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To evaluate the effect of laser irradiation on the salinity tolerance in barley (hordeum vulgare L.) in the germination phase and seedling, a three- replicate experiment with CRD in a factorial arrangement experimental type has been previously conducted in Iran. Experimental factors were four barley genotypes (Reihan, Afzal, Fajr30 and Nosrat), two radiation levels (no laser and laser irradiation at 780 nm wavelength for 15 minutes) and five levels of salinity (0, 80, 160, 240 and 320 mM of sodium chloride). In this research, in the germination parameters (root length, shoot length, coleoptile length, root number, germination percentage, mean germination time, dry weight of seedling, seed vigor, and germination rate), all genotypes were significantly affected by increasing the salinity and laser irradiation (P

Introduction: The common method used for juice pasteurization is the thermal method since thermal methods contribute highly to inactivating microbes. However, applying high temperatures would lead to inefficient effects on nutrition and food value. Such effects may include vitamin loss, nutritional flavor loss, non-enzyme browning, and protein reshaping (Kuldiloke, 2002). In order to decrease the adverse effects of the thermal pasteurization method, other methods capable of inactivation of microorganisms can be applied. In doing so, non-thermal methods including pasteurization using high hydrostatic pressure processing (HPP), electrical fields, and ultrasound waves are of interest (Chen and Tseng, 1996). The reason for diminishing microbial count in the presence of ultrasonic waves could be due to the burst of very tiny bubbles developed by ultrasounds which expand quickly and burst in a short time. Due to this burst, special temperature and pressure conditions are developed which could initiate or intensify several physical and/or chemical reactions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the non-thermal ultrasonic method and its effective factors on the E.coli bacteria of sour cherry. Materials and methods: In order to supply uniform ultrasonic waves, a 1000 W electric generator (Model MPI, Switzerland) working at 20±1 kHz frequency was used. The aim of this study is to evaluate the non-thermal ultrasonic method and its effective factors on the E.coli bacteria of sour cherry. For this purpose, a certain amount of sour cherry fruit was purchased from local markets. First, the fruits were washed, cleaned and cored. The prepared fruits were then dewatered using an electric juicer. In order to separate pulp suspensions and tissue components, the extracted juice was poured into a centrifuge with the speed of 6000 rpm for 20 min. For complete separation of the remaining suspended particles, the transparent portion of the extract was passed through a Whatman filter paper using a vacuum pump (Mehmandoost et al., 2011). Afterwards, the samples were poured into a reactor with diameter and height of 80 and 50 mm, respectively. It is necessary to mention that the dimensions of the reactor were optimized during pretests. Probe design: One of the most common types of horns used for ultrasonic machining technologies is step type horn (Naď, 2010). For obtaining the governing equations on deformation along the step type horn in steady state conditions, Eq. (1) was used. In the solution of the mentioned differential equation, the answers are divided into two subsets and each of the answers is obtained considering the boundary conditions (Hosseinzadeh et al., 2013): (1) c^2.[(∂S/∂x)/(S(x)).(∂u(x,t))/∂x+(∂^2 u(x,t))/〖∂x〗^2 ]=(∂^2 u(x,t))/〖∂t〗^2 From Eq. (1), it can be concluded that: (2) u(x,t)=(A cos⁡〖ωx/c〗+B sin⁡〖ωx/c)(C cos⁡〖ωt+D sin⁡ωt 〗 〗) The boundary conditions for Eq. (2) are written as follows: (3) {■(a) (∂u(x))/∂x=0,x=0@b) (∂u(x))/∂x=0,x=l@c) u(0)=u_in )} One of the most important parts in probe design is preventing stress concentration in locations in which the area changes. To avoid this problem, the displacement in this section must be equal to zero (Hosseinzadeh et al., 2013). For obtaining the probe length, the displacement equation and the l1 parameter are used: σ=-E.u_in.ω/c.sin⁡〖(ω.x)/c〗 (4) In order to determine the maximum axial stress in step type probe, Eq. (3) and (4) are derived and set equal to zero. Therefore, the maximum stress will be equal to: σ_max=π.E.u_in/l (5) Optimization and Modeling using Response Surface Method: Response surface methodology (RSM) has an important application in the design, development and formulation of new products, as well as in the improvement of existing product designs. It defines the effect of the independent variables, alone or in combination, on processes. In addition, to analyzing the effects of the independent variables, this experimental methodology generates a mathematical model which describes the chemical or biochemical processes (Anjum et al., 1997, Halim et al., 2009). In order to obtain the optimum value, Eq. (1) will be used: (6) Y_i=β_0+∑▒〖β_i X_i+∑▒〖β_ij X_i X_j+〗〗 ∑▒〖β_ij X_i^2 〗+ε where, β0, βj, βij, βjj are regression coefficients for intercept, linear, interaction and quadratic coefficients, respectively, while Xi and Xj are coded independent variables and ε is the error. For this purpose, four factors of ultrasonic power (200 to 600 W), wave exposure time (5 to 15 min), probe diameter (20 to 40 mm), and probe penetration depth in sour cherry juice container (0 to 40 mm) were selected. First, the probes with the desired diameters were designed using the related formulas by using CAD-CAM. Results and Discussion: Surface Method (RSM) indicated that the quadratic model with 0.96 coefficient of friction, standard error of 1545.3, and coefficient of variation of 14% is the best model for estimating the number of E.coli bacteria among the different studied treatments. The results showed that with increasing probe diameter and probe depth, the destructive effects of ultrasonic wave increase. It was also revealed that as the probe diameter and penetration depth increase, the destructive effect of ultrasonic wave is initially increased and then follows by a decreasing trend. With the increasing power of ultrasonic, ultrasonic intensity increases and leads to reducing number of E.coli in sour cherry juice. The increase in time of treatment with ultrasonic causes a decrease in the number of E.coli in sour cherry juice. This is due to the fact that the increase of ultrasonic exposure time leads to the increase of sonic stream in reactor and results in higher contributions of ultrasonic waves to E.coli. Finally, the examined variables were optimized by RSM and the values of ultrasonic power, waves exposing time, probe diameter, and probe penetration depth were obtained as 600 W, 15 min, 35.31 mm, 20.83 mm, respectively. Considering the mentioned values, the amount of E.coli bacteria reduction was estimated to be 1.97 logarithmic period. Conclusions: 1. Increasing probe diameter and probe depth increasesthe destructive effect of ultrasonic wave. 2. The examined variables were optimized by RSM and the values of ultrasonic power, waves exposure time, probe diameter, and probe penetration depth were obtained as 600W, 15 min, 35.31 mm, 20.83 mm, respectively. Considering the optimum values, the amount of E.coli bacteria reduction was estimated to be 1.97 logarithmic period. 3. With the increasing power of ultrasonic waves, ultrasonic intensity increases and leads to a reduction of the number of E.coli in sour cherry juice. 4. The increase in time of treatment with ultrasonic causesa decrease in the number of E.coli in sour cherry juice.

