Archives of Advances in Biosciences
Volume:2 Issue: 2, Spring 2011

Practical work has an important and time-honored place in the education of students, researchers and engineers. The practical work is the most expensive part of the education. The major goals of practical work are: (i) teaching manual and observational skills relevant to the subjects; (ii) improving understanding of methods of scientific enquiry; (iii) developing problem solving skills; and (iv) nurturing professional attitudes.Most of us hope that our students will develop a commitment to the subject taught and that they will incorporate its values into their thinking and future actions. Practical work can, and should, provide opportunities for such attitudes to grow.The main principle underlying laboratory work is that students learn effectively through doing practical tasks (learning by doing). But the principle ‘Learning by Doing’ needs two qualifications: First, the tasks have to be perceived as relevant and meaningful by the students--otherwise the interest and learning may be minimal. Second, students (and lecturers too) have to receive constructive feedback on their performance to improve the learning. Practice does not itself make perfect but practical work with appropriate feedback almost always improves performance. These points should be borne in mind when designing laboratory course and marking laboratory work.Laboratory teaching often involves giving brief explanations and instructions to the whole class and then dividing class into pairs or small groups who work on a particular experiment, which means that laboratory teachings is a kind of small group teaching. The instructor has to create interest, explain technical information, ask the students the right questions, exercise control, adjust performance of students and assess the students’ performance. Most important of all, we need to put ourselves in the place of the students, so we can choose the appropriate experiments, give the right instructions and make laboratory work into a challenging and rewarding experience for reaching set outcomes of the course.Laboratory teaching also involves skills concerned with giving directions, with helping demonstrators and technicians, and with designing, organizing, and implementing laboratory work.

In the increasing population of the elderly in Iran, so far no prospective health studies have been undertaken. This study was conducted to identify the risk factors of survival time of the elderly of ages above 60 years. Individuals above 60 years old were recruited in the primary phase of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) during 1998-2001. They were followed up for 10 years and their vital status were registered (1998-2008). Age and sex mortality rates for age groups (60-69, 70-79, 80+) were calculated and by using Cox proportional hazard model the hazard rates were estimated. Out of 929 males, 154 (17%) and out of 869 women 85(10%) died during the follow-up years. Cox model showed that diabetes on an average reduces 4.4 years and 2.5 years and smoking reduces 5 and 6.6 years of male's and female's survival time, respectively. BMI>33Kg/m2 and dis-lipoproteinemia reduce 4.5 years and 4 years of women's life span. Tehranian native men on an average live 3 years shorter than other male residents. In addition, hypertension and history of MI, stroke or sudden death of father, brother or son reduce 3.3 years and 4.1 years of men's life time. The elderly population is in need of a healthy ageing to be gained from prevention and intervention. Identification of life time reducing risk factors of elderly helps the policymakers to develop some protocols to increase the life span of the population.

A thorough recognition of the nature and duties of the genes is based upon having adequate information about the proteins. However, the proteomic projects follow a slow trend; therefore, solving the protein-related problems has become as one of the most important challenges in bio-informatics. Consequently, the presence of tools which can enhance the structural recognition, classification, and interpretation of proteins will be advantageous. Statistical methods are among the tools to help solve bio-informatics problems. These methods may be used to help predict the third structures of proteins, study proteins collectively, as well as extract new interactions among the protein collections. One of the very efficient and useful methods in the collective study of protein subsets is the cluster analysis. In the present study, the recognized protein sequences related to esophagus, stomach, and colon cancers are analyzed through partitioning, non-partitioning, and fuzzy clustering methods. Needleman-Wunsch global alignment algorithm was used to determine pair-wise similarities. The evaluations have shown that the clusters obtained through using the AGNES method have produced more powerful structures; yet, it can be said that the PAM clustering method, compared to other ones, has produced the best results in predicting ability of the 3D structure of the unknown protein sequences.

