s. hosseinzadeh

 Tillage is an important component of soil management that affects the production of crops. Maintaining and improving the quality of the soil is a basic requirement to ensure the sustainability of the ecosystem. This experiment was conducted in order to investigate the effect of different tillage methods and the use of plant residues on the yield, protein and nitrogen percentage of triticale plant and physical and chemical indicators of the soil.

The experiment was carried out as split plots based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz during 2023-2024. The main factor including different methods of tillage at three levels (conventional tillage, reduced tillage and no tillage) and the sub factor also including 5 levels of plant residue application (without residues (control), wheat residues, mung bean, sesame and half of wheat residues + half of residues Mung bean) were considered. The amount of residues used for each plot was approximately 30% of the biological yield of the product, which was considered to be 3, 1.5 and 1 ton.ha-1 for wheat, sesame and mung bean, respectively. At the end of the experiment yield and yield components, seed nitrogen and protein of triticale plant and physical characteristics (bulk density, percentage of porosity) and chemical (pH, EC, organic carbon content, nitrogen) soil properties were measured. All statistical calculations were made using SAS 9.3 statistical software and for the LSD test was used to compare the means at a probability level of 5%.

The interaction of tillage treatments and the use of plant residues showed that the highest grain yield was equal to 8.6 ton.ha-1 from the treatment of reduced tillage and the use of Mung bean residues, and the lowest value obtained was related to the effect of the treatment conventional tillage and no residues (control) with 3.5 ton.ha-1. The grain yield in the reduced tillage method was 12.5% and 7.6% higher than the conventional tillage and no tillage methods. The reduced tillage method resulted in a 32.2% increase in seed protein and a 32% increase in seed nitrogen compared to conventional tillage. The results also indicated a significant interaction effect between tillage treatments and residue application on grain yield (p < 0.01). Additionally, the interaction between tillage and residue application had a significant effect on soil bulk density (p < 0.01). The lowest bulk density (1.3 g.cm-3) was observed in the conventional tillage treatment combined with wheat and mung bean residues, with this combination falling within the same statistical group. The highest bulk density (1.75 g.cm-3) was obtained from the no-tillage treatment and the use of NO residues (Control). Based on the obtained results, the interaction effect of tillage treatments and the use of residues on soil organic matter, soil organic carbon and nitrogen soil (p<0.05). The interaction between the effects of tillage and the use of residues showed that the highest soil organic matter (1.53%) was from the treatment of reduced and the use of wheat residues.

The results showed that tillage methods and the use of plant residues, in addition to affecting the percentage of nitrogen and protein of triticale seeds, also affected the physical and chemical indicators of the soil. The changes related to the physical and chemical indicators of the soil in the method No tillage are more than the two methods of reduced tillage and conventional tillage, and the improvement of these characteristics has been limited even at this time. Overall, from the point of view of soil protection, the results of this experiment clearly show the superiority of conservation tillage methods compared to conventional tillage methods. Sustainable agriculture aims to achieve optimal yields while preserving environmental structure and minimizing the adverse impacts of agricultural activities. One of the key challenges in sustainable agriculture is the lack of organic matter and its associated consequences. Implementing conservation tillage and managing plant residues-critical elements of agricultural production-can help address this issue. By improving soil quality, these practices contribute to increased productivity in farming.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is becoming the fastest-growing thyroid cancer type worldwide. Therefore, finding effective biomarkers for early screening of PTC is urgent. In this study, we aimed to investigate circulating PTC metabolites in plasma samples using an untargeted NMR-based metabolomics approach. A systematic literature review was also conducted to compare our results with studies regarding PTC metabolic perturbation using NMR-based metabolomics.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) was used to assess the major metabolic alterations in plasma samples from PTC patients concerning healthy subjects. Multivariate and univariate analyses revealed the significantly altered metabolites, including orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), enrichment and pathway analyses, and student t-tests. Besides, a literature search with publication dates from 2014 to 2024 was conducted. After removing duplicates, unrelated articles, and reviews, ten studies met the eligibility criteria.

Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis indicated that three metabolites, glutamine, choline, and succinic acid, significantly differed between PTC and healthy groups. The reduction in glutamine plasma levels was likely related to the high risk of PTC tumorigenesis (Odds ratio 0.90; 95% CI 0.83–0.97; P=0.011). Receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis corroborated this, which indicated that glutamine could discriminate PTC from healthy subjects (area under ROC curve value, AUC=0.98).

