Search

Abstract The aim was to scrutinize the in vivo and in vitro activities against Leishmania tropica with compounds of Oxyresveratrol, Quercetin O-Hexoside, and Quercetin 3-Glucoside. The in vitro outcomes against Leishmania were analyzed for 24-48 hours on L. tropica KWH23 promastigotes with compounds materials having 50 - 200 µg/mL concentration with negative control and standard drug Amphotericin B. The compounds were analyzed in L. tropica infected BALB/c mice against Leishmania tropica. The Quercetin 3-Glucoside shows mean inhibition of extracellular promastigotes after 48 hours at 50, 100, 150, 200 µg/mL were 91.02 ± 0.12, 94.50 ± 0.07, 96.15 ± 0.17 and 97.01 ± 0.08 % respectively. In BALB/c mice, the intracellular amastigotes were 91% cured at 200 µg/mL and mean lesion size decreased to 0.41 ± 0.21 mm (p < 0.01). The result shows that Quercetin 3-Glucoside possesses significant anti-leishmanial activity.

Purpose: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can guide the surgical strategy to identify brain tumors and monitor treatment response. It is possible to use transcranial Ultrasound (US) for periodical follow-ups. Ultrasound waves pass through the delicate areas of the skull called acoustic windows. In this study, the efficiency of ultrasound imaging was performed to diagnose glioblastoma brain tumors and the results were compared with MR images. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of Ketamine and Xylazine. A stereotaxic device was used to determine the injection coordinates. C6 GBM cell lines were injected into the brains of rats. After two weeks, the formation of a glioblastoma tumor was confirmed histopathologically. The brain of animals was imaged by B-mode ultrasound and MRI. The section with the largest tumor dimensions was selected and the dimensions of the skull and tumor were measured based on the pixel size of each of the imaging methods. Pearson coefficient of correlation and Limits Of Agreement (LOA) were calculated for comparisons of the skull and tumor dimensions. Results: The skull and the tumor dimensions showed a significant correlation between the B-mode ultrasound and the MRI measurements (R=0.99 and p

Explosions are continually occurring without ceasing in many parts of the world endangering human lives and seriously affecting the health of infrastructures and facilities. Industry accidental mishaps that occurred recently, like those in Ghana (2022; 17 deaths), Russia (2021; 18 deaths), Beirut (2020; 220 deaths; $8bn economic loss), and Tientsin (2015, 173 deaths; $6.86bn economic loss), indicate the severity of the industrial devastation one could gauge that explosions may cause. Very recently, another industrial blast occurred at a rocket and explosive factory in the capital city of Turkey leading to the collapse of a nearby building and causing 5 deaths and serious injuries to over 50 civilians, is an eye-opener. This article offers a condensed examination of subjects related to explosions, including accidental detonations, the Beirut ANFO explosion, and the Ghana truck explosion. The report findings from the global terrorism index 2021-22 are analyzed and discussed. Additionally, strategies for both active and passive measures to mitigate the impact of explosions on infrastructure and facilities are emphasized. To ensure safety and durability against damage, the structure needs to possess resilience in the face of explosions. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze how the structure responds to extreme loading in order to enhance the design philosophy. Currently, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the mechanism of blast and how it affects masonry structures. Consequently, further research is required to delve deeper into this subject.

Explosion incidents that are unforeseen can lead to the occurrence of extreme loads, resulting in the generation of remarkably high stress levels within the materials comprising various structures. This can cause significant damage to crucial elements and potentially trigger a disproportionate collapse or even initiate a progressive collapse. Bridge structures, which serve as vital lifelines for cosmopolitan areas and strategic bordering environments, hold immense economic and political significance. The failure of these structures can have severe consequences with far-reaching implications. The use of a steel bowstring-arch bridge is a practical choice for congested crossings and remote border areas where spans are short. However, the current design codes for bridges do not take into account high-strain loadings such as blasts or impacts, nor do they provide recommendations for preventing these occurrences during construction or throughout the lifespan of the bridge. Explosive incidents cause greater damage in terms of material damage and loss compared to earthquakes. There has been limited investigation into how steel-concrete bridges respond to explosions in the past. This study examines the numerical analysis of a bowstring-arch highway girder bridge made of steel and concrete. The bridge is supported at both ends and is subjected to close-range concentric explosions above and below the deck at the center and end of the bridge. To model the bridge and predict its behavior, the authors utilized the Abaqus software suite. For the analysis, a significant quantity of TNT weighing 1.63-tonne has been positioned at the midpoint of the bridge and is defined using the Eulerian-Lagrangian scheme. The transmission of the explosive shockwaves within the bridge material under the given loading circumstances is illustrated and elucidated. The behavior of the bridge is examined in relation to plastic deformations, primary stress, displacement, size of the crater, and overall energy of damage.

