reza mahdavi

Feed form and heat stress (HS) are two major critical issues that affect feed intake (FI) in poultry. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of feed form on the intestinal morphology of laying hens. Additionally, the influence of feed form on the intestinal microbiota of laying hens under HS conditions remains unexplored.  One hundred and forty-four laying hens (90 weeks of age) were used in a completely randomized design with two treatments (pellet and mash). Each treatment contained six replicates of 12 hens each. Laying hens were subjected to a cyclic heat stress regimen of 32 ± 3°C for 6 hours per day at a humidity of 35–40% during the late laying period (weeks 90–97). Feed form had no effect on egg production and feed conversion ratio (P>0.05), but egg weight and mass, FI, and body weight gain increased in the birds fed the pelleted diet (P<0.05). Feeding the pelleted diet decreased the shell weight and thickness, as well as the yolk color score (P < 0.05), but did not affect other egg quality parameters (P>0.05). Villus width and villus surface area were higher in hens fed the pelleted diet (P<0.05) than those fed the mash diet, but villus height, crypt depth, and the villus height-to-crypt depth ratio were not affected by the treatments (P>0.05). There were no significant differences between treatments regarding cecal bifidobacteria spp. lactobacillus spp. and coliforms populations (P>0.05). However, feeding laying hens with pelleted diet resulted in greater numbers of cecal Enterococcus spp. compared to those fed the mash diet (P<0.05). This study indicated that feeding the pelleted diet improved the egg mass production and intestinal morphology, reduced the shell weight and thickness, and increased the population of Enterococcus spp. in the ceca of late-laying hens exposed to HS. The economic benefit from performance improvement with the pelleted diet may have offset the higher feeding cost.

During the last two decades, the use of antibiotics in poultry diets as animal growth promotors and growth inhibitors of harmful microorganisms has been stopped in different parts of the world (Roth et al., 2019), which led to a decrease in poultry performance and an increase in the prevalence of diseases (Jha et al 2019; Adhikari et al 2020). Researchers have proposed various ways to improve production efficiency, including the use of probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotic, plant extracts, enzymes and organic acids (Gadde et al 2017; Yadav et al 2019). As the age of laying hens increases, the quality of the egg shell decreases, which is due to the increases in weight and size of eggs, the direct effect of age on the structure of the shell, decreased bone calcium uptake and etc (Curtis et al 2005; Curtis 2008). Heat stress has negative effects on the human health and animal performance and product quality. High ambient temperatures cause reduced egg production, egg weight, egg quality (especially egg shell thickness and strength), impaired immunity and poor poultry welfare (Elnagar et al 2010, Ebied et al 2012). The impaired performances of poultry subjected to heat stress (HS) have been associated with a number of factors, including poor appetite and reduced feed intake (due to activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), impaired digestion and metabolism, altered endocrine status (increased corticosterone concentration and reduced thyroid hormones concentrations), metabolic shifts at the systemic and cellular levels and changes in body composition (Elnagar et al 2010, Azad et al 2010, Ebied et al 2012, Safdari-Rostamabad et al 2017). Therefore, it is important to design the strategies or ways of minimizing the negative effect of heat stress as part of methods to maintaining egg production, egg quality and poultry welfare. There are several strategies to reduce the effects of heat stress in the laying hens, including use of feed additive, vitamins, organic minerals and antioxidants. In this study, researchers evaluated the effects of MultiAct-L® (Contains probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, enzymes, organic form of Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, Co, Cr and antioxidants) on production performance, egg quality, Newcastle disease antibody titer, antioxidant capacity and gut morphology of laying hens subjected to HS in late laying cycle.

Two hundred and sixteen LSL-Lite laying hens (90 weeks of age) were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments with six replicates and twelve birds in each replicate. Dietary treatments were: 1) basal diet based on a corn-soybean meal 2) basal diet with 0.3 % MultiAct-L® and 3) basal diet with 0.5% MultiAct-L®. The birds were exposed to 36±1°C for 6 hours per day. Egg production, egg weight, feed intake, egg mass and feed conversion ratio were recorded weekly and mortality was recorded daily. Egg mass was calculated by multiplying the total number of eggs laid per hens by the average egg weight. At the end of experimental period, one bird from each replicate (close to cage average weight) was slaughtered, and blood samples were taken for analysis. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein and then serum samples were separated at 3000 ×g for 10 min. Total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, albumin, calcium and phosphorus were measured using analytical kits. Serum titer to Newcastle disease virus was determined by hemagglutination inhibition test. Villus height, villus width, crypt depth, villus surface area and villus height/crypt depth were measured in the jejunum section of the small intestine. The data were analyzed using the general linear model procedure of the SAS (2003). The Duncan multiple range test was used to determine the significant differences between treatment means.

