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Abstract Background For the past three years, the pandemic has had a major effect on global public health, mainly on those with underlying medical conditions, such as people living with Multiple Sclerosis. Vaccination among this group is of great importance, and the long-term impacts of vaccination and its safety on the health of these patients will continue to be revealed. Therefore, risks related to vaccination and immune response need to be assessed. The objective here was to characterize the immune response, short-term safety, and the effects of multiple variables on these factors after COVID-19 vaccination (mainly Sinopharm) among people with Multiple Sclerosis. We assessed the short-term safety and humoral SARS-COV-2 anti-RBD IgG response using a data collection form and Immunoassay, respectively. Results No severe adverse events or MS relapse was observed. Myalgia/body pain (26.7%), low-grade fever (22.2%), and mild headache (15.6%) were the most common adverse events. The use and type of vaccine influenced the frequency of side effects with a p-value

Abstract Background The aim was to establish a 10-year dyslipidemia incidence model, investigating novel anthropometric indices using exploratory regression and data mining. Methods This data mining study was conducted on people who were diagnosed with dyslipidemia in phase 2 (n = 1097) of the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorder (MASHAD) study, who were compared with healthy people in this phase (n = 679). The association of dyslipidemia with several novel anthropometric indices including Conicity Index (C-Index), Body Roundness Index (BRI), Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI), Lipid Accumulation Product (LAP), Abdominal Volume Index (AVI), Weight-Adjusted-Waist Index (WWI), A Body Shape Index (ABSI), Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Adiposity Index (BAI) and Body Surface Area (BSA) was evaluated. Logistic Regression (LR) and Decision Tree (DT) analysis were utilized to evaluate the association. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of DT were assessed through the performance of a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve using R software. Results A total of 1776 subjects without dyslipidemia during phase 1 were followed up in phase 2 and enrolled into the current study. The AUC of models A and B were 0.69 and 0.63 among subjects with dyslipidemia, respectively. VAI has been identified as a significant predictor of dyslipidemias (OR: 2.81, (95% CI: 2.07, 3.81)) in all models. Moreover, the DT showed that VAI followed by BMI and LAP were the most critical variables in predicting dyslipidemia incidence. Conclusions Based on the results, model A had an acceptable performance for predicting 10 years of dyslipidemia incidence. Furthermore, the VAI, BMI, and LAP were the principal anthropometric factors for predicting dyslipidemia incidence by LR and DT models.

The purpose of this study is to Investigating the effect of Leader behaviors on the employees' voice behavior with the mediating role of Relational Identification and Work Engagement. The population is employees' of Water and Sewerage Company in Ahwaz city. 269 people were examined as a statistical sample. The research is applied in terms of purpose and regarding the data collection the research is descriptive. Data were collected by simple random sampling method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire and its validity was confirmed by the discriminant validity and convergent validity was confirmed and the reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and construct reliability (CR). hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling . The results of the test of research hypotheses show that ethical leadership significant effect on Work engagement, relational Identification and employees' voice behavior. Transformational leadership significant effect on work engagement, relational Identification and employees' voice behavior. Work engagement and relational Identification significant effect on and employees' voice behavior. The role of partial mediation of work engagement and relational Identification in the effect of ethical leadership and transformational leadership on employees' voice behavior was was confirmed.

The direct conversion of celestine (SrSO4) to strontium carbonate as well as its enrichment by hydrometallurgy were investigated. A study was also conducted to investigate whether acid concentration affected the quality of strontium sulfate in celestine concentrates. Based on the results of a laboratory assay, it was determined that 98.04% SrSO4 was leached optimally under agitation. The ground sample of celestine concentrate was then leached by agitation for three hours after the dimensional analysis had determined the appropriate grinding time. To determine the optimal approach for the agitated leaching of strontium carbonate, different approaches were tested. Various factors, including temperature, return water, solid percentage, and sodium carbonate to strontium sulfate ratio, were studied. At 90°C, celestine completely converts into strontium carbonate with a solid percentage of 20% and a sodium carbonate to strontium sulfate ratio of 4:5. As part of the investigation into the possibility of producing strontium oxide, samples of celestine concentrate and strontium carbonate produced under optimal conditions were heated at 500 and 1000°C to determine which phase would form the oxidized phase. An X-ray analysis indicates that the oxidation phase forms at a temperature of more than 750°C.

