ABSTRACT
To compare the effect of eucalyptus extract and formaldehyde gas on the hatchability, survival rate, and microbialload of embryos and biological biomarkers of embryos in the fertile eggs of broiler chicken, 120 fertile eggs weredivided into four groups (each group contained 30 eggs). The studied groups included the first and second groupsin which eucalyptus extract at concentrations of respectively 1.100 and 1.200 was used as a disinfectant, the thirdgroup in which formaldehyde gas was used as a disinfectant and the fourth group as a negative control in whichthe studied eggs were sprayed with distilled sterilized water without using any disinfectant. All eggs were kept ina standard incubation system and the hatching rate was determined after 21 days. The hatched embryos werecultured to identify infection with E. coli. The hatched chickens were monitored for one week, and survival rateand the amount of using grain, overweight, and food conversion ratios were studied in different groups. The resultsshowed that the disinfection of fertile egg with eucalyptus extract at the concentration of 1.200 was similar to thatof formaldehyde, while the eucalyptus extract at the concentration of 1.100 can increase the hatching rate and thegrowth indicators. Therefore, it seems that using eucalyptus extract in the appropriate conditions andconcentrations can be an appropriate alternative for formaldehyde.
ABSTRACT
Fasting in the month of Ramadan has several positive effects on the emotional and mental state and improves happiness in the community. This study aimed to investigate the effects of fasting on the level of happiness in the general population. In this study, we used pretest-posttest analysis to evaluate the hypothesis, and the study population consisted of the people of Kermanshah, Iran. In total, 110 individuals were selected randomly, and the evaluation of happiness was performed using MUNSH happiness survey including four scales of positive appreciation [PA], positive experience [PE], negative appreciation [NA] and negative experience [NE]. Data analysis was performed using T-test in SPSS V.18. In this study, a significant difference was observed between the level of happiness before and after the month of Ramadan. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the pre-test and posttest in terms of NA [P=0.032, T=2.16] and NE [P=0.001, T=3.302]. However, no significant difference was observed in PA and PE before and after Ramadan in the study population. According to the results of this study, fasting could positively affect the level of happiness in a community. Therefore, further attention needs to be drawn to the religious beliefs of people and their effects on the mental health of a society
ABSTRACT
Multiple studies have noted the positive effect of fasting on mental health improvement. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of fasting on mental health in the general population of Kermanshah, Iran. In this analytical research, one-group pretest-posttest design was used for the evaluation of 110 residents of Kermanshah city. General Health Questionnaire [GHQ] with four subscales was utilized in order to assess the subjects' mental health. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 and paired t-test. There was a significant difference between pre- and post-test results in terms of general health score [t=3.138, P=0.002], i.e., fasting could increase the population's general health. There was a significant positive relationship between fasting and four subscales of general health including somatic symptoms [t=2.138, P=0.035], insomnia/anxiety [t=2.587, P=0.011], and social dysfunction [t=2.627, P=0.010]. However, fasting had no significant effect on severe depression and suicidal tendencies [t=1.700, P=0.092]. The obtained results showed that fasting has a positive effect on mental health in the general population of Kermanshah. Thus, more attention should be paid to fasting and its impact on people's mental health
ABSTRACT
Through a clinical trial we evaluated statin therapy benefits over stroke outcome. All patients with moderate stroke in Middle Cerebral Artery [MCA] were registered during February 2006 to February 2008, in Al Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. Among 55 patients who were enrolled in the present study, 25 subjects received 20 mg lovastatin daily, for 90 days after stroke attack [group 1] and 30 patients received no treatment [group 2]. Patients were assessed at admission, 7 and 90 days after stroke. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score was recorded in the day 1 and 7 in the hospital with a questionnaire and BARTHEL index was estimated 90 days after stroke incidence by a telephone survey or in an outpatient visit. Data were analyzed by means of Chi[2], 't' test and Independent 't' test. NIHSS score measured in first day immediately after stroke attack and following 7 days, did not differ significantly in two groups. Moreover, BARTHEL index recorded within 90 days was not also different comparing group 1 and 2. After 90 days, no mortality was recorded in group 2, while one patient expired in group treating with statins [P=value>0.05]. We did not find statins administration to play any role in stroke recovery and consequent long term prognosis. More researches with larger samples are needed to establish the possible favorable outcome of statins when administered in cerebrovascular diseases
ABSTRACT