MultiAct-L® did not affect the body weight gain of laying hens (P>0.05). The results also showed that feeding MultiAct-L® enhanced the feed intake, egg production, egg weight and egg mass (P<0.05). Feed conversion ratio was improved and mortality was lower in the treatments receiving 0.3 or 0.5% MultiAct-L® than the control group (P<0.05). In agreement with our findings, Deng et al. (2012) and Zhang et al. (2017) reported the significant increase of egg production, feed intake and egg weight by dietary supplementation of probiotic in laying hens subjected to HS. Supplementation of 0.3% MultiAct-L® to diet decreased the abnormal eggs (P>0.05). Shape index, Haugh unit, yolk weight, albumen weight, shell weight, shell thickness and egg specific gravity were not affected by dietary treatments (P>0.05). Similarly, Bozkurt et al. (2012) showed that egg quality parameters weren’t affected by dietary supplementation of essential oil or mannan oligosaccharide in laying hens subjected to heat stress. MultiAct-L® supplement did not significantly affect the titer of antibody against Newcastle disease virus at days 10 and 30 post-vaccination (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase among experimental treatments (P>0.05); however, dietary MultiAct-L® supplementation had increased the superoxide dismutase levels and decreased malondialdehyde levels in serum (P<0.05). Blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, albumin, calcium and phosphorus in experimental treatments were not significantly different between the control group and the MultiAct-L®-treated groups (P>0.05). No significant changes in villus height, villus width, villus surface area, crypt depth and villus height to crypt depth ratio were observed between three groups at the end of the 8 weeks experimental period (P>0.05). Similarly, Deng et al. (2012) showed that villus height, villus width, crypt depth in the ileum weren’t affected by dietary supplementation of probiotic in laying hens subjected to HS.

As for the results of this study, Multiact-L® could improve laying performance and antioxidant status in laying hens subjected to heat stress during the late laying period.

Previous studies found that the use of probiotics may have a protective effect on chemotherapy-associated toxicity in cancer patients. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effect of probiotics and synbiotics on chemoradiotherapy-associated toxicity in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to assess the effect of probiotics and synbiotics in CRC patients undergoing chemotherapy. All RCTs in English, up to January 2021, were included through a literature search in Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed (PMC Central, MEDLINE), ClinicalTrials.gov, and ProQuest databases. The impact of probiotics and synbiotics on the side effects associated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and chemoradiotherapy in CRC patients was evaluated. The quality of the RTCs was independently assessed by two reviewers. EndNote X8 software was used to manage the search results.

Of the 904 identified articles, three studies finally met the inclusion criteria and were systematically reviewed. Two studies reported that patients who received probiotics had less abdominal discomfort and required less bowel toxicity-related hospital care. Although probiotic supplementation lowered radiation-associated diarrhea, it had no significant effect when anti-diarrheal drugs were used. Another study reported that synbiotic supplementation improved quality of life and marginally reduced diarrhea and serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2 and MMP-9).

Probiotics and synbiotics do not have a significant effect on reducing chemotherapy-associated toxicity and diarrhea in CRC patients. These findings should be substantiated by further RCTs with rigorous placebo-controlled studies.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder characterized by CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene defects and chronic inflammation. Management of CF patients is challenging, and no definitive treatment is available. Although evidence suggests that curcumin is effective against inflammation and can regulate ion channels, its effect on CF patients is not well established.

This systematic review evaluated the available evidence for the application of curcumin in experimental models of CF.

The data in this study were selected from articles published in PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and Springer until July 2021. Articles on the use of curcumin in CF patients were included based on the purpose of the study. In this review, 11 articles were found in the final search. Then, a quality assessment was performed using SYRCLE’s RoB tool.