Osteoporosis, characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to enlarged bone fragility and a consequent increase in fracture risk is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly people. The mortality rate in elderly persons with hip fracture approaches 20%. Half of them will be disabled in the remained life. Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (IMOS) developed by Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (EMRC-TUMS) and Ministry of Health and Medical Education in 2000. The aim of this study with more than 6000 participitants, was to determine normal range of BMD in Iranian population and assessing the current calcium and vitamin D status in Iran. The results were used for determining the normrmogram of BMD in Iranians and prevalence of Vit-D deficinecy among them. This document outlines all aspects of osteoporosis including risk factors, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of osteoporosis.

Little is known about relation of transplantation and bone. We conducted a study to find out the frequency and predictors of osteoporosis in kidney transplanted patients in Iran. DEXA (DPX-MD, GE, Lunar corporation, USA) used for BMD of 61 kidney transplanted patients. Calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, BUN, creatinine and PTH, were also measured. Fourty four percent of patients were men (27). Mean±SD of age of men and women was 44.3±10.44 and 40/7± 13.77, respectively. Mean±SD of transplant duration was 33.9± 33. 2 months Mean±SD of dialysis time was 12±14 months. 29.5% of patients had osteoporosis. Osteoporosis was significantly higher in subjects with BMI less than 19 kg/m2 (P= 0.007). Alkaline phosphatase had a negative relation with osteoporosis in neck (P= 0.001). Other parameters had no significant relationship with osteoporosis. High prevalence of osteoporosis found in Iranian kidney graft recipients. Screening and therapeutic intervention in these patients is urgently needed.

Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) is a noninvasive, inexpensive and portable method for bone densitometry. It may measure some other parameters in addition to BMD, like elasticity and micro architecture. This study designed to determine the relation between reproductive factors and calcaneus QUS parameters in normal women of Tehran. BMD of heel in 151 normal women, 20-72Y/O (participator of Iranian Multi center Osteoporosis Study) was assessed using Achilles+ (GE, Lunar Corporation, USA). After assessment of normal values, Stiffness Index percentiles acquired. With consideration of correlation between variables, multiple regression analysis was used. Mean±SD values of Speed of Sound (SOS), Broad Band Ultrasound Attenuation (BUA) and Stiffness Index (SI), was 36/751527/25, 121/4215/1, 94/4617/92, respectively. Parameters decreased with age (P

DXL of calcaneus is a portable method for BMD. This study determined a cut off point for DXL in osteoporosis diagnosis. In 510 healthy postmenopausal women, BMD of axial regions with DXA (DPX-MD, GE,Lunar Corp, Madison, WI) and heel with DXL (Demeteck- Sweden), measured. The agreement of two methods and cut off point for DXL in defining osteoporosis, obtained. DXA found osteoporosis in 34.3% and in DXL in 26.1% of cases. Agreement (Kappa) was 0.407 for spine and 0.347 for femur. T-score = -1.8 for spine and T-score = -2.2 for femur were the cut off points of DXL in diagnosis of osteoporosis (sensitivity=84% specificity=60%) and (sensitivity=84% and specificity=70%), respectively. Area under curve for regions were 0.807 (P=0.000) and 0.859 (P=0.000), respectively. These results mean DXL can not be used as a replacement for DXA, but it may can be used as a screening method for osteoporosis.

This study planned for finding the agreement DXA and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of phalanx in osteoporosis diagnosis and cut off point of QUS for osteoporosis diagnosis in postmenopausal women. In 180 postmenopausal women, BMD of axial regions with DXA (DPX-MD, GE, Lunar, USA) and phalanx with QUS (DBM-Sonic 1200) measured. Agreement of methods and cut off for QUS in defining osteoporosis obtained. Prevalence of osteoporosis with DXA was 28.8% (18.3% in L2-L4 and 3.9%-7.8% in femoral regions) and in 28.9% with QUS. Agreement of them (Kappa score) was 0.317 for spine and 0.036-0.068 for femoral regions. T-score= -2.0 was the cut off of QUS in spinal osteoporosis diagnosis (sensitivity=78.8% and specificity= 55.9%). We could not find cutoff point for osteoporosis in femoral regions. This means that QUS of phalanx is not a good replacement for DXA, but it can be used as a screening method for osteoporosis.

