4265 research outputs found
Sort by
Determination of optimum insulation and cement plaster thickness for bungalow buildings through a simulation-statistical approach using response surface methodology
Get PDFInsulating interior side of external wall and finishing by cement plaster is one of the most appropriate methods of reducing annual energy consumption in available buildings. The aim of this study is to determine the optimum expanded polystyrene (EPS) and cement plaster thickness for bungalow building in Malaysia. The present study evaluates the effect of different thermal insulation and interior cement plaster thicknesses on the annual cooling energy consumption. Furthermore, the optimum thickness of EPS and plaster is estimated based on wall type and building orientation. Two different types of walls made of concrete and brick are considered. EPS and plaster were used in the range of 20 to 100 mm and 0 to 20mm, respectively. The results show that both thermal insulation and plaster thickness have a direct effect on annual cooling energy consumption, however, the influence of wall thermal insulation thickness is more significant than cement plaster thickness. Further, the optimum EPS thickness decreases with the increment in cement plaster thickness for different orientations and wall types. The optimum EPS thickness ranges from 31.5 mm to 53.1 mm based on wall type, orientation and cement plaster thickness. Utilizing optimum EPS and cement plaster thicknesses can thus reduce annual energy consumption by about 6 to 12 in different directions. © 2019, University of Malaya. All rights reserved
The effect of mild agonist stimulation on the platelet reactivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Get PDFBackground: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have accelerated atherosclerosis as a pro thrombotic state that is associated with the platelet activation priming. Platelets, which undergo the continuous mild stimulation, may lose their sensitivity to react to a strong stimulation. The present study aimed to investigate activation responses of platelets to mild and subsequent strong stimulations in patients with T2DM and healthy individuals. Methods: Blood samples, which were taken from 40 patients with T2DM and 35 healthy individuals, were collected into the citrate containing tubes. The samples were subjected to the soft centrifugation to prepare the platelet rich plasma (PRP). Platelets in PRP samples were treated at a low (1 μM) concentration and then at a high (10 μM) concentration of ADP. Before and after stimulation with different doses of ADP, levels of CD62P expression and formation of platelet micro particles (PMPs) were measured using a flow cytometry method. Results: The platelets from patients with T2DM had higher levels of CD62P expression before any stimulation (P = 0.003) than control samples. Platelets, which underwent the mild stimulation, indicated lower responses to CD62P expression, but higher PMPs formation after stimulation with high dose of ADP. Patients with T2DM had higher platelet micro particles in all states with the ADP stimulation. (P = 0.004, SD: ±74.52). Conclusions: The flow cytometry data indicated that platelets were pre-active and associated with metabolic conditions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The induction of desensitization state helped platelets to reduce the platelet activation and sensitivity to ADP in a diabetic environment. Furthermore, the production of platelets micro-particles was high in the patients; and desensitized platelets were more susceptible to shedding of micro-particles. © 2019 The Author(s)
Effect of l-citrulline supplementation on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
No full textThe objective of this study was to systematically investigate the efficacy of oral l-citrulline supplementation on systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Studies were identified by a search of electronic databases from inception to April 2018, and combined and stratified analyses were used. Fifteen trials were identified, and data from 424 participants were included. Pooled analysis showed significant reductions in systolic blood pressure by �7.54 mmHg (95 confidence interval (CI): �9.44, �5.63; P < 0.001, I 2 = 14) and diastolic blood pressure by �3.77 mmHg (95 CI: �5.67, �1.86, P < 0.001, I 2 = 42) following oral supplementation of l-citrulline or a watermelon extract. No changes were detected in controls. Significant heterogeneity (I 2 = 42, P = 0.04) was found for diastolic blood pressure, and subgroup analysis showed significant improvements in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, particularly for study durations: �6 weeks, lower doses: �4 g/day, and in participants with higher baseline values: �130/85 mmHg. In conclusion, l-citrulline improves systolic and diastolic blood pressure and may be more efficacious in pre-hypertensive and hypertensive populations. © 2018, Springer Nature Limited
Developing a Tool for Evaluating Ageism in Nursing Care of Older People in Kashan/Iran