Eleven out of 2188 screened studies were eligible for this systematic review. Most in vitro studies (7 out of 8) reported that curcumin influences channel function through a variety of mechanisms, while only 1 study provided comparable results. Regarding anti-inflammatory function, 1 study showed that curcumin could suppress the toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) gene and protein expression in the CF bronchial epithelial cell line. Two of 3 in vivo studies reported channel correction with curcumin.

The available evidence in this systematic study demonstrates the usefulness of curcumin via different mechanisms among different study models. Given that few studies have been conducted in this field, this systematic review suggests more investigations be undertaken to facilitate generalization to human studies.

Alginate is one of the substances that is considered as a promising candidate for wound healing. The aim of this study was to design and manufacture a dressing spray based on alginate / calcium chloride / gelatin alginate to control bleeding and wound healing.

This experimental research was conducted in the research laboratory of Amirkabir University from December 2019 to January 2020. In this study, saline phosphate buffer solution was prepared first. Then, their sterilization process was performed by autoclave and MTT salt solution was prepared during a process. In order to prepare an alginate-based spray dressing, we adjusted the concentration of the solution so that it could escape from the spray pore. On the other hand, in order to obtain gel alginate with suitable strength in equal proportions of calcium chloride concentrations, aqueous solution of gelatin was prepared for copolymerization with alginate. Finally, the bonds in the proposed dressing were evaluated by FTIR. Also, the degree of degradability, water absorption, changes in weight and pH, physical properties and microstructure of the extrinsic biological response were investigated in the designed dressing. Scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy were used to examine the dressing structure resulting from the ratio of different amounts of materials involved.

The results showed that the amount of water absorption in the sample and their degradation rate were AGC3> AGC4> AGC2> AGC1. In the study of biocompatibility, it was found that despite better results in AGC3, the degree of non-toxicity of AGC2 group was higher and also showed better cell adhesion behavior. Therefore, according to the results, AGC2 sample was selected as the final sample.

The results revealed that increasing calcium chloride levels could lead to increased alginate hydrogel formation. Also, the presence of gelatin and calcium chloride in the constant concentration of alginate will reduce the formation time of the spray hydrogel until they create space barriers.

In this research, the sonophotocatalytic (SPC) technique was investigated as one of the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) methods for the degradation and purification of toxic, resistant, and non-degradable rhodamine B (RhB) pollutant in the aqueous phase. For this purpose, the effect of simultaneous, and separate use of ultraviolet (UV) and ultrasonic (US) radiation for the chemical degradation of dye pollutant, has been investigated. First, ZnO/GO nanocomposite was synthesized and characterized via the sol-gel method. The morphology, structure, and size of the synthesized particles were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Absorption spectra of catalyst and dye contamination were investigated using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The sonophotocatalytic process showed higher degradation and quality compared to the separate photocatalytic and sonocatalytic methods. The ZnO/GO catalyst showed 98% degradation after UV and US radiation simultaneously, while photocatalytic and sonocatalytic methods showed 68 and 85% degradation, respectively, during the same period. According to the experimental results, the kinetics degradation of ZnO/GO nanocomposite was investigated and it well followed the first-order kinetic equation.

Due to the high limitations of gluten-free diet, it seems that the diversity of diet in patients with celiac disease is affected. Therefore, in order to provide specific dietary advices to these patients, it is necessary to conduct a study on the diversity of these patients' diets. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the dietary diversity score in adult patients with celiac disease.

In the present cross-sectional study, 130 celiac patients were selected from the celiac disease (CD) registry database of East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The dietary intake data was obtained by an 80-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. For determining diet diversity score (DDS), food items were categorized in five groups and 23 subgroups. To be counted as a “consumer” for any of the food groups categories, a respondent needed to consume one-half serving. The total score was between 0 and 10 and each subgroup score was between 0 and 2. The higher scores indicate the better diet diversity and the values less than 3, 3-5 and six and over were considered as low, moderate and high diet diversity scores respectively. The data were analysed using SPSS. The DDS was compared between adherences and non-adherents with on-way ANCOVA by adjusting to cofounding factors including age, sex, body mass index, energy intake, disease duration and gluten-free diet duration.

The mean age of celiac patients was 36.74±8.61 years. The mean total DDS was 3.97 ±1.36. The highest DDS was related to the fruit group (1.42 ± 0.68) and the lowest score was related to the meat group (0.40 ± 0.68). The result of covariance test showed that there were no significant differences between adherents and non-adherents regarding the DDS total score and subgroups scoes (P>0.05). The total DDS was less than 3 in 22.5% of patients, was between 3 and 5 in 73.3% of patients and six and over in 4.16% of patients.

