فهرست مطالب maryam khosravi

Sanctions against a country could be a shock to the country's economy for a specific period. Iran has been subject to various sanctions for the past 40 years, and these sanctions have intensified since 2011. Unprecedented sanctions were imposed on Iranians after the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement, and a disastrous economic situation was the outcome of this international issue. The present study aims to evaluate the impact of this situation on weight gain of pregnant mothers and birth weight as well as food security of their families.

The data of pregnant women and newborns were extracted from Sina Electronic Health System (SinaEHR®) questionnaires. These questionnaires were completed by trained healthcare workers in comprehensive health service centers. The data of 266,182 pregnant women were collected through questionnaires from 19 comprehensive health centers related to Razavi Khorasan province and were prepared for statistical analysis. Then, data analysis was done using the statistical method of Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) by SPSS software.

Examining the data of 266,182 pregnant mothers during the sanctions period of 2017 to 2020 in Iran shows that the weight gain of pregnant mothers (P<0.001) and the birth weight of the newborns (P<0.047) have decreased significantly.

According to the results, there has been a significant reduction in the two variables of weight gain in pregnant women and newborns’ birth weight, which confirms the debilitative effects of sanctions on these important outcomes.

The mental image of customers of a store plays very important consequences in the survival and competitive advantage of these businesses. The present study also aimed to design and validate the model of customers' mental image of the store with a mixed exploratory approach in the Hyperstar store in Tehran. This research is applied-developmental in terms of purpose, and in terms of its nature and form of implementation, it was done in a descriptive-survey manner. The statistical population of this research includes theoretical experts (professors of marketing management) and experimental experts (managers of Hyperstar stores in Tehran) and customers of Hyperstar stores in Tehran. Sampling was done using theoretical sampling method and finally theoretical saturation was achieved with 10 people. Then the researcher-made questionnaire was randomly distributed among 384 customers. The data collection tools are semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. In order to analyze the expert interviews, the grounded theory method and MaxQDA software were used. Validation of Nair model was done by partial least squares method and SMART PLS software. Based on the research paradigm model, customer experience management, co-creation of value with the customer and customer orientation are the underlying factors affecting the customers' mental image of the store. This mental image affects the branding strategy and internal branding of the store. Of course, it should be kept in mind that the store's social responsibility plays an intervening role in this regard, and the store's marketing mix also provides background conditions. Through branding strategy and internal branding, behavioral consequences such as customer satisfaction, loyalty and trust can be achieved.

 Curcumin has potential anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of curcumin against cardiac ischemia -reperfusion injury in rats fed a high-fat diet.

 In this experimental study, male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (C), high-fat diet (H), curcumin 100 (HyperC100, 100 mg/kg) and curcumin 200 (HyperC200), with the last two groups receiving oral curcumin daily for 3 weeks.
The rats were fed a high-fat diet for 7 weeks to induce obesity. After anesthesia, hearts were removed and placed on the Langendorff perfusion system andbegan beating. After 20 minutes of stabilization, 35 minutes of ischemia and 60 minutes of nutrient fluid reflux were performed. During this interval, ventricular (LV) functional indices including LVSP, LVDP, LVEDP and +dp/dt were recorded. The relative size of the infarction was measured by using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining.

 Hyperlipidemia caused dysfunction with changes in ventricular parameters, but curcumin could to improve some LV contractile parameters such as systolic pressure and increase diastolic pressure (P≤0.05). Curcumin could not significantly reduce the infarct size.

 Curcumin may have an cardio protection effects against ischemia/reperfusion injury in normal and hyperlipidemic rats.

Cancer in adolescence can have a long-term impact on the physical, mental and social life of people in adulthood. As a result, the present research was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of health promoting lifestyle education on distress tolerance and life expectancy in adolescences with cancer.

The current research was semi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design along with the control group. The research population was adolescences with cancer that referred to the Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Babol city in the winter season of 2022 year. The research sample was 30 people who were selected by the purposive sampling method, after checking the inclusion criteria and were replaced with the lottery in two equal groups, randomly. The experimental group was educated 8 sessions of 90 minute with the health promoting lifestyle method and during this period the control group was not trained. The research tools were included the demographic information form, Simmons and Gaher distress tolerance scale (2005) and Snyder et al life expectancy scale (1991). Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS-19 software at a significance level of 0.05.