Reinforced concrete (RC) slabs during their service life experience falling mass impacts which are significantly different from quasi-static loading on account of short-term load transference and higher strain rate. Slab being a thin flexural member is prone to short-term dynamic loadings susceptible to irreparable damage or even collapse. Considerable research has been done with round impacting mass, however, the impacting mass needs not necessarily be round and may have a different geometry such as a rolling boulder or fragmented rock mass. To simulate the practical impacting geometries of the falling mass, eight different variations of the geometries varying from flat of 300mm diameter followed by 40mm flat with tapering from 90° to 0° in increments of 15° keeping the material characteristics and drop height of the falling mass constant across all the eight cases, have been considered herein to investigate the influence of impactor’s taper angle on the anti-impact response of the validated square slab in Abaqus Explicit package program. A comparison of several response parameters including displacement, damage, stress distribution, and plastic dissipation energy has been done with the validated model, and the geometries of the impactor causing the maximum and minimum damages are identified. A key finding from this study is that all considered impacting geometries lead to bond failure in the lower layer of the re-bars, however, the impactors having the geometry with taper angles below 45° possess the capacity to induce bond failure in the re-bars of the upper layer too, beyond the impacted region.

Objectives Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability worldwide. Caregivers of stroke patients experience high levels of care burden that can affect their physical and psychological health. It is necessary to use interventional programs for family caregivers to prevent or reduce their care burden. This study aims to determine the effect of education and telephone follow-up on care burden of the family caregivers of older patients with stroke. Methods & Materials This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 79 family caregivers of older patients with stroke admitted to the neurology department of Bu-Ali hospital in Qazvin, Iran who had been discharged in the past 1-6 months. Then, they were randomly divided into intervention and control groups by the block randomization technique. For the intervention group, 12 weeks of education and follow-up was presented through telephone and social media. Data were collected by demographic checklist, Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living, and Zarit burden interview. The independent t‐test, paired t‐test, and chi‐square tests were used for analyzing the data. Results Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the amount of care burden (26.20 ± 11.08 for intervention group and 28.70 ± 11.63 for the control group) (P = 0.333); however, after the intervention, the care burden of the intervention group (18.28 ± 10.07) and the control group (29.80 ± 11.76) showed a significant difference (P < 0.001). The results showed that 12 weeks of education & telephone follow-up caused a significant reduction in the care burden of the family caregivers (P< 0.001). Conclusion The education and telephone follow-up can be a useful and cost-effective method for reducing the care burden of the family caregivers of older patients with stroke.

Research aims on natural fibers using nano materials according to health studies. In this research, cork powder was used as a raw natural and ecofriendly material which was doped with nano strontium titanate. The composite was extruded by twin screw extruder to obtain composite fibers. The strength of the composites produced was investigated and the results revealed that all samples containing cork with nano particles have better strength, which can be used in textile industry. On the other hand, the composite UV protection was studied and the result showed the final composite has excellent protection against UV transmission which is so important in today’s world. Also, water uptake was investigated and the SEM images proved the distribution of nano particles and cavity forms of cork after extrusion.

Chilli is a spicy crop which belongs to family Solanaceae. As a vegetable crop, it is considered as one of the major cultivated crops in the world seriously affected by the climatic changes, including elevation in temperature. Therefore, in this research various morpho-physiological characteristics of chilli were studied for heat tolerance under the influence of exogenous application of proline. This research was carried out in a growth room of the Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Four chilli genotypes were evaluated under the applied conditions. Seeds were grown in plastic pots. Heat stress (40/32 ºC day and night temperature) was applied 30 days after the emergence. Foliar spray of proline (0, 5 and 10 mM) was applied during heat stress, and after 7 days of stress the plants were harvested. The results revealed that the inhibition of chilli growth by heat stress was successfully mediated by proline application. Morphological attributes such as the number of leaves per plant, root and shoot length, plant fresh and dry weight were reduced in response to heat stress, and physiological attributes such as photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency and chlorophyll contents were also reduced in response to heat stress, except transpiration rate and stomatal conductance, which increased under heat stress and showed recovery by proline application. Exogenous application of proline promoted tolerance against heat stress in chilli genotypes and enhanced growth. All the observed traits exhibited recovery in response to proline stimulus, indicating the role of proline in mitigating the consequences of heat stress. Recovery also depends on genetic capability of various cultivars.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the annual and weekly prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) and their relation to demographic characteristics, such as Body Mass Index (BMI), work experience, and physical activity in spinner workers in the textile industry. We also conducted a comparison between the annual and weekly prevalence of MSDs. Methods: The study sample included 700 male spinner workers (Mean±SD age: 32.6±6.5 years) from 10 companies in Najaf Abad City, Isfahan Province, Iran. Information about MSDs was collected through the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (ENMQ) from November 2018 to September 2019. Demographic characteristics were collected using a demographic checklist through a direct interview by one investigator. Results: The present study findings suggested that the Mean±SD duration of work hours per week was 56.6±8.4 hours. The Mean±SD times of experiencing an injury equaled 27.8±33.1 months. The annual prevalence of MSDs was reported to be 74.4% for at least one of the 9 body regions. The highest annual prevalence rates belonged to the knees (54.0%), lower back (34.3%), and shoulders (23.1%). In contrast, the most weekly prevalent regions were the knees (44.6%), lower back (26.9%), and ankles (15.9%). Generally, the weekly prevalence was significantly lower than that of the annual prevalence (P