According to the results of the present study, the celiac patients had low DDS in all food groups. So, from the practical point of view, necessary educations should be provided to celiac patients to consume the gluten-free alternative to increase their diet diversity.

Due to the importance of controlling recurrence of colorectal cancer, the effect of serum lipid profile and the fatty acid composition of cancer cell membranes on the response to treatment and survival, and the lack of clinical study on the effect of conjugated linoleic acid supplementation (CLA) in these patients, this study investigated the effect of CLA supplementation on serum fatty acid pattern, lipid profiles, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) tumor marker in patients with rectal cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy.

In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study, 31 patients with rectal cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy assigned into the CLA group (n = 15), receiving 3 g CLA/d, and placebo group (n = 16) receiving placebo capsules for 6 weeks. Before and after intervention, serum fatty acid pattern, triglyceride, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and CEA were evaluated.

In placebo group, CLA supplementation increased the percentage of serum CLA (P = 0.35). CLA supplementation increased alpha linolenic acid (P = 0.01) significantly, and decreased the total omega-6 fatty acids and the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. As compare with placebo, CLA supplementation had no significant effect on lipid profiles (P > 0.05).

Considering the positive effects of CLA on omega-3 fatty acids, and to our knowledge, this is the first study that assess the effect of CLA supplementation; further studies with larger sample size are needed to generalize findings of this study.

Prevention and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as a major, non-communicable disease with increasing prevalence, is one of the major human challenges. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize current studies about the potential roles of taurine in T2DM, to identify knowledge gaps and to provide recommendations for the way forward.

The literature search was performed in PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, ProQuest and Google Scholar electronic databases to December 2019. All studies investigating the impacts of taurine in T2DM which met the inclusion criteria were eligible.

Out of 1381 articles found in the search, 12 were included. Findings of taurine supplementation on glycemic control in T2DM showed improving effect of taurine on fasting and postprandial blood glucose, serum insulin level, insulin resistance, function of beta cells, and insulin sensitivity. But, the results for Hemoglobin A1c and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were contradictory. Also, taurine reduced total cholesterol, TG, and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, however, the evidence on high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) was insufficient. Findings didn not support antioxidative role of taurine in T2DM.

As a whole, taurine has potential to improve glycemic status and dyslipidemia. However, more clinical trials are needed to explore precise mechanisms underlying taurine on metabolic variables, oxidative stress, and inflammatory biomarkers, according to the recommendations for future directions.

The use of weight-loss dieting has always been overemphasized as the first modality to treat obesity. Success in weight loss is considered a major problem in obese individuals. The processes of behavior change have been used to facilitate intervention promoting change. Only a minority of studies have employed this construct for weight loss. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a balanced low-calorie diet with or without nutrition education on the weight loss and processes of change among obese women. Patients and In a randomized clinical trial, 90 apparently healthy obese women age 18 - 50 with body mass index (BMI) of 30 - 40 kg/m2 were recruited from the nutrition clinic in Ardabil, located in the northwest of Iran. Participants were assigned randomly to receive a balanced low-calorie diet with or without nutrition education. Participants completed a processes of change questionnaire at baseline and at three and six months after intervention. A generalized linear model repeated measures analysis of variances was used to assess the time effect as well as the interaction between the time and the group effect. Significant differences were found in the time effect for weight (F = 12.64, df = 2, P < 0.001), BMI (F = 10.90, df = 2, P = 0.001), andcounterconditioning (F = 22.82, df = 2, P < 0.001), and helping relationships (F = 5.47, df = 2, P = 0.006), reinforcement management (F = 3.65, df = 2, P = 0.03), self-liberation (F = 5.05, df = 2, P = 0.008), stimulus control (F = 12.12, df = 2, P < 0.001), and substance abuse subscales (F = 6.72, df = 2, P = 0.002). Significant differences were shown in interaction time and group effect for weight (F = 5.69, df = 2, P = 0.011), BMI (F = 4.91, df = 2, P = 0.018) and counterconditioning (F = 5.11, df = 2, P = 0.008) and stimulus control (F = 5.50, df = 2, P = 0.006) subscales. The findings support the use of nutrition education for more weight loss and improvement in the counter conditioning and stimulus control subscales among obese women attending the nutrition clinic. It seems that nutrition education should be considered important in effective weight-loss interventions