The findings showed that 8 sessions of health promoting lifestyle education increased distress tolerance and life expectancy in adolescences with cancer (P<0.001).

The results of this study indicated the effectiveness of health promoting lifestyle education on increasing distress tolerance and life expectancy in adolescences with cancer. As a result, counselors and psychologists can use the mentioned method to improve the psychological characteristics of different groups, especially adolescences with cancer.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a severe life-threatening autoimmune disease that causes intraepithelial blisters. PV has been reported in association with some autoimmune diseases. But only few cases (fewer than 10 reports according to literature search) have been reported regarding the association of PV with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a life-threatening, inflammatory demyelinating disease, causing severe disability.  

Our patient was a 40-year-old female complaining of gingival ulcers. She had MS for the past 10 years. Biopsy and immunoassay were done and PV was confirmed. The patient has been followed up for 7 years so far.

It is necessary to pay attention to mild oral ulcers in MS patients because they may be related to severe blistering diseases like PV.

Sanctions are a type of forfeit aimed at forcing the subject to obey the desired political will. Since sanctions affect various components of the economic sectors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of sanctions on food intake of households living in Khorasan Razavi province, Iran.

To investigate the effect of sanctions on food intake of households living in Khorasan Razavi province, the survey data of the National Statistics Center of Iran (NSCI) on cost and income was used. 2129 households (number of households in 2017: 702, 2018: 726 and 2019: 701) were studied. In the N4 program, macronutrients and micronutrients were calculated. The studied variables were analyzed based on four income categories. In the SPSS software, quantitative variables of 2017 to 2019 were reviewed by ANOVA test and variables in pairs of the same period were reviewed by post hoc Tukey test.

The analysis showed that by intensifying sanctions, the cost of food has increased more than the average of income, and prices of all food groups spesifically healthy food groups have increased. The diet quality index has decreased significantly. The lower-income classes had the most insufficient dietary intake of micronutrients and the gap between dietary intake of different income classes increased during the study.

Sanctions have affected the dietary intake due to the rise in the price of food expenditure and as a result people tend to consume cheaper and lower quality food.

The Gano bauxite deposit is located 90 km northeast of Semnan city in the eastern Alborz Mountains, northern Iran. The bauxite ores occur as stratiform discrete lenses with a length of 6 km and thickness of 2–20 m along the contact between carbonates of the Elika Formation and shale, sandstone, siltstone, and coal of the Shemshak Formation. Mineralogical analyses revealed that the bauxite ores consist of diaspore, hematite, kaolinite, chlorite, anatase, illite, zunyite, goethite, quartz, and dolomite minerals. Fluctuations of the groundwater table level, acidic atmospheric waters, and an increase in pH of the weathering solutions close to carbonate bedrocks played an important role in the concentration of Fe-poor ores in the upper parts and Fe-rich ores in the lower parts of the studied profile. An increase in oxidation, the possible presentence of secondary phosphate minerals, fluctuations of the groundwater table level, and the role of carbonate bedrock as an active buffer played an important role in the extent of Ce anomaly in the ores (0.79–12.25). The pH variations of weathering solutions, fluctuations of the groundwater table level, the role of carbonate bedrock as a geochemical barrier, and simultaneous precipitation of Fe-bearing minerals and preferential scavenging of LREE(La–Eu) by hematite played an important role in the distribution and fractionation of rare earth elements in the bauxite ores. According to geochemical considerations (Eu/Eu* vs. TiO2/Al2O3 and Sm/Nd bivariate diagrams), the Gano bauxite deposit probably derived from the weathering of intermediate igneous rocks.

This research aims to investigate and identify the causes and factors affecting the incidence or severity of road accidents in Birjand, and in line with that, the relationship between road, human, environmental and vehicle variables with the occurrence of accidents and accidents in the mentioned axis is studied. The present research method is a descriptive method with an analytical approach. Descriptive and inferential statistics indicators have been used to analyze the obtained statistical data. Inferential statistics such as Friedman and mean tests were used for field surveys of the questionnaire and in the analytical review of the data obtained from the questionnaire, and the t-test was used to test the significance of the hypotheses and Cronbach's alpha method was used to measure the reliability of the questions. This research identified the main cause of accidents in the city of Birjand in the first step, the quality and technical issues of the road, and according to the interviewees, the narrow width of the road, the quality of the road and insufficient signs are the main reasons for the aforementioned accidents. After that, human factors rank They are second, among them, speeding and overtaking, turning left, and unnecessary haste and acceleration are among the human causes of the aforementioned accidents, with the explanation that the two factors of speeding and overtaking, regardless of the groupings, are in the first list. The impact factors of the mentioned axis. The technical and qualitative factors of the car are in the third place and finally the environmental and natural factors are in the fourth category. Also, the hypotheses related to the relationship of the mentioned factors with accidents in the mentioned axis have been proven, except for the environmental factors that The significance of its relationship has not been confirmed.