Abstract Background Platelet size and activity have a close correlation. The mean platelet volume (MPV) is related to the disease severity and prognosis, especially in critically ill patients. Objective To study the relation between MPV changes and postoperative morbidities and mortality in pediatric surgical intensive care unit (PSICU). Methods and material We enrolled in this descriptive observational study one hundred PSICU children aged from 1 month to 18 years and stayed for > 48 h for peri-operative or post-trauma management. The 1ry outcome was the association between percentage change in MPV (ΔMPV) value and mortality. We recorded MPV, ΔMPV, and platelet count as a baseline, at day 0, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 7th days and then once weekly until patients were discharged, died, or reached a maximum of 90 days in ICU stay. Statistical analysis used We used statistical package for the social science (SPSS) version 22. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney test made comparisons between quantitative variables. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), non-parametric Friedman, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests made the comparison within the same patients. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the detection of sensitivity and specificity. Results Patients who developed ICU complications showed higher ΔMPV compared with non-complicated cases, and this was statistically significant on days 2, 3, 5, and 7 of ICU stay. ROC curve analysis showed a sensitivity of 57.2% and 73% on days 2 and 3 and a specificity of 76.6% and 71% on days 2 and 3, respectively. Conclusions MPV dynamics have a prognostic role and worth a value in predicting several complications in PSICU.

Background Properly identifying the expectations of family members of patients admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) is a necessity for nurses. Objective The present study aimed to determine and compare the expectations of ICU patients’ families according to the perceptions of ICU nurses and family members. Methods In this descriptive-analytical study, 147 families of ICU patients and 137 ICU nurses of hospitals in Qazvin were selected as study samples through a census method. Data were collected using Molter’s Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI), and data analysis was performed using the Pearson correlation test, one-way ANOVA and chi-square at a significant level of P

Objectives: instruments and methods evaluate addiction to the Internet, mobile, and smartphone use. Subject-reported outcome measures, such as the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) assess such addiction. The objectives of this study were to cross-culturally adapt the SAS into Persian (SAS-Pr) and to evaluate the properties of reliability and validity in the Persian setting. Methods: The English version of the SAS was translated into Persian according to the published guidelines, using forward-translation, synthesis, back translation, consolidated consensus translations from an expert committee, and in pilot-testing. The pilot trial was performed with recruited medical students (n=50) with an interview used to determine the comprehensibility, readability, understandability, interpretation, and cultural relevance of the questionnaire. A further sample of medical students (n=100) was recruited for test-retest reliability performed at baseline and 7-14 days later, using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1) and internal consistency using Cronbach’s α. Results: The translation of SAS-Pr was achieved with minimum difficulty. During this process, item 15 was revised and in items 24 and 25, the “telegram” phrase was added. The participants found the comprehensibility, readability, understandability, interpretation, and completeness of the questionnaire conclusive. Furthermore, high levels of test-retest reliability (ICC2,1=0.81) and internal consistency (α=0.948) were obtained. Discussion: The SAS-Pr adaptation was successful and the translated version showed promising positive psychometric properties. The SAS-Pr can be applied in research settings and in identifying Persian-speaking people at risk of addiction to the smartphone.

Introduction: Because health-promoting behavior is one of the major determinants of health, this study was conducted to determine whether social support predicts health-promoting behaviors in elderly people living in Tabriz, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive and cross-sectional study, 180 elderly people referring to the health complexes in Tabriz, Iran, were selected using a random cluster sampling method. Data were collected using demographic questionnaires, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale. Data were analyzed using stepwise multiple linear regression models. Results: The mean age of 180 elderly people who participated in the study was 66.9 ± 5.74 years. The results of multiple regression indicated that education (B = 8.98, P < 0.001) and perceived social support (B = 0.45, P < 0.014) explained ~29% of changes in health-promoting behaviors among the elderly. Conclusion: Given the predictive role of perceived social support in health-promoting behaviors, establishing or strengthening supportive social networks seems to be one of the effective factors in promoting the elderly's health.