In this research, the efficiency of the self-cleaning property of alkyd resin containing zinc oxide ZnO nanoparticles has been investigated. Production of surfaces with self-cleaning property is possible by photocatalytic degradation method based on the chemical degradation of contaminated materials under light radiation. For this purpose, pure and doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method as a pigment. The structure, morphology and photocatalytic performance of particles were investigated by X-Ray diffraction analysis XRD, transient electron microscopy TEM and UV-VIS spectrophotometer, respectively. The polymeric coating based on the alkyd resin from the type of long oil and white spirit solvent was prepared and was applied on the galvanized sheet by an applicator with a thickness of 100 microns. Hexagonal structure with an average size of 30 nm and rod-like structure with an average size of 50 nm were obtained for pure ZnO nanoparticles and doped ZnO nanoparticles, respectively. Photocatalytic activity of applied coatings exposed to methyl orange contaminant and ultraviolet radiation was measured and its optical properties were compared to coating including nanopigments titanium dioxide TiO2 as the reference sample. According to the results, doped ZnO sample after 6 hours radiation, has had 40 of degradation. While undoped ZnO form and TiO2 particles at the same time have created 25 and 35 of degradation, respectively. The kinetic investigation of degradation showed that degradation follows well the first order kinetic equation.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by some species of fungi such as Aspergillus and Penicillium. It is found as a contaminant in a variety of animal and human foods. Ochratoxin A has teratogenic, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic, nephrocarcinogenic and immunosuppressive effects on human and animals. This study was carried out to evaluate the content of ochratoxin A in non-alcoholic beers, which were randomly collected from different retail outlets. All samples were analyzed for ochratoxin A by ELISA. Identification of fungal isolates was based on both macroscopic characters (colony growth, colony diameter) and microscopic characters. The tease Mount technique was used in this study and the fungi were cultivated in YGC (yeast glucose chloramphenicol agar) medium. All of the samples were contaminated with ochratoxin A but the levels of the contamination were below the maximum permitted levels. However, the difference between local and imported beer samples was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The mycological survey showed that 100% of domestic and imported beer samples were contaminated with Aspergillus, while 31.4% of the domestic and 40% of the imported beer samples were contaminated with Penicillium. Among the Aspergillus species, the most representative specie was Aspergillus niger. Although the ochratoxin A concentrations of non-alcoholic beers were under the European maximum permitted levels, the long-term continual consumption may have considerable health problem despite the low levels of contamination.

Self-efficacy plays an important role in successful weight loss behaviors and weight loss.
The aim of the study was to compare the effects of a balanced low-calorie diet with or without nutrition education on eating self-efficacy and weight loss among obese women.
In a randomized clinical trial, a sample of 90 apparently healthy obese women was recruited from the nutrition clinic and randomly assigned to receive a balanced low-calorie diet with or without nutrition education. The anthropometric measures and weight efficacy lifestyle questionnaire were completed at baseline, 3, and 6 months after the intervention.
The participants demonstrated a significant weight loss and improvement in total self-efficacy score in both the intervention groups (the time effect: F = 12.64, df = 2, P 0.05). The results showed that nutrition education could be more effective in the increase of self-efficacy, especially in the first 3 months in comparison with the second 3 months (1.01 ± 0.38 vs. 0.29 ± 0.17, P = 0.005).
The findings support the use of nutrition education for improvement of self-efficacy subscales among obese women attending nutrition clinics for weight loss.

Inflammation has a crucial role in the progression of cardiovascular disease in diabetes. Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) as an inflammatory marker induces angiotensin II (Ang II) related hypertension pathway in diabetic patients. Gut modulation via prebiotics may ameliorate hypertension caused by inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sodium butyrate (NaBut) and inulin supplements on inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters in type 2 diabetic patients.
In this clinical trial, 60 overweight and obese diabetic patients were recruited and randomly allocated into four groups. The groups received, respectively, 600 mg/d NaBut (group A), 10 g/d inulin powder (group B), both inulin and NaBut (group C), or placebo (group D) for 45 consecutive days. Blood and stool samples were collected at baseline and after intervention. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis targeting the 16S rRNA gene of Akkermansia muciniphila was done. We assessed the TNF-α mRNA expression and the serum levels of the high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and malondialdehyde (MDA).
There was a significant increase in A. muciniphila percent change in inulin and butyrate supplemented groups (P  Intervention had significant effects on inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters and led to improvement of hypertension. However, further investigations are needed to make concise conclusions.