This study demonstrated that the NMR-based metabolomics profiling approach has the potential to provide considerable insight into the identification of diagnostic biomarkers for the early detection of PTC patients.

Inappropriate dietary habits, particularly the growing tendency to consume fast food, pose significant health challenges in modern society, especially among adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a health education program based on the theory of planned behavior in reducing fast food consumption among female high school students.

 In this study, the sample size was determined to be 38 individuals per group (95% CI and 90% power), but 50 individuals were included to increase accuracy. Thus, cluster random sampling divided 100 students from District 4 of Tehran into control and intervention groups. Data were collected via a valid questionnaire assessed by five health education professors, covering demographic information, knowledge, and theory of planned behavior constructs. The intervention group participated in three 50-minute educational sessions, which included lectures, Q&A discussions, and the distribution of brochures and books. The data were analyzed using SPSS-22, employing statistical tests, such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square, and independent t-tests.

Following the educational intervention, the mean scores for attitude (p=0.002), subjective norms (p=0.005), and perceived behavioral control (p=0.005) were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. However, no significant changes were observed in knowledge (p=0.936), behavioral intention (p=0.393), and behavior (p=0.721) related to reducing fast food consumption.

The educational program based on the theory of planned behavior is effective in improving attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control.

The study investigates the antimicrobial effect of two herbal essential oils, the leaves of Origanum vulgare and the bark of Cinnamomum verum, separately and in combination against S. iniae. The essential oils were extracted and their chemical composition was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined using the broth microdilution method. The fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) method was employed to analyze the combined effect of the essential oils. The MIC of O. vulgare and C. verum against S. iniae were 0.976 mg/L and 100 mg/L, respectively, and the MBC value of oregano and cinnamon essential oils against S. iniae were 125 mg/L and 6400 mg/L, respectively. The FIC index was 0.625, which shows that the combined performance of the two essential oils is additive. The major compounds in Origanum and Cinnamomum essential oils were phenol-2-methyl-5 (1-methylethyl) (48.61%), thymol (16.76%) and cinnamaldehyde (64.5%), respectively. Overall, the results demonstrate that both essential oils exhibit antibacterial effects against S. iniae. In conclusion, the combined essential oils of O. vulgare and C. verum may hold promise as a novel antibacterial agent for the potential treatment and control of streptococcosis caused by S. iniae.

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. Molecular analysis of thyroid tumors has shown that the cause of its development, as with other cancers, is the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes along with progressive disorders. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the genetic alterations related to the pathogenesis of thyroid cancer. For this purpose, PubMed and Science Direct databases were searched from the beginning of 2018 to January 5, 2022, to investigate the relationship between genetic alterations and the pathogenesis of thyroid cancers. The keywords used included a combination of “Thyroid cancer/carcinoma/neoplasm” AND “pathogenesis” AND “genetic alterations”. The results showed that the most frequently reported genetic modifications included independent mutations, especially in the BRAF, RAS, TERT, and TP53 genes, gene rearrangements, especially in the RET, TRK, BRAF, and PAX8/PPARγ genes, numerical changes, and common co-mutations. The connection between these changes and numerous secondary molecular changes leads to the strengthening and synergy of their effects on the molecular pathogenesis of cancer. In addition, genes involved in DNA repair, signal transmission, and cell cycle control are affected more by genetic alterations, and mutations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and somatic mutations in the genes involved in the PI3K-AKT pathway lead to tumorigenesis and its progression in most cases. Therefore, secondary molecular disorders and simultaneous genetic alterations lead to synergism and genetic enhancement in thyroid tumorigenesis. A better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis and the discovery and recognition of markers can provide prognosis and realize potential clinical solutions for managing and treating thyroid cancer.

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) are raised in extremely strict ecological conditions of deserts. Camels are vulnerable to many zoonotic infections. There are limited data on the occurrence of Q fever and borreliosis in camels, in Iran.

The current study was focused on the occurrence of Coxiella burnetii and Borrelia spp. infection in the blood samples of Iranian camels using molecular assays. Effect of the presence of these infections on various hematological factors and some acute-phase proteins (Hp, a1AGP, SAA) were also investigated.