Get PDFAgeism implies negative views and attitudes towards older people. These unconscious behaviors could make the elderly feel as if they were no longer useful for the family and community. Ageism is common in healthcare services. The objective of this study was to develop a tool to assess ageism in nursing care in Kashan/Iran 2015. This psychometric study was carried out in four stages: literature review for item generation; content validity testing; exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for evaluation of construct validity; and reliability assessment. The data analyzed with SPSS version 16. The final questionnaire had 24 items. The total CVI and CVR were 0.88 and 0.57. Explanatory factor analysis identified 3 factors of respecting older adult in nursing care (14 items); age discrimination and negative views towards older adults (5 items); attention to older adult and their basic caring needs (5 items). The three factors could explain 49.54 of variance. The test-re-test correlation stood at 0.9. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was Cronbach�s alpha =0.85. A valid and reliable instrument for the evaluation of ageism in nursing care was developed in this study. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
Synthesis and Supercapacitor Application of Cerium Tungstate Nanostructure
No full textCerium tungstate nanostructure was prepared through precipitation and characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), as well as cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and continuous cyclic voltammetry (CCV) in terms of structural and electrochemical properties. The electrochemical evaluations using cerium tungstate electrodes revealed that the electrode material has interesting supercapacitive properties including a specific capacitance (SC) of 348 F g �1 at a potential scan rate of 2 mV s �1 . Also CCV experiments proved that the material maintains 95.8 of its original capacitance after 4000 cycles. The properties make the nanostructures suitable for use as high-quality electroactive materials for supercapacitor applications. © 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinhei
Inhibition of herpes simplex virus type 1 replication by novel hsa-miR-7704 in vitro
Get PDFHerpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infections are one of the most common diseases in human population. HSV-1 causes subclinical, mild to severe diseases, especially in immunocompromised patients. Acyclovir has been used to reduce manifestations of HSV-1 infections. The extensive use of this drug has led to the development of resistant strains. Thus, designing a novel anti-herpes drug with different mechanisms of action is urgently needed. Cellular microRNAs (miRNAs) have direct antiviral effects in addition to their regulatory functions. In this study we used a novel miRNA (hsa-miR-7704), expressed in macrophages, to inhibit HSV-1 lytic infection in HeLa cells. Synthesized hsa-miR-7704 mimics were transfected into HSV-1 infected HeLa cell. The inhibitory effects of the miRNA were evaluated by plaque assay, real time polymerase chain reaction and the viral titers were measured by the 50 tissue culture infective dose (TCID 50 ). The viral titer and cell cytopathic effect were dramatically decreased in HeLa cells transfected with hsa-miR-7704 (50 and 100 nM), compared with HSV-1 infected cells alone or transfected with the mock miRNA control. These results suggest that hsa-miR-7704 inhibits HSV-1 replication efficiently in vitro. This may provide an alternative mechanism to prevent HSV-1 infections. © 2019 Medknow Publications.All rights reserved
Hepatoprotective effects of silymarin on liver injury via irisin upregulation and oxidative stress reduction in rats with type 2 diabetes
Get PDFBackground: Diabetes is one of the most prevalent metabolic diseases. Irisin (FNDC5 protein) is involved in the new strategy of combating type 2 diabetes. In the liver, the antidiabetic mechanism of silymarin at the molecular level is unknown. This study investigated the effects of silymarin on irisin and the related gene expression and oxidative stress status in the liver of type 2 diabetic rats. Methods: Thirty-six rats were divided into 6 groups (n=6 each) by simple randomization: control, control+silymarin (60 mg/kg daily in normal saline orally for 60 days), control+silymarin (120 mg/kg daily in normal saline orally for 60 days), diabetic, diabetic+silymarin (60 mg/kg daily for 60 days), and diabetic+silymarin (120 mg/kg daily for 60 days). Biochemical parameters were measured by spectrophotometric and immunoassay methods, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate gene expression. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, followed by the Tukey test, using SPSS software, version 16.0. The results were considered statistically significant at a P value less than 0.05. Results: In the diabetic rats treated with silymarin (60 and 120 mg/kg), by comparison with the diabetic group, body weight (P=0.04 and P=0.02), insulin (P<0.001), expression of PGC-1α (P=0.04 and P=0.02), expression of FNDC5 (P=0.03 and P=0.01), and concentration of irisin in the liver (P=0.02 and P=0.01) and serum (P<0.001) were significantly increased, whereas the levels of glucose (P<0.001), HOMA-IR (P=0.03 and P=0.01), and liver injury markers (P<0.001) were significantly reduced. Oxidative stress status and histopathological changes were improved in the treated groups. Conclusion: These results suggest that silymarin because of its ability to upregulate irisin and antioxidant effects can be considered an antidiabetic agent. © 2019, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved
The effects of fatty acids consumption on OPG/RANKL/RANK system in cardiovascular diseases: Current status and future perspectives for the impact of diet-gene interaction
No full textCardiovascular disease (CVD) is an overall term that comprises a number of related pathologies, these include peripheral arterial disease, cerebrovascular disease, coronary heart disease (CHD), venous thromboembolism, and rheumatic and congenital heart diseases. Fatty acids in the diet have been reported to affect CVD. The OPG/RANKL/RANK system appears to have a role in CVD outcomes. However, there have been few studies on the impact of diet-gene interaction for effects of fatty acids consumption on the OPG/RANKL/RANK system in CVD. This review focuses on the effects of fatty acids on OPG/RANKL/RANK in CVD. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Clinical and metabolic response to vitamin D plus probiotic in schizophrenia patients
Get PDFBackground: This study determined the effects of a novel combination of vitamin D and probiotic on metabolic and clinical symptoms in chronic schizophrenia. Methods: This trial was conducted among 60 patients with chronic schizophrenia to receive either 50,000 IU vitamin D3 every 2 weeks plus 8 � 10 9 CFU/day probiotic (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for 12 weeks. Results: Vitamin D and probiotic co-supplementation was associated with a significant improvement in the general (- 3.1 ± 4.7 vs. + 0.3 ± 3.9, P = 0.004) and total PANSS scores (- 7.4 ± 8.7 vs. -1.9 ± 7.5, P = 0.01). Vitamin D and probiotic co-supplementation also significantly increased total antioxidant capacity (+ 51.1 ± 129.7 vs. -20.7 ± 53.3 mmol/L, P = 0.007), and significantly decreased malondialdehyde (- 0.3 ± 0.9 vs. + 0.2 ± 0.4 μmol/L, P = 0.01) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (- 2.3 ± 3.0 vs. -0.3 ± 0.8 mg/L, P = 0.001) compared with the placebo. Moreover, taking vitamin D plus probiotic significantly reduced fasting plasma glucose (- 7.0 ± 9.9 vs. -0.2 ± 9.9 mg/dL, P = 0.01), insulin concentrations (- 2.7 ± 2.3 vs. + 0.4 ± 2.0 μIU/mL, P < 0.001), homeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (- 0.8 ± 0.7 vs. + 0.1 ± 0.7, P < 0.001), triglycerides (- 7.8 ± 25.2 vs. + 10.1 ± 30.8 mg/dL, P = 0.01) and total cholesterol levels (- 4.9 ± 15.0 vs. + 5.9 ± 19.5 mg/dL, P = 0.04) and total-/HDL-cholesterol ratio (- 0.1 ± 0.6 vs. + 0.3 ± 0.8, P = 0.04). Conclusion: Probiotic and vitamin D for 12 weeks to chronic schizophrenia had beneficial effects on the general and total PANSS score, and metabolic profiles. Trial Registration: This study was retrospectively registered in the Iranian website (www.irct.ir) for clinical trials registration (http://www.irct.ir: IRCT2017072333551N2). 07-31-2017 2 © 2019 The Author(s)
Assessment of indoor air pollution exposure in urban hospital microenvironments
Get PDFHospitals are microenvironments containing populations with potentially enhanced sensitivity to air pollution. The objectives of this study were to characterize the concentration of indoor and outdoor size-fractionated particulate matter (PM) at two urban hospital sites in Kashan, Iran, and to evaluate the relationship between indoor and outdoor PM levels. PM 1.0 , PM 2.5 , and PM 10 concentrations were measured over a 3-month period outside each hospital with parallel sampling at four indoor locations in patient wards. The results indicated that mean indoor concentrations at the sampling sites (PM 1.0 = 17.8 μg/m 3 , PM 2.5 = 45.5 μg/m 3 , and PM 10 = 162.7 μg/m 3 ) were found to be lower than outdoors levels (PM 1.0 = 20.6 μg/m 3 , PM 2.5 = 62.1 μg/m 3 , and PM 10 = 300.6 μg/m 3 ). Outdoor and indoor PM mass concentrations were associated with PM 1.0 , PM 2.5 , and PM 10.0 . Ambient wind speed also influenced the indoor/outdoor relationship for PM 1.0 and PM 2.5 but not for PM 10 . The average I/O ratios for PM 2.5 in the intensive care unit (ICU) and children�s ward at Shahid Beheshti Hospital were close to or above 1.00. Indoor PM 1.0 and PM 2.5 concentrations were found to be positively associated with outdoor PM 1.0 and PM 2.5 concentrations, but no relationship was observed with PM 10 . The present findings may inform policymakers in implementing evidence-based efforts for the aim of improving the indoor air quality in closed and confined spaces. © 2018, Springer Nature B.V