This study aimed to compare the effects of laser photodynamic therapy (PDT) with methylene blue (MB) or aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on the oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell line.

In this in vitro experimental study, the C152 (KB) OSCC cell line was cultured in a culture medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. The cells were exposed to 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 mM concentrations of MB and ALA alone and combined with diode laser irradiation with 660 nm wavelength, 40 mW power, and 10 J/cm2 energy density in continuous‑wave mode perpendicular to the surface. Cell viability was assessed using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay and compared among the groups by the Kruskal–Wallis test.

The results showed that the reduction in cell viability in the MB + laser and ALA + laser groups was greater than that in the MB and ALA groups without laser (P < 0.001). Significant differences were noted in cell viability in the presence of some different concentrations of MB and ALA (P < 0.05), such that by an increase in their concentration, cell viability decreased. Cell viability in the MB + laser group was significantly lower than that in the ALA + laser group in some photosensitizer concentrations (P < 0.05).

Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the results showed that laser PDT with MB (high concentrations) was more effective than laser PDT with ALA against the OSCC cell line.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the artery that is mainly known by arterial wall thickening. The use of medicine herbs with minimal side effects in hypercholesterolemia treatment and removal of atherosclerotic plaque is important. The aim of the present study was to investigate the comparative effect of simvastatin with methanolic extract and hyoscyamoside extracted from Hyoscyamus niger plant on APO A gene expression in Wistar atherosclerosis male rats.Forty Wistar male rats weighing approximately 180 gr (at the beginning of the experiment) were prepared and randomly divided into 5 groups including 8 (control, sham, experimental 1, 2 and 3). All groups (except control) received fatty foods (1% cholesterol) in addition to 2% cholesterol for 40 days (receiving saline water 1 mg/kg daily by control group during this period). Then, the three experimental groups were treated daily with 40 mg/kg of simvastatin, 25 mg/kg of hyoscyamoside and 25 mg/kg of methanolic extract of Hyoscyamus niger plant for 28 days, respectively. During the treatment, sham group received 1 mg/kg saline water daily. Finally, APO A gene expression was determined by blood sampling with real-time PCR tecnique in leukocytes. Also, serum lipid levels were measured by photometric method. Methanolic extract and Hyoscyamus niger plant extracted-hyoscyamoside and simvastatin were caused a significant increase in APO A gene expression in all three experimental groups compared to sham group. Also, methanolic extract was more effective than other products in increasing this gene expression. Methanolic extract of Hyoscyamus niger plant and extracted hyoscyamoside have an additive effect on APO A gene expression and increase serum HDL levels.

Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia, characterized by memory and cognitive deficits. Vitamin E, as an antioxidant, plays an important role in reviving free radicals and converting them into safe substances by giving hydrogen. Shirazi thyme (Zataria multiflora) has antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. The aim of this study is the comparative effect of timolol with methanol extract of Zataria multiflora with vitamin E on Alzheimer's disease in male Wistar rats. 40 male Wistar rats weighing approximately 200 grams were randomly divided into 5 groups of eight. Beta-amyloid 42 was used to induce Alzheimer's disease. Then, methanolic and timolol extracts were extracted from Zataria multiflora. The level of Apo E gene expression was evaluated by Real Time PCR and TC, LDL and HD biochemical factors. The expression of Apo E gene in the experimental groups increased significantly compared to the Alzheimer's group. The expression of this gene was decreased in the sham group compared to the control group. The group of Alzheimer's mice had a significant increase in total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) serum levels, and the level of HDL showed a significant decrease compared to the control group. Timolol, m ethanolic extract of Zataria multiflora and vitamin E have positive effects on the expression of APOA E gene in leukocytes. On the other hand, with a significant effect on HDL, the methanolic extract of Zataria multiflora can be used as an effective product to prevent and reduce the complications of Alzheimer's disease.