Blood samples were collected from 113 clinically healthy camels to investigate the presence of the infections using nested PCR. Moreover, the sequence of positive samples was analyzed phylogenetically. Routine haematological tests were performed and the concentrations of acute-phase proteins were measured in serum using enzyme immunoassay.

PCR result showed that 6.19% (95% CI: 2.53-12.35%) (7/113) of camels were positive for C. burnetii. In addition, sequencing results of the corresponding gene of the outer membrane protein (com1) revealed two different genotypes of C. burnetii agent in camels from Southern Iran. In the PCR assay, Borrelia spp. DNA was not detected in the samples. No significant difference was observed in hematological parameters or acute-phase proteins between positive and negative Q fever camels except for mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and red cell distribution width (RDW).

Clinically healthy camels might be very important reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens. Q fever is not considered a notifiable disease in camels of Iran, and clinical cases may scarcely be recognized by the healthcare system. Due to a lack of adequate information, additional studies on the molecular epidemiology and clinical pathology aspects of C. burnetii infection in Iran are needed.

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer. The study of the signaling pathways involved in thyroid cancer, such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR and their driver mutations, has significantly improved the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of thyroid cancer. Consequently, targeted therapies have been developed using tyrosine kinase receptors and cascade proteins inhibitors. PubMed database and Science Direct website were searched to investigate the alterations in this signaling pathway in thyroid cancer from January 2016 to January 2023. Articles related to clinical symptoms, conventional treatments, histopathology, and diagnostic tests, as well as reports, letters to the editor, results of confer ences, and annual meetings, were excluded from the study. Then the remaining articles were carefully studied. Keywords included thyroid neoplasm, thyroid carcinoma, thyroid cancer, and PI3K. Somatic mutations and increased expression of the PIK3CA gene, the mutations in PTEN tumor suppressor gene, RAS, BRAF, and RET proto-oncogene mutations, CTNNB1 and EIF1AX gene mutations, RET/PTC, PAX8/PPARγ, and NTRK rearrangements, as well as AKT mutations and rearrangements, were the most important alterations that increased the expression of PI3K/AKT pathway proteins. This pathway and its connections with other signaling pathways were one of the leading reasons for the development and recurrence of thyroid cancer. Understanding the intracellular network of signaling pathways based on tyrosine kinase receptors, such as PI3K, and their cross-talk in physiological and pathological conditions, as well as their driver mutations, are the goal of research in recent years to develop combination therapies using inhibitors of these pathways.

Understanding problems of promoting health and success in the elderly become more important concerning life expectancy increase in people with physical disabilities. This study aimed to determine social factors of successful aging in the elderly with physical disabilities supported by charitable associations.

This is a cross-sectional study, which was carried out on 153 elderlies with physical disabilities aged 55 years and older in Tehran from 2021 to 2022. The subjects were selected using the convenience sampling method. Data were collected through a demographic information checklist, successful aging questionnaire, sense of social justice, social network, and socio-economic base. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation tests, analysis of variance, and generalized linear regression.

The average age of the subjects was 64.27±8.4, and 56.9% were male. The generalized linear regression model showed a significant relationship between the demographic variables and the education level with successful aging (p<0.05). The relationship between the main dependent variables and successful aging was investigated using adjusting the effect of demographic variables. There was a significant relationship between the socioeconomic base with successful aging (B>0.178; p=0.001). However, there was no significant relationship between successful aging with social justice sense (p>0.05). There was a significant relationship between successful aging with different dimensions of social network (p<0.05), except for the intimacy dimension.

The results of this study can be helpful for policymakers, planners, and social workers to social rehabilitate the elderly with disabilities and design interventions.

The quality of colostrum is affected by IgG level and microbial load.

The quality of colostrum used in feeding dairy calves and passive immunity transfer in selected dairy farms in Fars province, Iran was investigated.

A total of 75 colostrum and neonatal blood samples were collected from 11 herds. The immunological quality of colostrum was assessed using a Brix digital refractometer. The bacteriological quality was assessed by performing total plate count (TPC), total coliform count (TCC), spore-former count, fungi count, and species-specific PCR assay to detect some bacterial species.

