A comparison of different O-antigen serogroups of Escherichia coli in semen samples of fertile and infertile men

Nabi, Ali,Khalili, Mohammad Bagher,Eslami, Gilda,Vakili, Mahmood,Anbari, Fatemeh,Torki, Alireza The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine 2022 Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine Vol.49 No.1

Objective: Male genital tract infections have been associated with infertility, and Escherichia coli has drawn increasing attention as an important bacterium in this context. This investigation aimed to characterize and compare the distributions of O-antigen serogroups of E. coli in the semen samples of fertile and infertile men. Methods: In this case-control study, semen samples were collected from 618 fertile and 1,535 infertile men. The E. coli-positive samples were evaluated in terms of concentration, morphology, viability, and motility parameters according to the World Health Organization 2010 guidelines. Finally, different serogroups of E. coli were identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction targeting the O-antigen variations of the bacterium. Results: The prevalence of E. coli among fertile men was significantly higher than among infertile men (p<0.001). The sperm morphology, viability, and motility in the E. coli-positive fertile group were significantly higher than in the E. coli-positive infertile group (p<0.001). E. coli O6 was the most prevalent serogroup found in both groups. However, there was no significant difference in the frequency of different serogroups of E. coil between the two groups (p=0.55). Conclusion: Despite the higher prevalence of E. coli among fertile men, E. coli had more detrimental effects on semen parameters in infertile men. There was no significant difference in E. coli serogroups between the fertile and infertile groups.

Estimation of Surgical Needle Insertion Force Using Kalman Filter

Syed Riaz un Nabi Jafri,Ali Jamshaid,Syed Minhaj un Nabi Jafri,Jamshed Iqbal 대한전기학회 2020 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.15 No.2

This paper presents a novel low-cost technique to measure the insertion force of a surgical needle on a testing surface to check needle strength. A combination of a load cell with a current sensor for a linear DC motor has been used to estimate the insertion force based on Kalman Filter (KF). The custom-designed and in-house fabricated system to estimate the insertion force comprises of the motor coupled with a vertically articulated arm. The needle to be tested is mounted at the end of the arm. Movement of the arm has been controlled electronically to produce the insertion force by the needle to a testing surface. The sensory measurement data generated during this process has been collected using Arduino based embedded electronic hardware. The KF based proposed strategy has been validated using the developed system by conducting various tests with diferent needles. Results in the form of penetration force and friction force have been experimentally observed and are then compared with standard force meters. Comparative analysis witnesses efciency of the proposed approach.

The effects of sesame oil and different doses of estradiol on testicular structure, sperm parameters, and chromatin integrity in old mice

Mohammadzadeh Masoomeh,Pourentezari Majid,Zare-Zardini Hadi,Nabi Ali,Esmailabad Saeed Ghasemi,Khodadadian Ali,Talebi Ali Reza 대한생식의학회 2021 Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine Vol.48 No.1

Objective: Studies of the effects of estrogens on the male reproductive system have emphasized the role of these hormones in male fertility. Sesame oil has many phytoestrogenic compounds and may improve male fertility. This study investigated the effects of sesame oil and different concentrations of estrogen on sperm parameters and DNA integrity in male mice.Methods: Twenty old NMRI (The Naval Medical Research Institute) male mice (40 weeks; weight, 30–35 g) were treated with sesame oil or different concentrations of estrogen (estradiol, 1 and 10 μL/kg/ day) or received no treatment (controls). After 35 days, sperm parameters and DNA integrity were assessed and analyzed.Results: Sperm count, progressive motility, and morphology were decreased in the group that received 10 μL/kg of estradiol. A remarkably lower percentage of DNA fragmentation and protamine deficiency were detected in the group that received 1 μL/kg of estradiol. In the groups that received sesame oil and 1 μL/kg of estradiol, the numbers of spermatogonia and Leydig cells were higher than in controls. The combination of sesame oil and 1 μL/kg of estradiol led to improved sperm parameters and chromatin and testicular structure.Conclusion: Based on this study, consumption of sesame oil and a low concentration of estradiol may improve testicular function in older mice.

Predicting the ratcheting strain of 304 stainless steel by considering yield surface distortion and using a viscoplastic model

Nabi Ahmadi,Ali Nayebi 대한기계학회 2015 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.29 No.7

Yield surface distortion and its center movement were employed in a unified viscoplastic model to predict the ratcheting behavior ofthe 304 stainless steel. A combination of the Ohno-Wang model and the yield surface distortion model of Baltov and Sawczuk was usedin uniaxial loading. Stress amplitude and the mean stress were varied in the tests to verify the model. Uniaxial loadings were simulatedwith and without consideration of yield surface distortion. Results from both simulations were compared. Yield surface distortion showeda significant effect on the simulation of the ratcheting responses.