Laterites are the main resources of oxidized nickel in the world. Nickel and cobalt are embedded in limonite laterites within the goethite structure. Therefore, the removal of iron ions will lead to the simultaneous precipitation of iron, nickel, and cobalt. In our previous study investigating atmospheric leaching of laterite ore using sulfuric acid with the addition of NaCl to the solution, we determined the optimal parameters to minimize the co-dissolution of iron. Based on the determined optimum conditions, a PLS was prepared. In the current study, the effect of pH on iron precipitation from the PLS was investigated using sodium hydroxide as a neutralizing agent. Results indicated that a pH=4 can result in the highest removal of iron from the leaching solution (around 90%) while minimizing the loss of nickel and cobalt. The SEM analysis revealed ferrihydrite as the most important mineral in the final precipitation obtained at pH=4. The results of this study can be used for benchmarking more efficient methods for iron removal from the solution and improving the dissolution kinetics of nickel and cobalt.

Background: Ultrasonication was used to stimulate the growth and selenium (Se) biotransformation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. An optimization study for maximal Se accumulation in S. cerevisiae was conducted using the Plackett–Burman screening method and response surface methodology (RSM) for optimization of conditions. The variables influencing Se biotransformation by yeast, including duration and power of ultrasound, inoculum treatment with ultrasound, duty cycle, growth phase, time, shaking rate, inorganic salt concentration (Se, Zn, Mg, and K), and nitrogen and carbon sources as well as their concentrations were screened using the Plackett–Burman design. Results: The main variables were carbon and Se concentration as well as ultrasound power and duty cycle. The lack of fit was insignificant (P > 0.01). The optimum condition for Se accumulation was obtained at Se concentration of 60 µg/ml, carbon source brix of 15, ultrasound of 90 W/L, and duty cycle of 40%. Conclusions: The results showed that optimization of parameters and application of ultrasonication lead to a successful enhancement (2.78-fold) in the accumulation of selenium by S. cerevisiae. Such enriched yeast can be utilized in bread for increasing consumption of Se in the diet of patients with Se deficiency.How to cite: Alijan S, Hosseini M, Esmaeili S, et al. Impact of ultrasound and medium condition on production of selenium-enriched yeast. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.09.004.

Introduction: Biological soil crusts including cyanobacteria, fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes, algae, viruses, mosses, lichens, and plants are formed on the soil surface. Cyanobacteria are key microorganisms in the formation of the biological soil crust, especially in arid and desert areas. Cyanobacteria increase carbon and nitrogen content in soil via increasing colony formation and Exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and play an important role to strengthen soil structure especially in poor soil and prevent it from eroding.Materials and Methods: In the present study, three cyanobacteria with the highest secreted carbohydrate production were selected among 19 isolates of different provinces’ soil. The amount of carbohydrate production of the selected strains was determined by using the phenolic sulfuric acid method. Then, three selected strains, with the highest amount of secreted carbohydrate were inoculated to the pot filling with poor soils. After 7 weeks of cyanobacterial inoculation, some physical and chemical alterations of the soil were measured. Furthermore, the rate of formation of the biological soil crust and the adhesiveness of the soil particles were microscopically investigated.Results: The carbohydrate content was 86.66 µg/ml for Anabaena sphaerica, 55. 91 µg/ml for Geitlerinema.sp, and 64.19 µg/ml, for Nostoc pruniforme. The results of the study also show that these three strains are capable of forming biological soil crust on the soil surface.Discussion and Conclusion: Anabaena sphaerica, due to its high growth rate, more biomass production, and more secreted carbohydrates increased soil nitrogen and carbon content, as well as better formation of biological soil crust was selected for further investigation. This strain improved some soil texture characteristics and probably it can have a positive effect on soil fertility.

Plain language summary Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Infection with this virus and the occurrence of genital warts (GWs) could have several effects on men and women’s health. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the sexual function and sexual quality of life (SQOL) in men with GWs. Of the 105 men, 35.2% had sexual dysfunction (SD). The highest disorder rate was related to the erection domain (85.7%), and the lowest was related to the desire domain (5.7%). In the erection domain, most men (54.3%) experienced mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. 56.2% of them had a good SQOL. SD in men with GWs has a significant impact on their SQOL. Therefore, it is recommended that assessment of sexual function and SQOL should be done when men with GWs refer to health services.

