A Series Solution of the Cauchy Problem for Turing Reaction-diffusion Model

In this paper, the series pattern solution of the Cauchy problem for Turing reaction-diffusion model is obtained by using the homotopy analysis method (HAM). Turing reaction-diffusion model is nonlinear reaction-diffusion system which usually has power-law nonlinearities or may be rewritten in the form of power-law nonlinearities. Using the HAM, it is possible to find the exact solution or an approximate solution of the problem. This technique provides a series of functions which converges rapidly to the exact solution of the problem. The efficiency of the approach will be shown by applying the procedure on two problems. Furthermore, the so-called homotopy-Pade technique (HPT) is applied to enlarge the convergence region and rate of solution series given by the HAM

Relationship between breast feeding and obesity in children with low birth weight

Background: Breast feeding appears to play a role in determining obesity and abdominal obesity during childhood, specifically in children with a history of low birth weight. Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation of breast-feeding with either of abdominal obesity and obesity among Iranian school children. Materials and Methods: A total of 1184 students (625 girls and 559 boys), aged 10 to 13 years old, were selected from 112 governmental elementary schools in Iran. Height, weight, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured using standard instruments and a pretested standardized questionnaire was performed for compiling information about family economics and educational level, first–degree family history of obesity, history of breast feeding, food pattern and birth weight, as well. Results: 13.68% (n = 160) of students had a history of low birth weight, and 26.41% of them had abdominal obesity. Of all participants, 22.04% were overweight and 5.32% were obese which was more prevalent in girls than in boys (P = 0.03). First-degree family history of obesity (P = 0.001), excessive gestational weight gain (P = 0.001) and birth weight (P = 0.01) were significantly correlated with the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity during childhood. Moreover the prevalence of abdominal obesity in children with low birth weight was significantly correlated with breast feeding (P = 0.04); But this relation was not significantly about obesity in our participants (P = 0.9). Furthermore duration of breast feeding was significantly and inversely correlated with obesity and abdominal obesity in schoolchildren with low birth weight (P = 0.01). Conclusions: The results suggest that Breast feeding and its long-term consequences were important factors for preventing metabolic syndrome criteria in childhood and later years of life span. With regard to the increasing prevalence of obesity in children, more research is urgently needed to clarify whether breast feeding have negative consequences for the risk of chronic disease in children, especially in children with low birth weight

Effects of symbiotic and vitamin E supplementation on blood pressure, nitric oxide and inflammatory factors in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been suggested to be well correlated with altered blood pressure. This study was conducted to determine the effects of symbiotic and vitamin E supplementation on blood pressure and inflammatory indices of patients with NAFLD. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed among 60 NAFLD patients aged 25 to 64 years old. Participants were randomly divided into four groups to receive a 400 IU alpha-tocopherol and 2 × 108 CFU/g symbiotic supplement for 8 weeks. The anthropometric parameters, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), serum malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) were assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention. After 8 weeks of intervention, combined symbiotic and alpha-tocopherol, symbiotic and alpha-tocopherol lone administration, compared with the placebo, resulted in significant decreases in SBP (-17.07±2.1, -16.07±3.56, -1.73±2.25 and -1.55±3.01 mmHg, P=0.01), serum MDA (-1.19±0.5, -0.12±0.65, 0.14 ± 0.64 and 0.16±0.34 nmol/mL, P<0.001), serum TNFα (-15.62±13.93, -9.24±7.12, -11.44 ± 15.47 and 3.01±1.71 pg/ml, P<0.001) concentrations. A significant decrease in serum AST (-11.36±4.52, -7.43±8.58, -5.93±6.61 and 2.5±5.75 μmol/L, P <0.001), ALT (-12.79±3.65, -3.66±6.81, -6.54±7.66 and 4.16±3.43 μmol/L, P <0.001) and ALP (-26.8±11.1, -4.56±9.22, -14.48±12.22 and 5.19±2.64 μmol/L, P <0.001) was seen. Variations in DBP and serum NO concentration were not significant. Alpha-tocopherol and symbiotic supplementation among patients with NAFLD resulted in decreased SBP, serum MDA, TNFα levels and enzymes liver; however, they did not affect DBP and serum NO concentration