Application of photo-electro oxidation process for amoxicillin removal from aqueous solution: Modeling and toxicity evaluation

Reza Ali Fallahzadeh,Amir Hossein Mahvi,Mohsen Nabi Meybodi,Mohammad Taghi Ghaneian,Arash Dalvand,Mohammad Hossein Salmani,Hossien Fallahzadeh,Mohammad Hassan Ehrampoush 한국화학공학회 2019 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.36 No.5

The recent increase in the global consumption of antibiotics has led to faster entry of these pollutants into the environment as well as an increase in public concern about its impact on ecosystem and human health. Generally, due to high toxicity of antibiotics, biological methods are not used to treat these pollutants; therefore, advanced oxidation processes are recommended to treat and reduce the toxicity of the wastewater. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of photo-oxidation (P) and electro-oxidation (E) processes in the removal of amoxicillin (AMX) from wastewater, either as integrated or separate processes. Moreover, the effect of variables, including current density (2-100 mA/cm2), reaction time (2-120 min), and electrolyte concentration (100-1,000mg/l) on antibiotic removal efficiency were investigated by Box Behnken design under response surface methodology, and optimal conditions were determined for pollutant removal. Then, the effect of AMX concentration and pH variables on the removal efficiency was investigated. The COD removal efficiency was also evaluated under optimal conditions, and eventually the toxicity and bioavailability of the effluent from the combined Photo-Electro oxidation process (PE) were examined. The optimal conditions for variables, including current density, reaction time, and electrolyte concentration for removal efficiency of 62.4%, were 94 mA/cm2, 95 min and 997mg/l, respectively. Investigating the Amoxicillin and pH variables showed that by reducing the contaminant concentration and pH, the antibiotic removal efficiency increased. The toxicity and bioavailability of the final effluent show the reduction of both parameters in the PE reactor effluent. The PE process can provide an appropriate function to reduce the toxicity and antibacterial properties of effluent by removing more than 60% of amoxicillin and 30% of COD from wastewater.

Application of photoelectro-fenton process modified with porous cathode electrode in removing resistant organic compounds from aquatic solutions: modeling, toxicity and kinetics

Reza Ali Fallahzadeh,Mohammad Hassan Ehrampoush,Mohsen Nabi Meybodi,Mohammad Taghi Ghaneian,Arash Dalvand,Fariborz Omidi,Mohammad Hossein Salmani,Hossien Fallahzadeh,Amir Hossein Mahvi 한국화학공학회 2020 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.37 No.6

The presence of antibiotics in the environment as persistent micropollutants, due to their widespread consumption, has increased the concerns about the harmful effects of these compounds on human and animal health. Advanced oxidation processes are one of the most effective methods to remove these types of organic pollutants. In this study, amoxicillin (AMX) removal in a modified photoelectro-Fenton (PEF) reactor in which porous stainless steel was used as a cathode electrode, and the ability of air injection into its center to produce H2O2 was investigated. A graphite anode electrode equipped with iron rings was used to increase the electrochemical reaction surface and produce iron ions. The effect of current density, time, and electrolyte concentration on AMX removal efficiency was evaluated by Box-Behnken design method. Subsequently, the effect of AMX concentration variable and pH on removal efficiency was investigated. Finally, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency, toxicity, and effluent activity from the PEF reactor were investigated. The results showed that the modified photoelectro-Fenton process could have efficiency of 99% to remove AMX, in 20min using current density of 36 mA/cm2 and 16mM/L electrolyte concentration. Reducing pH and AMX concentration increased the removal efficiency. The PEF process can completely remove the COD in 58 min. Also, toxicity studies indicated an effective reduction in the effluent. This modified reactor improves the efficiency of the PEF process, which, in addition to the 99% removal of AMX, provides a proper function for COD removal, reducing the toxicity properties of the effluent.

Enhancement of thermoelectric properties of MBE grown un-doped ZnO by thermal annealing

Khalid, Mahmood,Asghar, Muhammad,Ali, Adnan,Ajaz-Un-Nabi, M.,Arshad, M. Imran,Amin, Nasir,Hasan, M.A. Techno-Press 2015 Advances in energy research Vol.3 No.2

In this paper, we have reported an enhancement in thermoelectric properties of un-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on silicon (001) substrate by annealing treatment. The grown ZnO thin films were annealed in oxygen environment at $500^{\circ}C-800^{\circ}C$, keeping a step of $100^{\circ}C$ for one hour. Room temperature Seekbeck measurements showed that Seebeck coefficient and power factor increased from 222 to $510{\mu}V/K$ and $8.8{\times}10^{-6}$ to $2.6{\times}10^{-4}Wm^{-1}K^{-2}$ as annealing temperature increased from 500 to $800^{\circ}C$ respectively. This observation was related with the improvement of crystal structure of grown films with annealing temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrated that full width half maximum (FWHM) of ZnO (002) plane decreased and crystalline size increased as the annealing temperature increased. Photoluminescence study revealed that the intensity of band edge emission increased and defect emission decreased as annealing temperature increased because the density of oxygen vacancy related donor defects decreased with annealing temperature. This argument was further justified by the Hall measurements which showed a decreasing trend of carrier concentration with annealing temperature.