The mean Brix of colostrum samples was 25.4% and 72% of the samples had a Brix score ≥22%. The mean serum Brix and the prevalence of failure of passive transfer (FPT) were 10% and 4%, respectively. The mean TPC, TCC, spore-former count, and fungi count were 3.6 × 105, 2.8 × 104, 3.2 × 104, and 1.1 × 104 CFU/ml, respectively. The results showed that 50, 5.9, and 4% of colostrum samples were positive for Staphylococcus spp., Salmonella spp. and Maycobacterium paratuberculosis, respectively. There was no evidence of contamination with Brucella spp., Corynebacterium bovis and Mycoplasma bovis.

Considering all colostrum quality indicators comprehensively, only 37.3% of the studied samples met the industry standard. A large number of calves were at risk of receiving poor quality colostrum, especially in terms of microbial contamination. Further researches are needed to evaluate the colostrum management and the effect of bacterial contamination of colostrum on the health of neonate calves in this region.

Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating psychological disorders and one of the most common psychoses. The level of performance of these patients can be affected by cognitive disorders and especially visual-spatial memory. Cognitive rehabilitation can help improve cognitive functions. It also seems that electrical brain stimulation via transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) can increase the working memory of these patients. In this study, we intend to investigate the effect of occupational therapy with TDCS on visual-spatial memory function and visual learning in this group of patients.

The present study is an interventional study in the form of a clinical trial with a double blind, pretest-posttest design. 24 people were selected by convenient non probability sampling method and randomly assigned into the control/intervention group. The intervention was conducted in 12 sessions of 20 minutes. The anode electrode was placed on the left F3 or left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) region and the cathode electrode was placed in the supraorbital region on the opposite side. All participants performed 3 cognitive tasks related to visual-spatial memory in each session and also received psychosocial occupational therapy services for 30 minutes. Participants' visual-spatial memory and learning were assessed by Spatial Recognition Memory (SRM) and Paired Associate Learning (PAL).

The results of the study showed that the application of electrical brain stimulation along with cognitive tasks and occupational therapy services can significantly increase (p<0.05) visual-spatial memory as well as visual learning. The results of SRM (P=0.004) test after the intervention were significantly different between the two groups. The results of PAL test (p=0.01) were also significant after the intervention.

The present study has found that if electrical stimulation is accompanied by cognitive tasks and occupational therapy, the function of visual-spatial memory and visual learning can be strengthened in a short time.

The quality of shrimp, as high perishable seafood, can readily be effected by microbial, chemical, and physical alterations during storage.

In this study, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) coating either alone or incorporated with variable levels of clove oil nanoemulsion (CNE) (10, 20, and 30 mg/ml) was developed to sustain the quality of shrimp during refrigerated storage.

Changes in microbial, chemical, textural, color (L*, a*, b*), and sensory parameters of the studied groups evaluated through distinct experimental approaches.

Based on our results, the pattern of increase in the aerobic plate count (APC) and psychrotrophic bacterial count (PBC) in different groups were reported as the following order: CMC + CNE < CMC < control. Also, CMC and CNE integration decreased the upward trend of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) compared to that of the control group during storage at 4°C for 10 days (P<0.05). During the storage period, the decrease of the L* value in the control group was greater than the others; whereas, the lowest a* and b* values were observed in this group (P<0.05). Besides, the textural and sensory properties of coated shrimp were significantly more acceptable (P<0.05).

Integration of CNE in CMC coating promisingly improves the quality of shrimp during refrigerated storage.

Probiotics may improve milk quality and the general health status of animals.

The effects of dietary Bacillus coagulans PRM101 on milk components, milk fatty acids (FA), and some health indicators of dairy cows were investigated.

The probiotic was added to the feed of 12 Holstein cows (2 g/cow: 2 × 1011 CFU/cow) for 63 days compared to a control group fed on the basal ration (n=11). Milk and blood samples were taken on days 0, 21, 42, and 63.

