Search

Nadia Khorasani,1 Josephine Baker,1 Malcolm Johnson,2 Kian Fan Chung,1 Pankaj K Bhavsar1 1Experimental Studies, Airway Disease Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College and Biomedical Research Unit, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust Hospital, London, UK; 2GlaxoSmithKline, Uxbridge, UK Background: Corticosteroids (CS) have limited efficacy in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation is increased in lung macrophages of COPD. We investigated whether p38 MAPK inhibition can modulate CS insensitivity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with COPD. Methods: PBMCs from patients with COPD (n=8) or healthy smokers (n=8) were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with a selective p38 MAPK inhibitor (GW856553; 10–10–10–6 M), with dexamethasone (10–10–10–6 M), or with both. Phosphorylated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) was measured by Western blot. Results: Baseline (P

Afshin Mohammadi1, Nilofar Khorasani2, Farzad Moloudi2, Mohammad Ghasemi-rad31Department of Radiology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran; 2Student Research Committee, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran; 3Genius and Talented Student Organization, Student Research Committee, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, IranObjectives: Cataracts are the most common cause of blindness worldwide, with cataract surgery being the most common ophthalmic procedure. To our best knowledge, this is the first case-control study with a large number of participants to evaluate ocular blood flow in patients with cataracts.Materials and methods: Color Doppler and duplex sonography of the orbital vessels was performed in 224 eyes of 112 patients with known bilateral age-related cataracts and in 76 eyes of 38 healthy age- and sex-matched volunteers.Results: The mean ± (standard deviation [SD]) of peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the ophthalmic artery in patients with cataracts (34.59 ± 22.49 cm/second) was significantly different to that in controls (52.11 ± 14.01 cm/second) (P < 0.001). The mean ± SD PSV of the central retinal artery in patients with cataracts (15.31 ± 4.93 cm/second) was significantly different to that in controls (9.61 ± 5.64 cm/second) (P < 0.001).Conclusion: The mean PSV and resistive index (RI) of the ophthalmic and central retinal arteries were lower in cataract patients when compared with normal subjects. This suggests that ocular hypoperfusion and changes in ocular hemodynamic may have a role in the formation of age-related cataracts.Keywords: retrobulbar blood flow, age-related, cataract, color Doppler ultrasonographic

This paper describes the experimental testing of a reinforced concrete tessellated shear wall. The wall specimen was tested as part of a National Science Foundation-funded research project designed to demonstrate the concept of tessellated structural-architectural (TeSA) systems. TeSA systems are constructed of topologically interlocking tiles arranged in tessellations, or repeating geometric patterns. As such, these systems are designed with easy repair and reuse in mind. The specimen discussed in this paper is a TeSA shear wall constructed from individually precast I-shaped tiles. This paper presents the results of reverse cyclic loading of the specimen, including load-displacement behavior, crack propagation, and energy dissipation. A simplified analytical model for predicting the wall's flexural capacity is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Human communities encompass significant population proportion via various strategies of livelihood around the wetlands, including urban development, municipal wastewater discharge or solid disposal, construction growth, agriculture, and fishery piers. Wetlands essentially prepare precious biodiversity and are excellently approved as valuable ecosystems;however, have been exposed to destruction and ruin. The most impressive objectives of the research are briefly to improve the wetland ecosystem by highlighting biodiversity protection approaches. In this paper, the whole socioeconomic activities, besides the environmental concerns have been probed on the Boujagh Wetland to better figure outthe trade-offs with this management practice. METHODS: Overall, a conceptual integrated management model has been utilized as the framework of the study, afterward identifying hazardous factors, vulnerability, and indicator species threshold, Ecological Risk Assessment has been implemented by Tiered-ERA model; MIKE 21 simulated contaminants in the widespread aquatic area. SWOT and Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix have been selected for strategy identification and classification, respectively. In order to illustrate sensitive habitats and other features, Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing instruments have been applied. FINDINGS: Results demonstrated "chemical fertilizers and pesticides of upstream farmlands" and "toxic metals of industrial wastes and boating" led to ecological hazards for organisms; in addition, nitrogen and phosphor parameters affected eutrophication, influenced due to residential effluents. Furthermore, the most sensitive ecosystems are situated on the surrounding Boujagh Wetland and Sefidrud River margin. Conservation and tourism are prioritized as key strategies and wise uses by scores 10.19 and 9.79 on the QSPM respectively. CONCLUSION: Finally, conservation, extensive tourism, urban wastewater treatment establishment, elimination of chemical fertilizers and pesticide consumption, prevention of boating, especially military maneuvers, and landfill removal have been suggested to restore the Boujagh Wetland instead of countless unaccustomed land uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parishan International Wetland, an Iranian Ramsar Site in Fars Province, is one of the two demonstration