Evaluation of antitumor activity of a TGF-beta receptor I inhibitor (SD-208) on human colon adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) pathway is involved in primary tumor progression and in promoting metastasis in a considerable proportion of human cancers such as colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, blockage of TGF-β pathway signaling via an inhibitor could be a valuable tool in CRC treatment. METHODS: To evaluate the efficacy of systemic targeting of the TGF-β pathway for therapeutic effects on CRC, we investigated the effects of a TGβRI (TGF-β receptor 1) or TβRI kinase inhibitor, SD-208, on SW-48, colon adenocarcinoma cells. In this work, in vitro cell proliferation was studied by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) assays. Also, the histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluations were conducted by hematoxylin and eosin, and Ki-67 and CD34 markers were stained, respectively. RESULTS: Our results showed no significant reduction in cell proliferation and vessel formation (170 ± 70 and 165 ± 70, P > 0.05) in treated SW-48 cells with SD-208 compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that SD-208 could not significantly reduce tumor growth and angiogenesis in human colorectal cancer model at least using SW-48 cells

Project management contractor's procurement process development

Projektinjohtourakoinnissa varsin merkittävä tekijä projektin menestyksen kannalta on hankintaprosessi. Hankintavaiheessa projektinjohtourakoitsijan on pystyttävä etsimään parhaat yhteistyökumppanit, joiden avulla on mahdollista viedä projekti aikataulu- ja kustannustehokkaasti läpi. Aikataulu- ja kustannustehokkuuden lisäksi projektinjohtourakoitsijan on pystyttävä huolehtimaan myös laatutason säilymisestä. Toteutuakseen tämä yhdistelmä vaati projektinjohtourakoitsijan hankintaprosessilta oikeanlaisia toimenpiteitä sekä osaamista. Tutkimuksen kirjallisuuskatsauksessa perehdyttiin Lean supply chain- ajatteluun ja sen mukaisiin toimintatapoihin. Edelleen mentiin syvemmälle Lean-ajatteluun ja lähestyttiin projektinjohtourakoitsijan hankintaprosessia näiden periaatteiden näkökulmasta. Pitkäaikainen yhteistyökumppanuus projektinjohtourakoitsijan sekä sen aliurakoitsijoiden välillä mahdollistaa hankintaprosessin kehittämisen ja toiminnan tehostamisen. Tässä työssä tutkittiin kuitenkin hankintaprosessia myös sellaisissa tapauksissa, joissa tarjoaja ei ole projektinjohtourakoitsijan pitkäaikainen yhteistyökumppani. Hankintaprosessin parissa työskenteleviltä rakennusalan ammattilaisilta haettiin tietoa tätä työtä varten haastattelututkimuksen avulla. Haastateltavista henkilöistä puolet olivat erittäin kokeneita, SRV Rakennus Oy:n palveluksessa työskenteleviä hankintatoimen ammattilaisia. Toinen puolikas haastateltavista muodostui SRV Rakennus Oy:n käyttämien aliurakoitsijoiden ja toimittajien henkilöstöstä. Tämä henkilöstö valikoitui siten, että kaikki haastateltavat olivat olleet projektissa pitkään aktiivisesti mukana aina urakan hankintavaiheesta lähtien. Haastattelututkimuksella saatiin selville parhaimmat toimintatavat, joiden avulla voidaan varmistaa että toiminta työmaalla on myös hankintavaiheen jälkeen selkeää ja kustannustehokasta. Työn tuloksena syntyi SRV Rakennus Oy:n käyttöön tarkastuslista hankintaprosessia varten. Haastattelututkimuksen tulosten pohjalta laaditun listan tarkoituksena on toimia hankintaprosessia hoitavan projekti-insinöörin tai muun vastaavan henkilön apuvälineenä. Tarkastuslista toimii yleispätevänä muistutuskeinona niistä toimenpiteistä, joista osa saattaa projektinjohtourakan hankintaprosessissa unohtua

Effects of vitamin D3 supplementation on clinical symptoms, quality of life, serum serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), 5-hydroxy-indole acetic acid, and ratio of 5-HIAA/5-HT in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome

Vitamin D deficiency, common in the population with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), can induce the main factors that lead to IBS clinical symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and inflammation. Serotonin (5-HT) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of IBS, and its production and secretion are increased from the lumen due to stress and inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on the pathogenesis of diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D). Seventy-four IBS-D patients (age: 18-65 y) participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial study from February 2017 to May 2018, at Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Subjects were allocated into two groups receiving 50,000 IU/week of vitamin D3 or placebo for 9 weeks. IBS severity score system (IBS-SSS), IBS-quality of life questionnaire (QoL), hospital anxiety and depression Scale (HADs), visceral sensitivity index (VSI) and serum 25(OH) vitamin D3, serotonin, 5-hydroxy-indole acetic acid and ratio of 5-HIAA/5-HT were evaluated before and after the interventions. Symptoms severity, QoL, HADs-depression, and VSI score improved significantly in the vitamin D group as compared to the placebo group (P-values: <0.001, 0.049, 0.023, and 0.008; respectively). There were no significant differences in abdominal bloating, HADs-anxiety, serum 5-HT, 5-HIAA, and 5-HIAA/5-HT between the two groups at the end of the study. Based on our results, we recommend serum vitamin D be evaluated in the process of treatment of these patients to ameliorate symptoms and quality life of IBS-D patients with vitamin D deficiency and/or insufficiency

Nipple aspirate fluid - a liquid biopsy for diagnosing breast health

YesPurpose: Nipple secretions are protein-rich and a potential source of breast cancer biomarkers for breast cancer screening. Previous studies of specific proteins have shown limited correlation with clinicopatholigical features. Our aim, in this pilot study, was to investigate the intra- and inter-patient protein composition of nipple secretions and the implications for their use as liquid biopsies. Experimental design: Matched pairs of NAF (n=15) were characterised for physicochemical properties and SDS PAGE. Four pairs were selected for semi-quantitative proteomic profiling and trypsin-digested peptides analysed using 2D LC Orbitrap Fusion mass spectrometry. The resulting data was subject to bioinformatics analysis and statistical evaluation for functional significance. Results: A total of 1990 unique proteins were identified many of which are established cancer associated markers. Matched pairs shared the greatest similarity (average Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.94), but significant variations between individuals was observed. Conclusions: This was the most complete proteomic study of NAF to date providing a valuable source for biomarker discovery. The high level of milk proteins in healthy volunteer samples compared to the cancer patients was associated with galactorrhoea. Using matched pairs increased confidence in patient-specific protein levels but changes relating to cancer stage require investigation of a larger cohort.Proteomics research was supported by Yorkshire Cancer Research projects, BPP047 and B381PA

Comparison of the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid on the eradication of helicobacter pylori infection, serum inflammatory factors and total antioxidant capacity

Helicobacter pylori infection, the most common chronic bacterial infection in the world, and an important cause of gastrointestinal disorders, may be involved in the pathogenesis of some extra-gastrointestinal disturbances, as well as an increase in blood levels of certain inflammatory markers. Anti-bacterial activity against Helicobacter pylori and anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fatty acids have been studied in several research studies. The purpose of the present study was the comparison of the effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid supplementation on Helicobacter pylori eradication, serum levels of some inflammatory markers and total antioxidant capacity. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 97 Helicobacter pylori positive patients (64 patients in the two intervention groups and 33 in the control group), received 2 grams daily of Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid or Medium Chain Triglyceride oil as placebo, along with conventional tetra-drug Helicobacter pylori eradication regimen, for 12 weeks. Helicobacter pylori eradication test and measurement of concentration of interleukine-6, interleukine-8, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and total antioxidant capacity were performed after the intervention. There was no significant difference in eradication rate of the infection, levels of interleukine-6 and total antioxidant capacity among the three groups, while the levels of interleukine-8 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were statistically different. Eicosapentaenoic Acid or Docosahexaenoic Acid supplementation had no significant differential impact on the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection, and serum levels of interleukine-6 and total antioxidant capacity. However, it had a desirable effect on the levels of interleukine-8 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in Helicobacter pylori positive patients. © 2015 by School of Pharmacy Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services