The yields of milk and energy corrected milk (ECM; computed from milk weight and its fat and protein content) decreased linearly and similarly (P=0.60) in both groups. The treatment cows, however, showed quadratic increases in the weights of milk (P=0.03) and ECM (P=0.04) at d42 of the study. Energy corrected milk (d42, p <0.05) and crude protein content of milk (d42, p <0.05; d63, p <0.1) were higher in the cows receiving the probiotic. The proportions of heptadecanoic (C17:0; P=0.002) and linoleic (C18:2; P=0.077) acids in milk fat (g/100 g fat) were higher in the treatment cows on d63. Milk total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and similarly, amyloid A (AA) and haptoglobin (Hp) of milk and blood were not affected. Total antioxidant capacity and MDA were negatively correlated in the control group (r=-0.669, P=0.005). Heptadecanoic acid correlated negatively with milk MDA (r=-0.611, P=0.035) and positively (r=0.591, P=0.043) with serum Hp in the treatment cows.

Dietary B. coagulans PRM101 may improve the proportions of C17:0 and C18:2 FA in milk. Some improvements in milk protein and the health status of the cows may also be anticipated.

The use of the microencapsulation technique can lead to an increase in the survival of probiotics in dairy products during storage. Chemical modification is one of the proposed strategies to improve the protective ability of alginate used in microencapsulation. In the current work, the effect of succinylated alginate and its application as a micro-coating on the preparation of Lactobacillus acidophilus microcapsules was evaluated on the qualitative properties (pH, acidity, syneresis, and water holding capacity), sensory properties, and survival of this bacteria in yogurt during 21 days of storage at 4°C. For this purpose, four samples of yogurt including yogurt without L. acidophilus, yogurt containing free L. acidophilus, yogurt containing microencapsulated L. acidophilus with native alginate, and yogurt containing microencapsulated L. acidophilus with succinylated alginate, was prepared. The results of qualitative tests showed that the acidity and syneresis of yogurt containing succinylated alginate microcapsules were lower while the pH and water holding capacity were higher than the other experimental groups. Also, the results of microbial counting and sensory evaluation showed that the microencapsulation of L. acidophilus using succinylated alginate was significantly increased its survival during the storage time (p < /em><0.05) without any adverse effects on the sensory properties. Therefore, microencapsulation with succinylated alginate can be suggested as an effective approach to improve the survival of probiotics in yogurt.

Common barberry is an important species due to its high medicinal and nutritional value, prevention of soil erosion and use in green areas. So, its seeds were collected from Kelardasht, Mazandran provice. Seeds were affected by different treatments such as salicylic acid, gibberellic acid, ascorbic acid and hydrogen peroxide and germination indices such as percentage, speed, time and vigor index were evaluated. Experiment was carry out based on randomized complete blocks with four replications. According to the results of the study, common barberry seeds under the influence of ascorbic acid, salicylic acid and hydrogen peroxide treatments, were better than control in all physiological indices. However, in gibberellic acid treatment with increasing concentration, growth rate and germination increased and the best results were obtained at 1000 parts/million concentration. Ascorbic acid treatments with 200 mg.L-1 concentration showed the lowest rate of germination and growth. Therefore, with the exception of gibberellic acid, all treatments were not suitable as agents for improving germination and establishment under environmental stress. But gibberellic acid treatment with a concentration of 1000 parts/million can be suitable treatment to improve germination. Therefore, due to the high medicinal value of this species, it is suggested that other dormancy breaking treatments be tested in order to select the best and most cost-effective treatment.

An excellent alternative for chemical antimicrobial agents to prevent disease in the shrimp aquaculture is the application of effective probiotics. The present study was evaluated the effect of Bacillus vallismortis IS03 as a native probiotic, isolated from digestive tract of Litopenaeus vannamei on pathogenic Vibrio harveyi under in vitro and in vivo circumstances. Co-cultivation of V. harveyi and B. vallismortis showed significantly (P<0.05) decreased the growth of V. harveyi in the treatment groups compared to the control. Cell-free extracts of B. vallismortis IS03 exhibited more appropriate antibacterial effects on replication of V. harveyi. The highest and lowest inhibitory effects were respectively shown in108 and 106 CFU ml-1 of B. vallismortis IS03 cell-free extracts. The probiotic potential of B. vallismortis IS03 was assessed through the groups of control and the experiments 106, 107 and 108 CFU ml-1 salt water once every 3 days from zoea1 process to end point of the study. The probiotic potential of B. vallismortis IS03 was assessed through the groups of control and the experiments 106, 107 and 108 CFU ml-1 salt water once every 3 days from zoea1 process to end point of the study. Shrimp survival was determined after 10 days of challenge with V. harveyi  at 10 5 CFU ml-1 (for the first 5 days) and 10 7 CFU ml-1  (for the second 5 days).The cumulative mortality in the treatment with 108 CFU ml-1 of  B. vallismortis IS03 reached 11.88% compared to 40.63% in the control group. At the end of the trial, total bacterial counts on TSA, total vibrio on TCBS were significantly (P<0.05) lower in the 108 CFU ml-1 treatment group. Bacillus counts on MYP agar in the treatment groups were significantly (P<0.05) higher than the control, also total bacterial counts was lower in the treatment groups, while, no vibrio were grown in the muscle tissues of shrimp treated with probiotics. It is concluded that 108 CFU ml-1 of probiotic, B. vallismortis IS03 has antibacterial efficiency against pathogenic V. harveyi at in vitro and in vivo conditions.