sites for the UNDP/GEF Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project. The aim of this study was to examine the factors influencing water bird abundance, density, the number of species, and species richness in Parishan wetland from 1991 to 2010. We used remote sensing techniques to study some environmental factors affecting waterbirds community. Spearman's Correlation Coefficient and linear regression were also used to examine the impact of environmental factors on the community of waterbirds. The results showed that only the nearest wetland area was significantly correlated with abundance and density of species (p < 0.01). Also, the vegetation cover surface of wetland (P < 0.01); the deepest depth of wetland (P < 0.01); and the areas shallower than 1m (P < 0.05) were significantly correlated with the number and richness of species (Margalef Index). The Resulting models of the backward multiple regression test also indicated that the nearest wetland area was a good predictor of abundance (P value < 0.01) and density of waterbirds (P value < 0.05). Furthermore, the vegetation cover surface of wetland, was a good predictor of the number of species (P value<0.01) and of the richness species based on Margalef Index (P value<0.01). The area of the Parishan wetland has fallen very low in 2010 and reducing the area of the wetland has led to a sharp decrease in the number of birds in the wetland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands as one of the most fragile ecosystems worldwide have been seriously affected by different natural and anthropogenic factors such as global climate change, land use change, and excess resource consumption. To investigate such adverse effects, we studied Parishan International Wetland situation over 25 years from 1991 to 2015. In order to detect the change trend and processes of the wetland, Landsat Satellite images were used over the time duration mentioned above. Supervision and maximum likelihood methods were used in the process of image classification. We used logistic regression analysis to investigate the relation between the volume of water in the wetland and the parameters of temperature, evaporation, precipitation, underground water levels, and water withdrawals from wells surrounding the wetland. We found that agricultural lands and residential areas were increased around the wetland compared to 25 years ago at a rate of %10.43 and %47.8, respectively. Our analysis revealed that the wetland water volume significantly correlated with the level of underground water and water uptake from the wells surrounding the wetland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is much discussion going on lately whether dam construction is economic or not in terms of social consequences. Accordingly, various techniques and software have been released to estimate the real social cost of dam construction among which, the Software SIMPACTS has been used extensively by researchers, worldwide. The present version of SIMPACTS software only focuses on adverse effects of hydropower dams regardless of their potential positive impacts. In order to fix the existing bugs, the software was modified by programming a new cost-benefit model in which the costs of power generation, irrigation and drainage, aquatics, and potable water as well as the benefits from electricity sales, elimination of pollutants, increased cultivated area, aquaculture practice and also prevention of flood in the area, were included. The obtained results revealed that the total costs of the Alborz Dam, including the costs added to the modified model, will raise from 164 US$/Mwh calculated by the original version of the software to US$ 1049 per MWh. Besides, total revenues resulting from the above mentioned variables added up to the model reaches US$ 1994 per MWh. Therefore, the cost over benefit ratio for construction of Alborz Dam is equal to 1.5. In other words, a sum of US$ 28 million would be expected as the annual net profit of the project which has totally been overlooked in the original model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the numerous advantages of large dams, there is still a deep suspicion about the real, long-term benefits and costs of their construction. Land use change on a vast scale, displacement of a large population of indigenous people, loss of biodiversity and production of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as environmental, socioeconomic and cultural consequences resulting therefrom, indicate clearly the need to reconsider the growing trend of dam construction in the world. The present study was conducted to calculate the real cost of generating electricity imposed on communities and environment in order to clarify the adverse socioeconomic impacts of large dams that are often ignored due to short-term, economic benefits. Accordingly, Alborz Dam, a large dam in northern Iran, was selected as a case study to run cost-benefit analysis by SIMPACTS Software. The obtained results revealed that the total external cost of electricity generation by the hydropower dam is about 0.16 US$/kWh. In other words, the annual cost of the electricity generation by Alborz Hydropower Plant is US$ 4.8 million/year. The highest share (163 US$/MWh) belongs to the loss of agricultural production while the lowest cost (6.10 US$/MWh) is associated with the loss of life. According to the estimated values, a total amount of 1074 tons of greenhouse gas emissions is expected to be released into the air by the hydropower dam operation. It should be stated that SIMPACTS Software only considers the adverse effects of hydropower dams and there is a need to improve the capability of the software by adding the positive impacts in to the overall computations, as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contents of As, Cd, Cu and Mo were determined in soil surrounding Meyduk tailings dam based on 21 surface soil