The Recovery of nickel from lateritic ores as the main oxide resources has been always debated. Since it consists of 1.74% Ni, 0.14% Co and 40.8% Fe, co-dissolution of iron occurred by using common lixiviation like sulfuric acid. Therefore, some leaching agents should be sought due to promoting a high dissolution of nickel/cobalt and a negligible iron recovery. This research investigates the effect of using organic acids such as gluconic, lactic and citric acid along with sulfuric acid on recoveries of Ni/Co from an iron-rich laterite ore. The results showed that adding sulfuric acid to the optimal combined ratio of the organic acids (gluconic: lactic: citric= 1: 2: 3) to obtain the combined ratio of 6 : 1: 2: 3 (sulfuric: gluconic: lactic: citric acid), simultaneously increasing the temperature from 60 to 90 °C, and increasing the final combined concentration of the acids from 3.5 M to 5 M, significantly increased nickel and cobalt recoveries by 80.4 and 68.7%, respectively, and slightly increased iron extraction by 5.05% all when compared to using the optimal combined ratio of organic acids. The use of 5 M sulfuric acid alone as a leaching agent, at 90 ° C, resulted in an 81.11% increase in iron dissolution than the 6: 1: 2: 3 combination. The results obtained indicated that the reaction rate was controlled by the chemical reaction, and the activation energies of 42.71 kJ/mol for nickel and 84.57 kJ/mol for cobalt were consistent with this conclusion.

Background: Given the prognostic importance of cytogenetic aberrations in plasma cell neoplasms, the present retrospective study was conducted to analyze cytogenetic abnormalities in plasma cell myeloma cases in a single center in the Middle East. Method: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we selected 42 patients referred to the molecular and cytogenetic department from 2013 to 2016 for initial assessment by immunohistochemical, flow cytometric, and cytogenetic studies. Chromosomal analysis was performed after a 72-hour unsynchronized culture and Giemsa banding; the result was reported according to ISCN 2016. Results: 32.5% of the patients showed an abnormal karyotype, of whom 53.8% were hyperdiploid and the rest were assigned to the non-hyperdiploid group. The gain of 1q and monosomy 13/ deletion 13q were the most common structural abnormalities accounting for 38.4% and 30.7%, respectively. t(11;14) was the only detected 14q32 rearrangement observed in 15.4% of the cases. The mean survival time in normal, hyperdiploid, and non-hyperdiploid groups was 29.5±1.7, 16.6±2.9 and 6.1±2.1 months, respectively. Conclusion: Cytogenetic abnormalities of plasma cell myeloma in this center were relatively similar to previous reports in the literature; moreover, hyperdiploidy was the most common cytogenetic aberration. As no cryptic aberration could be identified, we recommend the use of more precise techniques such as FISH in addition to conventional G banding to detect cryptic aberrations. Survival of the non-hyperdiploid group was the worst.

This study investigates factors affecting the Blaine number, including type, shape, and size distribution of the grains, d80 effect, and retention time of materials in the mill. Samples were taken from different locations in production lines of the Golgohar and Chadormalu plants in Iran. For iron minerals, Davis tube tests were performed in four stages to assess the functionality of the magnetic separator to ensure matching conditions between the plant and laboratory. The Blaine air permeability system was used to analyze the Blain number. Results indicated that the samples with the same d80 but different grain size distributions had different Blaine numbers. More specifically, increasing the percentage of grains finer than 45 microns resulted in higher Blaine numbers. Moreover, in the Golgohar Hematite and desulfurization plant, the grain size distribution was relatively fixed, and minor variations in the percentages of grains finer than 45 microns led to a change in the Blaine number, and this was consistent between different days. During the concentrate production processes, higher grades of iron concentrate and lower grades of non-iron minerals were associated with lower Blaine numbers, which could be explained by the removal of iron-free minerals finer than 45 microns, including clay. Moreover, a 1% reduction in the clay minerals led to a 400-unit reduction in the Blaine number. Several samples of hematite concentrate and clay minerals with the same grain size distribution were analyzed to investigate the influence of density and the shape of grains on the Blaine number of magnetite concentrate. Here, compared to magnetite and hematite with irregular shapes, plate-shaped clay minerals showed higher Blaine numbers. Moreover, when the feed of the magnetic separator was grinded, the reduction in the grain size increased the Blaine number. In the Chadormalu plant, a retention time of 4.5 minutes in the mill was associated with the highest Blaine number as well as the least recovery of phosphorous minerals.

