---

Background&Objective: Synaptosomes as an In Vitro model have unique properties. So, general method of preparation and their applications in studying presynaptic mebrane proteins are introduced. Materials&Methods: This study was done by using five rats and in every examples. Synaptosomes were prepared from rat cerebellum. In order to verify structurally and functionally, biochemical, morphological and their response to depolarization were tested. Results: Lactate dehydrogenize activity rised after exposure to detergent 9±1.8 (n=5). 15 mM K+-evoked depolarization increased synaptosomal exogenous neurotransmitter release 3±0.76 (n=5) times, compared to the basal state. Plasma membrane, mitochondrion and synaptic vesicles were observed in electron micrographs. Conclusion: Application of synaptosomal samples may provide useful information in both basic and clinical researches because it is efficient and can easily be prepared, even from human tissues.

---

Background and Objective: Genital herpes is increasing in Asia and the world. Based on other studies, knowledge has an important role in reducing high risk sexual behavior. In this study we evaluated knowledge among Shahid Beheshti University students as a sample of young and educated population of Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study carried out on 409 of Shahid Beheshti University students in Tehran - Iran at Autumn 2004. Research material was questionnaire and data analyzed by SPSS-13, T-student, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis Tests. Results: Mean±SD of level of knowledge, nature and transmission of genital herpes was 26.5±26%, 23.7±24.2% and 30.56±36.8%, respectively. The level of knowledge about signs, treatment and prevention of disease was 18.8%, 16.4% and 46.2%, respectively. There was a significant relation between age, marital status and education with knowledge (P<0.05). The level of knowledge among engineering students was higher than humman sciences students (P<0.05). Conclusion: Based on our study, most of participants had no enough knowledge about genital herpes. Most of participants were willing to know more about it as they obviously welcomed to our pamphlets. It seems that educations about genital herpes should be added to educational programs.

---

Background and Objective: In clinical situation, pain occurs during intravenous Catheterization (IVC). Finding methods to reduce pain related with insertion of Angiocut. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of types of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on the pain severity regarding to insertion of Angiocut is very important. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of types of transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS) on the pain severity regarding to insertion of Angiocut. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial study was performed on the 80 patients of Internal and CCU wards of Fatemieh Hospital in Semnan, Iran during 2001. In this study, severity of pain related with insertion Angiocut assessed and compared in four conditions No TENS, low TENS (5 Hz), high TENS (100 Hz) and burst TENS (with frequence 100 Hz And burst frequence 2 Hz). The severity of pain measured by testes visual analogue scale (VAS), One-way ANOVA, Tukey, and Dunnett tests were used for comparing means of pain severity in different conditions. Results: Findings showed significant difference between severity of pain during Angiocut insertion in four conditions (P<0.05), so that the lower intensity of pain was in the high-TENS group, while higher pain was in the No TENS group. Significant difference was between intensity of pain in the No TENS group with high TENS and burst TENS group (P<0.05), but no significant difference was between low TENS and No TENS groups. Conclusion: This study showed that TENS was a effective method to reduce pain during Angiocut insertion. The lowest severity of pain was obtained in high TENS method. therefore, high TENS method can suggest as a effective method to reduce pain during Angiocut insertion.

---

Background and Objective: Raw water is one of the main sources of water supply in some communities. Filteration of surface water resources is a challenging point in the rainy seasons due to the highly turbidity. This study was done to evaluate the removal of turbidity in raw water using chitosan in electrocoagulation process using aluminum electrodes. Methods: In this the descriptive –analytical study, a Plexiglas electrocoagulation reactor in a lab scale to an approximate volume of 6 liter which was equipped with four aluminum electrodes having dimension of 200×20×2 mm was proposed. The effects of operating parameters including pH (5 to 9), applied voltage (10 to 30 V), the initial turbidity (100-600 NTU), initial chitosan concentration (0.5-2 mg/L) and contact time (5 to 30 min) were evaluated. Results: Turbidity removal efficiency was over 100% (pH=7, applied voltage=30 V and initial turbidity concentration of 100NTU) in the application of electrocoagulation with chitosan but in the application of electrocoagulation without chitosan removed 87% of turbidity in the same condition. Conclusion: Chitosan as coagulant aid in low amount can increase turbidity removal efficiency rather than application of electrocoagulation alone.

---

Background and Objective: Due to an increase in spontaneous abortions finding a safe and secure method is inevitable. Some medicinal herbs have abortifacient properties. This study was done to determine the effect of abortifacient effect of mulberry white root in mice. Methods: In this experimental study, 50 mice dams were randomly allocated into five groups including control, sham and experimental group 1, 2 and 3. Animals in control group did not receive any substance. Animals in sham group were received normal saline, intraperitoneally. Animals in experimental group 1, 2 and 3 were received doses of 50, 70 and 90 mg/kg/bw of the alcoholic extract of root of mulberry white during the 7th to 12th days of pregnancies, intraperitoneally, respectively. At the 16th day of the pregnancy the uterine tubes of mice were removed and the absorbed fetuses were recorded. Results: The mean of absorb fetuses was 7.4, 7.6, 1.8 and 3.1 in the experimental group 1, 2, 3 and sham, respectively. There was a significant relation between the mean number of aborted fetuses and concentration of strawberry root (P<0.05). The apparent anomaly in fetus was not recorded. Conclusion: Root of mulberry white has abortifacient effect with dose-dependent manner.