Tomography or planigraphy is an X-Ray imaging system for preserving a certain plane of a radiography object by diffusing the other planes; however, the wanted plane does not obtain an optimum sharpness. Meanwhile, relatively nearer points to the rotating axes fixed point have lesser linear velocity than those of lying further from fixed point, consequently, Tomographic Bluring (obscuring) occur gradually, that gives rise the wanted plane to be somehow blurred that is known as "tomographic blurring", hence the clinical value of the image is diminished.This innovation could be an approach to improve current tomography systems by increasing image resolution and deep resolution and cost reduction. Micro layer tomography with benefit of fast X –Ray rotating velocity without tube movement has been designed to make images with deep resolution of millimeter fraction whilst, there is no need of digital images reconstruction instruments that allows statistical errors to fall off about zero, and high resolution images could be prepared in all planes (coronal, sagital and cross sectional. Likewise, the patient treatment and the system maintenance cost are much less by many degrees compared with those in CT scan and MRI. In this system with increasing evolution, quick operation is highly exception, hence the tomographic slices could be prepared in about less than 0.02 second. The laboratory samples of this system have been a unique result for proving the new device preference.

During the past decade Campylobacter has been shown to be responsible for enteritis in human and animal. The natural habitats of most Campylobacter species are the intestines of birds and other warm-blooded animals. These organisms may enter the environment, including drinking water, through the feces of animals, birds or infected humans. Fecal samples of Domestic Animals and Poultry were subjected to survey frequency of occurrence of pathogenic Campylobacter spp. in Tonekabon and Shiraz. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was assessed to evaluate the rate of antibiotic resistant campylobacter’s in both cities. The method for isolation of pathogenic Campylobacter spp. was Kapandis Baseri (prêt-KB) and for antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was disk diffusion and E-test. A total of 28 and 37 Campylobacter spp. were isolated in Tonekabon and Shiraz, respectively. All pathogenic Campylobacter spp. isolates were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, however, varied responses to other antibiotics have been observed among the isolates. In addition, lowest MIC values were found for Ciprofloxacin and Gentamicin and highest MIC values were found for Erythromycin, Chloramphenicol, Gentamicin and Tetracycline. Overall, based on our observations, domestic animals and poultry should be considered as reservoirs of Campylobacter spp. in both cities. Although, frequency of existence of antibiotic resistance Campylobacter in Tonekabon was relatively high, Ciprofloxacin resistant Campylobacter were isolated neither from Tonekabon nor Shiraz. The Result obtained from data statistical analyses showed significant correlation (P

We report a rare case of a 30 year old man diagnosed with severe oligoasthenospermia, where the infertile condition is traced back to a multiple etiologies. Routine semen analysis and sperm function tests followed by hormone analysis are carried out to diagnose the condition as well as the severity. The initial findings prompt us to perform Ultrasound scanning of testis and Trans Rectal Ultrasound Scanning (TRUS) to check the anatomical and functional status of the accessory reproductive organs. Semen analysis and sperm function tests provide an insight into the severity of the condition. The hormonal analysis, Ultrasound scanning of testis and TRUS of accessory reproductive glands confirms the association of hormonal imbalance, testis and accessory gland defects which results in the observed infertile condition with severe sperm defects. A thorough investigation of infertile subjects is essential for appropriate diagnosis and effective personalized treatment owing to the probability of multiple etiologies. Incomplete diagnosis can have adverse effects in treatment and Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART).

Staphylococcus(S.) aureus produces different extra-cellular protein toxins and virulence factors. One of the most important extra-cellular proteins is an enterotoxin which causes staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) due to their enterotoxins. Different methods have been used to detect this toxin, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. DNA amplification methods, however, can show the presence of enterotoxigenic strains of S. aureus before the expression of enterotoxins on the basis of specific gene sequences. In this study, 150 S. aureus strains isolated from nasal carriers were confirmed by biochemical testing. PCR was used to amplify the staphylococcal enterotoxin A, B, C and Q genes, as well as the staphylococcal nuclease gene. Among the 150 healthy human isolates from the nasal carrier, 95 were confirmed as S. aureus. Only 58.9% of the isolates were diagnosed as sea, b, c, q positive. There were 24 (25.3%) isolates associated with the sea gene, 15.8% isolates associated with the seb gene, 9.5% of the isolates were associated with the sec gene, and 8.4% of the isolates associated with the seq gene. Of these isolates, 41% might be possessing additional se genes but they were not see (178 bp) and sed (319 bp) genes. The nuc gene, which encodes thermo nuclease, was used as a target DNA to identify S. aureus. Additionally, one of these enterotoxigenic isolates carried more than one toxin gene.