With the expansion of social networks and the increase in their users, these networks have become an effective medium for publishing news and various content. Therefore, new challenges have been created in this space, one of the most important of which is spreading rumors and false information. Rumors are moving at an incredible rate in society due to their appeal and attraction. Their spread can have many destructive effects on human societies and sometimes have irreparable consequences. For this reason, many researchers today deal with rumors in these networks. The purpose of this article is to provide a new method that can detect rumors without user information and post content analysis, and only according to the post propagation subgraph. Therefore, the degree distribution of the propagation graphs in the rumored and non-rumored models is examined. Then different classifiers were used to distinguish between these two modes. The Random Forest classifier gives better results than others. Since this method can finally detect rumors within four steps after propagation, this method has a good performance in terms of time.

Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play a role in Parkinson's disease. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatories such as polyphenol compounds and flavonoids inhibit neuronal death. The aim of the present study is the effect of xanthone and 6-hydroxyflavone in Parkinson's disease in laboratory mice. Animals are cannulated by stereotaxic surgery and unilateral injection of 6-hydroxy-dopamine is performed in the dense area of ​​the substantia nigra (SNc) of the brain. Xanthone and 6-hydroxyflavone were injected intraperitoneally. Three weeks after surgery, movement evaluations and pseudo-anxiety and pseudo-depression behaviors were performed. Counting of all the neurons in the dense area of ​​the substantia nigra was done. Injection of 6-hydroxydopamine increased the number of apomorphine rotations. Catalysis time increased. Neurons in the substantia nigra decreased. 6-Hydroxyflavone (50 and 100 mg/kg) and xanthone (100 and 200 mg/kg) reduced vertigo and catalepsy. In the elevated plus shape maze test, 6-hydroxyflavone in doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg and xanthone in doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg increased motor activity. In the forced swimming test, xanthone in doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg reduced immobility in parkinsonian rats. The number of substantia nigra neurons increased with the treatment of 6-hydroxyflavone in doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg xanthone. Xanthone and 6-hydroxyflavone improved movement disorder and catalepsy and increased the number of nerve cells in the substantia nigra. Xanthon was able to reduce depression. Probably, part of these central protective effects are mediated by the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of xanthone and 6-hydroxyflavone, which prevent cell death by reducing free radicals and inflammatory cytokines, and as a result, they improve cognitive and movement disorders.

The main purpose of this study is to determine the molecular arrangement in lamella and the role of Marangoni convection in foam stability in the presence of nanoparticles. Experiments were conducted in two different foam systems of (1) anionic nanoparticles-cationic surfactant (CTAB) and (2) anionic nanoparticles-anionic surfactant (SDS). Observations showed that the effective mechanisms of stability are different. Although nanoparticles increase the stability of both foam systems, the presence of nanoparticles in the like-charge system improves foamability. In contrast, in the unlike-charge system, foamability decreases with the increment of nanoparticle concentration. The most influential factor in the foam stability in the like-charge case is the repulsive force which sends more surfactant molecules to the interface. Surface tension results demonstrate that Marangoni flow restitutes the negative impact of gravity drainage and increases the foam stability. In contrast, In the unlike-charge system, the presence of nanoparticles at the interface increases detachment energy significantly, and as a result, the stability boosts. The accumulation of nanoparticles in the interface changes it to a solid-like and high elasticity surface; thus, Marangoni flow is lost.

The occurrence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its health-related issues, especially cardiovascular diseases (CVD), are increasing in developing countries. With a 3-year follow-up study, the present study aimed to determine the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with OSA in an Iranian population.

In this prospective cohort study, 415 adults (300 patients with OSA and 115 patients without OSA) with a history of snoring and/or witnessed apneas or other suspected sleep breathing disorders were consecutively enrolled and followed up for three successive years to evaluate the development of cardiovascular events including acute coronary syndrome, cerebrovascular accidents (including ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes or transient ischemic attacks), death due to cardiac causes and all-cause mortality. 

415 patients were studied with a mean age of 56.2 ±15.7 years, 211 (50.8) of whom were male. Cardiovascular events developed in 15 participants (5%) of the OSA group, and 3 participants (2.6 %) of the OSA negative group. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of the incidence of any of these events (P-value> 0.05). Using multiple logistic regression model (with P-value <0.2 as the significance level), age, OSA, and history of CVD remained as significant predictors for the development of cardiac composite events (incidence of CVD, CVA, death due to cardiac causes, and all-cause mortality) with the odds ratios of (95% confidence interval) 1.03 (1.01, 1.06), 2.41 (1.02, 5.76), and 7.40 (2.91, 18.67), respectively.