---

Background and Objective: Organic aromatic compounds as common environmental pollutants can be existing in the effluent of different industries in concentrations ranging from trace quantities to hundreds of milligrams per liter. Phenol compounds extremely have been used in pharmaceutical, wood industry and paper and dyes industries which introduced to environment via effluents. This study was done to evaluate the efficacy of persulfate activated by Fe²⁺ in the present of UV for removal of phenol from aqueous solutions.
Methods: This photocatalytic degradation experiment was performed in batch mode using a 2.5 L cylindrical reactor equipped with low-pressure Hg vapor lamp of 55 W for wavelength production of 253.7 nm. The effects of operating parameters such as pH of the solution (pH: 3-10), different initial persulfate concentration (10-75 mmol/l), initial Fe²⁺ concentration (5-30 mmol/l) and initial phenol concentration (10-100 mg/l). Concentration changes of phenol were determined using UV–VIS spectroscopy at the wavelength of 500 nm.
Results: Degradation of phenol was significantly decreased with increasing of pH from 3 to 10, whereas the highest phenol removal rate was 82% at pH=3 in 45 min contact time. Also, the phenol removal rate is depending on initial persulfate and Fe²⁺ concentration. The degradation of phenol by this photocatalytic followed first order rate decay kinetics (R²>98%(. Under optimum operational conditions, the removal of TOC was obtained to be 61% in 45 min contact time.
Conclusion: This study indicated that activation of persulfate by Fe²⁺ in the present of UV process could serve as a novel treatment technique for removal of phenol in aqueous solution.
 

---

Background and Objective: Streptomyces are gram-positive and aerobic bacterial strains that are isolated from different sources. Streptomyces have the ability to produce secondary metabolites and biologically active substances and are therefore very important in the field of biocontrol. Urate oxidase is a microbial enzyme product that can be extracted from a variety of sources, including streptomycin. In the present study, cloning of the urate oxidase gene isolated from seawater streptomycosis was performed in Escherichia coli Origami bacteria.
Methods: In this descriptive study, a total of 60 water and sediment samples were collected from different depths of the Caspian Sea coast in Mazandaran province, Iran. The Geram, staining methyl red, VP, citrate, starch hydrolysis, casein hydrolysis, nitrate reduction, oxidase and catalase tests were performed to identify and isolate Streptomyces. The urate oxidase gene was cloned using the T-A cloning method using the PTG-19 vector inside the host of Escherichia coli Origami. The expression of cloned genes in recombinant colonies was investigated by Real-Time PCR. The phylogenetic tree was drawn using clustalX and Mega5 software.
Results: Screening of marine water samples identified 12 isolated streptomyces, all of which had the urate oxidase gene. The expression of urate oxidase gene in Escherichia coli Origami was confirmed by Real-Time PCR. The results of phylogenetic studies identified some close relatives of Streptomyces as candidates for subsequent studies.
Conclusion: Streptococcus bacteria can be considered as a rich source of secondary metabolites with many applications and can be used as a native to produce the enzyme urate oxidase. By using different cloning hosts and examining optimal production conditions, this strain can be a candidate for future studies to develop antimicrobial drugs and compounds.

---

Background and Objective: Previous studies have advanced our understanding of the impact of executive functions on eating behavior. Given the considerable evidence of executive dysfunction among obese individuals and the bidirectional relationship between cognition and obesity, it is crucial to include educational components in interventions aimed at enhancing executive functions among obese populations. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive hypnotherapy in improving executive functions among women with obesity.
Methods: This clinical trial enrolled 30 obese women who were randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group (n=15). The mean ages of the experimental and control groups, respectively, were 40.80±6.02 and 38.47±7.50 years, while their BMIs (kg/m2) were 33.45±3.50 and 33.12±3.47, and hypnotizability scores were 39.67±5.98 and 37.40±7.09. The intervention group received 12 sessions of 2-hour cognitive hypnotherapy. Data collection instruments included the Stanford Hypnosis Susceptibility Scale (1962), Life Experiences, Interests and Values Checklist (1998), and Cognitive Ability Questionnaire (2013).
Results: The results demonstrated that cognitive hypnotherapy significantly improved executive functions (F=7.02, P≤0.01), including inhibitory control and selective attention (F=2.83, P≤0.05), decision making (F=4.13, P≤0.05), planning (F=3.32, P≤0.05), and sustained attention (F=2.83, P≤0.05) in the intervention group.
Conclusion: Given the relationship between cognitive abilities, eating behaviors, and obesity, and the effectiveness of cognitive hypnotherapy in enhancing executive functions, this approach can be used to enhance cognitive functions among individuals with obesity.
 

---

Background and Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that targets the central nervous system. Various studies have shown that several factors influence this disease’s occurrence and prevent its progress. Multiple studies have shown that several factors affect this disease’s occurrence and prevent its progress. Helicobacter pylori can be mentioned among these factors. This study was conducted to determine Helicobacter pylori infection in MS patients and healthy individuals.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 100 patients with MS (mean age: 36.99±9.87 years) and 100 healthy subjects (mean age: 38.05±11.38 years) in Golestan province, north of Iran during 2021. The case group included eighty relapsing-remitting cases and twenty secondary progressive cases. Blood samples were taken from both groups, and after separating the serum using the ELISA test, anti-Helicobacter pylori antibody (IgG) was detected by determining the antibody titer.
Results: Helicobacter pylori IgG in the MS and control groups was 21% and 44%, respectively (P<0.05). The mean concentration of IgG in the case group was significantly lower than the control group (13.48±10.83 versus 19.78±16.14 AU/ml). The percentage of positive cases of IgG antibody against Helicobacter pylori in the relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive group of patients with MS was determined as 21.2% and 20%, respectively, and the difference between these two groups was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: The history of Helicobacter pylori infection is less than two times in patients with MS compared to healthy people probably indicate the protective role of this bacterium against this disease.