The present study was undertaken to investigate and optimize the possibility of xanthan gum production by Xanthomonas campestris PTCC1473 in 500ml shake flasks on the second grade date palm. Using an experimental response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with a central composite design (CCD), three major independent variables (nitrogen source, phosphor source and agitation rate) were evaluated for their individual and interactive effects on biomass and xanthan gum production in submerged fermentation. The optimum conditions selected for gum production were 3.15 g.l-1 for nitrogen source, 5.03 g.l-1 for phosphor source, and 394.8 rpm for agitation rate. Reconfirmation test was conducted, and the experimental value obtained for xanthan production under optimum conditions was about 6.72±0.26 g.l-1, which was close to 6.51 g.l-1 as predicted by the model. A higher yield of biomass production was obtained at 13.74 g.l-1 for nitrogen source, 4.66 g.l-1 for phosphor source, and 387.42 rpm for agitation rate. In the next stage, scale-up from the shake flasks to the 1-L batch fermentors was carried. By using the optimum conditions for xanthan gum, the biomass and xanthan gum concentrations after 72h in three levels of air flow rate (0.5, 1 and 1.5 vvm) were obtained as 3.98, 5.31 and 6.04 g.l-1,and 11.32, 15.16 and 16.84 g.l-1, respectively. Overall, the second grade date palm seemed to exhibit promising properties that can open new pathways for the production of efficient and cost-effective xanthan gum.

In the present study, the drying kinetics of non-fat yoghurt with constant thickness of (2.2 mm) in a microwave–vacuum dryer to the power of (35, 130, and 260 W) as well as 5 absolute pressure levels (60, 200, 400, 600, and 800 mbar) were evaluated. To choose the best, also 12 experimental/ semi-theoretical and/or empirical thin-layer drying models were examined. Based on the findings of this study various ranges of microwave power affects drying time where by increasing the microwave power (from 35 to 260 W), drying time significantly decreases from 90 min to 15) which is (600%). However, no significant effects in drying time were observed when reduced the absolute pressure in the system. RMSE was picked to be the most suitable model when the comparison runs between Logistic, Middilli and coworkers models for it contained maximum R2 and minimum χ2 so it could satisfactorily describe the drying kinetics of non-fat yoghurt. The effective moisture diffusivity was increased by increasing the microwave power from 4.42×10-10 to 2.83×10-9 m2s-1 while the pressure had zero effect on this value. In addition, the activation energy was calculated using the modified Arrhenius equation method.

The Caspian kutum, Rutilus frisii kutum, and grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella are two commercially important fishes with similar external features, the first one being endemic to the Caspian Sea, and the second one is cultured in freshwater polyculture system. In this study the nutrient composition of these fishes were compared. Then with the intention of better shelf-life, their hot processed marinades were organoleptically analysed at intervals of 2, 4, 6 and 8 months, using Total Volatile Nitrogen (T.V.N) and peroxid values. The comparison of the fish composition with Duncan test showed no significant difference (p< %5) in average amount of protein, ash and energy content, but significant difference in amount of lipid, P, Ca content, iodine value, saponification value, acid value, peroxide value (at 0,1,3,5 and 7 days after oil extraction) was observed. It means that lipid content, peroxide value and acid value in kutum were higher than grass carp (0.93%, 1.5 mEq/kg and 4.33% fatty acid according to oleic acid, respectively), and Ca, P contents, iodine value and saponification value, on the other hand, were higher in grass carp (39.89 and 12.01 mg/100g , 6.20 %12 and 8.62 mgKOH/g, respectively). The organoleptic results showed that the produced marinade from grass carp (according to variance analysis) is perferable than the other one. Also, it was found that this marinade can be stored during 6 months at 10°C in good condition.

Due to disadvantages of synthetic packaging materials such as migration into food, polluting of environment, difficulty of recovery, high costs of raw materials and production, also for development of properties of starch based edible film, in this study nanocomposite films from starch and montmorillonite (MMT) fabricated and their properties investigated. In this regard, nanocomposite films formulated by mixing starch and four levels of nanoclay (0, 1, 3 and 5%) and three different concentrations of glycerol (20, 30 and 40%), then the physical and mechanical properties of film measured and appropriate film selected. 5% nano-clay could improve tension resistance (38%) and moisture permeability (33%). The results from XRD showed that nanoclay s spread evenly in starch polymer. The effects of ultrasound waves on the optimum film were investigated. These waves improve mechanical properties and permeability of films remarkably. 30 minutes was the best time of ultrasounication processing. Results showed that optimum nanocomposite of starch-nanoclay could be used as a biodegradable suitable packaging for preserving food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of salep gum at concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, 3%, and 5% (w/w flour basis) and the Persian gum at concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, and 3% (w/w flour basis) and combination of the two gums at concentrations of 0.5% + 0.5%, 0.75% + 0.25%, and 0.25% + 0.75% on rheological properties of the wheat flour dough and quality of Taftoon bread were studied with regard to retardation of staling. Rheological (farinograph and extensograph) characteristics, staling, and organoleptic evaluations were performed on the dough and the resulting Taftoon bread. Statistical results showed that the salep gum at 5% and Persian gum at 3% (w/w flour basis) had a significant effect on the dough properties. Salep and Persian gumswhen each separately added increased and decreased doughwater absorption, respectively. Both hydrocolloids increased the dough resistance to extension and decreased its extensibility. Persian gum shows dual nature in water absorption and some other baking properties. Textural studies revealed that addition of 5% salep gum (w/w flour basis) reduced the bread crumb firmness and delayed the staling process of the Taftoon bread. X-ray diffraction study also confirmed this result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of salep gum at concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, 3%, and 5% (w/w flour basis) and the Persian gum at concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, and 3% (w/w flour basis) and combination of the two gums at concentrations of 0.5% + 0.5%, 0.75% + 0.25%, and 0.25% + 0.75% on rheological properties of the wheat flour dough and quality of Taftoon bread were studied with regard to retardation of staling. Rheological (farinograph and extensograph) characteristics, staling, and organoleptic evaluations were performed on the dough and the resulting Taftoon bread. Statistical results showed that the salep gum at 5% and Persian gum at 3% (w/w flour basis) had a significant effect on the dough properties. Salep and Persian gums when each separately added increased and decreased dough water absorption, respectively. Both hydrocolloids increased the dough resistance to extension and decreased its extensibility. Persian gum shows dual nature in water absorption and some other baking properties. Textural studies revealed that addition of 5% salep gum (w/w flour basis) reduced the bread crumb firmness and delayed the staling process of the Taftoon bread. X-ray diffraction study also confirmed this result.