Removal of Chromium (III) from Wastewater by Electrocoagulation Method

Toktam Shahriari,Gholamreza Nabi Bidhendi,Naser Mehrdadi,Ali Torabian 대한토목학회 2014 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.18 No.4

The industrial wastewaters mostly contain toxic compounds such as chromium which would be harmful. Among the novel technologies for removing these pollutants, electrocoagulation can be considered as an effective method. This method enjoys some advantages like less amount of produced sludge and high efficiency in removal of pollutants. In this study, electrocoagulation method was used for the removal of chromium from synthetic wastewater polluted by chromium sulfate. For this purpose, the removal of chromium (III) with different concentrations from artificial wastewater was investigated. The best concentration was obtained at removal efficiency of 99.96%. A cubic tank made of Plexiglas with an effective volume of 2.5 L was used as electrocoagulation reactor. A total number of 10 metal plates made of iron in 11 × 7 cm and 2 mm thick were placed inside the tank. Electrodes of bipolar and monopolar array were also used in the reactor. The optimal values of pH, magnetic stirrer rotation, test time and settling times, temperature and voltage parameters were specified according to the primary concentration (500 mg/L). The optimal pH was 6. The mechanism of chromium removal was also investigated, and the results showed that the reactions in the electrocoagulation process are exothermic.

Endoscopic Yield, Appropriateness, and Complications of Pediatric Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in an Adult Suite: A Retrospective Study of 822 Children

Manzoor Ahmad Wani,Showkat Ali Zargar,Ghulam Nabi Yatoo,Inaamul Haq,Altaf Shah,Jaswinder Singh Sodhi,Ghulam Mohammad Gulzar,Mushtaq Khan 대한소화기내시경학회 2020 Clinical Endoscopy Vol.53 No.4

Background/Aims: This study aimed to study the endoscopic yield, appropriateness, and complications of pediatric endoscopyperformed by adult gastroenterologists in an adult endoscopic suite. Methods: This a retrospective study in which records of all the patients less than 18 years of age who underwent endoscopy in the last5 years were studied. The indications of endoscopy in children were categorized as appropriate or inappropriate per the latest guidelinesby American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology andNutrition. Positive endoscopic yield was defined as the presence of any abnormality on endoscopy. Results: Among the total of 822 children (age <18 years), the most common indications were variceal surveillance/eradication in 157(19.1%), followed by dyspepsia in 143 (17.4%), upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding in 136 (16.5%), recurrent abdominal pain in 94(11.4%), unexplained anemia in 74 (9%), recurrent vomiting in 50 (6.08%), chronic refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease in 34 (4.1%)and others; 780 out of 822 endoscopic procedures (94.9%) done in children were appropriate as per the guidelines. The endoscopicyield was 45.8%, highest in patients with UGI bleeding (71.3%), followed by variceal surveillance (54.8%), recurrent vomiting (38%),dyspepsia (37.8%), and recurrent abdominal pain (36%). Minor adverse events occurred in 7.3% of children. Conclusions: Pediatric endoscopy performed by an experienced adult gastroenterologist may be acceptable if done in cooperation witha pediatrician.

Prolonged semen incubation alters the biological characteristics of human spermatozoa

Sayed Abbas Datli Beigi,Mohammad Ali Khalili,Ali Nabi,Mohammad Hosseini,Abolghasem Abbasi Sarcheshmeh,Mojdeh Sabour The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine 2022 Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine Vol.49 No.4

Objective: The present study assessed the biological characteristics of human spermatozoa at different time intervals (0, 1, 1.5, and 2 hours) after incubation at 37℃. Methods: Twenty-five normozoospermic semen samples were incubated at 37℃. Incubation was performed at four time intervals of 0 (after liquefaction), 1, 1.5, and 2 hours. The samples were evaluated for sperm parameters at each time interval. Results: The rate of sperm progressive motility decreased at 1.5 hours compared to 0 hours as well as 2 hours compared to 1 hour and 0 hours. The rate of non-motile spermatozoa also decreased after 2 hours compared to after 0 hours. No significant changes were observed in sperm viability (p=0.98) and non- progressive motility (p=0.48) at any time intervals. Abnormal sperm morphology increased at 1.5 hours of incubation time (p<0.001). No significant changes were observed in DNA fragmentation at 1 hour compared to 0 hours (median [interquartile range]: 19.5 [4] vs. 19 [4]), as well as at 1.5 hours compared to 1 hour (20 [5]). However, a significant increase in DNA fragmentation was observed at 1.5 hours compared to 0 hours. The mitochondrial membrane potential decreased remarkably after 1 hour of incubation time. No significant differences were observed in the acrosome reaction or malonaldehyde levels at any time point (p=0.34 and p=0.98, respectively). Conclusion: The incubation of normozoospermic samples before use in assisted reproductive technology should be less than 1.5 hours to minimize the destructive effects of prolonged incubation time on general and specific sperm parameters.