Afghanistan, a nation plagued by wars, terrorism, and counter-terrorism, has borne the brunt of these conflicts. The common people of Afghanistan are weary of the continuous cycle of attacks and counter-attacks by warlords. Even places of worship and those who gather there are not spared from these acts of violence. For years, explosive blasts have targeted the compound walls surrounding these religious structures. In this research, we investigate the impact of such blasts on free-standing URM walls commonly used in Afghanistan. Using ABAQUS/Explicit code, we conduct nonlinear analysis to examine the blast performance of these walls. Additionally, we retrofit the walls with a high-strength C-FRP laminate. To optimize computational time, we employ a macro strategy. The results show that the strengthened walls exhibit comparable blast performance. Importantly, when the laminate is applied to both faces, there is no longer a need for increased wall thickness in the masonry construction.

Background: Malnutrition is a common clinical problem in critically ill patient at ICU. It has irreversible consequences for patients and causes heavy health care costs for the healthcare system. Nurses are the main responsible for providing nutritional care to patients, but studies show that nurses' compliance with standards in patient care is very low. Therefore, it is important to determine the quality of nursing care in the field of nutrition of patients for behavioral at the individual and organizational level and to develop a guide for evaluating these standards. The present study was designed to compare the quality of nursing care of tubal nutrition with standards in patients admitted to intensive care units of educational hospitals affiliated to Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This is a descriptive comparative study. The research population included all nurses working in intensive care units. According to the number of nurses working in the intensive care unit and considering three observations for each nurse, a total of 495 observations were recorded. The data were collected using standard feeding tube checklist. Then, data were analyzed using SPSS v.21 using statistical tests. Results: The results of this study showed that 38% of nurses had a moderate performance and 62% had a good performance in nursing care and the difference was 4.8 in nurses' average performance (p

Background: Studies regarding cleansing the area with antiseptic solutions prior to catheterization in premature infants are limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of chlorhexidine 2% and iodopovidone-alcohol solutions on bacterial colonization associated with the peripheral venous catheterization in premature infants. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2016-2017 at a neonatal intensive care unit in Qazvin, Iran. Premature infants (N=106) were assigned to the two groups of “A” treated with chlorhexidine 2% or “B” cleaned with iodopovidone-alcohol 10%. Quantitative culture of the catheters was performed 48 hours after insertion. Results: Our findings showed that the frequency of positive catheter tips culture was 6.6% among all the samples (N=7). Out of the seven positive cultures, five (43.9%) belonged to the iodopovidone-alcohol group and two (3.7%) were from the chlorhexidine 2% group. Although a number of the positive cultures in the iodopovidone-alcohol group was higher than the chlorhexidine 2% group, this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.21). Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrated that bacterial colony growth may be decreased when using preparatory chlorhexidine 2%, compared with iodopovidone-alcohol at no added risk to infants. We recommend further study in this regard.

Background: Spiritual intelligence as a basis of individual beliefs plays a fundamental role in various areas of human life, especially mental health promotion. Objective: Thisstudy investigated the relationship between spiritual intelligence and perceived stress among critical care nurses. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 115 nurses who were selected by nonrandom sampling method in a correlation manner. Data were gathered by using three questionnaires: demographic information, king's spiritual intelligence and Cohen's perceived stress questionnaire and analyzed by linear regression and correlation coefficient analysis. Findings: In this study 13 men and 102 women participated. The mean score of perceived stress (25.7±5.96) and spiritual intelligence score (50.28±14.35) were moderate. There was a reverse and significant relationship between spiritual intelligence and its subscales with perceived stress (r= -0.243 and P= 0.009). The study showed that spiritual intelligence and education level can be considered as predictive variables for perceived stress (P

Introduction: Health promoting behaviors (HPBs) are one of the main criteria to determine health. HPBs have a complex nature and are influenced by several factors. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between HPBs and general health in the elderly in Qazvin. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 372 older people were enrolled using convenience sampling. Data were collected using demographic information questionnaire, HPBs checklist, and Goldberg and Hillier's 12-items of the General Health Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by independent t-test and chi-square test. Results: The results showed that 21% of the elderly were not in a desirable general health status. Walking (61%) and using low-fat foods (73.9%) were among the most uncommon HPBs while lack of alcohol consumption (97%) and blood pressure control (95.4%) were among the most common HPBs. The elderly who walked reported a significantly higher general health (P < 0.001), while the elderly who reported using low-salt (P = 0.008) and low-fat (P = 0.008) diet had a significantly lower general health. Conclusion: While the rate of doing certain HPBs, such as walking, was not good, almost 80% of the subjects were in a satisfactory general health status. Efforts to expand and improve HPBs, especially walking, in the elderly can affect their general health status.