The effect of Silybum marianum seed extract (SMSE), added freely or in co-encapsulated with L. plantarum (MT, ZH593), on cell survivability, physicochemical and textural parameters in synbiotic cheeses for 60 days at 4 °C were studied. Incorporated cheeses with free, single encapsulated, and co-encapsulated probiotic + SMSE experimented a reduction of 3.19, 1.23, and 0.76 log CFU/mL for the cell survivability and their antioxidant activity reached 15.19, 16.26, and 31.73%, respectively, at the end of the storage. Decrease in hardness, cohesiveness, and springiness of the cheese containing free probiotic + SMSE upon compression during storage revealed proteolysis pattern and pH development being the most effective agents while whey percentage and moisture loss were the most effective agents in the rest of the cheeses. Overall, microcapsules containing L. plantarum and SMSE propose an easy and efficient delivery vehicle for the transition of bio-compounds into cheese as a novel synbiotic food., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Low BMD is a common problem in major thalassaemia patient, but the use of DXA in chronic disease children with smaller bones, has some problems. Utilizing bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) helps in preventing this obstacle. Testing the usefulness of this method in resolving the effects of bone size on BMD by comparing the BMD and BMAD of our thalassemics with results of our healthy ones, is our goal., Methods: Sample size was 110 cases with mean age of 9.6 ± 4.3 y/o and contained 73 males. Gauge of BMDs done by dual x-ray absorptiometry. Then BMAD was calculated. We did comparison of BMDs and BMADs results of thalassemic children with results of healthy Iranian pediatrics., Results: Mean of femoral BMD and BMAD, spinal BMD and BMAD was 0.579±0.134 g/cm2, 0.162±0.096 g/cm3, 0.563±0.118 g/cm2 and 0.107±0.015, respectively. When results of 9-18 patients compared with BMDs and BMADs of normal children, BMD of femur and BMD and BMAD of spine of patients found significantly lower (P-values, 0.003, <0.001, <0.001, respectively). BMAD of femur of patients was not significantly different from normals., Conclusion: When bone mineral density of femur modifies by bone mineral apparent density formula, the remarkable difference between BMD of patients and normals; vanishes. Utilizing bone mineral apparent density helps in interpretation of femoral dual X-ray absorptiometry at least in thalassemic patients. As the results of vertebrae, after modification by calculating BMAD, remains significantly different, we cannot bring forward BMAD for mentioned aim in the spine of thalassemics., Competing Interests: All authors have no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s).)

Over the past few decades, the demand for high-quality food has increased steadily. Therefore, it is essential to develop innovative technologies that effectively reduce microbial load while minimizing any negative effect on the quality of spices. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of a self-designed non-contact induction heating system using contaminated cumin seeds. The non-contact induction heating decontamination process was performed at different temperatures of 115, 135 and 155°C and durations (45, 60 and 75 s) through continuous process (screw conveyor) in Pyrex cylinder chamber. Various parameters including microbial load, color characteristics, essential oil content, surface morphology, sample temperature, and energy consumption were analyzed as dependent variables in the study. The results showed that the treatment combination (155°C - 60 s) reduced the aerobic plate count from 6.21 to 2.97 CFU/g. Mold, yeast and coliforms in the treatment combination (155°C-45 s) were also reduced by 3.26 and 3.6 CFU/g, respectively. The total color difference of the samples increased due to the degradation and alteration of pigments at high temperatures. However, no statistically significant disparity in essential oil content was observed between the treatment groups and the control group. The quantities of essential oil components in the cumin seeds were determined to align with the ISO standard, with the primary constituents identified as follows: Terpinen-7-al γ (38.98%), Cumin aldehyde (20.75%), γ-Terpinene (18.81%), β-Pinene (13.66%), and p-Cymene (6.2%). In summary, non-contact induction heating system shows promise as an effective technology for surface decontamination of spices. The acquired findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the impact of the induction heating process on both the microbial contamination levels and the quality attributes of cumin seeds. This scientific knowledge serves as a foundational framework for the prospective adoption and integration of this technology on a larger industrial scale., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Beta-thalassemia major patients frequently have endocrinopathies. We tried to determine relation between demographic and transfusion factor and endocrinopathies., Methods: Major beta-thalassemia patients (n=114 cases), 3-38 yr of age, entered this study. Female to male ratio was 51/63. Children (less than 20 yr) formed 57% of participants. Information about bone mineral density (BMD) and hormonal and biochemistry blood evaluation including fasting blood sugar (FBS), ferritin, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (males), and estradiol (females) entered data sheet., Results: Sex and ferritin level showed no significant correlation with above disorders. Age significantly correlated to short stature, diabetes, low BMD at femur and neck ( P , 0.031, 0.008, 0.009 and <0.001, respectively) . The risk of short stature had increased in 12 yr and older patients 7.71 times than younger patients ( P = 0.008). The risk of diabetes had increased in 35 yr and older patients 26.25 times than younger patients ( P = 0.03). The risk of Z-score ≤ -2 in femoral region has increased in 19 yr and older patients 5.84 times than younger patients ( P = 0.002). The risk of Z-score ≤ -2 in spinal region has increased in 14 yr and older patients 17 times than younger patients ( P = 0.007)., Conclusion: The main factor related with endocrinopathies was age. The correlation between age and short stature, diabetes and low BMD was positive. Therefore, we recommend early monitoring of thalassemia patients (in their late childhood and early teenage) for these complications., (Copyright© 2024 Mohajeri-Tehrani et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: Pregnant women's knowledge about labor analgesia and the acceptance rate of this method are still undesirable in developing countries., Objectives: This study aimed to examine pregnant women's knowledge, attitude, and acceptance of painless labor., Methods: The present observational study was conducted in a referral university hospital in Northern Iran from September 2022 to April 2023. Eligible women were interviewed; the data were analyzed in SPSS v. 22 and expressed in numbers and percentages. A P-value < 0.05 was considered significant., Results: The data from 369 eligible women with an average age of 30.39 ± 5.42 years were analyzed. Of these women, 7.6% had minimal information about labor analgesia, and 92.4% declared they were almost aware of the procedure. Only 6 women (1.8%) believed that the anesthesiologists were responsible for performing labor analgesia, while 218 (63.9%) considered it the duty of obstetricians-gynecologists. Besides, 294 women (86.2%) requested this method, and 259 (76%) were ready to pay for it. Moreover, 166(48.7%) had no fear of the procedure. Nonpharmacologic methods were the first choice for 164 (48.1%), while Entonox was the last choice for 26 (7.6%). A significant association was observed between maternal level of education and willingness to pay for painless delivery (P = 0.006), knowledge of who performs it (P = 0.015), requesting a painless delivery (P = 0.0001), options related to the preferred method for painless delivery (P = 0.001), and being ready to pay for a painless delivery service (P = 0.0001)., Conclusions: Despite the poor maternal knowledge regarding the process of painless labor, the majority of the women requested the method and were ready to pay for it. These promising findings encourage the application of practical strategies to remove barriers., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023, Hosseinzadeh et al.)