Saline soils are widely spread in Iran. These intact soils are a great source for the isolation of new bacteria with highly functional metabolites in biotechnology. Actinomycete strains were isolated on starch casein agar and ISP2 with different concentrations of sodium chloride (0, 5 and 10%) from treated soil samples. Pure colonies were cultured on a casein glycerol medium. After complete growth, the plates were covered with a thin layer of Muller Hinton Agar (1%) containing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Active metabolites of selected strains were extracted and their antibacterial activities analyzed by agar well diffusion method. 38% of isolates produced antibiotics against the pathogen. The metabolites produced by act-2 and act-5 isolates, which had a more effective inhibition zone against MRSA, were extracted and anti MRSA activity of act-5 extract was shown. The antimicrobial activity of act-5 against other bacteria was also investigated and the bacterium was identified. In this study halophilic actinomycetes producing bioactive compounds were isolated from the saline soils of Qom and the anti-MRSA potential of their metabolites was investigated for the first time. The results of this study show the potential of saline soil actinomycetes for the production of useful metabolites.

The microwave drying process has a wide application in industry, including drying polymer foams after the impregnation process for sealings in the construction industry. The objective of the drying process is to reach a certain moisture in the foam by adjusting the power levels of the microwave sources. A moisture controller can be designed to achieve this goal; however, a process model is required to design model-based controllers. Since complex physics governs the microwave drying process, system identification tools are employed in this paper to exploit the process input and output information and find a simplified yet accurate model of the process. The moisture content of the foam that is the process output is measured using a designed electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) sensor. The ECT sensor estimates the 2D permittivity distribution of moving foams, which correlates with the foam moisture. Experiments are conducted to collect the ECT measurements while giving different inputs to the microwave sources. A state-space model is estimated using one of the collected datasets and is validated using the other datasets. The comparison between the model response and the actual measurements shows that the model is accurate enough to design a controller for the microwave drying process.

Introduction: sleep problems are prevalent currently and involve deficits in quality or quantity of sleep . Todays by the rapid growth in technology and a high increase the production of industrial complexes and also inauguration round-the-clock centers such as hospitals, shiftwork has become an indispensable part of many occupational activities. This study aimed to evaluate the association between shiftwork and sleep quality. Material and methods: this cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 307 employed personnel of Hormozgan University of medical sciences hospitals who worked at unusual hours. All of the samples were randomly collected by proportional cluster sampling method .all individuals were evaluated using the demographic form and Pittsburg sleep quality questionnaire. Data analysis was done by spss 16 (descriptive statistics and spearman test) and p.value

This study aims to assess landslide susceptibility in Pahne Kola watershed located in the south of Sari, based on bivariate logistic regression. For this purpose, the distribution map of the area’s landslides was firstly prepared in ArcGIS software. Eight effective factors on landslide event including elevation, slope, slope aspect, rainfall, land use, distance from the road, soil and geology were considered as independent variables. PGA is same for all the area because the study area is small. The independent variables including eight effective factors were including 61 sliding points as dependent variable, and number 1 was devoted to the presence and zero was devoted to absence of landslide. After quantitative analysis, the related data was transferred to SPSS software and after interpreting the coefficients, just the distance from the road was recognized as a significant variable influencing the final equation and the other independent variables were omitted from the final equation because of the lack of statistical correlation. After transferring the final probability equation to ArcGIS software, the landslide hazard map was prepared. Statistical model accuracy was evaluated and approved by omnibus test, model summary table, classification graph and table. Statistical evaluation of the model showed that the overall accuracy of prepared map was 85.2%.

Chicory plant is known as one of the main sources of industrial and commercial production of inulin. Inulin composition and its functional features depend on various parameters, including genetic characteristics and plant origin, growth environmental conditions and harvesting time, and also extraction method as well as the post extraction methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate native and exotic cultivars of chicory in terms of inulin production efficiency. The Results showed that the efficiency of inulin in indigenous landrace was relatively low while foreign cultivars revealed higher inulin content. By considering the significant difference between root weight and inulin content, foreign genotype (Orchies) was chosen to achieve optimal conditions for extracting inulin-type fructans. Response Surface Methodology and Central Composite Design were employed to investigate the effect of independent variables of time (20 to 60 min), temperature (50 to 80° C) and water to solids ratio (5:1-12:1) on the extraction efficiency. The Results demonstrated that the most effective factors in the efficiency of inulin extraction were temperature and the ratio of water to solids, while, the time had less effect on the extraction process.