Clinical education is a major component of nursing programs, and nurses’ failure to acquire the necessary clinical skills during their studies compromises the provision of high - quality nursing services in their occupational future. The present study was conducted to design and determine the psychometric properties of the clinical skills questionnaire for operating room nursing students. The present methodological research designed and determined the psychometric properties of the questionnaire in four steps, including defining the concept of clinical skill in nursing students using a book and literature review, designing the questionnaire’s items using the available resources in Iran and other countries, assessing face and content validity of the questionnaire by 10 university students and experts, and examining the internal consistency of the questionnaire using Cronbach’s alpha. The final version of the clinical skills questionnaire, which included 38 items, generated four subscales, including responsibilities of scrub nurse, responsibilities of circulating nurse, recovery room care of patients, and sterilization and infection control. In terms of psychometric properties, we observed a content validity ratio of 0.90, a content validity index of 0.95, and internal consistency showing a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.86.The findings confirmed the validity and reliability of the clinical skills questionnaire for operating room nursing students. The 38 - item questionnaire has appropriate psychometric properties and can be used in Iran’s educational and health systems by educational caregivers. Other validity indices, including construct validity, are recommended to be measured to determine the validity of the questionnaire subscales.

The transtheoretical model is an effective theory in health promotion. In order to maximize success¡ this theory has been introduced into different weight loss interventions.
The purpose of this study was to assess the stages and processes of change¡ self-efficacy¡ and decisional balance for weight loss among obese women attending nutrition clinics as an attempt to direct nutrition interventions.
In this descriptive study¡ ninety volunteered apparently healthy obese women aged 18 - 50 years with body mass index of 30 - 40 kg/m2 attending a nutrition clinic in Ardabil city were recruited. The subjects completed the translated and validated versions of University of Rhode Island Change Assessment¡ processes of change¡ weight efficacy lifestyle¡ and Decisional Balance scales as the transtheoretical model components before any intervention. The score on each subscale was calculated by averaging the scores obtained by all participants within each subscale. T-test was used to compare the mean total score of each scale with the mean score of its subscales.
The results showed that 46.7% of participants were in the advanced stages of weight loss. The mean score of behavioral processes was significantly lower than that of cognitive processes (2.33 ± 0.51 vs. 3.02 ± 0.45¡ P It seems that the assessment of stages and tailoring of interventions based on readiness to change are essential among obese women attending nutrition clinics. The strengthening behavioral processes¡ eating self-efficacy¡ and decisional balance for weight loss must also be considered.

Clinical training is one of the main components in nursing students programs. The lack of clinical skills during academic study providing of nursing care with quality will be difficult for future job in nursing students. Due to Clinical Teaching Partner Model is known as clinical training pattern this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Clinical Teaching Partner Model on clinical skills in nursing students of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences.
This is a quasi-experimental study. Forty five of fifth semester nursing students were intervene by Census under two different clinical teaching methods on the Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital of Bushehr in 1394. Forty five nursing students by simple random allocation assigned to two groups as control (n = 22) and test (n = 23) groups. Before and after the training period, student's clinical skills evaluated with a questionnaire. Face and content validity of the questionnaire were assessed. In order to analyze the data, descriptive and inferential statistics such as: chi square test, Fisher exact test, Mann-Whitney U, variance t test was performed by using software spss.ver18.
Findings: Between the experimental and control groups in terms of clinical skills in the areas of duties of circular nurse, duties of recovery nurse, infection control and sterilization there was a significant difference(p Due to the increased skills of nursing students in Clinical Teaching Partner Model in this study, it is concluded this model is an appropriate method for clinical training to nursing students. Accordingly, the use of Clinical Teaching Partner Model in order to more benefit the experience, Constant presence alongside students and Practical knowledge of nurses in every ward is recommended for skills training to nursing students.