Background: Depression is more common in diabetic patients, with a 1.5-fold increased risk of death.Melissa officinalis (M. officinalis) have anti-diabetic and anti-depression activities. The study aimed to determine the efficacy of M. officinalis extract on depression, anxiety, and sleep quality in patients with type 2 diabetes with depressive symptoms., Methods: In this double-blind clinical trial, 60 volunteer patients (age range 20-65 years) with type 2 diabetes mellitus with symptoms of depression were randomized into the intervention (received 700 mg/day hydroalcoholic extract; n = 30) or control group (received 700 mg/day toasted flour; n = 30). Dietary intake, physical activity, anthropometric indices, FBS (Fasting blood sugar), hs-CRP(High-sensitivity C-reactiveprotein), depression, anxiety, and sleep quality were determined at the beginning and end of the study. Depression and anxiety were assessed by Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), respectively; sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)., Results: Sixty participants received M. officinalis extract or placebo, of which 44 patients completed the 12-week double-blind clinical trial. After 12-week the mean change of depression and anxiety scores were statistically significant between the two groups (p < 0.001 and p = 0.04, respectively), but no significant differences were observed in FBS, hs-CRP, anthropometric indices, sleep quality, and blood pressure.In the intervention group, there was a significant decrease in depression and anxiety severity(p < 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively) at the end of the study compared to the baseline., Trial Registration: All protocols in this study were followed in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration (1989 revision). Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Iran University of Medical Sciences Ethics committee (IR.IUMS.FMD.REC 1396.9413468004; research.iums.ac.ir). The study was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT201709239472N16); Registration date: 09/10/2017., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

After the first reporting of the index case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2-associated disease at the end of December 2019, the virus spread quickly throughout the world, prompting the WHO on 11 March 2020 to declare the disease a global pandemic. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, raises concerns for all people, mainly for susceptible population. People with pre-existing diseases, especially individuals with autoimmune disorders, are more at the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection because of compromised immune system due to frequent use of immunosuppressive drugs and steroids. Patients with autoimmune diseases and their physicians have concerns about these patients' healthcare, since they are at a higher risk for COVID-19 infection, may show severe complications of COVID-19, and may experience probable flares of their pre-existing disease. Even though there have been several studies discussing the relation between COVID-19 and various types of autoimmune diseases, it cannot be ascertained that all patients with autoimmune diseases experience more severe complications of COVID-19 and have more hospitalization or mortality rate. The situation depends on each patient's condition, such as the type and the severity of the underlying autoimmune disease and the kind of treatment they receive. In the present review, we have discussed the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with different autoimmune diseases and their relative concerns about their treatments. As a result, we have reviewed further considerations that should be taken into account for these patients during the pandemic or when they are infected with COVID-19., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) is a bone densitometry method that is less expensive and more portable than DXA. It is also noninvasive. QUS parameters include speed of sound (SOS), broad band ultrasound attenuation (BUA), and stiffness index (SI). This study defined normal values of QUS parameters in Iranian men and women., Methods: QUS of heels measured in 258 Iranian men and women, aged 20-76 y/o. They were participants of Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis study (IMOS), selected by randomized sampling. QUS device was an Achilles+ (GE-Lunar) device., Results: Percentiles of SI (2.5%, 50%, and 97.5%) determined. We found a good agreement between the Iranian reference values and western reference (used by device) value in defining normal and osteoporotic people (κ = 0.875)., Conclusion: Results from this study suggest that QUS of the heel may be a good method for diagnosis of low bone mass in different regions., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most prevalent form of symptomatic primary humoral immunodeficiencies characterized by failure in the final differentiation of B lymphocytes. The majority of CVID cases have no identified genetic defect, and epigenetic alteration could be involved in the pathogenesis of CVID. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the expression of hsa-miR-125b-5p -and, B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1(BLIMP-1) and interferon regulatory protein-4 (IRF-4) in a group of CVID patients with no definitive genetic diagnosis in comparison with healthy individuals. Ten CVID patients (all known genes excluded) and 10 age and sex-matched healthy controls participated in the study. B lymphocytes were isolated and expression of miR-125b-5p, IRF4, and BLIMP1 were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Moreover, B cell subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. The results showed that the relative expression of miR-125b-5p in CVID patients was increased while it was decreased for the BLIMP1 and IRF4 transcription factors compared with the healthy controls. Although a reduction was observed in switched and non-switched memory B cells among all high-miR patients, these subsets were decreased in patients with normal miR expression (71.0% and 85.0%, respectively). Our results suggest that overexpression of miR-125b-5p affects the terminal differentiation of B cells in a selected group of CVID patients by downregulating the BLIMP-1 gene and more intensively for the IRF-4 gene expressions.

