Improvement of stability and antioxidant activity of wheat germ by mixed fermentation versus single fermentation.

Wheat germ is a high-nutrient by-product from the milling industry with very limited optimal consumption due to its short shelf life. The severe activity of endogenous lipase and lipoxygenase is associated with the release of fatty acids which are responsible for the rancidity and shelf-life deficiency. Reducing these enzymes activity is essential for prolonging the wheat germ shelf-life. For this purpose, the mixed and simple fermentation of different wheat germ concentrations (10, 15 and 20% w/v wheat germ in distilled water) with Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus was investigated to improve the stability of wheat germ by restraining the activity of the enzymes. Fermentation noticeably reduced the activity of the enzymes in all samples (ranges from 50 to 82.15% for lipase and 55.34 to 72 for lipoxygenase in different treatments), but the mixed-fermented wheat germ with the maximum concentration (20%) achieved the highest reduction level in both enzymes inactivation. Fermentation also resulted in an obvious increase in antioxidant activity from 51.18% in raw wheat germ to more than 72.73% in different samples, which mixed fermentation of 20% wheat germ suspension with the value of 89.76 was ranked first.

Spinal cord injury and women's sexual life: case-control study.

Study design :This is a case-control study. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate the magnitude of association between spinal cord injury (SCI) and women's quality of sexual life and sexual function. SETTING: This study was conducted in the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. METHODS: From the referral university-based clinics, we used simple random sampling to recruit 62 women: 31 women with SCI and 31 women without SCI. Socio-demographic and reproductive traits questionnaire, Sexual Quality of life-Female (SQOL-F), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) were completed using telephone and face-to-face interviews in the cases and controls. After univariate analyses, multivariate linear and proportional odds regression models were conducted to investigate the relation between SCI and women's quality of sexual life, as well as sexual function. RESULTS: The mean age of cases and controls was 35.42±6.51 and 33.77±4.02 years. Most women were high school-educated and housewives. Adjusting for probable confounders, the proportional odds regression model showed a significant relationship between the spinal cord injury (AOR=4.2, 95% CI: 1.8-9.2), non-college-educated (AOR=3.1, 95% CI: 1.2-5.9) and employed (AOR=1.8, 95% CI: 1.1-1.8) variables and being in one of the moderate or poor quality of life classes. Scores of SQOL-F and FSFI domains, except satisfaction, were significantly worse in cases versus controls (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Although our participants showed low sexual dysfunction, they tended to report moderate to poor quality of sexual life. Our findings support the implication that sexual rehabilitation must be provided for women with SCI soon after injury.

Properties of reformulated hot dog sausage without added nitrites during chilled storage.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a complete nitrite replacement strategy using celery, carmine, sodium lactate and orange dietary fibre combined with vitamins C and E, on the quality characteristics (technological, sensorial and safety properties) of hot dog sausages (five samples) during chilled storage (2 ± 1℃ 60 days). Nitrite replacers (combined with vitamins C and E) presented antioxidant activity, reducing lipid oxidation in reformulated samples. At the end of storage redness (a*) was similar in the control sample (with added nitrite) and in the sample without added nitrite. Sensory evaluation detected no significant difference between samples with and without added nitrite. All the reformulated samples were judged acceptable by the panellists. At the end of storage, the control sample contained more than four times as much residual nitrite as the reformulated samples. Growth of presumptive Clostridium perfringens was not observed in any of the samples. Samples without added nitrite had longer shelf-lives than control sausage. Samples containing 0.1% vitamin C registered the lowest microbiological levels. This strategy could be a good alternative to reduce and/or eliminate added nitrite in hot dog sausages.

Psychometric properties of the Sexual Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ) in the Iranian population with spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Sexual Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ) for Iranian people with spinal cord injury. SETTING: This study was conducted in the brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. METHODS: We assessed the psychometric properties of the SAQ, with 200 participants (men=146, women=54) completing the scale. An evaluation of its test-retest reliability was performed over a 2-weeks period, on a subsample of 30 patients recruited from the overall group. Cronbach's α-coefficient was computed for assessment of internal consistency reliability. In addition, content and face validity were examined by an expert committee. Construct validity was assessed by examining convergent and discriminant validity. Finally, exploratory factor analysis was used to extract the factor structure of the questionnaire. RESULTS: The Cronbach's α and intraclass correlation coefficient were 0.77 and 0.72 retrospectively. With regard to construct validity, there was a significant (P=0.009) negative correlation (r=-0.28) between the SAQ score and age. Those with lower levels of educations scored significantly lower on the SAQ (P=0.04). The exploratory factor analysis indicated a four-factor structure for the questionnaire, accounting for 68.9% of the observed variance. The expert committee approved the face and content validity of the developed measure. CONCLUSION: The SAQ is a valid measure for assessing sexual adjustment in people with spinal cord injury. The evaluation of sexual well-being may be useful in clinical trials and practical settings.

Challenges of measuring a faculty member activity in medical schools.

BACKGROUND: One of the features of Mission Based Management is measuring the activities of faculty members and departments and their contributions to the school's mission. As it is important to assess the school's readiness for such a system, in this study we assessed the view points of Tehran Medical School's department chairs about faculty members' activities. METHODS: We used focus group technique to identify participants' view points. We divided 30 department chairs into homogenous groups of 4-6. After a brief introduction, the moderator presented questions to determine the participants' idea and a secretary recorded them. We categorized view points into main themes and subthemes. RESULTS: Ninety three percent of chairs participated in the sessions. Department chairs' view points were categorized into 3 main themes: "system is effective and important", "system is effective and important but some challenges should be considered" and "system is ineffective and should not be implemented". Subthemes included chairs' concerns, views, fears and reasons. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study provided reliable information about department chairs' concerns and reactions to this system. Finally, we determined points of strengths and anticipated threats for developing a faculty member activity measurement system.

Immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a potential aflatoxin decontaminating agent in pistachio nuts

In this study, we investigated the binding ability of Saccharomayces cerevisiae to aflatoxin in pistachio nuts. The obtained results indicate that S. cerevisiae has an aflatoxin surface binding ability of 40 percent and 70 percent (with initial aflatoxin concentrations of 10 and 20 ppb) in the exponential phase. Acid treatments increase this ability to approximately 60 percent and 73 percent for the two concentrations of aflatoxin, respectively. Heat treatments also enhance surface binding to 55 percent and 75 percent, respectively. Binding appears to be a physical phenomenon that saturates within the first 2-3 hours of the process. The obtained results indicate that yeast immobilization for toxin reduction on aflatoxin-contaminated pistachios had no effect on qualitative characteristics, such as color, texture, and peroxide value. Yeast cells, viable or nonviable, are effective for aflatoxin binding, and this property could lead to a promising solution to aflatoxin contamination in high-risk foods.

Evaluation of zeta and HA-binding methods for selection of spermatozoa with normal morphology, protamine content and DNA integrity.

Sperm selection parameters based on morphology and motility for ICSI might not be relevant to chromatin integrity. Thus sperm selection based on sperm characteristics has been suggested. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the zeta and hyaluronic acid (HA) sperm selection procedures with neat semen, for recovering spermatozoa with normal morphology, protamine content and DNA integrity in infertile men. Semen samples from 77 infertile couples were assessed during this study. Semen analysis was carried out according to World Health Organization criteria. Protamine content, DNA integrity and sperm morphology were assessed by chromomycin A3, sperm chromatin dispersion and Papanicolaou staining respectively. The results show that both HA and zeta methods were efficient to recover spermatozoa with normal morphology and protamine content. In terms of the latter parameters, there was no superiority between the two procedures. However, in terms of DNA integrity, the zeta method was more efficient compared with the control and HA procedure and no significant difference was observed between HA and the controls. Therefore, the zeta method appears to be a suitable procedure to recover spermatozoa with normal DNA integrity.

Immobilized Saccharomyces Cerevisiae as a potential aflatoxin decontaminating agent in pistachio nuts.

In this study, we investigated the binding ability of Saccharomayces cerevisiae to aflatoxin in pistachio nuts. The obtained results indicate that S. cerevisiae has an aflatoxin surface binding ability of 40% and 70% (with initial aflatoxin concentrations of 10 and 20 ppb) in the exponential phase. Acid treatments increase this ability to approximately 60% and 73% for the two concentrations of aflatoxin, respectively. Heat treatments also enhance surface binding to 55% and 75%, respectively. Binding appears to be a physical phenomenon that saturates within the first 2-3 hours of the process. The obtained results indicate that yeast immobilization for toxin reduction on aflatoxin-contaminated pistachios had no effect on qualitative characteristics, such as color, texture, and peroxide value. Yeast cells, viable or nonviable, are effective for aflatoxin binding, and this property could lead to a promising solution to aflatoxin contamination in high-risk foods.

Knowledge and attitude of donor cardholders toward organ and tissue donation and transplantation in an Iranian tissue bank: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Cadaveric organ shortage is the most important obstacle to more widespread provision of transplants. Many factors influence the donation rate: social factors, religion, familial relations, and especially knowledge and attitudes toward organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Increasing public awareness can reform the incorrect beliefs and myths about donation and transplantation. This study investigated knowledge and attitudes of donor cardholders toward organ and tissue donation as well as transplantation. METHODS: This case-control study was performed in 2006 among 178 donor cardholders and the same number of a control group who completed a questionnaire including 23 questions and demographic information. FINDINGS: Knowledge and attitude among the cardholder was significantly greater than the control group (P < .05). We observed a inverse correlation between age and a positive attitude toward donation and transplantation among cardholders. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that the main reasons for refusal to donate organ and tissue were insufficient knowledge and negative attitudes due to misinformation regarding donation and transplantation. We believe that educating and motivating the public via the mass media can increase the rate of consent for organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Comparative study of depression and consent among brain death families in donor and nondonor groups from March 2001 to December 2002 in Tehran.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to study the relationship between depression and organ donation among families of brain death cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included a sample of first-degree relatives of brain death cases: 54 relatives among 27 organ donor families and 104 relatives among 58 nonorgan donor families participated in the research by the counting method. All families were questioned about their willingness for organ donation and at least 3 months had passed from their relative's death to the time we performed the research. Data were collected via a demographic questionnaire and Beck depression inventory (BDI) with a cutoff point of 16; persons with scores over 16 were considered depressed. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Student t test, and chi-square test. RESULTS: Depression was observed in 20.4% of donor families and 17.3% of nondonor families; there was no significant difference between them. There were no significant differences in the frequency of depression between parents, spouses, and children of the 2 groups. The organ donors' relatives reported the effectiveness of organ donation to alleviate their grief: 66% completely and 32% partially. CONCLUSION: Organ donation does not have a significant effect on the course of grief and later depression among relatives of brain death cases.