation for the reduction of parasites, especially Giardia are recommended in the study area.

Background & Objectives: Giardia duodenalis is the most common intestinal parasite with cosmopolitan distribution. This parasite has been found in the intestine of humans and other mammalian hosts including cats, dogs, cattle, sheep, deer, pigs and muskrats. It is postulated that animals maybe reservoir for human infection and viceversa. In present study, the possible genetic similarity between cat and humans Giardia and its probable zoonosis were investigated. Methods: Direct examination and formalin-ether concentration techniques were performed on stray and semi stray cat fecal specimens. Gradient sucrose method was applied for collection and purification of cysts and DNA extraction was performed by phenol-chloroform and CTAB (Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromid ( methods. DNA of cysts could hardly be extracted after repeated freezing and thawing. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for DNA amplification. In this study triosephosphate isomerase (tpi) gene was selected as a molecular marker. Two sets of primers (PM 290 and PM 924) were considered. Two restriction enzymes RsaI and AvaI were also used to determine restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for PCR fragments amplified by both primer sets. Results: Ten samples were positive for Giardia cysts which were examined for molecular investigation. Four cat isolates were amplified by PM 290. PCR-RFLP patterns were found to be similar to human isolates AC≠AF 069556 (subgroup of AC≠U 57897) with possibility of cross-transmission. Conclusion: Therefore the similarity of genomic characters of isolates of cat and human Giardia implies possibility of zoonosis and transmission of these protozoa from cat to human and vice versa.

Introduction: In addition to its role in preventing dental caries via remineralization, it has been shown that CPP-ACP can also protect teeth against erosion. The aim of this study was to determine whether CPP-ACP could reduce enamel wear rates under erosive conditions simulating attrition and low PH diet. Materials and Methods: In this experimental in vitro study, enamel specimens were subjected to 5000 wear cycles at a load of 3Kg and PH = 3(citric acid as media) in a tooth wear machine. Enamel specimens were divided into 2 groups (n = 9). CPP-ACP in the form of a paste was applied on the samples in the test group for 15 minutes. No treatment was given to the control group. The machine was stopped every 1000 cycles and the same protocol was repeated in the test group for 5 times (totally 5000 cycles). The amount of wear was examined with stereomicroscope. The collected data were then analyzed on a computer via T-test and repeated measurement ANOVA using SPSS. (α = 0.05)Results: T-test indicated that the mean wear rate in the test group (39.09 ± 9.84 micron/1000 cycles) was significantly lower than that in the control group (53.24 ± 4.54 micron/1000 cycles)(p value = 0.004).Conclusion: CPP-ACP as a bioactive substance can reduce enamel attrition in acidic condition. Further studies on how such bioactive substances can clinically control wear seem to be of great advantage. Key words: CPP-ACP, Enamel, Attrition, Erosion

In order to evaluate the parasitological examination in medical centers of Hamadan city, a study was made in seven medical centers including university hospitals of Hamadan city, on patients with gastrointestinal disturbances from Oct. 1991 to Oct. 1992. A total of 733 specimens from patients stool examinations have been done in the centers with direct wet mount and lugol’s iodin wet mount were carried to parasitology Laboratory in the school of medicine, and examined using different techniques including formalin ether, tricohrome staining , etc. The result of the examinations in medical centers were significantly different and the result of this study showed that there should be a program for training the laboratory staff working at the medical centers.