Native inulin extracted from chicory root consists of chains of fructose units by β (2→1) bonds with different degrees of polymerization. Inulin composition and its functional properties depends on genetic characteristics, growth environmental conditions, harvesting time, as well as the method of extraction the processes applied after extraction. "Short-chain" inulin, is more soluble and sweeter, so it can be used as sugar replacer, while "long-chain" inulin, commonly used as a fat substitute, is less soluble, more viscous and thermally stable. In this research, for isolating different structural fractions of inulin, root of chicory strain of Orchies was used. The Effect of different treatments including ethanol solvent to syrup ratio (2:1 and 10:1), crystallization and precipitation of aqueous solution in -20°C, and ultrafiltration using 4 kilo-dalton UF cut off on the degree of polymerization, yield of extraction and physicochemical properties of the compounds were compared. The results showed that ethanol with higher concentration resulted in more precipitation of inulin. Inulin participated by 2:1 E/S ratio had the highest degree of polymerization (66) and the least reduced sugar (1.2%) compared to those from other methods of fractionation. Inulin participated by ultrafiltration of permeate fraction had the lowest degree of polymerization (16) and highest reduced sugar (5.31%) compared to those from other methods of fractionation.

Application of non-sugar sweeteners and bulking agents in food products is effective in lowering calories; however, it is often come with some changes in the texture and sensory characteristics of products. In this research full replacement of sugar in fruit jelly powder was investigated using sucralose as a high intense sweetener and isomalt as a bulking agent. Fruit jelly powder was prepared using different percentages of isomalt (0, 20, 30, 50, 75 and 100) together with high intensity sugar of sucralose, in an adjusted amount to replace sucrose. Physical, chemical and microbial characteristics of jelly samples were then analyzed and sensory quality of the product was evaluated. Results showed that sugar replacement with proper proportion of 50% isomalt and 0.13% sucralose causes in strengthening the gel texture with no significant change in quality and rheological properties. Microbial characteristics of sugarless sample was also in accordance with standard limitations. Organoleptic analysis was representing the acceptance of jellies having isomalt compared to sugary one. Based on this study, it is feasible to replace sugar by isomalt and sucralose in low calorie jelly, with no significant change in the quality, rheological properties, and sensory acceptance of product.

Background and objective: In recent decades there has been a growing increase in the consumption of fast-foods. As a result of over-consumption of these high-calorie and fatty foods and the unbalance between the received and consumed energy, the chance of affliction with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in individuals has rised. The present research sought to determine the effective factors related to the consumption of fast-foods in Bandar Abbas in 2013. Methods: The present research was descriptive/analytic and of a cross-sectional type. Research population was comprised of 600 fast-food consumers. The samples were selected using a combination of cluster sampling and convenient sampling. The instrument used for gathering data was a researcher-made questionnaire (RMQ) to measure the reasons for people’s tendency toward consuming fast-foods. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was established in the pilot study. SPSS16 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics (mean, SD, frequency and percentage) as well as analytical statistics (ANOVA and Chi-squared test) were used. Significance level was set at

Probiotics and prebiotics play important role in improvement of the intestinal microbial balance and have a great potential for food industry and public health. Survival of probiotics during gastric stress is influenced by the prebiotic carriers. In order to introduce effective synbiotic pairs, in this study the prebiotic influence of inulin (extracted from chicory and Jerusalem artichoke and also standard lab grade inulin), glucose and non-carbohydrate sample were assessed on bile resistance and inhibition of two Lactobacillus species against E.coli O157:H7. The effect of inulin treatments were studied on growth and viability of Lactobacillus casei PTCC1608 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus PTCC 1637under various bile salts concentrations (0, 0.3, 0.5, 1, 1.5%) in completely randomized factorial design and the inhibition effects were evaluated using well- diffusion technique in completely randomized design, and compared with controls. Results indicated that extracted inulin could be effective on enhancing the bile salts resistance of two lactobacilli. This effect was decreased by increasing in bile concentration while longer inulin chains had less effect compared to glucose. Although the most antimicrobial effects belonged to glucose, standard and chicory inulin showed acceptable antimicrobial effects as well. Inulin from Jerusalem artichoke with the highest degree of polymerization showed the least effects.