The present study showed that OSA is associated with a more than twofold increased risk of cardiovascular events. Thus, obstructive sleep apnea should be considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor.

 The COVID-19 pandemic affected different aspects of human life seriously, including health issues. Unfortunately, the process of RNA extraction using commercial kits is highly expensive. Replacement of this technique with a cheaper one may help us catch a more affordable approach.

 This study aims to introduce a simple and cost-benefit procedure to extract nucleic acid from swab samples of patients infected with SARS-COV-2.

 All 41 positive extracted samples were extracted with three methods separately. The first method was based on the commercial kit using a silica filter column. The second method was made of ammonium acetate, sodium acetate, and alcohol as an extraction solution, and the last method was applied using only the sodium acetate and alcohol solution.

 All samples extracted with a commercial kit based on a silica column were positive (100%) with Cts 21 ± 4.9, 21.4 ± 4.8, and 28.1 ± 1.8 for RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), N, and RNase P genes, respectively. In the precipitation method using ammonium acetate, 40 samples were detected positive (97.5%), and the Cts were 26.3 ± 4.5, 23.6 ± 5.3, and 25.7 ± 3.5 for the above three genes, respectively. Similar to the conventional extraction method, the third method also showed positive results (97.5%) significantly. The mean CTs were 26 ± 4.3, 23 ± 5.4, and 23.7 ± 2.3, respectively.

 Our results indicated that the precipitation method using ammonium acetate, sodium acetate, and ethanol could be an alternative extraction method instead of the column-based method for SARS-COV-2 by swab samples.

Air pollution is one of the serious challenges that have been faced in recent years, especially in major cities around the world. Isfahan, as one of the metropolises of Iran, is no exception to this rule. This issue has become critical for Isfahan as a densely populated and industrial city.

In this research, the data recorded at 17 air quality monitoring stations in Isfahan have been analyzed. The stations included Ahmadabad, Parvin, Rudaki, Ostandari, Kharazi, Rehnan, Kaveh, Feiz, Mirzataher, Jey, Misaq Stadium, Farshadi, Bahonar, Enghelab, Shahinshahr, Mobarakeh and Segzai. All the statistical analyzes in this research were related to the AQI air quality index and were performed using Excel software.

The results showed that among the 17 studied stations, Ahmadabad station did not have any clean and good days during the studied period (From April 21, 2021 to March 20, 2022) and compared to other stations, the highest number of days with the condition Unsanitary is recorded at this station. It also had the highest AQI in the fall compared to other stations. Therefore, Ahmadabad station is the most polluted area in terms of air quality. The results also showed that the highest number of good and clean days was recorded in Mobarakeh and Shahinshahr stations. These two stations had the lowest amount of AQI during the study period.

The results of this study shows that areas such as Segzi and Mobarakeh, which are relatively industrial areas, have less pollution than the Ahmadabad area, which is a residential but with high traffic. Therefore, it can be concluded that the impact of pollution caused by cars in 2021-2022 was more than the pollution caused by industries.

According to the literature, pre-hospital emergency medicine clinicians’ mental health has most likely been ignored during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between mental health and corona anxiety among pre-hospital emergency medicine clinicians during the COVID-19 outbreak in Isfahan, Iran.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Isfahan, Iran, from May to July 2020. All participants voluntarily participated in this study, and an informed consent was obtained. Data collection was done through completing two questionnaires, including the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Data were analyzed with SPSS version 18 using the Pearson correlation test and multivariate linear regression.

A preliminary data analysis of CDAS and GHQ showed a significant correlation between the total score of COVID-19 anxiety and general health (r = 0.6, P < 0.001). Also, multivariate analysis showed that field of study (B = 0.13; P-value = 0.005) and COVID-19 anxiety were significant predictors for general health (B = 0.6; P-value < 0.001).

According to the findings, the higher the anxiety score, the poorer one’s general health and the more likely they are to have mental disorders. Therefore, it is recommended to provide mental health services for pre-hospital emergency medicine clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Depression, as a mental disorder, causes many complications in humans. Saffron has been suggested as one of the effective plants in treating various types of depression. The present study aims to assess the effect of the aqueous extract of saffron on depression caused by chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) in rats.