Arachidonic acid (ARA) is an omega-6 fatty acid that plays a major role in human health. The present study optimizes the production of ARA by the soil fungus Mortierella alpina CBS 754.68 on oil cakes. In the first step, the best substrate was chosen from four oil cakes, namely soybean, sunflower, olive, and colza oil cakes, of which sunflower oil cake showed the highest yield. In the next step, screening tests were performed using the Plackett-Burman design. Seven variables (substrate particle size, moisture content, time, temperature, yeast extract, glucose, and glutamate) were investigated (each taking values of +1 and -1). Among these variables, time, temperature, and substrate particle size significantly affected ARA production ( p  < .05), so they were further investigated in the optimization step. The optimal fermentation time, temperature, and substrate particle size calculated by response surface methodology were 8.75 days, 18.5°C, and 1.3 mm-1.7 mm, respectively. Under these conditions, M. alpina was predicted to produce 4.19 mg of ARA/g dry weight of substrate (DWS). The actual yield, determined in evaluation tests, was 4.48 ± 0.16 mg ARA/g DWS, which shows the accuracy of the model. In the final step, the effect of the aeration rate on producing ARA was investigated in a packed-bed solid-state fermenter under the determined optimal conditions. In this stage, the highest ARA yield was 10.13 ± 0.26 mg/g DWS, approximately double that of the optimization step, and this confirms that aeration increases ARA production by M. alpina ., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background and Purpose: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is considered a common and serious liver disease, which develops into cirrhosis, fibrosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Oxidative stress is identified as an important factor in the induction and promotion of NASH. Allantoin is a natural and safe compound and has notable effects on lipid metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the role of allantoin on the oxidative stress and SIRT1/Nrf2 pathway in a mouse model of NASH., Experimental Approach: C57/BL6 male mice received saline and allantoin (saline as the control and allantoin as the positive control groups). NASH was induced by a methionine-choline deficient diet (MCD). In the NASH-allantoin (NASH-Alla) group, allantoin was injected for 4 weeks in the mice feeding on an MCD diet. Afterward, histopathological, serum, oxidative stress, and western blot evaluations were performed., Findings/results: We found NASH provided hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammation. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) levels decreased, lipid peroxidation increased, and the expression of SIRT1 and Nrf2 downregulated. However, allantoin-treatment decreased serum cholesterol, ALT, and AST. Liver steatosis and inflammation were improved. Protein expression of SIRT1 and Nrf2 were upregulated and SOD, CAT, and GSH levels increased and lipid peroxidation decreased., Conclusion and Implications: It seems that the antioxidant effects of allantoin might have resulted from the activation of SIRT1/Nrf2 pathway and increase of cellular antioxidant power., Competing Interests: The authors declared no conflict of interest in this study., (Copyright: © 2021 Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences.)

Objective: One of the most reliable and decisive histologic parameters with negative prognostic impact is tumor proliferation capacity . Quantification of mitosis in H&E stained slides could be problematic and is limited by poor reproducibility and lack of objectivity. This study was designed to evaluate inter-observer variability in mitotic count using Phosphohistone H3(PHH3)., Methods: Totally, 60 specimens with histologic diagnosis of meningioma were selected including 50 grade I, 7 grdae II and 3 grade III tumors. Mitotic figures were counted both in H&E stained sections and slides prepared by immunohistochemistry using Anti-Phosphohistone H3 Anti body by three observers with various level of expertise, independently., Results: Mean mitotic count by PHH3 method was higher than H&E staining for all three observers. Observer 1 and 2 revealed good correlation in mitotic count using H&E method, while observer 3 showed disagreement with both of them. However, all of them had good correlation in mitotic count using PHH3 method (cc=0.956,0.947,0.909)., Conclusion: Based on our findings, PHH3 revealed good agreement between pathologists with various level of expertise and has the capability for further contribution in meningioma grading classification and specially could be beneficial for less experienced pathologists.