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the sixth most common malignancy in Iran. Cytogenetic analysis of leukemic blasts plays an important role in classification and prognosis in ALL patients. The purpose of this study was to define the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities of ALL patients in adults and children in Fars province, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated karyotype results of bone marrow specimens in 168 Iranian patients with ALL (154 B-ALL and 14 T-ALL) in Fars Province using the conventional cytogenetic G-banding method. Results: The frequency of cytogenetic abnormalities, including numerical and/or structural changes, was 61.7% and 53.8% in the B-ALL and T-ALL patients, respectively. Hyperdiploidy was the most common (32%) cytogenetic abnormality. Among structural abnormalities, the most common was t(9;22) in 11% of the patients. The children showed a higher incidence of hyperdiploidy and lower incidence of t(9;22) than adults (P

Background: In a formative evaluation, we were supposed to find whether an innovative program has some merits to be continued or not. We also determined the critical points of the program. The evaluated program was a clinical pre-clerkship curriculum launched for departing to a less stressful medical clerkship. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the information contained in the students′ logbooks. Using Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure standardized questionnaire, we also assessed the students′ perception of learning environment within six clinical departments. Results: Totally, 64% of expected patient contacts, and teaching of more than 71% of required skills at 4 departments were carried out and students had more positive than negative perspective of their learning environments. Conclusion: The evaluand is a worthwhile program to be continued, though it needs some considerations for improvement.

Introduction: Necessity for promotion of education quality in course of medicine forced the educational authorities including those of Isfahan school of Medicine to take actions towards promotion of education using an accreditation evaluation model in this course parallel to worldwide motion. This article emphasizes on a model by which this study was conducted and reported. Methods: This is a descriptive study conducted on seven domains of general medicine curriculum. In the model used in this study, in addition to the current condition, optimal condition was determined. If 70% of the indicators were appropriate in each domain, that domain was considered as appropriate, between 40-70% as semi appropriate and less than 40% was considered as inappropriate. The study was conducted in some steps including forming internal assessment committee, determining factors criteria and indicators, holding educational workshop, preparing data collection tool, data collection and analysis, report preparation and suggestions. Result: In domain of mission 70%, educational planning 80%, faculty members 74%, resources 54%, top and executive management 75%, student 34%, evaluation 61% and finally overall ratio 57% of the indicators were appropriate. Conclusion: Domains of student, resources and evaluation need continuous programming and working. Researchers have some suggestions including taking defined strategies for selecting education managers, using modern educational policies, reinforcing tests assessment system and increasing school authority in having clinical education resources.

Introduction: Various studies show that Log book can be also used in evaluation of medical course curriculum in clinical level in addition to evaluation of students’ achievement and their level of competencies. This article was to investigate the applicability of this new usage of Log book . Methods: Logbooks were designed by faculty members through various sessions in clinical departments in six sections of introduction, outcomes and essentials of learning, disease exposure case reports, communication skills evaluation, procedural skills learning in the morning and at the time of shift. Logbooks were filled by students and returned.Then, frequency of observed cases by students and the fields used by the departments were calculated. Results: The students had not observed 5 diseases (26%) in orthopedic Dept., 6 diseases (50%) in neurology Dept., 15diseases (68%) in infectious diseases Dept. and 1 disease (6%) in toxicology Dept. But, all diseases had been observed in ENT Dept by students. Log books in Dept. of internal medicine were so incomplete that their data were not usable. Departments of orthopedics and neurology from outpatient clinics, Department of infectious diseases from hospitalization ward, Department of toxicology from emergency had the highest usage. Discussion: If students, faculty members and residents in educational departments know well about the importance and role of logbook and observe its function results, logbook can be used for evaluation of educational curriculum.

Introduction: Curriculum assessment is part of educational systems. In the absence of an assessment of present situations, any intervention would be futile. This study was done to determine achievement rate of medical students in advanced clerkship (externship) courses through using logbooks. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was done on medical students' logbooks between June and December 2010 in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The students were passing their externship courses. Random sampling was done and 30 logbooks from departments of orthopedics, ENT, neurology, anesthesiology and toxicology, infectious diseases, and internal medicine were analyzed descriptive statistics and SPSS were used for data analysis. Results: 180 logbook tables were analyzed. Average number of skill performances supervised once or more were found to be : 8 (out of 10) skills in anesthesiology and toxicology, 5(out of 11) skills in infectios diseases,7(out of 20)skills in internal medicine, 8 (out of 13) skills in orthopedics, 11 (out of 11) in ENT, and 10 (out of 10) in neurology. Conclusion: Findings showed that actual skills achievement is far from ideal in the studied departments. Therefore, interventional measures such as involving residents in instruction, more practical instructions in CSLC, using instructional films,arranging hospital shifts for interns ,applying OSCEs, etc. shoud be taken.