To induce CSDS, male Wistar intruder rats (Weight= 220-230 g) were put in the cage of male Wistar resident rats (Weight= 280-300 g) for twelve consecutive days (20 min/day). Five minutes before exposure, the intruder rats received either saffron extract (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) or saline (1 ml/kg). After the exposure, the animals’ weight, desire for the sucrose solution, and locomotor activity were recorded. In addition, at three stages, blood samples were collected from the retro-orbital sinus of animals to evaluate the plasma corticosterone levels. Data were analyzed in SPSS software using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and repeated measures analysis of variance.

Animals in the stress group showed severe weight loss, decreased desire to drink sucrose solution, decreased mobility, and increased plasma corticosterone level (P<0.05). Administration of saffron aqueous extract with different doses improved these symptoms (P<0.01).

The aqueous extract of saffron can reduce depression in the animal model of CSDS through reducing corticosterone secretion in response to stress.

Background and Aim:

Inflammation and oxidative stress are implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Astaxanthin (ASTX) have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotectiveeffects,therefor may be useful for treatment of PD.In the present study, we investigated the beneficial effects of ASTX against the toxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in animal and cellular models.

NMRI male mice, were used in this study. Parkinsonism was induced by injection of 6-OHDA (5 μg/1μl in 0.2 % ascorbic acid-saline) into the left striatum. Parkinsonian mice divided to: the control and treatment groups. The treatment groups were administered orally with water or ASTX (10, 20, and 30mg/kg) for 28 days.The behavioral activities of mice were determined by apomorphine-induced rotational test. The Dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells were cultured for 48 h with various concentrations of ASTX (1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 μmol/L) in the presence or absence of 6-OHDA.The toxicity of 6-OHDA was evaluated by trypan blue assay. The viability of SH-SY5Y cells following 6-OHDA exposure were determined by MTT assay.

The results demonstrated that 6-OHDA-induced PD-like behavioral impairments of mice were significantly improved by ASTX. Pre incubation of SH-SY5Y cellswith ASTX inhibits the 6-OHDA ‑induced apoptosis and necrosis. The impaired viability of 6-OHDA-injured SH-SY5Y cells were significantly restored by ASTX pretreatment.

Our results indicated that ASTX treatment could protect SH-SY5Y cells and dopaminergic neurons of substantianigra from 6-OHDA -Induced Toxicity in a dose-dependent manner.

Gas injection has been used as an enhance oil recovery (EOR) method over last decades. However, due to low viscosity of gas and reservoir heterogeneity, this method has low recovery factor. Foam injection has been introduced as a solution to decrease gas mobility, and improve the ultimate oil recovery. In this study, the impact of wettability and capillary pressure on the foam performance has been investigated. In this regard, a fractured reservoir is developed, and three different wettability and capillary pressure condition has been tested. These conditions are changing the wettability from water-wet to mixed wet, along with an assumption of considering the capillary pressure or not. For better accuracy, different foam models were devoted to fracture and matrix. These models are similar to porous medium, and foam model parameters are a result of an optimization algorithm. The simulation outcomes reveal that the generation of foam within the fracture creates a viscous crossflow which leads to displacement of oil and higher recovery factors. The wetting state of the matrix determines the quality of foam, and matrix foam becomes more water-base, as wettability is altered from water-wet to mixed-wet. The results also show that matrix capillary pressure can create a capillary crossflow and harms the efficiency of foam injection by drying out foam in the fracture.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adding thistle extract to the basal diet on sperm motility and the relative expression of Catsper gene in the testes of older broilers due to the role of this gene in normal sperm motility. A total of 50 Ross 308 broiler roosters at 47 weeks of age were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 10) and were daily feed with a basic diet containing different levels of Tribulus terrestris including: 1) 0 mg of Tribulus terrestris (control), 2) 5 mg of Tribulus terrestris (Kh-5mg), 3) 10 mg of Tribulus terrestris (Kh-10mg), 4 ) 15 mg of Tribulus terrestris (Kh-15mg), and 5) 20 mg of Tribulus terrestris (Kh-20mg) per kg of body weight for 13 weeks. All roosters were weekly sampled to assess motility of sperm. At the end of the experiment, in order to measure testosterone concentration and evaluate the expression of Catsper gene, seven roosters were randomly slaughtered from each treatment and their testes were sampled. Results showed that Tribulus terrestris feeding improved total sperm motility in Kh-5, Kh-10, Kh-15 and Kh-20 groups by about 6, 4, 3 and 5%, respectively, compared to the control group (P<0.05). Plasma testosterone concentrations were not statistically significant between treatments (P <0.05).  Relative expression of Catsper gene in roosters receiving 5 mg level of Tribulus terrestris tended to increase compared to the control group (P = 0.09); however, at doses of 10 and 15 mg of Tribulus terrestris extract showed a significant difference (P <0.05). But with a dose of 20 mg of thistle extract did not show a significant difference (P<0.05). In summary, in this study, feeding thistle extract at the level of 5 mg increased sperm motility and expression of Catsper gene (one of the genes responsible for sperm motility).