The flavor and quality of the Iranian enzymatic cheese are influenced by different factors during its production and storage. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of various processing conditions, such as pasteurization, retentate treatment, microfiltration (MF), double bactofugation (DBF) and ultrafiltration on the microbial, chemical and textural analysis of the Iranian enzymatic cheese. Our results revealed a significant reduction of the mesophilic bacterial counts (p< 0.05), in all the applied methods of processing. A considerable increase in the numbers of yeasts and molds was observed up to the 21st days of storage (p< 0.05). No obvious changes were observed in the spore counts in 4 °C storage condition, except for the treatment that double bactofugation was excluded. Moreover, the levels of proteins and NPN remained stable. Level of lactose was reduced during the shelfing which was associated with the increased acidity due to the lactose fermentation. In general, the rigidity of samples was gradually increased up to the end of storage (p< 0.05). The current study revealed that concomitant use of different technologies (Hardles’ method) improved the overall acceptance of the cheese and increased its shelf life, the qualities which enhances at 4 °C storage condition.

Recently, demands upon the consumption of various seafood are increasing in a human diet. Heavy metals naturally occur in the environment and contamination of foodstuffs are causing great concerns. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of encapsulated and lyophilized Lactobacillus fermentum as probiotic and lactulose on heavy metal residues and fatty acid profile in rainbow trout. Thus, fishes were randomly allocated into three replicates of six different treatments. The experimental groups received basal diet (control group), basal diet plus lactulose, basal diet plus lyophilized L. fermentum and lactulose, basal diet plus encapsulated L. fermentum and lactulose, basal diet plus lyophilized L. fermentum, basal diet plus encapsulated L. fermentum. All the groups were fed three times daily for a period of 56 days. At the end of experiments, samples of the fillet and liver were taken. Our results showed that encapsulated L. fermentum and lactulose as synbiotic, significantly increased n-6 fatty acid in muscles and reduced moisture (p< 0.05). This supplementary diet significantly reduced Pb and Cd residues in muscles and Pb, Zn and Cd residues in liver (p< 0.05). Results showed that using encapsulated L. fermentum and lactulose in the diet improve the overall quality of fish.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogenic bacteria in the dairy products industry that is capable of biofilm formation. Biofilm formation by these bacteria has been led to resistance to antimicrobial agents. Inactivation of microorganisms using cold atmospheric plasma is one of the new approaches in the food industry. In this study, to evaluate the antibacterial and anti-biofilm effect of cold atmospheric plasma, a dielectric barrier discharge system was used. Twenty isolates of S. aureus from clinical bovine mastitis milk were exposed to plasma from 5 to 20 Sec and their antibacterial activity was estimated by recording the growth zone of inhibition. Plasma treatment was performed punctually for 5 Sec to assess the possible effects of plasma treatment on bacterial biofilm-formation activity after 24 h. The results show that a remarkable reduction in the growth of bacteria by increasing the flow of plasma. Moreover, statistical analysis of the ELISA reader results showed that the exposure of the isolates to plasma, significantly (p< 0.05) reduced the biofilm formation. These results suggest that plasma can be a suitable alternative method for thermal sterilization techniques. However, its application requires further studies to determine the severity and duration of exposure of microorganisms to plasma.