Date palm ( phonix dactylifera L .) is an important tropical fruit growing in central and southern regions of Iran. Date seed is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, that make it an excellent candidate for xylooligosaccharide (XOS) production. In this study, two different protocols are used for the extraction of hemicellulose from date seeds. In the first protocol, hemicellulose (xylan1) was extracted by 2.25 M alkaline solution at room temperature for 24 hr. In the second protocol, date seed was treated with LCHTA (low concentration, 0.1 M, high temperature, 80°C, alkaline solution) for 3 hr, and thereafter, hemicellulose (xylan2) was extracted by 2.25 M alkaline solution at room temperature for 24 hr. The carbohydrate units of xylan1 and xylan2 were qualified and quantified by HPAEC- PAD. Side groups of xylan1 and xylan2 were detected by FTIR. In the next step, xylan1 and xylan2 were exposed to two commercial endoxylanases namely veron 191 and pentopan mono BG. Temperature, pH, time, and enzyme dosage of hydrolyzation were optimized to maximize XOS and minimize xylose. The results showed that the enzymes successfully hydrolyzed xylan2 and produced XOS, but cannot hydrolyze xylan1. Pentopan mono BG and veron 191 produced the highest amount of XOS after 4 (1.17 mmol/g) and 6 hr (1.13 mmol/g) of incubation, respectively. Conversion factors of xylan2 to XOS for pentopan mono BG and veron were 0.41 and 0.36, respectively. This study presence the possible prebiotic properties of date seed XOS and its application in functional foods., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (© 2020 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Cortical deceleration is the main reason for bone loss at peripheral sites. It was suggested that when peripheral bones were assessed for osteoporosis, management and therapy can be administered early. The main aim of this study was to assess the relationships between the central and peripheral measurements at different skeleton bone sites (spine, femur, forearm, tibia, and calcaneus) with available modalities: DXA, QUS, and MDCT-QCT. Methods: The volunteers recruited in this study did not have any history or evidence of metabolic bone disease. Blood test and DXA measurements were used as inclusion criteria to select 40 healthy participants. The selected volunteers underwent 3 imaging modalities: QCT, DXA, and QUS. DXA-based measurements were made on 3 sites, including spine, femur, and forearm. QCT and QUS measurements were done for distal of tibia and calcaneus bones, respectively. The extracted parameters from the 3 modalities were analyzed using a bivariate (Pearson) correlation (r) in statistical software. Results: The results showed moderate to good correlations between spongy bones in central and peripheral sites from all the modalities. However, there was no correlation between MDCT measures and central bone values. According to correlations between different peripheral sits, aBMD of 33% radius and trabecular vBMD in 38% distal tibia showed weak but significant relationship between peripheral bones (r=-0.342, p=0.044). Conclusion: The findings demonstrated how bones in central and peripheral sites were correlated. Multimodality imaging was used in this group of healthy volunteers. Also, it was found that QCT-based MDCT needs more optimization and requires further investigations., (© 2019 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s40200-019-00455-6.]., (© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.)

Purpose: Prevalence of osteoporosis reported as high as 50% in thalassemia major patients. We compared bone density (BMD) of our patients with results of bone densitometry of participants of a national study, to find if BMD diagnosis is ethnicity sensitive or not., Methods: In 177 adult beta thalassemia major patients and 490 normal subjects of 20-39 y/o range, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the spine and femur performed. Normal subjects participated in Iranian Multi-center Osteoporosis Study (IMOS). Mean and standard deviation of normal ones achieved and Z-score of patients re-calculated based on normal Iranians. As BMD of normal participants and patients performed by devices of different brands, analyses done based on calculated standard BMD of all participants., Results: BMD of patients was significantly lower than normal participants ( P value <0.001). Frequency of Z-score ≤-2 found in 52% and 56% of patients in femur and spine regions, respectively. New Z-score of patients according to Iranian normal populations calculated. Frequency of this new Z-score ≤-2 found in 16% and 72% of patients in femur and spine regions, respectively., Conclusions: We think in secondary osteoporosis, may be other cut-off points, especially according to BMD of normal population of that geographical region are needed., (© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.)

Wholemeal bread is strongly recommended due to its nutritional value. However, whole-grain foods contain a high level of phytic acid, an antinutritional factor that decreases the mineral bioavailability. The objective of this study was isolation and identification of lactic acid bacteria with phytase activity to find a suitable starter for bread-making. Wheat-legume sourdoughs were prepared by the back-slopping procedure. Lactic acid bacteria were isolated from the sourdough of wheat flour-mung bean, and their phytase activity was tested in the solid and liquid media. Out of the nine phytase-active isolates in the solid medium, only three isolates produced extracellular phytase in the liquid medium with activity ranging from 16.3 to 53.2 (U/ml). These isolates belonged to species Weissella confusa mk.zh95 and Pediococcus pentosaceus . The highest phytase activity was found for Weissella confusa mk.zh95 . Weissella confusa mk.zh95 is considered an interesting source of phytase during cereals and legumes fermentation which improves the bioavailability of minerals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (© 2019 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Nowadays, the use of agricultural by-products, as the cheap substrate for the production of value-added products, is of high interest for the researchers and practitioners. Cellulase is a relatively expensive and a very important industrial enzyme where in this study was produced form rice by-products under solid-state fermentation. A new mutant of Trichoderma reesei was used for cellulase production. The effective variables were initially screened by "Plackett and Burman design." Afterward, the main variables including moisture content, P source, incubation temperature, and incubation time were optimized by "one factor at a time design." Finally, the resulting variables including 74% for moisture content, 2 g/L for K 2 HPO 4 , 30°C of incubation temperature, and 4 days of incubation time were reported as the ultimate optimal condition for cellulase production., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Sterol regulator element binding proteins (SREBPs) are a family of transcription factors involved in the biogenesis of cholesterol, fatty acids and triglycerides. They also regulate physiological functions of many organs, such as thyroid, brain, heart, pancreas and hormone synthesis. Beside the physiological effects, SREBPs participate in some pathological processes, diabetes, endoplasmic reticulum stress, atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease associated with SREBP expression changes. In the liver, SREBPs are involved in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, hepatitis and hepatic cancer. There are several SREBP inhibitors that have potential for treating obesity, diabetes and cancer. This review assesses the recent findings about the roles of SREBPs in the physiology of organs' function and pathogenesis of liver diseases., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests related to this publication.