A randomized, controlled clinical trial was started in the pre-HAART era to compare the efficacy of zidovudine (AZT) and interferon-alpha (IFN-α) either alone or in combination to reduce HIV viremia, maintain CD4+cell count, and decrease time to AIDS progression and death. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effects of AZT and IFN on HIV load using modern technology. One hundred and eighty patients with CD4+counts above 500 cells/mm3were randomized to receive AZT alone, IFN-α alone, or AZT and IFN-α in combination. CD4+cell count and HIV load at baseline and at the last follow-up visit were compared, and time to AIDS or death was calculated by treatment group. At a mean follow-up of 45 weeks, the mean change in log HIV RNA was −0.06 for the AZT alone group, −0.47 for the AZT plus IFN-α group (P= 0.01 versus AZT group), and −0.35 for the IFN-α alone group (P= 0.02 versus AZT group). There was no significant difference among groups in change in total CD4+count or in time to AIDS or death. Since treatment with IFN-α produces significant decreases in HIV load, additional studies of IFN-α as part of a combination regimen are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims:Shigella infection is still a health problem in less developed countries. This infection is a major cause of food poisoning that sometimes caused morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate outbreak of Shigella food poisoning in children referred to Kerman Afzalipour hospital. Method: In September 2015, a large number of children and adults with high fever and diarrhea following consumption of a common food were admitted in Kerman Afzalipour hospital, south east, Iran. Along with primary care, culture and smear of stool samples were tested in the laboratory. Results: From thirteen children aged 2 to 14 years, one child was treated as outpatient and 12 ones were hospitalized. One child had diarrhea with blood and mucus. Seven children had colitis along with numerous leukocytes in the stool test. Two patients had generalized tonic-clonic seizures. In two cases stool cultures showed Shigellaflexneri susceptible to third generation cephalosporin, but resistant to co-trimoxazole and nalidixic acid. After the treatment, all children were discharged from the hospital in good condition. Conclusion: In food poisoning, Shigella infection and antibiotic resistance of this bacterium should be considered.

Objective : Medication errors are the most common medical errors, which may result in some complications for patients. This study was carried out to investigate what influence medication errors by nurses from their viewpoint. Methods: In this descriptive study, 150 nurses who were working in Qazvin Medical University teaching hospitals were selected by proportional random sampling, and data were collected by means of a researcher-made questionnaire including demographic attributes (age, gender, working experience,…), and contributing factors in medication errors (in three categories including nurse-related, management-related, and environment-related factors). Findings : The mean age of the participant nurses was 30.7 ± 6.5 years. Most of them (87.1%) were female with a Bachelor of Sciences degree (86.7%) in nursing. The mean of their overtime working was 64.8 ± 38 h/month. The results showed that the nurse-related factors are the most effective factors (55.44 ± 9.14) while the factors related to the management system (52.84 ± 11.24) and the ward environment (44.0 ± 10.89) are respectively less effective. The difference between these three groups was significant ( P = 0.000). In each aforementioned category, the most effective factor on medication error (ranked from the most effective to the least effective) were as follow: The nurse′s inadequate attention (98.7%), the errors occurring in the transfer of medication orders from the patient′s file to kardex (96.6%) and the ward′s heavy workload (86.7%). Conclusion : In this study nurse-related factors were the most effective factors on medication errors, but nurses are one of the members of health-care providing team, so their performance must be considered in the context of the health-care system like work force condition, rules and regulations, drug manufacturing that might impact nurses performance, so it could not be possible to prevent medication errors without paying attention to our health-care system in a holistic approach.

Two sample populations, one refugee and one resident, were studied. The frequencies of consanguineous marriages came out to be 49.8%and 55.4%, respectively, for the refugees and the residents. Caste endogamy was dominant both in the residents and the refugees. The mean coefficient of inbreeding was calculated to be 0.0303 for the refugee population and 0.0332 for the resident population samples. First cousin marriage was the dominant type of marriage in both samples; father's brother's daughter (FBD) marriage was more frequent among the refugees while mother's brother's daughter(MBD) marriage was more frequent among the residents. Education has no decreasing effect on the incidence of consanguineous marriages. A significant difference in the pattern of marriages in the refugees is observed after the Saur Revolution of 1979.