Orbit Angular Momentum is a novel technology which has been used recently for increasing the channel capacity of communication systems.  In the OAM system, the Uniform Circular Array (UCA) has been widely used due to its capability in easy implement of the OAM modes orthogonality.In most of the researches, it is assumed that the transmitter and receiver antenna arrays are aligned with each other in the channel without any reflection. The effect of channel reflection is investigated only on single antenna and Uniform Linear Array (ULA) cases, which according to many difference between the UCA  and  ULA based OAM systems, the obtained results cannot been used for UCA based OAM system. In this paper, the channel modeling of the UCA based OAM system in presence of the reflection in done. For this purpose, the reflection effect is modeled by a virtual transmitter UCA. Also, the channel matrix in extreme cases is approximated, and the channel capacity using the obtained model is computed. We show that, in the presence of channel reflection, the orthogonality of OAM modes are corrupted, which leads to decreasing the channel capacity. Consequently, a proper pre-coding is needed to prevent capacity loss. We evaluated the obtained results by the simulations.

  Word definition skill is one of the sophisticated language skills with linguistic and meta-linguistic knowledge play important role. Hearing impairment in children leads to delays in receptive and expressive language learning. This study aims to investigate and compare the growth of the content aspect of the word definition skill for hearing-impaired and normal-hearing children between 4.5 and7.5 years old.

  This study had a descriptive-analytic cross-sectional method. Statistical population included 37 hearing-impaired (by hearing aid and cochlear implant) and 37 normal-hearing children from 4.5 to 7.5 years old in Karaj. In both groups, there were 10 children from 4.5 to 5.5 years old, 12 children from 5.5 to 6.5 years old, and 15 children from 6.5 to 7.5 years old. The studied groups included 15 hearing-impaired girls and 22 hearing-impaired boys. Our test was the word-defining skill test that had made by Mehri Mohammadi for the first to third grade elementary school children, and then the validity of this test was confirmed by Maryam Malekian for the 4.5 to 7.5 age group. The data were analyzed using t-test statistics in SPSS software (version 22). 

  The results revealed that the performance of hearing-impaired children in the content aspect had a significant difference with normal-hearing children (p = 0.007) and normal-hearing children showed better performance than hearing-impaired children.

  According to the results, there is a delay in content aspect of the word-definition skill as the other language skills in hearing-impaired children and then training and rehabilitation are needed.

Recently, the nano-materials have been used to improve soil properties. When the modified soil is used as the moisture and contaminant barriers in solid waste landfill liners, soil should minimize the flow of moisture and contaminants and should have acceptable geotechnical characteristics. In this study the effect of nano-clay material on the improvement of the characteristics of the Nazloo clayey soil of Urmia city, and Firoozkouh sand mixed with nano-clay, as the alternative soil in the absence of clayey soil, was investigated. For Nazloo clay, nano-clay caused the soil optimum water content and plasticity index to increase and the maximum dry density to decrease. For Firoozkouh sand, nano-clay did not have significant effect on the soil optimum water content but slightly increased the maximum dry density. The results of the hydraulic conductivity tests on Nazloo clay and Firoozkouh sand showed that the addition of nano-clay decreases the soils hydraulic conductivity. In Nazloo clay the hydraulic conductivity decreased to the standard level as for the landfill liner material but in Firoozkouh sand it did not decrease to the standard level. The results of the diffusion tests on Nazloo clay showed that nano-clay does not have significant effect on the soil chloride diffusion coefficient and this coefficient remains at its standard level. The results of this study showed that the addition of nan-clay has positive effect on the improvement of the soil geotechnical characteristics so that it could be used in the landfill liner construction; however, it does improve the Firoozkouh sand properties so that it can be used as alternative landfill liner material in the absence of clayey soil.

The present study was aimed to identify the frequency of coagulase (Coa) and thermonuclease (Nuc) genes and Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (Sea) production among Staphylococcus aureus isolated from various sources in Shiraz. Moreover, the correlation between the Sea gene and coagulase and thermonuclease enzymes is also considered. A total of 100 S. aureus were isolated from various sources including 40 humans, 30 animals and 30 food samples by the routine biochemical tests. The frequency of Coa, Nucand Sea genes was evaluated by PCR assay. Correlation among those genes was finally evaluated by statistical analysis. The PCR results showed that the prevalence of Coa, Nuc and Sea genes was 91%, 100% and 14%, respectively. The evaluation of the enterotoxin production indicated that 78.6% of the Sea gene was expressed. The presence of enterotoxin A was not necessarily correlated to the production of toxin. As a final conclusion to detect the enterotoxigenic strains, both genotypic and phenotypic methods are highly recommended.