samples. Assessment of toxic element pollution in studied soil samples needs knowledge of pre-anthropogenic metal concentration to act as a reference against which measured values could be compared. Estimating the background values was executed by sampling rocks adjacent to soil sampling stations. Various indices including enrichment factor (EF), pollution load index (PLI), modified contamination degree (mCd) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) were used for determining the contamination level of soil in the vicinity of tailings impoundment under the effect of the tailings dust. Anthropogenic pollution was diagnosed from natural one by sequential extraction done by Tessier et al. method and calculating pollution intensity index (IPOLL). The results indicate a significant upward enrichment in northeastern and southwestern surface soil around the tailings dam for Cd and Cu. The dominant wind direction demonstrated that only the contamination of southwestern soil around the tailings dam would be attributed to tailings dust while the dispersive dusts scattered after the mine explosions generally affected the northeastern part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Solid waste municipal landfill can have injurious effect on society health, economic and environment. Therefore, spread evaluation in locating landfill is necessary to identifying the best places. The purpose of this paper is locating landfill for solid waste municipal for center of Alborz province. Materials and Method: In this paper, suitable areas are identified for land filling solid waste municipal by weighted linear combination and cluster analysis in 20 years period. Thus, suitable areas were weighted by FAHP method. Those weights were used for ranking areas by DEA technique. Result: Results showed among five landfill alternatives for solid waste municipal for center of Alborz province, alternative 1 is the best for land filling. This place is just 7 percent of total suitable places. Conclusion: The approach are used in this article (combination method of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process & Data envelopment analysis) can be suitable for locating in other areas because when an option add or delete; option ranking is not different with previous [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal pollution has become one of the most serious environmental problems resulting from human activity. Phytoremediation utilizes plants to uptake contaminants and can potentially be used to remediate metal-contaminated sites. The present study investigates heavy metal uptake (Cd, Cr, and Ni) from soil by different organs of Populus alba and Morus alba. For this purpose, Cd (40, 80, and 160 mg/kg), Cr (60, 120, and 240 mg/kg) and Ni (120, 240, and 480 mg/kg) were added to the soil in pot experiments over the course of a growing season in open air. The total concentration of these metals was measured in the roots, stems, green leaves, fallen leaves, and the corresponding soil. Our results show that the highest accumulation of all studied metals was found in the leaves. Furthermore, the fallen leaves had higher concentrations of Cd and Cr in P. alba and Cr and Ni in M. alba when compared to the green leaves. In the two species, Cd and Ni did not transport from the leaves to the roots and stems, or vice versa, in the fall season, but Cr was transported from the roots and stems to the leaves in the 240 and 480 mg/kg treatments.In addition, the determination of a bioconcentration factor and a translocation factor showed that P. alba and M. alba were suitable for phytoextraction of Cd and Ni in all treatments respectively; however, none of the plants was suitable for phytostabilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale and Objectives: Patients with severe asthma have a poor therapeutic response to corticosteroid therapy, and corticosteroid responsiveness cannot be easily measured in these patients. We hypothesized that this poor response is associated with a reduced effect of corticosteroids to inhibit cytokine release from activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).Methods: Patients with severe asthma were defined by American Thoracic Society criteria. We compared the suppression of LPS-induced cytokine release (monocyte chemotactic protein-1 [MCP-1], macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP] 1alpha, RANTES, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), IL-8, IFN-gamma, IL-6, IL-10, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor [GM-CSF]) by dexamethasone from PBMCs of patients with severe asthma (n = 16), patients with nonsevere asthma (n = 19), and normal volunteers (n = 10).Results: There was no difference in baseline spontaneous or stimulated release of these cytokines among groups. LPS-induced release of 10 cytokines was less suppressed by dexamethasone (10(-6) M) in patients with severe asthma compared with patients with nonsevere asthma, with statistical significance achieved for IL-1beta (p < 0.03), IL-8 (p < 0.03), and MIP-1alpha (p < 0.003), and borderline significance for IL-6 (p = 0.054). There was less difference between the two groups for dexamethasone at 10(-8) M. Nuclear histone deacetylase (HDAC) and histone acetyltransferase activities were reduced in patients with severe asthma compared with patients with nonsevere asthma (p < 0.01). HDAC activity reduction correlated directly to the degree of steroid insensitivity of GM-CSF (r = 0.57, p < 0.01) and IFN-gamma (r = 0.56, p < 0.05) release. Reduction in histone acetyltransferase activity related to corticosteroid use rather than asthma severity.Conclusions: Patients with severe asthma have diminished corticosteroid sensitivity of PBMCs when compared with patients with nonsevere asthma, associated with a reduction in HDAC activity that parallels the impaired corticosteroid sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]