Ecstasy, or 3, 4 [+/-] methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA], is a potent neurotoxic drug. One of the mechanisms for its toxicity is the secondary release of glutamate. Mouse embryonic stem cells [mESCs] express only one glutamate receptor, the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 [mGlu5], which is involved in the maintenance and self-renewal of mESCs. This study aims to investigate whether MDMA could influence self-renewal via the mGlu5 receptor in mESCs. In this expremental study, we used immunocytochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] to determine the presence of the mGlu5 receptor in mESCs. The expression of mGlu5 was evaluated after MDMA was added to mESCs throughout neural precursor cell formation as group 1 and during neural precursor cell differentiation as group 2. The stemness characteristic in treated mESCs by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry was studied. Finally, caspase activity was evaluated by fluorescence staining in the treated group. One-way ANOVA or repeated measure of ANOVA according to the experimental design was used for statistical analyses. In this study mGlu5 expression was shown in mESCs. In terms of neuronal differentiation, MDMA affected mGlu5 expression during neural precursor cell formation [group 1] and not during neural precursor differentiation [group 2]. MDMA [450 micro M] induced a significant increment in self-renewal properties in mESCs but did not reverse 2-methyl-6[phenylethynyl] pyridine [MPEP, 1 micro M], a non-competitive selective mGlu5 antagonist. Fluorescence staining with anti-caspase 3 showed a significant increase in the number of apoptotic cells in the MDMA group. We observed a dual role for MDMA on mESCs: reduced proliferation and maintenance of self-renewal. The lack of decreasing stemness characteristic in presence of MPEP suggests that MDMA mediates its role through a different mechanism that requires further investigation. In conclusion, despite being toxic, MDMA maintains stemness characteristics
Subject(s)
Animals, Laboratory , N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine , Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate , MiceABSTRACT
The cerebrovascular diseases rank first in frequency and importance among all the neurological diseases of adult life. It is important to understand the risk factors associated with stroke subtypes in order to improve primary and secondary preventative strategies. There is currently no information on the relationship of these stroke subtypes with cerebrovascular risk factors. Clinicians have tended to view strokes occurring in the anterior circulation [AC] and the posterior circulation [PC] as separate entities because the most common ischemic strokes occur in the AC, while strokes occurring in the PC are the most severe. Furthermore, AC and PC strokes have different underlying pathogenesis, natural histories and potential responsiveness to interventions such as anticoagulation and risk factors. We sought to explore differences between AC and PC strokes concerning their risk factors. In this prospective descriptive study, we evaluated 250 patients; 125 had AC involvement and 125 had PC. involvement, and were referred to Alzahra and Noor University Hospitals and private clinics between January 2000 and December 2004. Strokes in AC and PC were diagnosed by clinical and neuroimaging findings including brain CT Scanning and MRI. Pre-stroke cerebrovascular risk factors for each patient recorded from previous and present evaluations included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and smoking. The average age of patients with AC stroke was 73 +/- 19.15 and the average age of patients with PC stroke was 70 +/- 19.7. Of 125 patients with AC stroke, 57 [45.6%] were male and 68 [54.4%] were female. Of 125 patients with PC stroke, 54 [43.2%] were male and 71 [56.8%] were female. The prevalence of hypertension as a major risk factor of stroke was higher in patients with PC stroke in comparison to patients with AC stroke [60% vs. 40.8%] and the odds ratio for PC stroke was 2.8 [95% CI; 1.27 - 3.73]. The prevalence of smoking in patients with PC stroke was higher than in those with AC stroke [32.8% vs. 15.2%] and this difference was statistically significant [P = 0.001]. The prevalence of hypertension as a major risk factor of stroke was higher in patients with PC strokes. However, there was no increased prevalence of stroke associated with diabetes mellitus between AC and PC strokes. Our results also showed that hyperlipidemia was a risk factor for AC and PC strokes and the prevalence was equal in both types, while the prevalence of smoking in PC strokes was higher compared to AC strokes
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Risk Factors , Hypertension , Prospective Studies , Diabetes Mellitus , Hyperlipidemias , SmokingABSTRACT
Increasing epidemiologic data support a relationship between elevated plasma total homocysteine levels and an increased risk for vascular disease. Higher plasma total homocysteine [tHcy] levels have been associated with extra cranial carotid atherosclerosis and cerebral infarction in whites. However, data regarding such associations are limited for Asians. This study examined the association between tHcy level and carotid stenosis in Iranian subjects. In this retrospective study, the subjects were 158 patients with ischemic stroke, including 105 with a normal tHcy level and 53 with a high tHcy level. We investigated the extracranial carotid arteries by ultrasonography and measured serum tHcy by the ELISA method in these two groups. We found no meaningful association between a high tHcy level and carotid stenosis. The lack of any meaningful difference in carotid stenosis between patients with normal and elevated tHcy levels is probably due to the low frequency of extracranial disease in the Asian population and to the nature of homocysteine atherosclerosis