Studies reported that graft survivals with living kidney donors (LKD) are better than cadaveric kidney donors (CKD), while, other studies confirm good graft function and satisfactory graft survival from CKD. This study sought to compare graft survival after kidney transplantation in patients received kidney from CKD and LKD and their surgical complications in a single center in Iran.
This historical cohort study involved two groups. Group1 included 69 kidney recipients who received their renal transplant from CKD. The group 2 consisted of 143 renal transplant recipients with kidneys coming from LKD.
Findings: No significant differences existed in surgical complications between the two groups. Graft survival rates at 1, 3 and 4 years were 99, 85 and 85 percent in group1 and 99, 96 and 78 percent in group2. There was no significant difference in graft survival rates between the two groups.
Renal transplant from CKD is associated with good graft survival and low surgical complications. Also, it is possible to transplant other organs from a cadaveric. So, in our experience, CKD may be considered an optimal option for renal transplantation.

Obesity is associated with metabolic abnormalities such as insulin resistance. Weight loss is always recommended for meaningful reduction in these abnormalities. Therefore, we examined the effects of balanced low calorie diet on weight loss, fasting insulin and insulin resistance in obese women attending the nutrition clinic.
In this clinical trial, forty five volunteer apparently healthy obese women (body mass index: 33.28 ± 2.90 kg/m2 and age: 28.40 ± 7.98 years) were recruited from the nutrition clinic in their first visit. The participants were received a balanced low calorie diet over 6 months after anthropometry measurement and blood sampling for determination of fasting insulin and insulin resistance level. Balanced low calorie diet was an individualized diet with an energy deficit of 500 calories of daily energy intake that was calculated from 3-day food records for every person. At 6 months after intervention, continuous and dichotomous variables were assessed using paired t-test and McNemar test, respectively.
The mean recommended energy intake was 2241.78 ± 219.02(kcal). After 6 months, there were significant reductions in body weight (p=0.003), body mass index (p=0.005), waist and hip circumferences (p In obese women attending the nutrition clinic, the balanced low calorie diet resulted in weight loss and improvement in fasting insulin. These positive changes can help to decrease the risk factor profile in obese individuals.

Determination and comparison of the effect of infusion time on the antioxidant activity and total polyphenol contents of bagged and loosely packed black teas.
For twenty loosely packed and eleven bagged tea samples, the antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content were analyzed using FRAP and Folin-Ciocalteau methods, respectively. The ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test and independent t-test were used for statistical analysis.
The antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of various brands of tea samples were significantly different. There were significant differences in the antioxidant activity of loosely packed teas between 5, 15(p=0.03), 30(p=0.02) and 60(p=0.007) minutes of brewing times. Besides, there was a significant difference in antioxidant activity of bagged samples infused for 1 minute with four other infusion time points (p The infusion time and the form of tea (loosely packed or bagged) were shown to be important determinants of the antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of black tea infusions in addition to the variety, growing environment and manufacturing conditions.

The use of weight-loss dieting has always been overemphasized as the first modality to treat obesity. Success in weight loss is considered a major problem in obese individuals. The processes of behavior change have been used to facilitate intervention promoting change. Only a minority of studies have employed this construct for weight loss.
The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a balanced low-calorie diet with or without nutrition education on the weight loss and processes of change among obese women.
Patients and In a randomized clinical trial, 90 apparently healthy obese women age 18 - 50 with body mass index (BMI) of 30 - 40 kg/m2 were recruited from the nutrition clinic in Ardabil, located in the northwest of Iran. Participants were assigned randomly to receive a balanced low-calorie diet with or without nutrition education. Participants completed a processes of change questionnaire at baseline and at three and six months after intervention. A generalized linear model repeated measures analysis of variances was used to assess the time effect as well as the interaction between the time and the group effect.
Significant differences were found in the time effect for weight (F = 12.64, df = 2, P The findings support the use of nutrition education for more weight loss and improvement in the counter conditioning and stimulus control subscales among obese women attending the nutrition clinic. It seems that nutrition education should be considered important in effective weight-loss interventions.