Background: Beta thalassemia major (BTM) and its treatment by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) may have deleterious effects on the endocrine systems. We assessed endocrine complications of HSCT in pediatric patients for 3 months., Methods: In 20 (6 female) pediatric major thalassemic patients (mean age of 10.8 ± 3.9 years old), prolactin, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), T4, T3, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), IGF-1, testosterone (in males) or estradiol (in females) were measured as a batch at the Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC) of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) laboratories before HSCT and 1 and 3 months afterwards. The cosyntropin test for all and the clonidine test for short stature patients was conducted before HSCT., Results: Before HSCT, delayed puberty and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism was found in 10% and 20% of patients, respectively. GH deficiency, low IGF1 and short stature was found in 25%, 55% and 40% of patients, respectively. Hypocortisolism, hypothyroidism and panhypopituitarism was found in 15%, 10% and 15% of patients, respectively. Prevalence of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, low IGF1, hypothyroidism and panhypopituitarism was found in 20%, 40%, 10% and 10% of patients after 3 months, respectively (delayed puberty and short stature prevalence do not change after 3 months). HSCT caused lower T3 and estradiol and higher TSH. Corticosteroid users (15) had higher GH and lower T3 and testosterone or estradiol. Ferritin had a significant (negative) correlation with (before) prolactin and a significant correlation with T3 and T4 after HSCT. Age and acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) had no significant effect., Conclusion: Considering the small sample size and short duration of the study, it is difficult to reach any conclusion however it seems HSCT does not appear to have an overall positive or negative effect on prevalence of pituitary- hypothalamus axis disorders in pediatric thalassemic patients in 3 months., (© 2018 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

Jujube extract was concentrated by various heating methods including vacuum, microwave and conventional heating. The effect of concentration methods and storage time (for 90 days at 4 °C) on total phenolic and total monomeric anthocyanin contents, individual anthocyanins, individual organic acids, and color values of jujube concentrate was investigated separately. The desired level of concentration (65.0 °Brix) was achieved in 45, 96 and 117 min by the microwave, vacuum and conventional heating methods, respectively. The concentrate obtained with microwave method had the highest total phenolic content (159.32 mg GAE/g DW) and total monomeric anthocyanin content (48.84 mg cyn-3-glu/100 g DW) in comparison to the other methods at the beginning of storage. Hunter color parameters ( L* , a* and b* ) decreased significantly with increasing the time of storage in all cases; however, this effect was more obvious in the vacuum heating. Cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside was determined as the major anthocyanin in all concentrates, while its degradation was more pronounced in the conventional heating (25.59%) comparing to the microwave (11.14%) and vacuum methods (17.59%) during the 90-day storage. The jujube concentrate prepared with the microwave method had the highest organic acid contents (e.g. malic, citric, succinic and ascorbic acids) as compared to the other methods. Thus, according to the results, the heating method and storage time had significant effects on the bioactive compounds and color values of jujube concentrate. In general, microwave energy could be successfully used in production of jujube concentrate followed by 90-day storage.

Objectives: Beta thalassemia major is a genetic hemoglobin disorder that affects bone density. The disease leads to deteriorating bone structure but can be treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplant. We aimed to assess bone mineral density changes in pediatric beta thalassemia major patients who had undergone a hematopoietic stem cell transplant compared with similarly affected patients who had not undergone a hematopoietic stem cell transplant., Materials and Methods: Forty beta thalassemia major patients, 20 transplant and 20 nontransplant, younger than 16 years of age were enrolled. The mean age of transplant patients was 8.15 years and nontransplant patients was 9.5 years (P = .242). The female:male ratio was 1:1 in both groups. None of the patients reached puberty during this study. Bone mineral density was evaluated in transplant patients before and 1 year after hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Bone mineral density of nontransplant patients also was evaluated 1 year after their initial bone mineral density test. A Norland XR-46 densitometer was used to make all bone mineral density measurements. None of the patients had a z score < -2., Results: Mean bone mineral density changes in the femur and spine during this study were 0.008 ± 0.075 g/cm2 and 0.048 ± 0.045 g/cm2 in transplant patients and 0.045 ± 0.072 g/cm2 and 0.036 ± 0.058 g/cm2 in nontransplant patients. No significant differences between bone mineral density changes in transplant and nontransplant patients were detected during the study., Conclusions: No significant effects on bone mineral density were detected in hematopoietic stem cell transplant pediatric beta thalassemia major patients compared with similarly affected nontransplant patients. Studies of longer duration may be required to identify significant changes in bone mineral density in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

In this work, silver nanoparticles were synthesized and stabilized with 11-mercaptoundecanoateanions to produce a new Ag@MUA core shell structure, and its utilizing for fabrication of a new sensing film. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were electrochemically produced and simultaneously immobilized into the electropolymerized polypyrrole (PPy) film with the reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The Ag@MUA was then grafted to the surface of GC/PPy-AuNPs-rGO film using L-cysteine (L-Cys) linker agent and trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride (TF2O), at ambient temperature and under the electrode stirring. The characterization of the sensor was studied by scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic and square wave voltammetry techniques. The utility of the modified electrode for clinical diagnosis has been successfully demonstrated by the analysis of human blood serums with a certified CRP and CCP content. Thus, the proposed sensor shows simple preparation, accuracy and precision in the analysis of cytochrome c protein (CCP) and C-reactive protein (CRP (with less side interferences., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The time courses for production of fungal biomass, lipid, phenolic and arachidonic acid (ARA) as well as expression of the genes involved in biosynthesis of ARA and lipid were examined in Mortierella alpina CBS 754.68. A significant increase in the arachidonic acid content in lipids that coincided with reduced levels of lipid was obtained. Reduced gene expression occurred presumably due to the steady reduction of carbon and nitrogen resources. However, these energy resources were inefficiently compensated by the breakdown of the accumulated lipids that in turn, induced up-regulated expression of the candidate genes. The results further indicated that the expression of the GLELO encoding gene is a rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of ARA in the early growth phase.