An in vivo experiment was conducted to study the effects of probiotic Bacillus coagulans spores، with and without prebiotic، inulin، on gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota of healthy rats and its potentiality to survive in the GI tract. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=12) and fed as follows: standard diet (control)، standard diet supplied with 5% w/w long chain inulin (prebiotic)، standard diet with 109/day spores of B. coagulans by orogastric gavage (probiotic)، and standard diet with 5% w/w long chain inulin and 109 spores/day of B. coagulans by orogastric gavage (synbiotic). Rats were fed the diets for 30 days. At day 10، 20 and 30 of experiment، 24 h post administration، four rats from each group were randomly selected and after faecal collection were sacrificed. Small intestine، cecum، and colon were excised from each rat and used for microbial analysis. Administration of synbiotic and probiotic diets led to a significant (P<0. 05) increment in lactic acid bacteria (LAB)، total aerobic and total anaerobic population compared the prebiotic and control diets. A significant decrease in Enterobacteriaceae counts of varioussegments of GI tract (except small intestine) in synbiotic، probiotic and prebiotic fed groups were also seen. The obvious decline in spores count through passing GI tract and high surviving spore counts in faecal samples showed that spores are not a normal resident of GI microbiota and affect intestinal microbiota by temporary proliferation. In conclusion، the present study clearly showed probiotic B. coagulans was efficient in beneficially modulating GI microbiota and considering transitional characteristics of B. coagulans، daily consumption of probiotic products is necessary for any long-term effect.

The objective of this study was to investigate the genotypic characteristics of Campylobacter isolates in Shiraz، Iran. A total of 40 Campylobacter isolates including 20 C. jejuni and 20 C. coli were recovered from both cattle and sheep faeces by cultivation methods. The isolates were identified on the basis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of 16SrRNA and multiplex PCR to determine two species. For confirmed isolates، PCR was carried out for the presence of virulence genes using specific primers. Other than verifying the genetic diversity of thermophilic Campylobacter isolates، flaA PCR-RFLP was performed. Results showed the high prevalence (100%) of the cadF gene and three genes associated with cytolethal distending toxin (CDT). Plasmid virB11 gene was not found in any Campylobacter isolate، and dissimilarities and discrepancies occurred in pldA، iamA، wlaN، waaC and cgtB genes. Among the 40 Campylobacter isolates studied، nine different types were defined by flaA-typing. Results indicated genetic diversity among Campylobacter isolates recovered from cattle and sheep faecal samples. Findings showed the potential ability of C. jejuni and C. coli with cattle and sheep origins to cause infection in humans.

Nurse’s competency plays an important role in achieving health system objectives. One of the problems in health care system in various countries is the level of nurses'' competencies. The aim of this study was to determine clinical competency and psychological empowerment of nurses and their correlation with demographic characteristics.

In this descriptive-correlational study، 170 subjects were selected through simple random sampling method among the nurses of social security hospitals in Tehran. Data was gathered by the questionnaire with three parts: personal-social characteristics، “Clinical Competency Questionnaire «and» Psychological Empowerment Spreitzer«. Validity and reliability were confirmed in previous studies. Data were analyzed by SPSS/13.

The highest mean score in clinical competency was seen in managerial capabilities dimension (44. 41±5. 8) and the lowest mean score also was seen in diagnostic procedures dimension (13. 94±1. 84). The highest mean score in psychological empowerment was in competency dimension (9. 4±1. 38) and the lowest mean score also was in independence dimension (8. 37±1. 72). In addition، there was a significant correlation between the number of staff in ward، educational status of nurses and some dimensions of clinical competency and psychological empowerment and also between the working experience in current ward and some dimensions of clinical empowerment and clinical work experience and some psychological empowerment dimensions (P<0. 05).

Based on the higher rate of managerial capabilities and diagnostic procedures، in opposite of nurses impact and independence، retraining programs، continuing education or in-service education programs for nurses، giving more authority and more responsibility to nurses can promote sense of independence in all nurses