Introduction & Objective: H. pylori is a human pathogen which infects the gastric mucosa and causes an inflammatory process leading to gastritis, ulceration and cancer. It is not clear what factors determine these divergent outcomes of infection. The aim of the present study was detecting the immunogenic proteins in H. pylori strains isolated from patients with different gastric diseases. Materials & Methods: Total proteins of 144 strains of H. pylori isolated from 3 groups of patients (gastric ulcer 37, gastritis 77 and gastric cancer 30) were separated by 1D-SDS-PAGE and then were blotted with the sera of their respective hosts. Results: In SDS-PAGE the members of each group showed high correlation regarding to similarity in their patterns, resulting in considering them in the same cluster. The patterns of immunoblots differed from that of Commassie Brilliant Blue stained gels. Some of the protein bands in the SDS-PAGE were not recognized by blotting method. Only the bands of 106 and 45 kDa from H. pylori strains isolated from patients with GC were significantly recognized specifically with the sera of their respective patients and the band of 13 kDa was recognized specifically with the sera of nonulceric patients. With the exception of these bands, in the patterns of blotting of the sera from all patients no significant differences were observed. Conclusion: Using 1D blotting methods we could find 2 antigenic protein bands (106 and 45 kDa) for H. pylori strains isolated from cancerious patients and one (13 kDa) for the strains isolated from nonulceric patients which were specifically recognized with their respective host. Further studies have to be conducted to show if the antigens described here are of predictive value for certain clinical states

To explore the cross-sectional association between adiposity, mental well-being, and quality of life in extreme obese individuals entering a UK specialist weight management service prior to treatment commencement.The sample comprised 263 extreme obese individuals who were referred to the service as a result of having a body mass index (BMI) ≥40 kg/m2 or ≥35 kg/m2 with a co-morbid health condition. In a retrospective analysis, routinely collected baseline clinical examination data and self-report questionnaires (Impact of Weight on Quality of Life: IWQOL-Lite, EQ5D-3L, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: HADS) were analysed to examine the cross-sectional association between adiposity and quality of life.The sample was predominantly female (74.8%) with mean BMI 47.0±7.9 kg/m2. Increasing adiposity was significantly negatively associated with quality of life, with an increase of 1 BMI unit associated with decreases of 1.93 in physical function (95% CI -2.86 - -1.00, p

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients are known to have an increased tendency for developing opportunistic infections. However, there are no reports of simultaneous lymph node involvement of cytomegalovirus and Mycobacterium avium complex in a human immunodeficiency virus-positive patient. We report a 31-year-old man who presented with acute abdominal pain and tenderness and weight loss. He died a few hours after admission. Autopsy studies showed coinfection of cytomegalovirus, Mycobacterium avium complex and human immunodeficiency virus. Our case emphasizes the need to be careful in evaluating opportunistic infections in severely immunodepressed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients. This case report is the first manifestation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in this patient.

The basis of nutrition in many countries, including Iran, is bread. Considering the importance of consuming whole-wheat flour along with other grains, the application of sourdough containing Lactobacillus plantarum primer and sourdough with random fermentation were applied in preparation of Barbari breads (mixture of whole wheat-barley flour and mixture of whole barley-sprouted wheat flour) were investigated and compared. The results of using sourdough on the amount of phytic acid in Barbari bread showed that random sourdough further reduces the amount of phytic acid. As a result, the amount of iron and zinc increased. The microbial analysis of bread showed no microbial growth in all samples on the first and third day of storage. In addition, the results of mold count showed that the use of random sourdough had a better effect on the lack of mold growth in both breads. The results of the textural characteristics of the breads during one week of storage showed that the quality of the bread texture was maintained up to 5 days after baking by using sourdough in random fermentation conditions. Based on the results of this study, it is possible to reduce phytic acid, improve nutritional properties and increase the shelf life of bread by using sourdough with random fermentation in the preparation of Barbari bread from whole flour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]