Conceptualization for new findings is the main aim of science and technology development. Sometimes new concepts are pathfinders for science and starting fundamental revolutions in science. An important area in scientology or scientific studies is the concept and term field, so terminology and its effect on science and technology is one of the most important subjects in the last decade. Standardization in scientific terms (scientific term selection) is one of the strongest terminology methods. These methods break down the terms to their meaningful parts or use prevalent terms, which are common among people or use eponyms and abbreviation processes, and finds the appropriate equivalent for them. The word parts are prefixes, suffixes and stems. In medical sciences, terms are mostly originated from Latin stems, so this method could be extremely efficient in these fields. The terminology committee of Persian Academy studied the highly frequent prefixes, suffixes and stems to help the standardization of terminology in medical sciences. This research introduces methods of term selection, some approved terms and their Persian equivalents. Term selection for medical terms is not an obligatory rule, but is a proposal for meeting the researchers need to strength Persian language as a scientific language.

The overall objective of a health system is to improve health through reducing disease, disability and death. Accomplishment of this goal depends on the worldwide integrated and coordinated care continuity. Information transmission is a prerequisite to ensure the continuity of care. Widespread acceptance of health information and communication technology (HICT) and developing systems such as Electronic Health Record (EHR), have changed the health care industry. Electronic Health Record is the main part of information management in an integrated health care system. Electronic health record provides access to all health information at organizational, regional, national and international levels and allows for the patient's health data [usually with geographical distribution in several health information systems] to become integrated. Since Electronic health record integrates all care events data, it can make data sharing possible between all care providers to consequently minimize the repeated diagnostic tests, and drug and treatment interactions. Furthermore, Also health care professionals can easily access to patient information at any time and this could lead to improving the quality of care and reduce costs. Accordingly, a productive system is required to provide the electronic health record. Given the significance of the electronic health record and its generating system in improvement of care quality and reducing the health care costs, authors decided to study the needs for developing the national EHR system (NHIN) The main focus of this paper was on selecting material related to the system developing an EHR and it prerequisites. Electronic health record system is a new source of valuable intelligence of real world for the whole health care industry. Electronic health record system includes people, rules, standards, storage and processing equipments, communication and support facilities. To shape this, existence of components and their coordination is necessary. Electronic health record system are established to enhance patient care and its outcome, increase efficiency, improving the availability of information and minimizing the medical errors. With the Europe union formation that in fact was an important step toward globalization, the electronic health record passed the national borders and turned into a global concept to make possible the worldwide integration and sharing of the health data. Therefore international standards are needed to share patient health information between national health systems and across borders. Infrastructure or national information network existence of proper hardware and software and finally participation of all stakeholders are necessary to develop the system. So it is necessary to prepare the infrastructures needed for development of the system in our country. Since EHR has a universal concept, it is needed to create a lifelong health information record for every individual accessible in every point in the world.

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are inevitable consequences of modern civilizations and the era of technology. Many investigations have been carried out in order to determine the effects of EMFs on biological organisms specially on human being. In one hand, most of the generators used in these kinds of experiment are not able to expose a large number of animals simultaneously and on the other hand, many environmental electromagnetic fields could be hazardous for exposing people while a portable, low cost and reliable electromagnetic detector is not commercially available. In this study, we introduced an ELF/EMFs generator capable of exposing a large experimental space and a detector of environmental ELF/EMFs which can define their spatial parameters and relevant biological effects.