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disease with no identified effective treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of human endometrial stem cells with the anti-inflammatory drug pomalidomide on glutathione (GSH) and serum lipids (total cholesterol,TC and low density lipoprotein, LDL)) in the Parkinson’s model in male Wistar rats. Male rats were randomly assigned to five groups (8 animals in each group) including: control, Parkinson’s, and 3 experimental Parkinson’s groups receiving stem cells, pomalidomide, and a combination of stem cells and pomalidomide. Parkinson’s was induced by injection of 6-hydroxy dopamine (concentration 6 μg) in the striatum by stereotaxic method. In the fourth week after surgery, the three experimental groups were treated with  4 mg/kg/daily of pomalidomide, 100,000  stem cells through intranasal route, and a combination of pomalidomide at a dose of 4 mg/kg/daily and 100,000 stem cells. At the end of day 28, blood samples were taken from the groups and factors were measured. The results revealed a significant increase in glutathione among the treated groups compared to the Parkinson’s group. There was also a significant decrease in glutathione in Parkinson’s group compared to the control group. Comparison between Parkinson’s group and the group treated with pomalidomide and endometrial stem cells showed a significant reduction in cholesterol. Moreover, LDL levels showed a significant decrease in LDL levels in the treated groups compared to the Parkinson’s group. Considering the improvement of the measured factors in Parkinson’s rat, allogeneic stem cells can be used as a potential source along with pomalidomide in future research for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Observational evidence on the association of novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) of androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor-α (ER-α) genes with odds of male infertility are rare. This is particularly relevant in Iranian population where male infertility is relatively high.

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between different SNPs of these genes and male infertility among Iranian population.

The present project was a population-based, case-control study conducted on 120 idiopathic azoospermia or severe oligospermia infertile cases alongside 120 age-matched subjects enrolled as controls. Overall, 3 variants from the AR gene and 2 variants from ER-α were genotyped - ARrs137852568, ARrs137852599, and AR rs137852563 and ER-α rs796065354, and ER-αrs104893956- using amplification refractory mutation system methods.

Obtained results indicated a significant association between AR rs1378525568 TT genotype as well as AR rs137852599 C allele with odds of male infertility (OR: 0.433, CI: 0.197-0.951 and OR: 0.545, CI: 0.304-0.978, respectively). Other variants of AR were not related to male infertility. A significant association was noted between predisposition polymorphism ER-α rs796065354 genotypes with male infertility. This significant association was not seen between ER-α rs104893956 and the risk of idiopathic azoospermia or severe oligospermia. Heterozygote overdominance was also observed in ESR rs796065354 but not in the other variants studied.

Pieces of evidence were foundon the association of novel polymorphisms of AR and ER-α with male infertility among the Iranian population. However, larger studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

Non-syndromic cleft lip occurs by the interaction of environmental and genetic factors. The purpose of the current study was to analyze the association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in IRF6 and NSCL/P in an Iranian population.

A group of 105 children with NSCL/P and 185 normal controls were included in the current study. Genotyping of IRF6 rs2013162 and rs2235375 was performed by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.

A substantial association of AA and CA genotypes in rs2013162 with the risk of NSCL/P (AA vs. CC; OR=2.36; 95%CI [1.05-5.29], p=0.004; and CA vs. CC; OR=0.47; 95%CI [0.28-0.79], p=0.018) was found. However, there were no important associations between A allele and risk of NSCL/P (p=0.980). According to logistic regression analysis results, subjects with GG genotype and G allele in rs2235375 polymorphism had increased risk of NSCL/P.

The IRF6 polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility to NSCL/P in Iranian population.