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In this study, the effects of main spray drying conditions such as inlet air temperature (100-140 °C), maltodextrin concentration (MDC: 30-60%), and aspiration rate (AR) (30-50%) on the physicochemical properties of sour cherry powder such as moisture content (MC), hygroscopicity, water solubility index (WSI), and bulk density were investigated. This investigation was carried out by employing response surface methodology and the process conditions were optimized by using this technique. The MC of the powder was negatively related to the linear effect of the MDC and inlet air temperature (IT) and directly related to the AR. Hygroscopicity of the powder was significantly influenced by the MDC. By increasing MDC in the juice, the hygroscopicity of the powder was decreased. MDC and inlet temperature had a positive effect, but the AR had a negative effect on the WSI of powder. MDC and inlet temperature negatively affected the bulk density of powder. By increasing these two variables, the bulk density of powder was decreased. The optimization procedure revealed that the following conditions resulted in a powder with the maximum solubility and minimum hygroscopicity: MDC = 60%, IT = 134 °C, and AR = 30% with a desirability of 0.875.

Background: Hypertension is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases in the world. One of the most effective factors on blood pressure (BP) is nutrition. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between dietary patterns and BP among military staffs. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out among 405 military staffs between 22 and 51 years old. Demographic, anthropometric information, and BP of participants were evaluated by standard methods. The dietary intakes were collected using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Dietary patterns were identified using a posteriori method, factor analysis, and based on the FFQ. To check the relationship between BP and dietary patterns, we used multivariate linear regression in different models, relationship were adjusted for Age, sex, marital, smoking, income, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, family history of hypertension, energy intake, and physical activity level. Results: Two dominant dietary patterns were identified in the participants: Healthy and western pattern. The association of dietary patterns with systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) was exhibited in different models. There was no relationship between SBP and DBP with healthy pattern (P = 0.269 and P = 0.638, respectively) and western pattern (P = 0.648 and P = 0.315, respectively) after adjustments. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that dietary patterns did not have any significant relationship with SBP and DBP after adjustment for confounders in the healthy military. To identify the dietary patterns associated with BP in healthy military, more strong design studies and more participants should be conducted in the future.

Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the zoonotic diseases caused by protozoa of trypanosomatidae family. The cutaneous type with various manifestations is endemic in Iran and affects people of many provinces. Outbreaks may occur in military personnel who deploy these endemic areas. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the most important epidemiologic features of leishmaniasis in Iranian military personnel from 2005-2010. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data was gathered from the regional passive surveillance system of the Iranian army and double checked by the Deputy of Health of Aja University of Medical Sciences. Analysis was performed by the STATA Software using appropriate statistical functions. Results: During the 6 years of study, 3767 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis were reported, 15% of the total reported infectious diseases (excluding upper respiratory infections, which were not included in this study). Cutaneous leishmaniasis was the third most prevalent infectious disease. Sixty nine percent of cases were reported in autumn. Most were related to three provinces: Isfahan, Khuzestan and Bushehr. Two thirds of the reports were from the Air Force. Conclusions: There has been a decline in the overall trend of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the recent years, but there are still peaks in some provinces particularly during autumn. Army health commanders must do their best to prevent the disease and control its cycle, especially in high endemic areas. Keywords: Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous; Military Personnel; Epidemiology; Iran