This study was aimed to assess agreement and diagnostic accuracy of the Iranian version of Mini Nutritional Assessment short-form (MNA-SF) against the original MNA, as a gold standard in community-dwelling elderly. The full MNA and 9-item MNA-SF comprising questions regarding clinical status, dietary assessment and self-perception of health status and nutri-tion together with mid-arm and calf circumference measurements without in-cluding the body mass index (BMI) were completed for 205 volunteers aged 65 or older recruited from all over Markazi Province (Iran). Correlation, diagnostic accuracy and agreement between the MNA-SF and full MNA were calculated. The MNA and the MNA-SF classified 45.4% and 64.4% of the sub-jects as malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, respectively. Substantial agree-ment between the MNA-SF and full MNA was observed (Kappa=0.633). The MNA-SF correlated strongly with the full MNA (r=0.868, P<0.001). The MNA-SF showed high sensitivity (96.77%) and negative predictive values (95.89%), relatively high specificity (62.5%) and positive predictive values (68.18%) and fair accuracy (Area under curve =0.796). Iranian MNA-SF seems to be an applicable screening tool for quick detection of malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition in community-dwelling elderly especially when BMI is unavailable.

Underweight as a public health problem in young women is associated with nutritional deficiencies, menstrual irregularity, eating disorders, reduced fertility, etc. Since resting metabolic rate (RMR) is a necessary component in the development of nutrition support therapy, therefore we determined the accuracy of commonly used predictive equations against RMR measured by indirect calorimetry among healthy young underweight females. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 104 underweight females aged 18-30 years old with body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2 in 2013. After collecting anthropometric data, body composition was measured by bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA). RMR was measured by using indirect calorimetry (FitMate™) and was estimated by 10 commonly used predictive equations. Comparisons were conducted using paired t-test. The accuracy of the RMR equations was evaluated on the basis of the percentage of subjects’ predicted RMR within 10% of measured RMR. The mean BMI of subjects was 17.3±1.3 kg/m2. The measured RMR ranged 736-1490 kcal/day (mean 1084.7±175 kcal/day). Findings indicated that except Muller and Abbreviation, other equations significantly over estimated RMR, compared to measured value (P<0.05). As an individual prediction accuracy, these predictive equations showed poor performance with the highest accuracy rate of 54.8% for Muller equation (22.1% under and 23.1% over-prediction) and 43.3% for Abbreviation equation (31.7% under and 25% over-prediction), the percentage bias was 1.8% and 0.63% and RMSE was 162 and 173 kcal/d, respectively. Although Muller equation gave fairly acceptable prediction, more suitable new equations are needed to be developed to help better management of nutritional plans in young underweight people.

Assessing individual’s readiness to change and targeting the inter­vention to the level of readiness may improve successful weight loss rates. This study aimed to assess readiness for weight loss in obese women using the trans theoretical model. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 90 volunteer apparently healthy obese women, in Ardabil, Iran. Participants completed the translated and validated University of Rhode Island Change Assessment questionnaire in their first visit. Subjects were categorized into one of the stages of change based on the highest of four z-transformed scale scores. The readiness to change score was calculated. More than half of the participants were in early stages of weight loss and 24.5% were in the action stage. The readiness score in the precontemplation stage was significantly lower than the other stages, but no significant difference was observed among the contemplation, action and maintenance stages. The significant correlation was observed between the stages of change and waist-to-hip ratio (r=0.33, P<0.05). Obese women attending the nutrition clinic are in different stages to change for weight loss. Understanding person specific stages of change ori­entates the dietitian to use the most appropriate counseling strategies. Hence the stages and readiness to change should be considered before implementing any intervention in clinical settings for optimal outcomes.

Since tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α) could be one of the risk factors at the development of diabetes complications; as well as serum leptin deficiency is related to increased susceptibility to infections in diabetic patients, they are potential indices from the preventive medicine viewpoint. This study was conducted to represent the effect of supplemental vitamin D3 on serum leptin, TNF‑α and adiposity in type 2 diabetic patients. In this randomized double‑blind placebo‑controlled trial, study sample was selected through type 2 diabetic patients (n = 51). A total of 26 patients were orally supplemented by vitamin D3 (400 IU/d) (vitamin D group) and 25 patients by placebo (placebo group) for 14 weeks. The blood glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the serum ionized Ca, leptin, TNF‑α, and serum 25‑hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH] D) were measured at the two groups in the baseline and postintervention stages. It was shown that despite of theplacebo group, serum 25(OH) D and serum leptin was significantly increased (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively), while serum TNF‑α was decreased significantly (P = 0.001) in vitamin D group. The remaining parameters, including body fat mass and HbA1c had no alterations between baseline and postintervention stages in vitamin D group. This study may advocate vitamin D supplementation among type 2 diabetic patients due to its beneficial effects on prevention of diabetes complications.